Month: October 2022

4 EASY STEPS TO SET-UP VOICE FOR SEARCHENGINES AND WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT.

We’ve all turned to Siri or Alexa when driving to search for our favorite song or to call our favorite person on the way home from work. And, the trend of online searching is constantly evolving. In this fast-paced world, multi-tasking has taken precedence and most Americans use voice search to look for services they need as well.

Think of it like this—”Hey Siri, find me the best plumbing company near me,” and instead of manually typing it into a search engine like Google, your customers are verbally asking to easily get Siri’s first answer. Clearly, speaking is quicker and the top result will get their attention because they’re not sifting through on a screen
or spending time scrolling down search results.

Voice assistants are in our homes and on all of our smartphones. It’s time to set your company up for success by enabling voice search to distinguish itself from the competition.

But, how do you set this up to ensure you’re always the first answer? We’ve got you covered. Below is a guideon how to set up Voice for search engines:

Make your business stand-out on voice search using these steps:

  1. Make a list. Of not only all of your business information like business name, address, and phone number, but of every site you need to be on like Apple Maps, Yelp, and Google. For an additional boost, include your hours and write a 100-word description about your business. Even though they won’t necessarily see photos, add them. You’ll have uniform listings across all sites and ensure everything is the same.
  2. Generate 5-star reviews. If you were to run a voice search on the best Chinese restaurant in your area, you’ll see that only those with 4-star reviews or above get listed. The more positive reviews your business receives, the better chance you have of being listed. You need to generate more 5-star reviews any way you can to ensure you have not only the best, but enough to put your home service company at the top of that list. Along the same lines, your website review schema (hang with us here!) needs to be up-to-date, meaning you need to have those 5-star reviews presented on your website. Website crawlers —think investigative spiders—will crawl across your site gathering information and present it on search engine results page (SERP) as snippets.
  3. Use long-tail keywords on your website. Those website crawlers are also picking up on longer variations of searches. For example, when you type in a search it’s usually something like, “best HVAC company New York City.” But, if you’re using voice search, people tend to say longer phrases like, “Ok, Google! Who are the best heating and cooling companies in New York City?” You need to be able to optimize this feature and including “near me” can also get you more hits.
  4. Make sure your website is mobile friendly. Americans are on their cell-phones all the time. Based on this, Google announced that their search algorithms will primarily begin to use mobile versions of websites as a primary ranking factor—and again—you want to be at the top of that list. Your website content needs to be made for smaller screens and “fat fingers.” Make sure your mobile website loads quickly and that the screen is responsive no matter where it’s meant to be touched.

Why is voice search so important?

We all know being number one on all search engines is the ultimate goal. Consumers who search on Google are 93% more likely to go with the top search result when typing in their search. That’s huge! It’s even higher for those who choose to search by voice as they’re only going to hear the first option. The more you’re the first on that list, the more likely you’ll be chosen, and the more money you’ll make as you get business. 

It’s also important to note that Alexa uses Yahoo and Yelp as their search engine and Siri uses Yelp and Google. This is why you want to be listed on ALL sites to better your search rankings and beat your competition. Make sure your home service business is the leader on all platforms

HOW DO I GET GOOGLE ASSISTANT TO LIST MY BUSINESS?

Add your business through Google Maps

If you’re not on Google, you’ll need to add your business.

  1. On your computer, sign in to Google Maps.
  2. You can add your business in 3 ways:
    • Enter your address in the search bar. On the left, in the Business Profile, click Add your business.
    • Right-click anywhere on the map. Then, click Add your business.
    • In the top left, click Menu Add your business.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish signing up for your Business Profile.

 

Claim your business through Google Maps

If you already have a Google listing, you’ll need to claim your business.

  1. On your computer, open Google Maps.
  2. In the search bar, enter the business name.
  3. Click the business name and choose the correct one.
  4. Click Claim this business > Manage now
    • To choose a different business, click I own or manage another business.
  5. Select a verification option, and follow the on-screen steps.

Summary

That’s it! You now have claimed and can manage your listing on Google. And, you’ve found the secret to getting your business listed–and found–on Google Assistant.

HOW DO I GET SIRI TO LIST MY BUSINESS?

  1. Grab your iPhone and tap the Maps icon
  2. Type the name of your business in the search box
  3. If you see your business name then yes, you’re in Apple Maps
  4. If you don’t see your business then your business is not in Apple Maps

If you didn’t find your business in Apple Maps then you will need to manually add your business using the web-based Apple Maps Connect website. This step requires a computer and an Apple ID to log in to Apple Maps Connect.

Here are the steps to add a new business to Apple Map Connect.

  1. Open a browser on a computer or iPad (mobile not supported yet)
  2. Go to Apple Maps Connect – https://mapsconnect.apple.com/
  3. Click the Sign-in button
  4. Enter your Apple ID – Don’t have an Apple ID? Create one for free.
  5. Keep your phone handy if case you get prompted for a security code
  6. Once logged-in click “Add place” link at the top of page
  7. Enter your business name and city in search box
  8. If your business shows up, click the listing to start claiming process
  9. If your business does not show up, click the link for “Add new place”

Claiming/Editing Existing Listing and/or Adding New Place Information

After completing the steps above you’re either 1) looking at your existing listing in Apple Maps or you are 2) looking at a screen to enter your business info.

Both of these steps are similar as you are at the place where you edit or enter your standard business information. Here is the business information Apple Maps will allow you to enter:

  • Place name (i.e. business name)
  • Status (i.e. open or closed)
  • Country
  • Categories (see note below)
  • Address & Phone
  • Social Media Links (Website, Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, app)
  • Apple Pay (i.e. accepted or not-accepted)

Optimizing the Category

This is an important step as your search results and rankings will be somewhat tied to your category. You can have one primary category and two alternative categories. Apple Maps suggests predefined categories as you type in the “Categories” box. Some of these include categories like HVAC, home services, and plumbing—choose all that apply to you. You must choose a predefined category. Try to fill in all three categories if possible.

Phone Verification

Whether you are claiming, editing or adding your business for the first time the Apple Maps application will require phone verification. This is a simple process–Apple Maps prompts you to click to call me now and a robot calls and gives you a PIN that you enter to verify

Final Approval by Apple

Once you’ve completed the steps above Apple Maps needs a few days to complete the final approval of your updates. Return to Apple Map Connect in about 5 days to see if your business info is correctly shown in your “My places” list.

Summary

There you have it, the secret to getting your business listed–and found–on Siri is to make sure your business is in Apple Maps and that you have an Optimized Yelp listing with photos and reviews and to have a citation SEO program in place. Simple!

HOW DO I GET ALEXA TO LIST MY BUSINESS?

Alexa uses Yext by Yahoo to find businesses so the first thing you’ll need to do is add your business. Here’s how to do this:

  1. Go to Yahoo, search for your business, and you should see a link to “Add or update your business.”
  2. That link will take you to http://www.yext.com/pl/yahoo-claims/index.html
    (you can just go here directly if you prefer).
  3. Enter your business information and click “Find My Listings”.
  4. You’ll then see page that is powered by Yext. It’s a bit intimidating with an “error rate” and all of these warnings that you’re not standing out and not verified through Yext. For now, don’t worry about all of this, just click the big “Continue” button.
  5. Next, you can update the information about your listing. Complete this page fully—and don’t forget to use the same NAP (name, address, phone) that you use everywhere for your business. Click the “Continue” button when you’re done.
  6. Yext will then present you with four paid plans, but immediately below these plans is a tiny link that says, “Claim your Basic Listing only on Yahoo” —click that link.
  7. You’re now at the “Yahoo Basic Listing Checkout” page. Complete the checkout and click “Place Order” (don’t worry—it’s free!).
  8. Yext will send you an email to verify your email address. Click the link, create a password, then login to your account.
  9. The final step is to verify you represent this business. The easiest method is to have them call you, but there are other methods as well.

Summary

That’s it! You now have claimed and can manage your free listing on Yahoo. And, you’ve found the secret to getting your business listed–and found–on Alexa.

An additional note: If you’re already listed on Yahoo, you should come up on Alexa as long as you’re optimizing your listing.

**Disclaimer. These are the latest updates from Yahoo. ReviewBuzz takes no responsibility if you have to pay in the future.

How Do I Get Yelp To List My Business?

On top of that, Yelp is the source 89% of the time for Alexa and 81% for Siri. So here’s how to set-up your Yelp business page to get the most voice search results. Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Go to www.biz.yelp.com/claim, and type in your business name. If you don’t see your business, click “Add to Yelp for free,” and fill out your business details.
  2. Create a free business user account by entering an email address and password. You should use an email address you check regularly to stay on top of what’s happening with your page.
  3. Verify your account by entering your verification code. You’ll get an email or call to the number listed on your page.

Follow the prompts in your account to complete your page. You’ll be notified once your business page is verified which can take a few business days.

Managing your Yelp Page

Managing your Yelp presence is easier than ever with the tools provided to business owners

  1. Add photos and customize your online storefront.
  2. Track your customer activity. For example, you can see when customers
    view your Yelp page or take secondary actions like call your business
  3. Fill your page with business information such as hours, history, and specialties.
  4. Download the Yelp for Business app so you can track your traffic.
  5. Take a minute to respond to your new customers if they write you a review.

SUmmary

That’s it! You now can manage your listing on Yelp. And, you’ve found the secret to getting your business listed–and found–on Siri and Alexa.