A marketing must do: Google+ for your tire shop
Google is by far the most popular and powerful search engine on the Internet. People use Google as a source of information for everything, including places to eat, gas stations and nearby tire shops.
It’s important to invest some focus and energy into your tire shop’s Google+ Business Page as part of your overall digital marketing and reputation management strategy. Let’s go through the process together.
What do you need to do?
Here are the results for a Google search on “tire shop in Arlington Virginia.”
The results show three tire shops with Google+ pages. In this case, let’s learn from someone else’s mistake. Notice the fatal flaw here? The top-rated tire shop doesn’t have a link to their website. Their Google+ page is incomplete and this missing information could be making a measurable impact on overall conversions and revenue generated by that shop.
It is vital that your Google+ page is fully optimized. This is how potential customers will discover your tire shop in local searches.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to Google+
If your tire shop has multiple locations, you should have a Google+ page for each location. Be sure the following information is detailed and accurate:
The Business Name: Properly and consistently brand your tire shop.
Address: This will help with local search engine optimization (SEO) and directions to your tire shop. If a location moves or closes, be sure that your Google+ page is updated.
Primary Phone Number: This should preferably be a phone number with a local three-digit area code.
Website Link: This is important for redirecting local search traffic to your website.
Categories: Google+ has a variety of terms to associate with your business. Include “tire shop”, “auto repair shop” and “oil change service,” to name a few.
Hours: Be sure this information is accurate. Nothing is more frustrating to a new customer than reading your hours online and driving to your tire shop, only to learn you closed two hours ago.
Photos: Add photos that represent your tire shop. Be sure to include a logo for branding and a storefront photo to help customers find the location.
Description: Be sure this section is optimized to its fullest potential. This area offers valuable SEO opportunities. Tell customers about your tire shop and how long you’ve been in business, and highlight your customer service, expert technicians and services you offer, etc.
Target customers in your local area
As you can see a Google+ Business Page offers a variety of ways to target your local area and enhance your local and map search rankings.
If we expand our original “tire shop in Arlington Virginia” search, it will look like this:
Do you see the star ratings? These are online reviews from past customers at these tire shops. In a recent article on Traction News, “Why It’s Vital Your Tire Shop is On Yelp”, we discussed how tire shops are often viewed in a negative way — and in particular are often considered untrustworthy.
Google+ has not just given potential customers a way to find a nearby tire shop, but also to see how they are reviewed. Eighty-eight percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, according to Search Engine Land.
If you refer back to the “tire shop in Arlington Virginia” expanded search, you will notice the Review Summary stands out more than the company name, store hours or contact information. The review section of your Google+ listing is likely to have a big influence on whether a potential customer chooses to do business with your tire shop.
Monitor your online reviews on a regular basis. Business owners are given the opportunity to reply to reviews. It is important to respond in a prompt, appropriate manner to help protect your tire shop’s online image.
Taran Sodhi is the chief executive of Conceptual Minds, a marketing firm specializing in the tire and auto industry. For more tips on optimizing and maintaining your tire shop’s Google+ Business Page, contact the agency via the Conceptual Minds website or call 877-524-7696.
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