Undoubtedly, Google is committed to ensuring a flawless web experience for all of its users. The most recent improvement in terms of design is the Google Carousel, a new concept taking local search to the next level. Internet-savvy business owners and marketers are looking for pertinent answers to a few pressing questions: how can this recent improvement impact the click-through rate of a webpage? How could it influence current SEO practices? And most importantly, how could Google carousel influence everyday buying decisions of millions of potential clients all across the U.S.? Let’s start with the beginning.
Coping with the wind of change: Google Carousel and its list of benefits
From now on, when conducting an online search for the hottest clubs, restaurants, bars, and other facilities located in your own area, you’ll notice the “carousel” implemented by Google, including relevant local results that you might want to consider. So basically, if you were to type “Indian restaurants in New York,” you would see a carousel of images on a black background.
Every single image represents one Indian restaurant from New York. You could find all of the details that you might be looking for, including its open hours, current address, its overall score based on reviews, and more photos, by simply clicking on the image. If none of the pictures featured in the carousel manage to stimulate your interest and curiosity, you can add more by clicking on the arrow placed on the right side of Google’s carousel. Moreover, you can narrow down your search by zooming in on the local map displayed beneath the interactive carousel; this will help you find Indian restaurants located in a particular area. In this content, one important question still remains unanswered: how does this change affect users and business owners? Google Carousel comes with several significant benefits:
1. Enhanced Online Visibility For (Smaller) Businesses
Google Carousel is a powerful asset, expected to grow the popularity of the smallest local businesses (which do not benefit from an enormous advertising budget). Until now, small-size companies did not stand a chance against powerful competitors counting on effective Internet marketing strategies. Google Carousel helps small businesses boost their online presence and attract a larger segment of potential buyers.
2. The Interactive, User-Friendly Layout
Helping Internet users find local businesses that they might be interested in easier and faster than ever before. Undoubtedly, the recent design improvement has a powerful visual impact and guarantees an improved web experience, triggering the trust and satisfaction of an elevated number of users. According to Ed Reese Local U, the newly implemented carousel “keeps visitors on Google” for a longer period of time, encouraging businesses to invest more in advertising strategies.
An experiment conducted by Ethical SEO consulting on 102 respondents, who were asked to find a local pizza place on a SERP page using the new carousel design, revealed that more than 32% of the subjects clicked on the map, while 17.1% chose to click on the first slider image of the carousel.
After all, with a highly beneficial mix of images, information, and a much-appreciated interactive presentation, what’s there not to like about Google’s Carousel?
3. A More Effective Targeted Search
Users now have the opportunity to zoom in on the map placed below the carousel in order to find bars, restaurants, and various other local facilities located in a specific area.
How Google’s Carousel will affect current optimization techniques
It is safe to say that marketers and company owners have no reasons to panic and can now rest at ease, knowing that Google’s new improvement couldn’t possibility impact the profitability of local businesses. On the contrary, its main goal is to create a superior user experience while growing the online presence of different local places (bars, restaurants, and so on), regardless of their size and profit margins. If you want to preserve your competitive edge and improve the online reputation of your brand, there are a few things that you should consider.
1. Edit Your Local Business Listing and Add High-Quality Photos
There is one thing that you should know: Google will not ask for your opinion or your permission when it comes to displaying one of your business pictures on the interactive carousel. The picture will be randomly selected, so make sure all of your photos highlight the unique attributes of your local business and have what it takes to attract a significant number of potential clients.
2. Add Important Contact Details
A ride in the carousel would definitely benefit your business, increasing its online presence and its revenues in the long term. But before you start dreaming big, make sure your local business listing is verified and updated, and that it contains essential information, like your business name, address, phone number, and so on.
3. Don’t Neglect Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Campaign
It seems that original, relevant, naturally optimized, high-quality content will remain a mighty kind for many more years to come. If you have managed to identify and implement an effective SEO plan tailored to your unique objectives, keep counting on it to remain one step ahead of your main competitors. A powerful, successful content strategy will keep you in the game, helping you grow the online presence of your business fast and effortlessly.
(Image courtesy of Alex Masters – The Independent Blogs)
