The Google business listing, or Google My Business listing, is an excellent digital tool for increasing a restaurant’s visibility and improving the customer experience. However, given the multitude of files and establishments on the Internet, filling in a few details is no longer enough. Once you’ve created your Google My Business listing, find out how to optimize your Google business listing in 6 steps.
1. Indicate opening hours
A restaurant’s opening hours are probably one of the first pieces of information a visitor looks for on the web. That’s why it’s so important to fill in your establishment’s opening times correctly, and to keep them up to date on a regular basis. In fact, a number of situations can lead you to work different hours.
- Exceptional times: Google systematically lists certain days as exceptional. This applies to public holidays and special dates such as December 24th and 31st. Informing visitors of exceptional opening times helps them to plan ahead, and avoids the orange “These times may vary” message, automatically inserted when times are not recorded for that date;
- Additional opening hours: this part of the Google My Business listing allows you to adapt opening hours to specific periods. This is the case, for example, during the holiday season, when working hours can be longer;
- Temporary closures: to avoid unpleasant surprises when customers arrive at a closed restaurant, it’s essential to know the hours and days of temporary closures. Google recommends classifying the establishment as temporarily closed when the closure lasts 7 days in a row or more.
2. Regularly update the information in the GMB file
It’s important to know that anyone can suggest a modification to your establishment’s Google My Business listing. In this case, you will be notified and can accept or reject the modifications. If you don’t show up, Google can automatically validate them. Be sure to update your information regularly, for two reasons:
- To demonstrate seriousness to the customer, who doesn’t have to modify the information himself;
- To avoid inaccurate information, such as telephone number, address or any other data that could jeopardize a customer’s visit to your restaurant.
A well-filled and complete GMB file immediately establishes a bond of trust, which is essential for finding new customers and building customer loyalty.
3. Offer recent photos on a regular basis
While the company logo on your Google business listing should be clearly identifiable and never change, the other photos should be updated as often as possible. In fact, several studies have shown that the more visuals a restaurant offers, the higher the number of clicks and calls.
A restaurant’s photos should be thought of as a visual business card, informing customers and making them want to come in. Like a digital shop window, the photos on the Google My Business page allow you to visualize the location, the atmosphere and the cuisine on offer. Regular updating shows the seriousness of our catering professionals, and testifies to the dynamism of the establishment.
4. Respond to users’ opinions and messages
Many Internet users in search of information don’t hesitate to ask questions directly on the establishments’ Google My Business pages, or to consult reviews. To perfect the customer experience and build the trust necessary for loyalty, it’s important to respond to each message and opinion in a personalized way.
- Google reviews: every web user has the opportunity to give a personal review of the establishment they have experienced. And while it’s often said that reviews shouldn’t be trusted, nearly 3 out of 4 Internet users use them to choose their restaurant. What’s more, just as many people prefer an establishment that actively and regularly responds to reviews. Whether the review is positive or negative, take the time to respond in a personalized way;
- Google’s Business Messages: this Google feature, activated by enabling chat, lets users contact you in real time on a dedicated chat page. Contact is simplified and the tool replaces phone calls or e-mails, a definite plus for all those who are used to social networking and online communications.
5. Use Google Posts to communicate
The Google Post is a way of offering hot content to Internet users, whether in video, photo or text format. This makes it ideal for communicating special offers, events or menu changes.
Although not widely used by businesses, Google Posts are a great way to stand out from the competition, and provide customers with up-to-the-minute information.
Like a story on Instagram or Facebook, the Google Post has a limited circulation time and is consumed very quickly. The post must therefore be short, to the point and include an action button (“book now”, “find out more”…).
6. Select the right attributes
An excellent way to improve the natural referencing of your Google My Business listing, the attribute represents the services offered by your establishment. From click and collect to on-site dining and delivery, these attributes vary according to the outlet and the main category selected when creating the Google My Business listing.
While Google My Business attributes give visitors more information, and help the search engine to target results more precisely, they’re also an excellent way to get noticed by Google’s algorithm, and thus to rank well in the results pages thanks to local SEO (natural search engine optimization).