Did you know in the last year, Google searches for “open near me” have grown over 400%? 

More than ever, people rely on digital means to make purchasing decisions. It’s important to remember that shoppers aren’t just turning to Google for eCommerce and online shopping – often, they use Google to find what they need nearby. Capturing sales can be as easy as ensuring your business and physical location are readily available. Are you giving customers a more personal, seamless, locally-optimized experience?

Stand Out With a Google Business Profile

Having a business profile on google has never been so important. It helps customers find and connect with you through Maps or an organic Google Search. It includes information like the address of your business, store hours, photos, and more. 

You can add in-store items to your profile through pointy. This profile is free of charge and connects with your existing point-of-sale system integrated. Meanwhile, it also helps your store appear in a visual shopping experience, which you’d be missing out on otherwise.

Highlight What Makes Your Business Unique

People want to shop with businesses that align with their lifestyle and values. Using your Google profile to highlight what makes your business unique is more important than ever. This is your new customer’s first touch point on their journey to purchase, and thus its first actual impressions. 

You can select various key attributes on your profile to let customers in on important details about your business. These attributes, as they’re called, can include women-led, family-owned, LGBTQ+ friendly, and more. They can also appear in the shopping tab with your items when you add them to your account.

How to Increase Store Visits and Grow In-Store Sales

Traditional retailers and small businesses understand that bringing customers into their stores can be critical to generating revenue. Google has solutions to help you reach your goals, whether highlighting in-store sales, driving foot traffic to particular locations, or promoting specific products available for curbside or store pickup. 

Performance Max Campaigns for Store Goals – Bring people to your stores by promoting locations to shoppers browsing on Google Maps, Youtube, Search, and the Google Display Network by using Performance Max Campaigns for Store Goals. This can help you drive foot traffic by sharing openings, special in-store promotions, updated business hours, and specific products in nearby stores. Advertisers can upgrade their current Local campaigns to Performance Max. 

Local Inventory Ads – Shoppers want the peace of mind of knowing the products available before entering the store. You can showcase products in-store on Google Search, ready for browing. This highlights your fulfillment options like pickup today, curbside pickup, and pick up later with local inventory ads. 

Smart Bidding for Store Visits & Sales – Utilize Google’s tools for smart Bidding for Store Visits or Store Sales. It can help you maximize sales by bidding the right amount to attract customers, online or in-store. 

See Also: 4 Mistakes That Ruin Google Business Profile Rankings

Local Businesses Can Thrive with Google My Business

As a local or small business, you know better than anyone that you need to be online to maintain your brand awareness and presence. While in-store traffic is essential, it can be an uphill battle if you’re fighting against eCommerce giants for that space. 

But navigating this space can feel overwhelming, if not impossible, at the moment. No matter how it feels: you don’t have to be a Google My Business Expert, or ad Guru, to see real benefits come from a little boost. 

Google My Business can benefit your business through the following:

Boosting your search visibility

Encouraging Customer Reviews

Helping Customers Find your Physical Location

Increase Website and foot traffic

Getting Valuable insights on Customer Interaction

Small Screen Producer is dedicated to helping create and optimize your company’s online presence. We aim to help position, pursue, promote, and protect your business. Our line of digital marketing solutions is uniquely built to get the job done, and our team has never been more ready to dive in with you. We’ll take online marketing and advertising off your to-do list, so you can sit back and focus on your core business.

Reach out today to learn more about boosting your revenues with us, and see how we can help your business’s unique needs.

The post Google Business: Driving Local Traffic and In-Store Sales in 2023 appeared first on Small Screen Producer.