Why Google Ignores You and How To Fix That for Your Horticulture Business
March 28, 2021 The internet is a big place. Think of it as a major city users need to navigate just to find anything they are looking for.
Recently, Monica Hemingway, award-winning Digital Strategist from monicahemingway.com, gave a presentation at the Oregon Association of Nurseries’ Nursery Guide LIVE virtual event on how to get people to notice you online. Here were her five big keys.
Key One: Focus
Every business should have a purpose, Hemingway says. Without a purpose, people will ignore your business.
“What do you do, and why do you do it?” Hemingway says. “You need to be clear for Google.”
Google is like the subway of the internet; it brings people from all around the web. However, they need to know you exist first before they can get to your station. Therefore, it’s important to use Google’s tools so people can see your stop on their radars.
The best way you can do that is to control what you can control, Hemingway says.
Google will pull results of businesses in proximity to the searcher, and this is something you cannot control, Hemingway says. However, Google also looks at your website and business to see how relevant you may be to the searcher’s keywords, and this you can control somewhat. But what you have the most control over is your prominence or authority and reputation on the web.
Key Two: Google My Business
Google My Business is a tool that gives business owners the ability to put all their information into one easy-to-spot box on the front page of Google.
Google’s algorithm already makes these boxes automatically; however, they can be filled with misinformation.
“If you don’t control that page, Google will find random information that may be wrong,” Hemingway says. “Make sure you claim and verify your Google My Business page.”
From here, Hemingway suggests filling out all the information you can. This includes:
- Business Name
- Address
- Cover Images and Logos
- Website Link
- Hours
- Services and Products
- Q&A
- Weekly Posts
Key Three: Getting Online Reviews
Google My Business does have a section that you cannot fill out, and that is the review section.
“88% of people trust online reviews as much as they do recommendations from friends and family,” Hemingway says. “74% say it’s a key influencer in their purchasing decisions.”
The best thing you can do to help get reviews is to ask your customers to write them.
“Seven out of ten people will leave reviews, but only 33% of companies ask for reviews,” Hemingway says.
Key Four: Website Optimization
Google likes working with up-to-date websites.
“Gone are the days where your nephew could make you a website in his basement, and you could ignore keeping it up-to-date,” Hemingway says. “You need to make sure your site is fully working and sending all the right signals to Google.”
Hemingway has created a free online tool where you can check to make sure your website is sending all the right signals to Google. It checks to see every page on your site is functional and up to date.
She also recommends keeping your website’s design streamlined.
“Google likes when the phone number is at the top right-hand corner of the page and not hidden away in a Contact-Us form,” Hemingway says.
It is also important to keep your inventory up to date with what you have in the store, as well as including current pricing on your website, Hemingway says.
The big thing to look out for is to make sure your website is optimized for viewing on mobile devices. Most people browse the web on their phone, meaning Google takes this into account when pulling your business up in search results, Hemingway says.
Key Five: Newsletters
This is not to be confused with spamming customers with new products. It is important to keep in touch with your customers, so they will remember you.
“Send a monthly or biweekly newsletter,” Hemingway says. “Focus on relevant and feel-good topics that help them be more self-sufficient. Just be consistent [with what you send them].”
You will want to only send newsletters to people who have opted in to receive them. Otherwise, they will just end up in someone’s spam folder.
It is also important to put time and effort into these newsletters. In an industry such as horticulture, using lots of pictures can be very helpful, Hemingway says.
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