How To Update Your Holiday Hours on GMB (Google My Business)

How To Update Your Holiday Hours on GMB (Google My Business)

With the holidays right around the corner, there is one task that needs to get done before any store holiday closures. You need to update your hours of operation for the holidays on Google My Business (GMB). The last thing you want is for a potential customer to think you are open and head to your store when it’s closed.

So today, we’ll take you through the steps on how to update your holiday hours on GMB. Luckily TAKU has built-in features for updating your store hours. So we will show you how to update your store hours from within TAKU or directly from within GMB.

Updating your holiday hours in GMB

  1. Firstly, sign into the Google account associated with your store’s Google My Business page. This is your store showcase on Google like the example below. To learn more about Google My Business or how to sign up for a GMB account, check out our retail resources here.
TAKU customer Eclectic Cafe and Catering

Reminder, you will need to be logged into a Google account that has permission to access your Google My Business store profile.

  1. Once you are logged into your Google account, sign into your Google My Business account from the main Google search page. Simply click the menu button next your Google profile picture.
Head to the top right of your Google page to access the grid menu
  1. Click that to find your business profile.
GMB Business Profile menu
  1. Click on Business Profile to bring up the Your business on Google menu with the options below.
Google My Business options - Edit Profile
  1. Click Edit profile. In the new window, click on the Hours tab and scroll down to the section Holiday hours. Click the pencil icon to edit your store holiday hours.
Editing Holiday hours on GMB

And just like that you can edit any holiday hours for your business. This way, customers searching for you online or on Google Maps will always see your latest hours of operation.

Updating your GMB store hours from TAKU

As long as your TAKU account is integrated to your Google My Business account once, you can update your store hours directly from your POS. This works for both single stores or stores set up with multiple locations in GMB.

  1. Click Settings from the main menu in TAKU.
TAKU Settings
  1. Click Stores > Manage Stores
TAKU Stores > Manage Stores
  1. Click the View link for the store you would like to edit.
TAKU Manage Stores page
  1. From the Store Details page, click on the Hours tab and add a New Period to add your latest store hours. Don’t forget to click the yellow button to save your new store hours.
TAKU Store Hours page

Bonus: Adding FAQs to your GMB profile

Do you often get the same questions from customers? For example, do people always ask whether your store is an official reseller of a brand, or if your store has parking nearby?

These types of questions are perfect for the new FAQ (frequently asked questions) section now available in Google My Business. Posting FAQs in your GMB profile will help you avoid answering the same questions over and over again.

Setting up an FAQ on your profile is super easy and can be done in a few quick steps.

  1. From the same Your business on Google menu, click Messages.
Google My Business options - Setting up FAQs
  1. Then click the menu button (the 3 dots) on top right corner of the window.
GMB Messages - Menu Setting for FAQs
  1. Click Chatting Settings

4. Click to expand Add FAQs.

Chat Settings - Add FAQs
  1. Click the Add a Question button.
FAQs - Add a Question button
  1. Add a Question and answer (the Automated Response) and click Save. Repeat this for as many FAQs you would like to add to your GMB profile.
GMB FAQ - How to Add a question

Now your shoppers can get the answers to common questions regarding your store without having to contact you by phone or email. This way both you and your customers can save time.


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Google My Business Tips: Picking an Accurate Business Category

Google My Business Tips: Picking an Accurate Business Category

Once you’ve entered your business information in Google My Business (GMB), the next step is to pick an accurate business category. 

What is a Google My Business Category?

Your business category on your Google My Business listing is used to describe the type of business you operate (pet store, hardware store, grocery store etc.). 

It’s important to be specific when choosing your business category -the category you choose determines how local shoppers find you!

For example, if your primary category is “pet supply store”, your business will show up on Google when shoppers search for “pets”,”pet food”, or “pet supplies” in the area. 

Important Things to Note 

  • You can only select 1 primary category for your GMB listing.This is the category that people see on your business listing. It is also the most important – Google prioritizes your primary category in it’s search algorithm. 
primary category example
  • You can select up to 9 additional categories (other than your primary category) to describe your business. Focus on selecting the most relevant and specific categories for your business. 
  • You can’t create your own category. It is best to choose a more general category if you cannot find the one that you had in mind. 
  • Google can detect category information about your retail business from across the internet (including your own website and other mentions from across the web). 

Best Practices for Choosing a Business Category 

Google provides specific guidelines on how to choose a business category. 

Which can be broken down into the following points: 

1) Be as specific as possible when choosing a primary category. The more specific you are when choosing your primary category, the less local stores/businesses you will be competing against. For example, if you sell gift baskets, choose “gift basket store” instead of “gift store”.

2) Your primary category and additional categories should describe your retail business as a whole. Don’t add additional categories in an attempt to list all of your products, amenities, and services. For example, if you run a furniture business that also includes a pastry shop, avoid adding the category “pastry shop”. Instead, the pastry shop owner should claim their own listing and choose “pastry shop” as their primary category. Google suggests that you select categories that complete this statement: “This business IS a” rather than “this business HAS a”.  

3) Try minimizing the amount of additional categories that you add. Although you may be tempted to select as many categories as possible, it’s important not to. Doing so will negatively impact your store’s local ranking. Only choose categories that directly apply to your business!

Note: Skip adding categories that seem redundant. Again, you should focus on adding the categories that are most specific to your business. Google will do the rest of the work! For example, if you choose the category “children’s furniture store”, Google will implicitly add more general categories like “furniture store” and “children’s store”. 

For more information, on how to choose a business category, click here

How to Choose/Edit/Add a Business Category

1. Sign in to Google My Business here

2. Click on the “Info” tab on the left. 

info bar on google my business

3. Click on the pencil icon beside your primary category. 

pencil icon

4. Once you click on the pencil icon, you can either change your primary category or add additional categories.

primary and additional categories

5. Click on “Apply” in the right corner of the pop up screen. If the changes that you have made are significant, Google may ask you to verify your business again.

apply category changes

To learn more about the factors that affect your local search ranking, click here

#googlemybusiness #businesscategories #localseo #localsearchranking #foottraffic #cloudpos #retailpos 

Optimizing Google My Business: The Importance of NAP Consistency

Optimizing Google My Business: The Importance of NAP Consistency

Every retailer needs a Google My Business listing. 

It’s the single most important tool that store owners can leverage to gain local exposure. But it’s not enough to just have a listing, you must optimize it so you can reach as many local shoppers as possible. 

In this post, we’ll discuss the first step in optimizing your business listing. 

What is NAP Consistency?

To get started, Google My Business will request basic store information including your store name, address, and phone number (also known as NAP). 

This will act as the starting point for your store’s local seo

NAP

It is extremely important that the NAP you provide Google My Business is exactly the same as the information listed on your website. Otherwise, your ranking in search results will be negatively impacted. 

In fact, your store’s NAP should be consistent across the entire web – including other local directory listings and your social media.

This is known as NAP consistency: it can be defined as having your store’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) consistently listed the same across the entire web. 

How Does it Affect Local SEO? 

NAP inconsistencies are the #1 issue affecting local search ranking.

ranking issue graph

NAP is critical for any retail store that wants to rank high in organic search and be found locally. This is because NAP is what causes your retail store to appear in local or geo-targeted searches. In other words, when a user searches for product or store information, Google uses NAP information to decide which stores to display in the search results. 

NAP Helps Google Determine Legitimacy 

It’s important to note that Google prioritizes businesses and sites that it believes to be legitimate. And to determine the legitimacy of a business, Google will reference how a business’s NAP appears across the web (including websites, local directory listings, social media profiles etc). If this information is not consistent, Google won’t know to display your store information to local shoppers. 

NAP Consistency Checklist for Retailers 

1. Decide how to format your name, address, and phone number. 

Tip: Keep your business name, address, and phone number consistent. For example, if you use Allison and Bret’s Pet Store, 123 Main street, and 555-555-5555 on your website, don’t use AB’s Pet Store, 123 Main St., or (555)-555-5555 on Google My Business.

2. Post your NAP on your website. You’ll want to ensure that it is visible on specific parts of your website including: a prominent location on your homepage, your contact page, and the header/footer on the rest of your webpages. You may also want to include an embedded Google Map of your business address on your contact page (this acts as a strong local SEO signal). 

3. Post your NAP on your Google My Business listing. Remember, it has to be exactly the same as the information listed on your website.

4. Improve local SEO by listing your business on local directories. Again, NAP on each listing should be consistent with your Google My Business profile and your website. The following are some online directories that will help your store appear in local search results:

  • Yelp
  • Yahoo Local 
  • Bing Place for Business
  • MerchantCircle
  • Yellow Pages
  • Foursquare
  • Manta
  • Angie’s List
  • Citysearch 

5. Add your NAP to your social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc.). 

6. Once your NAP is listed across the web, make sure to periodically check that it is accurate and consistent.

SEO

Looking to increase foot traffic and store sales? Easily implement Google Local Inventory ads with our new Google integration. Learn more here.  

#NAPconsistency #NAPdefinition #localseo #googlemybusiness #optimizinggooglemybusiness

Increase Retail Store Foot Traffic with Google Local Inventory Ads

Increase Retail Store Foot Traffic with Google Local Inventory Ads

Google Local Inventory Ads (LIA) significantly increase retail store sales by turning nearby shoppers who are searching online into in-store customers.

River IslandBest Buy, and Williams-Sonoma Inc. are examples of retailers who have successfully leveraged Google LIA together with their POS systems to grow foot traffic and sales. Now, smaller retailers have the chance to do the same with a minimal budget. 

Keep reading to find out how you too, can take advantage of this opportunity to increase your retail sales.

Local and Mobile Searches Lead to In-Store Purchases 

There are two factors that make Google LIAs so effective:

For retailers, this means that there is a lot to be gained by being easily found online. The challenge then becomes figuring out how to give target shoppers the answers they are looking for at the exact moment that they are searching. 

This is where Google Local Inventory Ads come in. 

Google LIAs helps store owners succeed in these micro-moments – by capturing shopper intent and most importantly, the sale.  

What are Google Local Inventory Ads (LIA)? 

Local Inventory Ads showcase product and store information to nearby shoppers who are searching on Google. They are different from traditional Google ads as they are designed to drive shoppers to your physical store. While users also have the option of purchasing online (if you have an e-commerce store), LIAs are meant to attract nearby users and only show when a shopper is within a certain range of your store. 

When shoppers click on an ad, they are taken to the local storefront page which can be either a Google-powered product listing or your own e-commerce site. Here, they can view other in-stock merchandise as well as important store information such as business hours, directions, current promotions, and more. 

Below is an example. 

laundry detergent google search

When I search for “laundry detergent near me”, Local Inventory Ads  appear next to the search results. Both Canadian Tire and the Home Depot are currently running LIA campaigns for laundry detergent (pointed out in red below). 

I know that at Canadian Tire and the Home Depot, the items are definitely in stock because of the “in store” label. 

Google LIA example

How do Local Inventory Ads Work?

Let’s take a look at the example below. 

Canadian Tire is looking to increase foot traffic to their physical stores. 
So they’ve purchased Local Inventory Ads hoping to target local shoppers like me. They’ve set up a Google Shopping campaign that showcases ads to shoppers within a 45 km radius.

google local inventory ads

As you can see above, I’ve made a search on my mobile phone for a ceramic stove top-cleaner. Like most people (87% of shoppers), I frequently turn to a search engine as a resource for product information.  

By looking at the search results, I can see that Canadian Tire has what I need in stock and the closest store is only 2 km away. 

I decide to head to the store because I am certain that they have the product that I need. A store associate is able to tell me more about the product in-store and even recommends I try out a surface scraper. After my conversation with a store employee, I’m happy to purchase both products. 

Key Benefits of Google Local Inventory Ads 

1) Promote In-stock Inventory: 41% of shoppers wish that retailers would do a better job at sharing inventory information.

LIAs let local shoppers know that you have the items they are looking for – at the exact moment that they are searching for it. The ads even create a sense of urgency and encourage shoppers to act by letting them know when certain items are low in stock. 

2) Advanced Geo-targeting Capabilities: Target local shoppers who are actually nearby the store and are looking to purchase. Advanced geo-targeting capabilities allow retailers to reach target shoppers within a certain km radius.  

3) Measure Campaign Results: See how your ads are impacting your bottom line. Monitor the effect LIAs are having on foot traffic and in-store sales – and adjust your campaign bids accordingly. 

4) Gain a Competitive Edge as an Independent Retailer: In the past, Google LIAs were only available to national retailers. But now, independent retailers have the ability to run high-performing ads on Google with a minimal budget. For as little as $150-$300 per month, store owners have the ability to drive local foot traffic and increase store sales.

5) Automatic Ad Optimization: To minimize marketing costs, LIAs automatically turn off when products sell out. Not only does this benefit your bottom line, it also results in a better shopping experience for your customers.


To learn more about how your retail store can easily implement Google LIAs to increase foot traffic and in-store sales, click here

#google #localinventoryads #retail #onlinesearch #foottraffic #physicalretail #retailstore