I want to start off by telling you that this is a sales pitch…in a way… Well maybe not… However, I will ask that you call us if you want us to help rank you after you finish reading this. For now, all that I ask is that you manage to keep your attention on the next couple of paragraphs and learn the importance of being at the top of Google.
Are you a windows and doors contractor? Maybe a plumber who specializes in basement waterproofing services? Or a financial advisor who provides critical illness insurance?
Regardless of what type of product or service you sell, whether you’re a videographer, sell shawarma, your clients go through a certain process in order to choose the solution for their problem. Before showing up on the top of page one, you need to understand that process and how clients interact with search engines at each step of that journey. Let’s assume I need to find a new optometrist because I just moved to a new neighbourhood.
First, I am going to take my phone out and Google search “optometrist” near me. Google says 60% of people that search a business near them make a physical trip to a location of their choice within 24 hours. I am going to look at the first 3-5 options, open their website, read reviews, and do a little bit more research. I will either decide on the spot to call someone and book an appointment or I will re-visit the topic again in the following days. If I revisit the topic in the next few days I will probably go through the same exercise again, remember a couple of names maybe and repeat the process.
If you are one of those optometrists that show up on the top, 3 things are important to me:
1. The User Experience of the Landing Page
A landing page is the first page you land on once you click on the business. There are several things to consider on your landing page such as: Did the landing page load fast enough? Is the website optimized for Mobile devices? Is there an easy way to interact with the business – is the “book an appointment” button or the “call now” button in front of me? Is the website modern and clean? Can I trust based on my first impression that this establishment cares about their clients? Do they care enough about their own business to keep things updated? Is there a map of their physical location on the website? Can I see some client testimonials there? All these factors contribute to the image I am creating of that business.
2. Does the Business Answer the Questions to My Problem?
If I searched “optometrist” near me, is it clear on the landing page that I am looking at an optometrist office? Although it seems obvious you will be surprised at how many businesses want to promote a specific product or service and confuse users by occupying most of the real-estate on the home page with their current promotion that often is not related to the core service or product that made the user land on that page.
3. Other Online Presence
Now that I am somewhat sold on the business, I want to do some additional research. I will look at reviews, social media pages, online mentions of that business, and Google Listing.
All of these things will contribute to the process of deciding who to give my business to. It seems like a lot, doesn’t it? I just want to point out though that none of these points are relevant if you do not show up on the search results when customers are searching terms that are relevant to your business. Remember how the journey started? I took out my phone and Google searched “optometrist” near me.
If you need help getting your business there, call us! Try searching “escape room Mississauga” or “bathroom vanities Kitchener” on Google. All of our clients ranked on page 1 within the year of hiring us. You can check out our other SEO articles if you want to know more about how to rank high on Google.