As mobile phones become increasingly tied to our personal and professional lives, ranking high in Google Maps has become critical to an effective marketing strategy.
A study released by Google in 2016 reported that roughly 40% of people perform searches strictly on their smartphone devices.
Searches conducted on smartphones peak around noon and continue to increase throughout the afternoon and into the night. These are prime businesses hours for businesses and organizations like mental health and rehabilitation facilities and drug treatment centers, as they can often receive a high volume of calls during off-hours, or even in the middle of the night.
It’s crucial for treatment centers to be easily and quickly accessible, and Google maps has facilitated faster searches and calls with their Google 3-pack and click to call features.
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As many as 70% of mobile users use the click-to-call feature, which means that appearing on that front page of Google Maps results is crucial to your business, especially if you provide any mental health or addictions counseling services where timely communication is crucial.
In our previous blog, we discussed Google’s recent switch from the 7-pack to the 3-pack and reduction in Google AdWords available to mental health and rehab treatment centers. While this has prevented quite a challenge to marketing for treatment centers, ranking in the top 3 local results on the Google 3-pack is still an achievable and worthwhile goal.
However, no matter what business you’re in, click-to-call is a valuable tool that can increase your conversions and overall business. According to a study done by Marchex, consumers will spend $1.12 trillion through click-to-call tools this year.
SeoTuners offers the following considerations in increasing your Google 3-pack rankings and click-to-call conversations for your business:
Location Matters
Google 3-pack results are dependent on one’s location and IP address, so they vary from person to person. While you can’t ensure that you’ll always rank in everyone’s results, you can increase the likelihood of ranking for people searching near your business.
Because of Google’s emphasis on convenience for the public, it’s to your advantage to invest in marketing at the local and specialized level. Finding your niche of service can set you apart from the competition—for example, if you specialize in alcohol rehab or find yourself the most experienced in treating teens, this is something you can emphasize on your website and Google My business (GMB) listing.
Ultimately, focusing on your local community will not only increase the chances of appearing in someone’s Google 3-pack, but it will help your client base as well. For most services, people prefer to stay local—especially for something like mental health or drug treatments. While Google’s click to call might reduce the number of calls you receive, the calls you do receive will likely be of a higher quality and lead to business beyond just a phone call.
And convenience is a big reason why click-to-call is so important—once someone has made the decision to chose your business based on its nearby location and quality of service, they can reach you at just the touch of a button.
Strive for Correct, Complete, & Current Information
Google is always striving to deliver high-quality results to the public. In order to appear in the new Google 3-pack, your best strategy is to ensure that what’s listed on your website, GMB Page, and any other listings is accurate, complete, current and consistent.
Be sure to claim your business on GMB and fill out your listing as much as possible, including relevant pictures, details, and keywords.
Although Google no longer displays a link to your GMP page, much of your info will still be pulled from it (such as your address, phone number, images, and hours), so it’s important that this information is complete and accurate. Potential clients make the choice to chose you based on your address (proximity) and hours (if your schedule aligns with theirs), but they are also more likely to chose your business if you have more photos posted. And of course, having a correct phone number is crucial!
Having inaccurate, out-of-date, or incomplete information will lower your rankings and can generate poor reviews for your business. Additionally, the more information you include in your listing, the more personable and trustworthy your listing will appear.
Establish Trust & Credibility
When Google changed their algorithm, they not only listed fewer businesses in a search, they also started showing companies’ competitors beside their listings. Now more than ever, your business must stand out in order to get that call.
Having as many quality reviews as possible not only increases your likelihood of showing up in someone’s Google 3-pack results, it also increases the chances that someone will click your listing and make a call.
You can also establish credibility by having abundant quality content on your website and social media channels that will link back to your website. Local backlinks can build a lot of steam, but they have to be of high quality.
Additionally, because the Google Map 3-pack is striving to be more mobile-friendly, having a mobile responsive website can also tip the rankings in your favor.
Invest In SEO
As we discussed in our previous blog, SEO services can help you define and incorporate keywords, optimize your content, and actively build out quality backlinks that will boost your Google 3-pack rankings. Our backlink services are built on a network of websites that are willing to give backlinks in exchange for getting them in return, ensuring that the links built will be authentic.
With today’s fast-paced culture and the world of digital marketing, appearing in the Google 3-pack is crucial to a modern business marketing strategy. Potential clients turning to Google searches to make their business selection look for complete and reputable listings, a multitude of positive reviews, and the ease with which they can get in touch with the business (with click-to-call, it’s just the touch of a button!)
While it may be more difficult since Google’s algorithm shift to appear in someone’s first page of search results, the click-to-call feature makes it all the more worth it. Get in touch with us today to talk about how we can boost your listing and get your phone ringing!
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