Any business with an online presence will undoubtedly want their site showing up for any relevant searches on Google – including all-important local searches. With that in mind, learn more about the Google 3-Pack and how to optimise your business for it.
It makes perfect sense to ensure potential customers see your business whenever they do a local search on Google. With that in mind, the following tips can help you achieve that goal:
You need to create a Google Business profile (formerly known as Google My Business) and manage it correctly. Your Google Business Profile is essential to get seen in the Google 3-Pack.
For most businesses that have been operational for even a short period, there will be a Google Profile. In this case you may need to claim it as the business owner.
If your business has no Google reviews or they aren’t favourable, you need to work on getting five-star ones to boost your chances of ranking well in Google 3-Pack results.
The frequency and volume of your Google Reviews both play a part, as do the Google Reviews of your competition.
If you don’t have a process in place to encourage customers to leave a Google Review, it is time you started.
It is also important to add photos & videos of your business to build trust & confidence with potential buyers. Additionally there are other tools to take advantage of once you’ve got the basics under control.
Make sure your website is accessible to desktop and mobile devices, is SEO-friendly, and hosted on a fast web server. Learn about the 5 biggest impacts authentic customer content can have on your business website here.
Without a structured process in place, businesses risk overlooking negative feedback or failing to respond promptly to customer concerns. This negligence can tarnish their online reputation and deter potential customers.
You're far more likely to appear in the Google 3-Pack if your chosen keywords are in your business name. For example, "Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant" is better than "Golden Dragon" as your business name. That said, you can't simply add keywords onto the end of your business name to help here. Whilst many businesses do this, it is against Google terms of service and can result in a suspension or penalty. Also note, changing your business name can also prompt an account verification.
If you change your business name officially, including registering your business name with the applicable government agency and changing your signage, that'll be good, and within the rules.
If you want people to find you in a specific town or city, your business premises must be there. Google is looking to match local businesses with the searcher.
Lastly, you will more likely appear in the Google 3-Pack if the user is as close to your physical location as possible. Similar to the previous point, Google is looking to location of both the business and the searcher as an indicator of relevance.