I talk a lot about Google because typically 40% of the traffic to my site comes from this one source. Most websites experience the same levels of traffic from Google so it’s important to understand all things Google as it relates to promoting your business.
One of the best additions to their lineup has been Google Maps. I’ve mentioned Google Maps before in previous posts but wanted to go into more detail about how you can improve response rates from it.
If you don’t have a listing yet, logon today to Google’s Local Business Center and set one up! Be sure to do a search first for your martial arts school as you might already have a listing and just need to claim it.
Why Should You Care About Google Maps?wet
When potential students search for martial arts schools in Google, they immediately see the 7-pack; the top seven most relevant business locations based on the searcher’s query and location according to Google. It’s one of the first things searchers see after they hit “search.”
Please note that your business may be listed but not appearing in the 7-pack because they have found your competitors might be more relevant. The easiest way to tell if you’re coming up (or not) is to search for “martial arts <your city> <your state>” and see what comes up.
Google’s 7-Pack in Action
Here’s what this looks like for my particular city (My schools listing is the second from the top):
According to Google, “Google Maps for the United States compiles information from many sources to bring you the best results. Our listings combine information from our web search results, data submitted directly by local business owners, and third-party sources such as publicly available Yellow Pages directories.”
However, that doesn’t mean everything is accurate or complete; which is why you’re going to want to claim your listing then tune it up to help get more inquiries from it.
And, just having a listing isn’t enough. You have to optimize your listing not only to have better placement in the Google maps – a topic I will cover in the near future – but you should also optimize for better response rates (read inquiries) from your listing.
How to Increase Response Rates from Google Maps
- Get more reviews – The more reviews, the better. To get more reviews, send your students an email and ask them to honestly review your martial arts school then give them the link to the review portion of your listing. It’s that simple. Why are reviews so important? They provide social proof that other people have used your services and are happy with the results and service they’ve received and implies if other’s are satisfied, they will be, too.
- List your Business Hours – This is different than listing you class schedule. This just lets people know your hours of your operation so they know when to call or come by. If you’re a full time business, it demonstrates convenience and implies you have a lot of classes to choose from. If you don’t teach a lot of days or times, you might want to leave this blank.
- Link to your website – If you have a website, be sure to add your domain name. This not only communicates a sense of professionalism but it also makes it easier to direct people to your lead generation focused website. Not having a website these days can send the wrong impression that you’re behind the times and not customer friendly.
- Make an offer - Making an offer is one of the most important things you can do. Google allows you to create a coupon and is something that you should definitely consider adding to your listing. And, if you can make it a Google Maps exclusive offer, it will be easier to track if someone calls or comes in and wants to redeem it. This could be a discount on your trial program, a free trial, or whatever offer you want to use.
- Enhance your business description – You have 200 characters to tell your story and whet your prospects appetite. Use it wisely and be as descriptive as you can while speaking directly to your target audience about why they should consider calling you over your competitors. Be sure to also include your unique selling proposition here.
- Use a Call To Action – Using a call to action helps prompt your prospects to pick up the phone, send you an email… whatever response you want your prospect to take. This could be as simple as saying “Call us today to learn how you can get one month of martial arts lessons for free!”
- Add photos – Photos help prospects visualize your martial arts school and help draw attention to your listing. Take photos of your school in daylight hours, particularly if you have a lot of windows. Include photos with and without your students of your facility. Take photos of the outside of your facility as well. If you have great parking, be sure to feature that as well.
- Add videos – Like photos, videos capture attention. If you have a martial arts commercial uploaded to YouTube, you can easily add the URL to your listing. This way, prospects can view your videos without having to leave your listing and possibly getting off track.
- Tune up your details – Google allows you to add details about your business. You can add the forms of payment you accept, associations, awards and more. Basically, you can use the details to mention all of your various features.
The good news is that you can follow the same advice when creating or claiming your listings on Yahoo, Bing and other local business directory listings.
Be sure to to visit Google’s Local Business Center and either set up your listing, edit it or claim it so you can benefit from having this work harder for you in Google search results.
What else would you add to this list of ways to get more response from your Google Maps listing? Let me know in the form of a comment below!
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I'm Ryan Wheaton and I work with martial arts school owners to help them attract more students. Many martial arts school owners are confused at how to best market their business and feel awkward in selling situations. I help them overcome those challenges to become confident and competent in marketing and selling their services - helping them become more profitable so they can live the lifestyle they want to live. 
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Great advice! I have used this for the websites for our gyms with great success!