Why You Should Make Seasonal Updates to Your Google Business Profile?
Most people are not making the most of their Google Business Profile generally. Ask yourself, have you ever considered making seasonal changes? Keeping your profile updated and relevant in line with the time of year can give you the opportunity to make a significant difference to how customers find your website and also engage with it. We have spent years working with local businesses across the United Kingdom improving their SEO. Small and calculated adjustments to a Google business profile will lead to a higher ranking for your key search terms. So whether you just need to adjust your business hours, promote your seasonal offers or ensuring your profile is fully optimised for local searches, these updates help keep your business relevant to searchers throughout the year.
Why Are Seasonal Updates Important?
If you update your Google Business Profile to reflect the current season it will help you stay connected with customers as your showing your an active business that is keeping with the times. Of course some businesses are more seasonally based than others. For example, a tailor might bring out an autumnal range of suits in September they want to advertise. Customers search for different things at different times of the year. So by making a timely change, your being more accurate, informative, and helpful. Another example could be, updating your business hours over the Christmas period or promoting a special offer for the summer. These sorts of power moves will make a real difference in attracting customers who are searching for seasonal services or products.
How To Improve Local Search Visibility?
A key benefit I see from seasonal updates is helping to improve your local search visibility. When people search for a service or product they want to see the most up to date info in terms of descriptions, prices and availability. If you have all this then you have the recipe to appear on page one of Google. Think about when you search for a local business, you look for nearby services or products that meet your immediate needs. Stay ahead in local searches and keep updated.
Is Keeping Google Business Information Accurate Important?
The accuracy in your Google Business Profile is super important. If it is not accurate and you get reported then your profile can get suspended. At the very least, if a customer see’s that you have incorrect business hours or address and they turn up to your shop you can definitely expect a negative 1 star review. By implementing regular updates you will ensure that customers always have the correct information and no reason to complain! An example could be if your hours change during the festive period, make sure this is reflected on your profile so customers know when to visit.
What Steps Can You Take To Update Your Google Business Profile for the Season?
1. Adjust Your Business Hours Whenever They Change
Firstly, we recommend keeping your business hours accurate. Especially important during holidays or any periods where your work schedule can change. If your business opens later or closes earlier during particular times of the year communicate this on your profile to avoid an upset customer.
2. Promote Seasonal Offers When You Have Them
Use the season to highlight your current promotion. It is a fairly straightforward tactic and a good way to attract new customers at different times of the year. So bang the drum and get more business in your January sales or a summer sales. Trust me they are effective, especially if your profile already gets a lot of traffic. Also make sure to use the “Posts” feature on Google Business Profile to share your promotions with a picture and a link… even some emoji’s to make it look enticing. 🙂 . Keep your profile and posts fresh and attract a ripe customer at the right time.
3. Make Sure To Optimise for Seasonal Keywords
If you want to make sure your business shows up for relevant keywords then you will need to include seasonal keywords in your profile and posts. Here is a quick example, if you are offering “winter sales” or “holiday discounts,” make sure that both of these phrases are included in your business description and posts. If you don’t use the keyword you lose the keyword! This simple approach will get your business appear more often in searches related to your selected key phrases and push those extra customers your way.
4. Definitely Make Use of Your Q&A Section
I love the Q&A section on Google Business as it is really useful to communicate with customers. I use it to answer questions i regularly receive about my business or special offers. For instance, customers could ask if the deal is valid online as well as instore. I can pre-empt this with the Q&A section and get ahead of the game by already satisfying their question. This will save me time, save the customer time and help speed up the customer journey to the conversion.
5. Should You Feature Seasonal Events?
Definitely, if your business is involved in any kind of seasonal event, such as a Christmas market or Summer Fate make sure you feature this on your Google Profile. If you use the “Events” feature you can add lots of extra details such as the event name, event date, and event description. The more info you add that is properly curated the more traffic and conversions you can expect. It is as simple as that. A local event will also help promote your business in the local community.
What Extra Tips Are There For Seasonal Google Business Updates?
100% Use Google Posts for Announcements
A Google Post is one of my go to choices when sharing updates directly with your customers. If I am announcing a seasonal promo, a new product, or an upcoming event, a Google post will be placed right there in my business listing. It also signals to Google that I am an active business and will help to give me priority over other businesses. Keeping me at the top of customers minds throughout the year.
Give Your Photos A Refresh
We all like to have a nose at business photo’s on Google as visual appeal matters in marketing. By updating your photos to reflect Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter you will make your Google Profile much more engaging. Here’s an idea, during the winter you could use a festive photo of your storefront. This will have a much greater impact with people than a generic photo. A simple to implement change like this will make your profile the one they click over the stock photo using competitor beneath you.
Keep Your Services and Products Updated
As seasons change, so do your customers and their needs. You need to ensure that your services and product listings on Google are updated to show what you currently have available. A restaurant for example might promote a summer menu, or a retail store could highlight Valentine’s Day gift options. Sweat the small stuff and keep these details up to date to help people find what they are looking for.
Always Respond to Customer Reviews Promptly
Reviews come naturally in peaks and troughs. In busy seasons when you have more customers then you’ll likely get more reviews as well. You need to monitor your Google business account and respond to them promptly. It doesn’t matter if they have given you a 1 star review of a 5 star review responding to them professionally and fairly will do wonders for your businesses reputation. Responding to reviews will also show that you value your customer feedback and can encourage more people to leave reviews going forwards.
You Need To Focus on Seasonal SEO
By using these seasonal SEO strategies you will give your business the lift it needs to ran higher for seasonal related searches. Always research trending keywords for the upcoming period and include them in your Google Business Profile. For example, if Easter is around the corner use key phrases such as “Easter gifts” or “Easter brunch” as they could help attract customers looking for those specific items or services.
All in all, by regularly updating your Google Business Profile to talk about seasonal changes is a simple and cost effective way to maintain your relevance and connect with new customers. By keeping your information accurate and promoting seasonal offers you will be engaging with customers through updates and making sure your business stays relevant all year round. These actions if implemented will help make your business easy to find, trustworthy and current.
This article was written by a human. A rare thing these days. I hope you enjoyed the read and found some value in it. Best Regards, Paul @ First Place SEO
