Google Posts — the unofficial title since Google hasn’t given it a formal name – are a fairly new feature to Google My Business that is still being tested. Along with this uncertain status comes the risk of implementation; either you could get a strategic leg-up on your competition, or fall behind as you waste time. The self-storage team at Linkmedia 360 put in the leg-work so your team doesn’t have to. In this week’s blog, we dive into Google Posts to share our experiences, results, and conclusion as to whether it’s a productive way to get the most out of your self-storage facility’s SEO efforts.
Google Posts are a feature that allows a self-storage facility to publish events, offers, services, and products directly to Google Search via the Knowledge Panel and Maps. Google Posts are currently found in the Google My Business dashboard, available on a listing-by-listing basis. Such an update as this could signal future local search shake-ups to come. For a refresher, SSA broke down the top local ranking factors in 2017 here.
Based on the self-storage team’s findings during our experimental Google Posts campaign, we didn’t observe a significant increase in traffic that could be tied directly back to our efforts. Does that mean your team should denounce Google Posts? Not necessarily. The self-storage team did observe several positive results from the campaign.
The Good:
Again, while the results may be disappointing to the owner/operator looking for a miracle cure to their occupation goals, it still lent us valuable insights and tips we’ll share momentarily. Before we get to those, there are some theories we need to share that could explain why the Google Posts campaign didn’t yield the stellar results we had hoped for:
The Bad:
If your team is daring enough to try Google Posts, the self-storage team’s recommendation would be to use it strategically in lagging markets, especially where the facility is touting special offers. Verbiage on the posts should be condensed to 20 words or less, graphical elements should be clean and compelling, and call to actions should drive customers to either:
Based on the above, the self-storage team has several ProTips that may come in handy as your team navigates through Google Posts.
Google Posts ProTips:
Don’t…
Do…
Has your self-storage facility started using Google Posts? If your facility hasn’t, or has questions about your current Google Posts campaign CONTACT US.
Or better yet – look us up if you plan on attending SSA in Vegas from September 5-8. Find us on the tradeshow floor or during our Educational Roundtable Session. We would love to hear from you!