Free, and first
- A complete, accurate Google Business Profile.
- A routine for asking every customer for a review.
- The same name, address, phone and hours everywhere.
- Google Search Console connected to your site.
Worth paying for
- A website that works on a phone, says what you do and where, and has a call button that rings. It’s the thing every other channel sends people to. See what a website costs in South Carolina.
- Consistent content, made by you or someone you pay, on the one or two platforms your customers use.
- Ads, once the above is in place, on the channel that fits: Google for searched services, Facebook and Instagram for things people discover.
Know whether it’s working
- Ask every new customer how they found you, and write it down.
- Use Search Console and your Google Business Profile insights each month: searches, calls, direction requests.
- Track calls and form submissions from ads, not clicks.
- Compare the same month last year, not last month, if your business is seasonal. On the Grand Strand, most are.
Written by Nikita Huttenlocher, founder and lead engineer at Huttenlocher Technologies, a web design and software company in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.