Google Posts is a feature that allows people and businesses to create content directly on Google which will be highly ranked in Google search results when users type in their personal or brand names.
Whether the posts help gain any extra traffic is up for debate, and how can you get the best of this relatively new feature from Google?
A bonus feature for businesses
Google Posts were rolled out in 2017, when Google said that 82% of people turn to search engines to find local information and learn more about businesses in their area. With this new feature, businesses were able to publish branded, promotional content on their Google My Business (GMB) profile. The idea was that this would help them to expand their visibility in local search and engage new customers. The posts appear instantaneously in the search results for branded keyword searches.
This opportunity for businesses enables them to promote themselves further and this new feature is beneficial because:
• They are great for local brands to engage their audiences: Over 70% of all internet searches happen on Google with the search engine bringing in over 40,000 queries each second and a whopping 3.5 billion every day. Even though these are global figures, people add phrases like “near me” to find local listings, giving marketers the chance to draw them in through the use of new content.
• You are able to add CTAs to your posts: Adding CTAs to your posts means you can turn them into zero-click conversion opportunities directly from local search.
• Google posts are completely free: As long as you have a GMB account set up and it has been verified you can use Google Posts for free. Your biggest investment will likely be time spent setting up an account and creating the posts.
Not all good news
However, Google Posts might not be completely beneficial for everyone due to the fact that:
• Keeping up with posting can become time-consuming: With social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, your posts are fairly permanent unless you delete them. With Google Posts, they only stick around for seven days (other than event posts which disappear after the event has happened) before vanishing into the internet void.
Which way to go?
It is clear that if you have the time to regularly create google posts to increase engagement, the benefits are worthwhile.
Google Posts allow you to interact with customers in meaningful ways. For example you are able to promote events and tell customers about upcoming happenings at your location. With these actions possible, experimenting with Google Posts may be very worthwhile for your business.
You can have a look at some of our google posts here.