If you own a pet business, such as a pet store, grooming salon, or veterinary clinic, having a strong online presence is essential for attracting customers in today’s digital age. One of the most effective ways to ensure that pet owners can find and choose your business is by optimizing your Google Business Listing.

By following these five tips, you can enhance your Google presence and attract even more customers to your pet business.

Claim and Verify Your Listing

The first, and probably the most important, step in optimizing your Google Business Listing is to of course claim and verify your actual business! This process ensures that you have control over the information that appears when people search for your pet business on Google. By claiming your listing, you can upload essential details about your business, such as your address, phone number, website, opening hours and more.

This info is crucial for pet owners looking to get customers local to their area. To claim and verify your listing, you should visit Google My Business (business.google.com) and follow the instructions provided. As you can see, this step is as straightforward as can be — but it can significantly impact the visibility of your pet business online. Do this first if you have not done so already.

Optimize Your Business Profile

After claiming your Google Business Listing, you’re ready to get into the nitty gritty of things. It’s time to start optimizing your business profile. Begin doing so by providing complete and accurate information about your pet business. If you hadn’t done so during the first step, then now is the time to for sure include things like your business name, address, phone number, and website.

It’s important to ensure all of this information is consistent across all platforms to avoid confusion for potential customers.

Additionally, use relevant keywords in your business description to improve search engine visibility. Consider the services you offer and the types of pets you cater to. For example, if you have a pet grooming salon that specializes in cat grooming, include keywords such as “cat grooming,” “feline grooming,” or “professional cat grooming” in your description. This will increase the likelihood of your business appearing when someone searches for these specific services.
However, be careful not to overdo it or use keywords unnaturally. Maintain a conversational tone and focus on providing valuable information to pet owners.

Another crucial aspect of optimizing your business profile is to add appealing and high-quality photos of your pet business. Include images of your facility, services, and of course those adorable furry clients of yours! These photos provide potential customers a glimpse of what they can expect when they visit your pet business.

Visuals play a significant role in attracting attention and creating a positive impression, so make sure your photos are well-presented and reflect the quality of your services.

Encourage Reviews and Respond to Them

Positive reviews, as one might imagine, can significantly improve your pet business’s reputation and attract plenty of new customers that are interested to see what all the hype is about. Encourage those satisfied clients of yours to share their experiences by leaving reviews on your Google Business Listing page.

There are several ways to go about accomplishing this. You can start by politely asking them in person to leave a review after recently conducting business with them, or follow through with an email requesting they provide feedback. Less direct approaches that can work over time is by displaying signs/stickers within your business location or including an invitation to leave a review on your page via your website or any receipts you provide.

When it comes to reviews, it’s crucial to respond to any positive AND negative feedback received. Responding to positive reviews shows appreciation for your customers’ kind words and helps in building a loyal customer base. Responding to negative reviews allows you to present a professional and constructive image who takes your business and its success very seriously.

By addressing any concerns or issues raised by the customer, you demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. In the future, potential customers scanning reviews will take note of how your business handled any negative feedback, and by seeing your proactive response you will have already built trust and confidence with them early on.

Regularly Update Your Listing

Keeping your Google Business Listing up to date is as crucial as having dogs and cats to service in pet business! Ensure that your business hours, contact information, and website link are always accurate and current. Remember to consider what holidays your entire business will be taking as time off as well. This prevents any potential confusion or frustration among customers who are trying to contact or visit your pet business.

Additionally, take advantage of the post feature on your listing. This feature allows you to share announcements, promotions, and updates related to your pet business. You can inform your audience about upcoming events, special offers, or new services you are introducing.

Regular posts not only keep your customers informed but also send positive signals to both Google and potential clients. By actively engaging with your audience through posts, you demonstrate that your pet business is active, up-to-date, and responsive to their needs.

Leverage Google Insights and Analytics

So your Google Page is fully set up, updated and ready to be used by any and all potential customers. What’s next? If you’re ready to dive into the deep end, Google Insights and Analytics provide valuable data about your Google Business Listing’s performance.

These tools offer insights into how customers find and interact with your business, giving you important information to make informed decisions and optimize your listing further. Monitor these insights regularly to gain a better understanding of your customers’ behaviors and preferences.

Google Insights can provide valuable data on how users found your pet business, whether it was through a direct search, a discovery search, or from Google Maps. This information helps you refine your marketing strategies and optimize your listing to attract and engage more potential customers.

Google Analytics, on the other hand, provides in-depth data on the behavior of users once they land on your website from your Google Business Listing. It allows you to track metrics such as the number of website visitors, their demographic information, and their interactions on your website. By leveraging this data, you can identify potential areas of improvement, such as optimizing your website for better user experience or creating content that aligns with your target audience’s interests and needs.

You don’t need to know the ins and outs to be able to take advantage of Google’s free monitoring software! So long as your Google Business Listing is set up correctly and accurately, you are already well on your way towards being found more often by customers.

Remember, though — you can always lean on the assistance of professionals now or in the future. Whether you’re looking for those skilled in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or marketing specialists who can help you market towards your customers’ newly learned behaviors and demographics, you want to maximize all of this data to your advantage!

Petfluence is certainly here to help in any way we can. If you want us to go into detail about how your Google Business Listing works, manage/create it for you or help develop a social media strategy around newfound data… we got your back! Contact us today so we can discuss your needs and talk about how we can get more pets to your doorsteps.