So for the past few months we have shared with you some important information about your website and social media. Some may ask “why is a mystery shopping company so focused on their client’s websites”?
Our job as a mystery shopping company is to measure your customer’s experience at every touchpoint,
which would include onsite, telephone and website. Last September’s newsletter titled “Your New Front Door” brought attention to the importance of the interaction you are having with your customers online. Since COVID-19 has forced customers indoors they have turned to the internet for shopping and information gathering. Google alone has had an 80% increase in online search and most recently in voice search.
Let me share with you a personal experience. I recently was searching for granite counter tops for a new bathroom vanity. While in my car I asked Siri to give me the names of granite counter tops in my area.
I selected the first one on my list and Siri shared with me info on that location as well as their star rating.
What I found interesting is that the first granite location Google provided was not one I was familiar with or the one I was closest to. Why were they first on the search list? At my earliest opportunity I stopped my car and started looking through the list Google provided in order to search for the granite location I used in the past. It was on the second page of listings even though it was the closest one to where I was at the time. After finding the granite location I was looking for on Google I reviewed their listing only to find out their business hours weren’t available and when scrolling through their Google reviews there were no responses to customer comments.
So the reason the first listing on Google wasn’t necessarily the closest is because Google also ranks businesses based on how well they are communicating with their customers AND if their Google My Business (GMB) is up-to-date.
