Corporations and businesses around the globe are taking measures to respond to the COVID-19 virus by keeping their employees safe. Google is no different and has announced that they are doing all they can to limit contagion by allowing people to work from home instead of coming into the office.
In their letter to their constituents, they apologized for any temporary delays that it might cause. They did maintain, however, that their priority is also to limit businesses being affected. And also that they seek to make the information on their Google Maps and Google Search as current and reliable as possible.
As a result, there will be temporary changes to their product services
Business Information Edits
Since health information and services are highly critical, health-related businesses will be prioritized for edits and reviews. Google will also pay close attention to updated closures, special hours of operation, businesses that are open or closed, business descriptions, and any business attributes edits that will provide people with the information they need most.
Newly Created Google Business Listing Claims, Verifications and Listings
Their support team will manually be reviewing all new claims, listings, and verification for health-related businesses and services. That may lead to delays in the publishing of new claims, verifications, and listings for other businesses that are outside of the healthcare industry.
Q&A and Reviews
Until further notice, all new reviews, replies to reviews, and any question and answer sessions will be unavailable on your Google My Business Listing.
So What Does That Mean for You as a Business Owner?
At Fu Dog Media, we encourage you to stay positive and remind you that these are just temporary changes in response to the pandemic. Don’t lose sight of the long-term goal of SEO and social media marketing! Now is not the time to pull back, rather make use of your time and go full speed ahead.
Update Hours
Things are very uncertain right now and people are looking for information about what is available. Make sure to update your hours of operations, special changes to your practices, or any other critical information people need to find you. When people do venture out, they want to know that they can trust you will be open and available. So give them the information necessary to limit frustration.
Keep up With Your Google my Business Posts
Now more than ever, it is important to engage and communicate with your customers. People are spending a good majority of their time on the internet, so while you have a captive audience, reach out to them and keep them in the loop. Post small details about what is happening and the changes you are making. Also, try to keep your engagements positive and uplifting. People appreciate something that makes them feel okay when everything around them is uncertain.
Update Your Listing so There Isn’t Any Information Missing
Now, while you have a little downtime, use it wisely to ensure that your Google my Business page listing is fully complete. Enhancing your page will help to increase your local presence and rank you higher both in an organic search and a local one. Remember, people don’t want to go very far from home. If you show up first in a local search, they are going to choose you over the competition. And the more complete your listing is, the better likelihood there is that your business will rank higher.
Add Engaging Photos and Videos
People are looking for a distraction, so give them one! Add uplifting and engaging photos and videos to attract their eye. Social media and your Google my Business listing are both excellent ways to further your brand marketing. And while people are looking for something to do, captivate them to enhance their brand familiarity, which will increase their loyalty not just today but for the boom that will follow this downtime!
Create Google Ads
Although most people are tightening their marketing belt, it isn’t a wise move. Now is the time to go full speed ahead. While there is a lull in the market, Google Ads will give you a tremendous amount of bang for your advertising buck! And things like pay per click advertising are an excellent way to stay ahead of the competition.
At Fu Dog Media, we understand that these are unprecedented and uncertain times. Companies like Google are taking the necessary precautions to keep their employees safe. Although there might be delays in their day to day operations, don’t let that deter you from taking smart marketing actions right now to put you ahead of the competition.
You might not feel it today or tomorrow, but when the dust settles and people go back to normalcy, you will have positioned yourself for success. Make the best use of this time by contacting us and let’s get ahead of the business boom to come!
