One of the great things about the Internet’s advancements is that average people have a lot more autonomy than they used to when it comes to handling difficult tasks. Various DIY repair guides, YouTube tutorials, and customized shopping options make everything easier to do on your own—whether it’s cleaning an A/C filter or filing taxes.
However, there are some tasks that are best left to the experts, no matter how many online resources you skim over. You probably shouldn’t attempt to install your own water heater or pave your own driveway, for example. Similarly, you shouldn’t attempt to perform high-level online advertising tasks on your own.
Optimizing your Google+ Local listing is one such task. It may seem straightforward at first glance, but the platform actually has quite a few nuances that are only apparent to experienced professionals.
With Google’s new dashboard setup, many business owners have the option of adding a second account administrator. Here’s why you should consider handing over primary administrator status to an online advertising professional, whether you already work with one or you’ve yet to sign up.
Two Lawyers and a Judge
It’s wiser to have a sole account administrator rather than two, equally active administrators because maintaining consistent, accurate information is crucial. You’ll need to take extra precautions to ensure there are no conflicts between admins.
Why? Think of two account administrators as two separate lawyers. Think of Google as the judge. The two lawyers are representing your “case” (i.e. your business’s listing). If they aren’t on the same page and, instead, are giving conflicting facts to the judge, then your case will crumble. Translated to our online advertising scenario, your listing will lose relevance and could even be suspended if Google deems your company’s information wrong. For that reason, it’s best to hand over administrator access to your online marketer instead of trying to have joint control over your listing.
Moreover, if you’re paying for professional online advertising services, it’s wiser to let your money work for you. You’ve made an investment in an online advertising company, so why not facilitate that company’s job to the best of your abilities? Rather than complicating matters by actively interfering with your own listings, you’re better off relinquishing control and letting your hired specialist do the work.
For more extensive coverage of what happens when more than one party tries to work on the same online advertising campaign, read our previous post, “For SEO Companies, Two’s a Crowd.”
Keeping Up With Google’s Guidelines
Not only do you want to make sure there’s one consistent story throughout your online advertising campaign, but you also want to make sure your listing is always in compliance with Google’s guidelines. Unfortunately, staying in compliance with Google’s guidelines isn’t as simple as reading through them once and remembering the important points.
In fact, Google amends its guidelines almost as frequently as it updates its algorithms. If you want your Google+ Local listing to remain in good standing, then you’ll need to stay on top of the many guideline changes—most of which happen overnight, without warning.
Here’s a recent example of what we’re talking about: Google used to push business owners to gather customer reviews as a way to boost their listings’ relevance. Then one day, without notice, they changed their policy to explicitly forbid soliciting customer reviews. If you were caught requesting reviews from past customers, you were suddenly breaking the very same rule you thought you were following.
This is where an Internet marketing professional comes in handy. It’s our job to keep a watchful eye over your company’s Google+ Local listing and to constantly update our knowledge of Google’s best practices. Most small business owners don’t have the time or resources to do this on their own.
We See Things You Don’t
An Internet marketing professional knows what works and what doesn’t when it comes to Google+ Local listings. That’s because we see literally thousands of listings and are trained to identify various patterns and trends. By comparison, when the only listing you manage is your own, you’re limited to just one data point. This makes it impossible to spot a trend until your listing is actually affected by one. It’s a good idea for business owners to let experienced online advertisers handle their Google+ Local listings if for no other reason than the fact that a professional online advertiser has much more data to work with and knows which warning signs to look for.
The same rule applies to most other skilled trades. For example, the more car inspections a mechanic performs, the better he or she will get at identifying red flags. Likewise, HVAC contractors are always the best resource for troubleshooting furnaces because, through repetition, they’ve learned how to connect the dots between certain symptoms.
To put it simply, practice makes perfect—and you can trust that your online advertising professional has had a lot of practice.
Stick to Your Strengths
Every company specializes in a niche skill. Let flooring contractors do the tile installation, let appliance repairmen fix broken refrigerators, and let online advertisers handle Google+ Local listings.
For more information on this matter, please don’t hesitate to contact us! A Prospect Genius representative will be happy to help you get the most out of your online advertising.
