Last year, Google My Business rolled out a new feature: website building. GMB Webpage Builder is meant to support small businesses in creating affordable web-pages. The significance of having an online presence for your business is real.
If your business does not have a website, it can mean an online dead end for a possible client – a client who could be distracted by your competitors’ webpage. Creating faster, more affordable options for small businesses to build webpages could help more local businesses get found via the mighty Google search.
Conversations Digital is interested in supporting law firms in weighing the pros and cons of this new tool and whether it can meet your marketing needs. After all, the question behind your marketing should be: if you take the time to build something, will the customers come? Part of being a small business owner is the press for time and resources. Conversations wants to help you make informed decisions about your marketing strategy because your time – like your business – is valuable.
What you need to know about GMB Webpages
Pros:
- It’s Free! Owning a business is costly, your webpage doesn’t have to be.
- Fast & Easy You don’t need to be a web-designer to build a webpage in under 10 minutes
- Customizable Domain name Customizing your domain name is an option with an additional cost through Google domains. The cost may be worth it, as the free URL option accompanying a GMB page is bulkier, less memorable, and less likely to be optimized in searches as a result. The free URL option will appear like this: yourbusinessname.business.site
- Mobile Friendly in a Mobile First world. Mobile web-pages are the going standard and GMB webpages are accessible to and manageable from a smartphone.
- Consistency and automatic updates. Consistently using google features allows your webpage to be automatically updated from your GMB listing.
- Ad Management – place and control ads on your webpage
Cons:
- Limited to a 1-page site
- Unable to customize page titles or any type of meta descriptions
- No integration of Google Analytics
- No social sharing buttons
- Unable to to add data markup, such as Local Business Schema
- Unable to add alt text to images
- Unable to add call-to-action buttons
- Overall, not a very SEO friendly webpage
Is a Google My Business website a fit for your law firm?
We suggest that you weigh the pros and cons. If your business does not yet have a website, a user-friendly and affordable GMB webpage could be a good starting point to getting your firm found online. Generally speaking, any website made with care is better than no website.
If you want to take your optimization possibilities a bit further, consider investing in a personalized domain name to try to maximize your webpage’s potential. Remember that technology and the client environment is always evolving, and so must your marketing strategy.
For now, GMB can be a great starting webpage, but there are many tools out there that can take you even farther in search optimization strategy. If you’re interested in discussing website options beyond GMB contact Conversations Digital today! We want to help you get found online.
