Google’s exciting answer to Drive Traffic to Local Businesses

I am presuming that most of us are Google users here. I practically Google anything under the sun. And if you notice, when a person conducts a Google search on a movie or celebrity, the search typically provides the web results along with a social media post right from the brand at the highest rank of the search engine result page (SERP).

What does that mean? What in it for us Digital Marketers?

Well let me tell you, the top of the SERP list is a great way for a brand to remain visible and drive traffic to a website.

Although top SERP results have worked in the past to increase traffic, today, Google Posts is a powerful new feature that enhances the SERP results and is available to any business that has a Google My Business account.

Google Post: What is it?

Google Posts is an innovative and exciting way for a brand to maintain communication with new and existing customers.

It is free for all Google My Business account holders and it presents businesses with the opportunity to promote events and highlight vital happenings related to the business.

And yes! It is completely free of charge. It is a straightforward way for businesses to share and engage with clients and it acts like sort of a free advertising strategy.

Unlike social media posts like Facebook, which requires a user to like a page first, Google Posts are automatic and appear on the Google search, meaning that clients do not have to go to a company website to access the new information.

Businesses can add fresh content and communicate directly with clients on the SERP without the need of redirecting them to another platform.

Why Google Posts?

‍

You might wonder what’s the difference with posting for your clients in the Social media?

First, It is FREE to all Google My Business customers.

And for something free of charge, it offers the ability to promote events and highlight important things happening to your clients. It’s way to share content to your client’s target audience. Bottom line is, It is FREE advertising.

Need I say more?

Stay Ahead of the Game! Make finding you easy and convenient.

Add fresh content and engage with your customers right on the SERP without the trouble of redirecting them to a different page. A simple Google search will make your customers find your latest promotions or events without visiting their website. No need to like pages before seeing updates.

Google posts are instant and it shows automatically in a Google Search.

Increase online visibility! Google Posts content will automatically appear high on the SERP.

Create regular posts for business and increase your chances to have Search engines pay more attention to your listings. Google Posts is a new cool feature. It is a quick-win to improve clients’ ranking.

The value of Google posts:

Generating traffic

These posts present a great opportunity for businesses to become more visible in a crowded SERP.

Businesses can now target new and existing customers with timely content catered specifically to the business.

When posting Google Posts, ensure to keep your posts short and to the point that have compelling descriptions with eye catching images. Google Posts resemble mini blogs.

Characteristics of Google Posts:

• Images/ photos: images are cropped so it is essential to take note of dimensions. Videos and GIFs are not yet supported.
• Content: content can be 100-300 words long but only the first 100 characters will show up on the knowledge panel.
• Call to action- terms such as sign up now, read now, etc.

What to post on Google Posts:

• Events: you can provide relevant information such as dates, free sign up or even reserving and buying tickets.
• Product promotion: you can promote upcoming sales offer discount codes and images of new goods.
• Daily specials: specials or in-store promotions can also be added on Google Posts.
• Promote your brand: these posts are great for promoting new blogging content as a way of increasing traffic to your site.