Helping Your Clients Succeed with Google My Business
Creating a well-functioning site is fundamental to your agency’s goals—but it’s only half the battle.
Why? Because a functioning site is only as functional as it is visible.
There are many tools to help us push our clients’ sites to the forefront, and today’s Can We Talk was all about one of the most prevalent resources in site-building today—Google My Business. Whether you’ve used it up until this point or not, it’s a resource that can give your sites a leg up, or leave your clients’ businesses behind.
It’s so influential, in fact, that site-building mavericks like Tricia Clements have used it to niche down to an even more intense focus and reap the benefits.
I’ve known Tricia for a few years now after connecting at WordCamp. I’m so pleased and grateful to have welcomed her to Can We Talk to explain more about how she uses Google My Business. She’s a dog fanatic and founder of Your Biz WatchDog, her latest project as a result of her decision to niche with Google My Business.
Alright, so you’ve gotten the message that Google My Business is an important tool for our sites. But why?
Google My Business helps you put your business on the digital map and make sure it stays there. It’s all about relevance.
While Tricia gets into the nitty gritty of Google My Business—which, trust me, you do not want to miss—here are some of my impressions from today.
- If you’re going to pivot, pivot with intention.
When I first met Tricia, she was already running a niche agency working primarily with dog-based businesses. She still does, of course—but a sharp eye and a feeling for her clients’ needs led her to niche down even further to a service-based niche which still serves some of the clients’ sites she’s developed.
We’ve toyed around with the pro’s and con’s of switching niches in many of our Can We Talk chats, but I really admire the way that Tricia has been able to serve her passion and grow her agency in the meantime.
Keep in mind that this wasn’t by giving up the ghost entirely on those old clients—it all had to do with a very intentional pivot.
- Communication and guidance are crucial for introducing a client to new technology.
As is the case with many of the tools and plugins you might use to develop your agency’s sites, Google My Business is going to probably seem intimidating to some of your less tech savvy clients. This is an excellent opportunity to work on your client relationship management.
By guiding your clients to a new understanding of the benefits of Google My Business (or any tool, for that matter), your education style, patience, and openness will be factors that make or break your relationship.
- Don’t stuff your SEO; be strategic!
Agency owners with less experience in SEO often have the tendency to “stuff”, or simply add as many key words and phrases as possible to make sure something sticks.
But be warned: stuffing has just as much potential to have the opposite effect as to benefit your clients’ sites.
If you feel that your SEO game isn’t as strong as you’d like it to be when dealing with your clients’ sites, now’s a great time to do some learning, or to speak to a professional about coaching or collaborating.
- Good client pairings lead to good reviews.
This applies to you and your clients, and it’s imperative for making both of those types of sites positive and presencial in the digital world.
Reviews are an integral part of making your sites searchable and presentable. It requires a little bit of research, but as they say, “A stitch in time saves nine”, and you don’t want to have to cover up one negative review from an unpleasant, insatiable client with nine positive ones.
Make sure to get as much information as you can on prospective clients. Period.
Speaking with Tricia is always a pleasant and insightful experience— I don’t know about you, but I certainly feel like I’ve earned a wealth of knowledge for our conversation today. I hope you’ll take inspiration from Tricia and see how Google My Business can benefit your sites today, with a little focus and practice!
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