{"id":4181,"date":"2021-11-08T16:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmudev.whitespark.ca\/2021-holiday-gmb-guide\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:04:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T22:04:37","slug":"2021-holiday-gmb-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/2021-holiday-gmb-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 Holiday Guide to Your Google Business Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Last Updated:<\/strong> November 8, 2021 (Post originally published <em>November 16, 2020<\/em>)<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past 20 months we\u2019ve learned to adapt, pivot, and embrace flexibility when it comes to operating a local business. We know 2021 has continued to be a challenging year for you, your families, and your business. As we approach the second <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/keeping-gmb-accurate-during-covid19-pandemic\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pandemic holiday season<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we\u2019ve rounded up some of our favorite local marketing tips to get your Google My Business listing and website holiday ready.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We wish you a happy holiday season!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Holiday Local Search Marketing Tips<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shopping locally continues to be more important than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c60% of U.S. consumers who are planning to shop for the holidays say they will shop more at local small businesses\u201d (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/consumer-insights\/consumer-trends\/festive-season-retail-holiday-shopping\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think With Google<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Go above and beyond to keep your shoppers informed<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like last year, your business is likely continuing to operate with additional COVID-19 precautions, or expanded services such as curbside pickup, local delivery, or service-specific hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To ensure a happy customer experience, communicate with searchers and make it crystal clear,<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How you\u2019re continuing to offer a safe shopping experience,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What changes there are to your services,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What your operating hours are,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current offers and deals,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you expect shipping delays,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And any other information that will impact their shopping experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Update your business information in Google My Business to include all relevant attributes, amenities, and available health &amp; safety and service options.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-80061 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GMB-Health-Safety-on-Listing-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"671\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67734 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/attributes-services.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"393\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>In the Info section, also add any special hours (Special hours) or service-specific hours (More hours).<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67736 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/More-Hours-1024x336.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"336\" \/><\/h3>\n<p><b>Update your Questions and Answers to reflect all holiday related FAQs.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid confusion and reduce calls and\/or emails by making sure you answer customer questions in advance through the Q&amp;A feature on your Business Profile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s your holiday return and\/or exchange policy?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you open during Christmas holidays?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does your business have any in-store shopping vaccination requirements?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLooking for a specific product?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d Answer with a link to a contact form on your website or the best phone number to reach an associate who can help (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kickpoint.ca\/how-to-avoid-a-google-my-business-suspension-by-thinking-about-your-customers-first\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">h\/t Liz Linder at KickPoint<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you experiencing any shipment delays on popular products?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Holiday-QA-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><b>Pro tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Did you know that 3 question upvotes will bump that question (but only one) to your business profile on Search? Get your holiday promotions, hours, or policies in front of clients by \u201cswapping\u201d your most upvoted question to a holiday-focused question.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Have your sales even earlier<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, 70% of shoppers said they intended to plan their shopping earlier to avoid crowds, and 80% planned to make fewer trips than they have in previous years.\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/consumer-insights\/consumer-trends\/festive-season-retail-holiday-shopping\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year consumers have started to shop even earlier<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and 47% of U.S. consumers expect Covid-19 to impact how they shop this holiday season.\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/8276834\/supply-chain-shortage-inflation-canada\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supply chain-woes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are continuing to impact many businesses, resulting in stock shortages, delayed postal and delivery services and continued restrictions to in-store occupancy in many areas have a direct impact on your customers shopping experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizreport.com\/2021\/10\/reports-holiday-shoppers-going-online-but-not-on-expected-da.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AdColony\u2019s Holiday Shopping Survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201c62% [of shoppers] would be influenced to buy in-store if offered an in-store only discount.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As shoppers look to avoid crowds, plan your sales earlier this year to assure your customers that they\u2019re really getting the best deal today from your business. If you anticipate maxed out in-store capacities, line ups or shipping delays, communicate these with shoppers to avoid negative Google reviews this holiday season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Share your early holiday sales events or offers with searchers with a Google My Business Event or Offer Post.<\/b><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GMB-Sales-Post-Example2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IKEA-Black-Friday.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><b>Pro tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Don\u2019t forget to <a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/wlss-day-1\/#utm\">UTM tag all of your GMB links and track your conversions and engagement<\/a>. This goes for your Products as well. Track everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Engage with your customers online<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anticipate and plan for more product inquiries this year as consumers have experienced shipping delays and stock shortages over the last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No one wants to make an unnecessary trip. If your store\u2019s inventory is visible on your website make sure it\u2019s accurate\u00a0 and cross-promoted on your GMB listings through the Products feature. If you don\u2019t have inventory to add online you can add your Services to this feature instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Post your inventory or services on Google My Business with the Products feature. Include a photo, description, and price for every item you add.\u00a0<\/b><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Products-Special-Services-e1605303168577.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re utilizing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/retail\/solutions\/local-inventory-ads\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local inventory ads<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you can take your GMB Profile to the next level by promoting your current in-store inventory and products that are available for store pickup today, later or curbside pickup.\u00a0<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Local-Inventory-Ads-Example.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><b>Turn on the messaging feature to be available to searchers\/customers in real time.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no other GMB feature that puts you in more direct content with your customers\u00a0 &#8211; aside from the call button &#8211; than the Messaging feature. Customers can send their inquiries immediately to your business and this is another touchpoint that allows searchers to interact with your business. Customers are keen to be informed before they make a purchase. Messaging is a great first step to connect with a potential buyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers can chat with your business through GMB Messaging by clicking the<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Chat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> icon,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Get a Quote<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> button on your listing,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Message<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> button in your Google Posts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Messaging-in-Maps.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember to respond in a timely manner so that you don\u2019t miss out on a potential lead or risk having the feature disabled by Google. Your response time will be calculated by Google and visible to searchers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Stay on top of responding to ALL of your reviews<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to stay connected with your customers and respond to all your reviews. Now, more than ever, the importance of engaging and fostering your customer relationships is critical.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Refresh your photos<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be challenging to make time to take team photos, storefront shots, or in-store images, but this is one feature you don\u2019t want to miss out on. Make time to add new holiday and Covid-safety relevant photos to your listing and website.<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Barber-Ha-Update-Photos.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Barber-Ha-Update-Photos-Website.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many businesses don\u2019t realize that their photos are another way of expanding their content and relevance in search results. Not only does Google provide searchers with new styles of SERP results, they continue to expand their technology for interpreting your photos through their classification engine, Cloud Vision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joel Headley recently shared his research on how <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/2021-wlss-day-2\/#joel\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">businesses that\u00a0 incorporated high quality photos to their GMB listing and website saw an increase in website traffic, calls, and appointments<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>==<b>Pro-Tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Take your listing photos to the next level by encouraging in-store visitors to post their photos to your GMB Profile and\/or as an accompaniment to a review, read\/watch our guide on<a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/photos-on-google-listing\/\"> how to get more photos on your Google listing and why it&#8217;s important<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>5. Make your website discoverable<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost 75% of U.S. shoppers who plan to do holiday shopping this season said they will shop online more than they have in previous seasons. A similar number said they would browse for gift ideas online and not in store, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/consumer-insights\/consumer-trends\/pandemic-holiday-shopping\/\">Google\/Ipsos Study (2020)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>#1. Update your hours\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that your website and GMB listing hours align. Add all special hours\/holiday hours and any closures to your website. Make sure your website footer, contact page, and any locations pages are accurate.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to update your hours on your major social profiles as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>#2. Update your content<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Share any offers, specials, or holiday information on your website homepage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a major announcement or something you don\u2019t want customers to miss, include the information in a site-wide banner.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Update your FAQs to include holiday related content and sales information.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add delivery and shipping announcements and information to your contact page.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you sell your products online, make sure your inventory levels are accurate, both online and for in-store customers! Put shoppers worried about shortages at ease by maintaining accurate inventory levels online,especially because this season many customers will check online to confirm that an item is in stock before going to buy it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Add updated shipping information or return policies to every product page or on the check-out page and make sure it\u2019s accurate.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IKEA-Location-Information-Example.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><b>#3. Add more photos<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give your photos a refresh and share any holiday or covid-19 safety related photos on your website as well. This helps build relevance and also shows your customers what to expect when visiting your store.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have fun seasonal photos or new team images add those to your website as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>#4. Keep your customers informed via email<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider sending your customers a newsletter to share any sales or in-store promotions, your holiday return and exchange policies, and to let them know about your current stock levels or what to expect this holiday season. <\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Keep-Your-Customers-Informed-Shipping-Delays.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><b>#5. Don\u2019t forget to update your most important social channels &amp; ad campaigns<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to update your major social channels to include accurate hours\/holiday closures, specials, or company announcements.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Sales-info-on-social-example.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"\" height=\"\" \/><b>Happy Holidays from Whitespark!<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated: November 8, 2021 (Post originally published November 16, 2020)Over the past 20 months we\u2019ve learned to adapt, pivot, and embrace flexibility when it comes to operating a local business. We know 2021 has continued to be a challenging year for you, your families, and your business. As we approach the second pandemic holiday [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Get ready for the 2021 holiday shopping season with simple but effective recommendations to update your GMB listing and website!.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"classification":[],"class_list":["post-4181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4181"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5094,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4181\/revisions\/5094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4181"},{"taxonomy":"classification","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/classification?post=4181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}