"When I Google my business, I show up on page one and my AdWords ads are in the top 3." I hear this phrase, or a variation thereof, at least three times a week. In my role at Level 5 and Team Velocity, I talk to a lot of prospects. Inevitably someone has convinced them, or they have convinced themselves, that as long as they Google their name and they show up on top, that they are good to go in the digital world.
I always say that bragging that you show up when you Google your name is equivalent to the Los Angeles Lakers bragging they beat a junior high basketball team. (Although with the season the Lakers are having, beating a junior high team may be tough for them.) None-the-less people who are searching for you by name are just a small part of the digital picture.
There is a hierarchy of Google searches. At the top of the funnel are people who search for you by name. These people tend to be repeat customers simply looking up your name like they used to do in the phone directory. They tend to be service calls, question calls and research calls in nature. For medical practices they tend to be existing patients wanting to book another appointment. For home improvement companies they are people calling for you to fix/adjust something on a project you did for them.
There are a lot of things top of the funnel calls could be. What they aren't, is a good source of new revenue. New customers tend to come from the middle or the bottom part of the funnel. In the middle funnel people have a need or want for your vertical. Patients who desire dental implants. Homeowners who want a new kitchen floor. They are looking to form a relationship with someone to advance their need or want. That person could be you or it could be one of your competitors.
The best source of new revenue comes at the bottom of the funnel. Searches for a specific product or service are low hanging fruit in the digital world. Patients who Google Lumineers have made a decision to have dental implants and have decided on the product that is right for them. They are simply searching for someone to perform the procedure. A homeowner who Googles Bruce Flooring knows what type of floor they want, and are simply looking for a great deal. These people are the easiest to sell with solid, creative, informative ads.
So back to the prospect who says when I Google my name I come up. If you are one of those people or trying to help one of those people, ask them how they show when someone searches their vertical. Ask them how they appear when someone Googles their top 10 products or services. Ask a cosmetic dentist how they show when someone searches veneers, Zoom, or teeth whitening. Ask a flooring company how they show when someone searches carpet, tile, or Armstrong. Ask a car dealer how they show when someone searches Honda lease, Honda deals, or Honda Civic. Then you get the true story.
Consumer searches are more sophisticated then ever. If you are not ahead of the curve then you are leaving money on the table. Consumers know what they want, and smart business owners find a way to give it to them and let the consumer think it was all their idea. So stop bragging about beating a junior high team and step up against a pro. Your wallet will thank you...
