5 Ways to Get More Calls from Google My Business

If you want to get more calls, Google My Business is a great place to look.

1. Google makes it easy to call local businesses
2. People searching for local searches are often primed to take action

But none of this guarantees that they will call you. So what can you do to get more calls from Google My Business?

1. Add your opening hours

This is really simple but people do leave this section blank so I have included it. Google will show listings that are open over ones that are closed. For example someone might search “Fireplace stores open on a Sunday.”

2. Add photos

People engage more with listings that have photos than those without. They are a strong indicator of trust, proving you are a real business. If you already have some photos, add more!

Small tip: Under the insights tab in Google My Business, there is a section comparing the number of photos you have in comparison to your competitors.

3. Add questions and answers

A vastly underused feature. Don’t wait for customers to leave a question for you. Use the feature to your advantage by asking and answering the questions yourself. A bit like a mini FAQ.

If you get 2 or more “useful” votes on the answer it may appear as a snippet in your listing. These Q&A’s can be used to answer questions such as: How quickly can I get an appointment, how long does the service take, are there any special offers?

4. Get more reviews

By far one of the biggest things you can do is to up your review count; especially if it isn’t already 5 stars.

Your rating is often the first thing people see. But it’s not just a bad rating that will lose you calls. If given a choice customers would probably choose the business with more ratings even if both you and they had 5 stars.

5. Create Google posts

Google My Business posts are short updates which can be used to promote and encourage all sorts of business activity. Use them to:

• Show off a recent job
• Promote a sale
• Tell people something about your service they may not know

These posts show up alongside your Google listing and critically have the option of a “call now” button. In short, use the Google post to promote something exciting that gets those phones ringing.

These are just a few, simple to implement suggestions that can help increase your odds of getting calls from Google my Business. Remember local searchers are often poised to take action, you just have to help push that action your way. Good luck!