How Google Native Guides Enhance Visibility
As a business owner, you know that reviews and fresh content are essential to your success.
Suppose you are passionate about promoting your business. If so, you will likely spend a lot of time creating new blog articles, creating social media posts, or developing video content to keep your audience engaged.
However, there is another, more passive, advertising method that can help you grow your business and improve your local search results: Google Local Guides.
Google Local Guides – also known as Google Guides – was launched in 2015 and took over where Google Cities left off. If you are unfamiliar with that, Yelp is! Elite unit.
Google Guides allows users to add reviews and other content for various perks ranging from storage space to clothing.
Since its inception, the Google Guides community has proven extremely popular. There are 120 million local guides that span 24,000 cities.
Google Guides offers several potential benefits for your business and its online visibility.
Let's take a closer look at the guides system.
What are Google Guides?
The idea behind Google Guides is simple. It uses User Generated Content (UGC) to enrich the information available on Google Maps.
Or as Google explains it, instructions are:
… A global community of explorers who write reviews, share photos, answer questions, add or edit places, and check facts on Google Maps.
The additional content of manuals can increase your company's visibility and make it easier for consumers to get the information they need.
Becoming a local guide is easy. Potential guides log in to their Google accounts, choose their locations, and they're good to go.
After signing up, members of the Google Guides community will earn points for every action they take.
All guides start with zero points and work their way up through 10 levels, receiving various benefits.
Create lists
Once the guides have reached level four, they can add lists. These lists can consist of favorite locations, destinations the guide wants to visit, and saved locations.
As you'd expect, any list that a Google Guide adds must meet certain requirements. To be eligible for publication, Google must include the following in the list of a guide:
- have a title (i.e. a custom list that should not be included in Want To Go or Favorites);
- include at least four places; and
- shared publicly.
Google Guides perks
One aspect that makes Google Guides appealing to its members is the benefits. Although these may vary from time to time, examples of the incentives are:
- early access to new Google products
- free music attempts
- discounted video services
- storage room
- Partner benefits
- digital newspaper subscriptions
- T-shirts and socks
Other bonuses include invitations to the Google Guides Convention or Connect Live events, which are only open to a limited number of community members.
There is also an active online forum that promotes the community feeling and allows guides to share tips, favorite pictures and other information.
How do Google Guides points and levels work?
Community members start at level 1 and can work their way up to level 10, which offers a maximum of 100,000 points.
To ensure guides abide by the rules, Google closes an account if a guide violates program guidelines.
Some violations that may result in instructions being removed from the program are:
- participate as a company
- Duplicate ratings
- Spam on the site
- Post offensive content
- Adding inaccurate information
- including unnecessary keywords
How does Google Guides benefit your company?
Since you as a business owner cannot participate, you may be wondering how Google Local Guides can help you.
Let's start with one of the most important elements for today's businesses: being found online.
Increased visibility
With most consumers searching for local businesses online and mobile search increasing, increased visibility is more important than ever.
This is where the content compiled by Google Guides can be invaluable to your business and potentially improve your local search rankings.
A Google my Business Insights study found that high quality images are vital to your listing.
The survey found that profiles with more pictures received more clicks, queries and requests for directions.
Let's look at the statistics. Companies with over a hundred images will receive:
- 520% more calls than average
- 2.717% more direction requests
- 1.065% more website clicks
In addition, the study suggests several search advantages of image-rich Google My Business profiles.
Companies with more than 100 images received:
- 960% more search views
- 3459% more card ratings
- 1038% more direct searches
Although Google Guides and Google My Business are different products, they are closely related as both provide information for Google Maps.
The more detailed the information about your business is in Google Maps, the more likely it is that consumers will find you online and offline.
The ability to keep your profile up to date and accurate
As explained at the beginning, Google awards points for editing entries.
Make sure your information is updated as inaccurate information like outdated phone numbers or an old address will reduce the chance that a customer will find your business offline.
In addition to editing listings for errors, Google Guides can correct omissions. This additional detail is important to attract new customers.
Statistics from Google show that 67% of your visitors don't need to do further research if the profile contains important information, such as:
- opening hours
- Locations
- photos
- Customer reviews
The same study shows that 41% of users who encounter an incomplete profile would continue their research and exit the company profile, potentially depriving the company of the opportunity to acquire a new customer.
On-line reviews
They know positive reviews build customer trust, but they can also help you get noticed online.
In an increasingly digital world, this online validation is crucial for your company because:
- 93% of consumers say that online reviews influence their purchasing decisions
- 91% of consumers value online reviews as well as personal recommendations
- 90% of consumers read reviews before visiting a brick and mortar business
Google is the first place consumers read reviews these days.
The search engine is the leader in online reviews. Over 60% of potential buyers turn to Google when they are considering a purchase.
Although there has been some debate about how critical ratings are for SEO, Google confirms that they play an indispensable role in local search:
High quality, positive reviews from your customers will improve the visibility of your company and increase the likelihood that a potential customer will visit your location.
Research by Moz also confirms the importance of online reviews for SEO. The Local Search Ranking Factors report for 2018 found that reviews account for 15% of local ranking factors.
Dealing with negative reviews
No matter how dedicated you are or how well you run your business, it is almost inevitable that you will eventually receive a negative review. It can hurt you personally and you may fear that it can damage your professional reputation.
Let's try to dispel this fear.
Despite what you might think, your business needs negative reviews. Negative reviews enable consumers to make informed decisions. They also enable buyers to understand what can go wrong during a transaction and help manage their expectations.
Rather than worrying about potentially low reviews, it is best to respond positively and objectively to reviews.
Ask yourself:
- Does the examiner have a valid point?
- Is it an issue that you can address to improve the experience for the next customer?
Even so, there is one type of negative comment that could affect you more than any other: the fake review.
Unfortunately, removing unwarranted negative feedback from Google Guides is not that easy. If the review is against Google's terms, it will likely be removed.
There is no fake review reporting option, however.
The best thing to do is to contact a Google Guides moderator. However, this does not solve the problem of possible reputational damage from fake reviews.
Business owners can expect this, but the process is often time consuming and frustrating for business owners who have experienced it.
How to get Google Guides to contact you
You now know the benefits of Google Guides for your business. But how do you get them to find you and engage with you?
If you want to be more active, this is an option.
So go ahead.
Attend meetups
Businesses are welcome to work with local guides for meetups and even offer them special discounts. Getting to know local guides is a great way for your business to connect with them and build relationships.
However, you should make sure that your company and the guide adhere to Google guidelines. This means:
- Local guides are not allowed to accept sponsorship in return for a positive review
- Guides cannot accept payments for hosting the meetup
- If your company sponsors the meetup or provides goods or services, Google Guides must make this clear in the meetup descriptions.
Google Guides level three and above can host meetups, but must first be approved.
Optimize your Google My Business page
Despite the obvious benefits of optimizing Google My Business, research found that more than half of local businesses did not claim their listings.
Optimize the entry of your business map
Optimizing your map doesn't just make it easier for locals to find you. It also makes it easier for Google Guides to discover your company.
Optimize your google cards list to make your website stand out:
- Adding pictures
- Reply to reviews
- Complete your profile
- Keep your profile up to date
Emphasize the importance of reviews to your business
There is nothing wrong with explaining to your customers how important reviews are to your business. However, be careful how you approach it.
If you need some basic guidelines to get more reviews, Google has these suggestions:
- Start a conversation with your customers about reviews.
- Make it easy to leave feedback.
- Share positive reviews.
- Reply to online feedback.
Conclusion
You can generate new interest in your company with Google Guides. However, you may not be aware of the potential benefits of having local guides profiled.
Companies with an increased amount of User Generated Content (UGC) benefit from increased consumer trust in their brand, increased trust from Google, and potentially improved local search rankings.
As a result, your company may experience an increased number of inquiries, better visibility of your goods and services and more visits to your offline store.
Do you have experience with Google Guides? Feel free to comment below.