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Google My Business for Auto Repair is the solution for many auto repair shop owners that are looking for a way to increase the number of customers who visit their shops. Many of them are in a fierce battle competing with larger businesses online, and their online marketing strategies are in no way working for their business.
If you own an auto repair shop, you should know that people now search online for almost every product or service they need, primarily through their mobile devices. This has made mobile phone searches the dominant method through which people find and locate local businesses.
What this means for you is that to increase visitors to your shop and increase sales, you'll need to make yourself more visible online. Perhaps the best way to do this is to optimize your website and Google My Business (GMB) page. By optimizing both your website and GMB, you'll be giving your customers a better experience and increases the chances of them finding you online whenever they search for your services.
Verifying your GMB page is the first step to bringing more customers to your shop. In this article, we'll offer some essential tips on how to optimize your website and your GMB page.
Thеrе аrе different раrtѕ оf your Google Mу Business listing, ѕо lеt’ѕ ѕtаrt with your core buѕіnеѕѕ information:
Google My Business will request your name, address, phone number and website (which is otherwise known as NAP) to begin the listing creation process. This information will be indexed by Google search and Google Maps, providing a foundation for your local SEO.
As much as possible your information should be consistent with what's currently listed on your website. Inconsistencies between your website and your GMB information can negatively impact your search ranking.
When entering your address, make sure it matches with the correct coordinates on the map and includes the same zip code (5-digit vs. hyphenated 9-digit zip) provided on your website. You'll also want to use a local number instead of a national or call center number.
After you’ve provided your NAP, the next part to focus on is your business category and company attributes. You can add as many categories as you'd like, however you can only choose from among Google's pre-made list of categories. Use as many as apply, but don't use any irrelevant categories.
You should consider your keyword strategies when adding your business category and attributes. However, you need to do this with care so that you won’t be stuffing your listing with keywords.
Google doesn't want to send customers to your business when you're closed, so you want to make sure your hours of operation include holidays. There is an option for you to set special hours for holidays and events in advance. Once logged into your GMB page you'll head over to your dashboard, from there you'll go to the info tab and on the left side will be a place for you to edit the special hours.
Keywords are groups of words that people use when looking for your services. This is one of the essential tips for optimizing your GMB page. You must identify potential keywords related to auto repair in your area.
Keyword research is an entirely different subject, but if your GMB listing has been around for a while, you can use it to get a basic idea of your keywords. Go to your GMB dashboard and click on Insights. Here, in addition to seeing how much traffic your GMB listing created, you can see the search terms people are using to find your listing already. This can give you an idea of the types of keywords you should focus on.
Assess the recent queries by setting the date range to the previous three months, which will give you the most information. Then check the queries that seem to be the most popular based on the number of users searching for your services.
One exciting thing about Google My Business is that its metrics are based on unique users, unlike Google Search Console that reports on impressions. This means your auto repair business can easily note popular phrases most people use to find your website, and on an individual basis.
Reviews are the lifeblood of local search. It’s a simple equation. When you've got good reviews on your business page, your potential for getting more customers goes up. There are some instances where bad reviews can also present you with a golden opportunity. This may sound counter intuitive, but when users read a gracious response from the owner, they know that even if things go wrong, you'll make sure to fix it.
most people like a second opinion — a good reason why 90% of people read reviews before making a purchase. A recent study done in 2018 found that 68% of consumers search for local businesses at least once a month. That's a 10% increase from 2017.
So, how do you get reviews from your customers? It’s simple. You ask them! While some sites may discourage this, Google My Business actively recommends it. You can send a link to your customers in a few easy steps.
While the best time to ask for a review is right at the time of service, make sure you share with your previous customers by sending the link via email or text.The worst that can happen is they don't write you a review.
After you start to gather reviews on your listing, you'll need to respond to all of them. Even the ones that are bad - especially the ones that are bad. Take time to write a message to each reviewer using the Google My Business dashboard. 44.6% of people say they would be more likely to visit a business if the owner was responding to negative reviews.
If your reviews are arriving with a perfect 5-star rating, this is your opportunity to turn a customer into a passionate supporter of your business.
Pro-Tip: Use keywords in your responses to show Google you're relevant. For example, if someone writes you a 5 star review, say "Thanks customer, it was a pleasure doing your brake repair in our city."
What if your customers have a question they want a quick answer to? How will they get in touch with you?
The simple answer is "They'll call the number on my GMB" but that's not always the case. Many people, especially younger people, prefer text based communications. Google knows this, and that's why they implemented the GMB messenger. If you use the GMB App on your phone, you can enable instant messaging straight on your GMB listing.
Google added the posts feature back in 2017. This feature allows you to share content about your business, much like a Facebook post. You can use text, photos, and even add a call to action button.
As soon as you've verified your GMB listing, you can begin creating posts. Click on the posts tab of your GMB listing and click the one of the different types of posts:
As with any marketing strategy, it's important to measure thei mpact of your Google My Business listing on your auto repair business. And the good news is that Google has built-in tools to help with that.
Google My Business Insights can tell you:
Google My Business tracks user actions in the Insights section of the dashboard, which can help you understand what customers find valuable in your listing. You can even compare some elements, like photo views, to your competitors' performance. All of these information can be used to track your customers' conversion path, and provides a comprehensive understanding of your customers' actions prior to reaching your website.
There are many ways customers can find your auto repair business, but there's no denying that Google Search is an incredible gateway to your website. So get your Google My Business page optimized and position your auto repair business where the people searching for it can see it.
Optimizing your Google My Business for auto repair is just the first step to dominating the search rankings and getting more customers. Learn how we used citations to get more customers for the largest auto repair shop in Los Angeles.
Robert Portillo is the founder of Nimbus Marketing. Nothing satisfies him more than expressing his thoughts well. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. He can often be found at local farmer’s markets, hiking trails, and the beach.
