A Breakdown from Your Local Digital Marketing Agency in Kansas City
As a digital marketing agency near you that knows the difference between a bad strategy and a good one, we can tell you right now your business – any business, really – needs to cater to Google and their whims.
According to Hubspot, Google processes approximately two trillion searches per year. Considering the massive amount of search volume, it probably comes as no surprise that Google holds a firm grasp over approximately 90 percent of the search engine market share. All the other platforms like Yahoo!, Bing, and DuckDuckGo are fighting over one very small sliver of the search engine pie.
Because Google is literally the biggest site on the internet, it’s important to stay up to date on their latest goings-on and company developments. Here’s the problem with that: Google isn’t always super clear or upfront about the changes they plan on making or how they plan to adjust search engine optimization (SEO) keyword best practices.
As one of the top agencies in Kansas City, the onus is on us to pay attention and research on behalf of our clients so they can focus on running their business. Falling asleep at the switch can set an entire marketing plan ablaze, so it’s important that anything Google-related is closely monitored. One of the big changes that happened recently that business owners need to be mindful of is Google My Business and its recent revamp.
What is Google My Business?
Think of Google My Business as the modern-day company directory. Using this platform, businesses of all sizes can list detailed information about themselves for free. Having a Google My Business profile is extremely helpful for those that want to be discovered via the Google search engine or in Google Maps during local searches.
As one of the main ad agencies in Kansas City that works with local clients, we can attest that Google My Business profiles are critical for those attempting to get local customers in their vicinity. However, things are changing on the Google My Business front. Let’s go over what’s new and what’s staying the same.
What Are the New Changes with Google My Business?
The first big change is that Google My Business has been officially changed to Google Business Profile.
The second significant change is that the current Google My Business web portal is going to transition to support large business and/or businesses with multiple locations. This has many wondering if Google will eventually cut off support from small- and medium-sized businesses. Only time will tell.
The third significant change is that the Google My Business app is going to be retired. Business owners will instead access their profile through either Google Maps or the Google search engine, which Google has said will be a much better experience compared to the GMB app.
What Will Stay the Same with Google Business Profile?
Regardless of the changes that are coming down the pipe, Google Business Profile will remain an essential tool to those businesses that wish to be discovered by local searchers. If you don’t have a Google Business Profile as part of your digital marketing strategy, you’re doing yourself and your customers a huge disservice. It’s also free (for now), so there’s really no reason not to have one.
In addition to Google Business Profile remaining an essential free tool, a couple best practices to get discovered remain the same. First, the business category on your profile will remain a key component in the right audience finding you. Because Google offers over 3,000 categories to choose from, you should be able to find the one that suits your business perfectly, no matter how niche.
Another thing that can be added to your Google Business Profile are attributes. Some of the attributes are subjective to opinion. “Great for big groups” or “perfect for brunch” are a couple examples you may have seen restaurants use. Meanwhile, other attributes are factual, such as “handicapped-accessible restroom” or “identifies as a women-led business.”
Attributes are also how businesses get the word out about how they handle public health issues. Many businesses still have attributes such as “mask required” and “staff wear masks” to illustrate their COVID protocols.
Looking For Digital Marketing in Kansas City? iFocus Marketing Will Help You Meet Your Business Goals
Voted the best digital marketing agency in Kansas City in The Pitch’s “Best of KC” issue, iFocus Marketing has developed a reputation for helping our clients grow and reach their intended audience. No matter your industry or company size, we can develop a digital marketing strategy around you using any combination of our suite of solutions, like:
- Paid search advertising
- Search engine optimization
- Social media management
- Display advertising
- Website design
- Creative services
If your business isn’t where you want it to be, our team can help. The first step is requesting a free discovery call with one of our business development professionals. During this call we will assess where you’re at, what your short and long-term goals are, and then we’ll come up with a digital marketing strategy tailored to you.
Call us at (913) 708-8567 and request to speak with someone from business development to get started.
Brandon Tietz is a senior digital copywriter at iFocus Marketing with close to a decade of marketing experience. He has written for clients in retail, real estate, automotive, education, manufacturing, healthcare, consumer goods, and several other spaces. In addition to copywriting, he has authored books, published short stories, written for several online and print publications, and was named “Best Local Writer” by The Pitch for his debut novel. He’s currently living the dream in the ‘burbs with his wonderful wife and their two dogs, Dr. Croutons and Professor Pickles.
