Monday, June 12, 2017

Google Partners Connect Presentation: How to Grow your Home Services Business Online

In May 2017 Google hosted a live stream seminar that covers several important strategies for companies that provide home services to expand their business online.  Proceed Innovative has extensive experience with clients that provide home services and we have helped them grow their online audience through these proven and effective digital marketing strategies. Read this article to see the summary of the main points made by Google representatives about the importance of home service businesses adapting their marketing approach to fit changing consumer behaviors, as well as strategies home service businesses can use to grow their online audience. 


If you believe that your home services company is losing business to your competitors because they have a stronger online presence, talk to our digital marketing professionals at Proceed Innovative.  We are a certified Google Partner with access to exclusive information and marketing tools from Google that can help home services businesses reach more consumers the moment they need you the most.

Changing Consumer Behaviors and the Home Services Business Model

The Google Partners presentation begins with Google representatives explaining the importance of mobile marketing for home services businesses.  They present two statistics regarding mobile marketing that every company should take into account: 82% of smartphone users use a search engine to look for local businesses, and 50% of those who do these searches visit the business within one day.  The growing mobile search trend has led to a few key changes in consumer behavior:

·         Control and Convenience: Consumers can access information about products and services 24 hours a day.

·         Well Informed: Consumers can consult more sources of information in a short amount of time.

·         High Expectations: Because mobile consumers are better informed, they have higher expectations for products and services.  Google’s presenters emphasized the point that “extraordinary is the new ordinary.”

In general, the home services industry has been slow to adapt to the changing consumer behaviors brought on by the rise of mobile search.  Google presents the following statistics to show how this trend is challenging the current home services business model:

·        -  Consumers refer to 22.4 different resources on average before making a decision regarding home services, twice as many as 4 years ago.

·         - Only 2% of home services businesses are set up to reach consumers at the right moments.

·         - 56% of all media consumption is digital, yet only 25% of all digital advertising done through Google is for home services businesses.

While this may seem like a troubling issue for home services businesses, it is actually a great opportunity for these businesses to expand their online presence by playing into these trends.  
Reaching your customers at the right moments has become extremely important in the age of mobile search which is why you must anticipate the needs of your customers.  Home services businesses must anticipate the following:

·         Immediacy of Action: Consumers typically search for a home services business in reaction to a problem that needs an immediate response, such as a burst pipe.

·         Higher Expectations: Consumers not only have higher expectations for the quality of services, but also for the quality of their mobile experience.  67% of mobile users will leave your website if it does not function or display properly on their mobile device.

·         Unscripted Decisions: Consumers tend to choose home services businesses based on who can quickly provide the help they need, rather than on brand loyalty.

5 Ways to Grow Your Home Services Businesses with Google

·         Claim Your Google My Business Listing: These listings are free from Google and they appear within Google’s search results as well as on Google Maps.  Once you claim ownership of your listing, you can edit your business information including your address, contact info, and service area, as well as manage your Google reviews.

·         Reach the Right Consumers at the Right Moments: Home services businesses should be concerned with reaching customers in these “micro-moments”: what to remodel moments, can I afford it moments, and who can I trust moments.  You should keep these moments in mind when choosing keywords for your pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign.  Proceed Innovative provides PPC management services to help you set up and maintain your campaign.

·         Make your PPC Ads Profitable: Your PPC ad campaigns should be thought of as an investment that can help you turn a profit.  Google provides analytics data on your campaign so you can easily keep track of how much you spend versus how much you have earned from your ads.  A Google Partner like Proceed Innovative can help you maximize your potential profit on your PPC campaign.

·         Build a Great Mobile Experience: It is very important for your website to be mobile friendly so that consumers searching on mobile devices have a satisfying experience.  Make sure your website has a fast loading time, displays properly, and has click-to-call functionality to eliminate unnecessary steps to purchase.

·         Use Innovative Ad Formats: There are 11 different ad extensions from Google that you can use to change up the look of your ads.  Using different ad formats can increase your click through rate (CTR) by 30%.


As a certified Google Partner, Proceed Innovative can help home services businesses expand their audience online through effective PPC campaigns and mobile web design services. You can read the full version of our blog GrowYour Home Services Business Online: Google Partners Connect Presentation for more information.  

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