I recently discovered our local sushi place is still open! But they do not have a google listing and I had to go to their website to see their message that they are still offering take-out.
QUICK TIP: Business and restaurants, don’t make it so difficult for customers to know if you are open and offering take-out.
Let’s walk thru some quick tips to make sure customers know your place offers take-out, delivery or catering.
We help small business get access to the same great marketing corporation use.
Here are a couple of easy to do tips to let customers know your restaurant is open for business.
These tips apply to healthcare practices and business too. Click to learn more about Google Special Announcements for healthcare here.
CUSTOMERS WANT YOUR BUSINESS (EATS!)
Search Increase for Take Out Food, Restaurant Delivery and Catering //
Think with Google posted a recent release this week a “restaurant search trend update showing that restaurant delivery and restaurant take out is the #1 search in the last 3 weeks. This is a change from Restaurants near me over the last 5 years (Google data, U.S. 2014–2019). Let’s take this data and turn it into action to advertise your restaurant.
What does the google search covid-19 change mean for my restaurant?
Customers are looking for take-out. Even in this time of crisis, we are eating out delivery style. If your restaurant is offering take out, or delivery, we have to put that information online. NOW! Google search traffic has increased 285% for take-out across the U.S. Additionally search interest for “is food delivery safe” has increased 650% across the U.S. since the beginning of March (Google Trends March 1, 2020–March 24, 2020).
Customers Wants your Eats!
Let’s get your business in touch with customers. We can help you manage these updates for your business
Take Out Food Increases 285% in Google Search
What Can Restaurants and Business Do to Attract Customers During the Global Crisis
How do I get my restaurant delivery information online?
There are 3 quick ways to get your restaurant to show up in search results for take-out, catering and delivery.
Make sure to update your information anywhere you appear online. The top two online places to update information is:
(1.) your website
(2.) your google listing
(3.) then, communicate with customers (yeah it’s email)
(4.) More Insights . . . see our post on Coronavirus crisis communication tips for what business can tell customers here.
We believe in providing business like yours with Marketing Made Easy. You get access to the same great marketing that big brands get, we are your on demand marketing partner.
Update your Website: Restaurant Hours and Take Out, Delivery or Catering Options //
Restaurant Website Update for Covid-19:
✓ Create a NEW web page dedicated to Take out, Delivery or Catering.
✓ Include keywords for your take out and delivery service. This should include your location and restaurant name. The basic set up is a sentence that has your brand + food category + location. For example “our restaurant name is serving sushi in Chicago.”
✓ Include keywords for your brand + location and service. For example: “chicago gets take-out at our chicago location”
TIP: It may seem repetitive, but this is how we ‘program your website’ to help google get people specifically to your location.
Brass Heart Chicago updated there menu page.
Let customers know you are cooking! Include important information like:
Offer Uber Eats link
Delivery options
Call direct to order take-out
Some restaurants started Go Fund Me pages to help their hourly staff survive the crisis.
Add your Go Fund Me link helping staff for customers to get easy access to make donations.
2. Update your Restaurant Google Listing and Make A Post //
Google is still the number one search provider for restaurants. Even Yelp can’t compete. They have merged their Google Places service into Google My Business.
Update your information
Include order pick up, delivery and catering is available.
Add a GMB Post that you Offer Take Out and Delivery!
Don’t have a Google My Business Index Card? See below.
You probably have a listing and don’t even know it.
CREATE A COVID-19 POST IN GOOGLE //
After updating your hours on google you can make a covid-19 update. This allows google to track your change.
We believe that after the crisis google will monitor your change, and send an email reminder when it may be change to revert back to ‘normal business hours.’
Here is how to create a post in google my business:
On your computer, sign in to Google My Business. If you have multiple locations, open the location you'd like to manage.
From the menu, click Posts.
At the top of the page, choose the “COVID-19 update” tab. You may include the following information:
Hours of operation and temporary closures
Changes to how the business operates, such as takeout or delivery only, call for details, or others
Updates to how the location is being managed as it relates to safety and hygiene
Requests for support (request are currently delayed due to staffing changes during coronavirus
To get a preview of your post, click Preview.
If you're happy with your preview, in the top right, click Publish.
If you'd like to change your post, in the top left, click Back Back. Edit your draft until it’s ready to publish. (AFTER YOU CLICK PUBLISH, editing capability is currently delayed. During the Covid-19 crisis it is better to make a NEW post, with keywords. Editing will be delayed.
Need Google My Business Management, let us help your business.
ALREADY HAVE A GOOGLE BUSINESS LISTING?
Let’s Update your Business Listing. Here’s How:
Google My Business (GMB) lets you tell customers about your new hours or temporary closure (which no longer affects your search ranking). Also, use Google Posts to give updates during the coronavirus crisis.
There are a number of sections in GMB that you can use, including:
Temporarily Closed & Business Hours
Add take out delivery and catering. Google is rolling these our nation wide.
Contact Number update
Limited Edits: Description, Category, and Business Name may have limited edits at this time - due to google staff
Questions and Answers (On March 20- due to the unprecedented COVID-19 situation Google has temporarily removed the Q&A feature and it is now unavailable)
Google Posts (NEW: COVID-19 update post type)
TIP TEMPORARILY CLOSED OR NEW HOURS: If your business is open with reduced or changed hours for a temporarily, use Special Hours on those days to override the regular business hours. You can find Special Hours below your regular hours in the Info tab of your GMB dashboard.
NEED A GOOGLE MY BUSINESS PAGE?
For businesses who have not claimed there google page, you can significantly improve your search results with this index card.
How To Get your Google Business Page:
Any business that gets searched, google automatically creates a listing. You need to “claim” that listing.
✓ Click the blue OWN THIS BUSINESS link to claim the listing. This allows you to start controlling what information is added about your business.
✓ Update your business hours and information
✓ Include photos of your product and storefront (up to 10). Additional photos can be uploaded by google users/customers.
✓ Do your best on the details, the Google My Business EDIT FUNCTION is temporarily disabled.
3. Email // Communicate with Customers that Delivery or Take Out is Available
Share the news through email.
“ We’re Open for Take Out ”
“ Let' Us Take Care of Dinner Tonight (delivery) “
Once you have updated your website menu page with take out and pick up information, next tell your customers. Email lists get this done!
Link to the website menu in your email - this is quick access so customers don’t have to search to see if you are open!
We wrote a post about the type of information customers want to know during covid-19. You already know how you are staying in business, then tell your customers with coronavirus communication.
MORE ABOUT GOOGLE REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS DURING COVID-19 //
TIP: GOOGLE REVIEWS, QUESTIONS AND RESPOND: During this crisis, google has TURNED OFF the ability to write a review. During the time of crisis, and due to less staff in google offices, the ability to leave a “google review” is turned off.
Writing a review IS POSSIBLE, however the review is hidden, and will not post publicly. Responding to review is also temporarily unavailable.
Customers may still add a review, however when they click post a message pops up with “Your contribution may be delayed at this time.”
For business owners the ability to respond to reviews is unavailable at this time as well.
Questions & Answers have been temporarily “removed”. Any Q&A’s on a Business Profile are no longer visible or showing up. You can’t ask a question as a user or business owner.
TIP NEW GOOGLE TAKE OUT DELIVERY ATTRIBUTE: In the upcoming weeks google will add new attributes including “Delivery” and “Pickup” and no contact options including “Curbside pickup” and “No-contact Delivery”. We will keep you posted on our social media Facebook and Twitter channels when this rolls out nationwide.
A LITTLE MORE WEBSITE TECHNICAL COVID-19 SUPPORT FROM GOOGLE // FOR HEALTHCARE AND SURGERY CENTERS
Google is providing developer tools ongoing during the COVD-19 crisis. We monitor these updates to provide you with the best answers to your Covid-19 FAQ and Heathcare updates.
New to google is a ‘special announcement’ feature in google search for healthcare providers.
Healthcare Providers SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT and Google Covid-19 Updates //
Google developers received notice that we can provide a special announcement feature for healthcare websites. Through structured data (a coding tool developers web use) we can get urgent announcements on Google Search Results.
If your facility has special hours, is offering testing, has a closure notice, or healthcare related directive, we can get this online for you.
Contact Joanne Klee Marketing for your Covd-19 website updates.
Get On Demand COVID-19 Marketing Updates //
It’s affordable as we do not believe in price gouging. Average covid-19 updates pricing average for basic services:
Website new page or update $250 - 450
Add Google Covid-19 Special Announcement feature to healthcare or surgery center (ASC) $250
Social Media Post: $65 - 150 (for a series)
We can give you a covid-19 marketing quote
Learn more about on demand marketing
From Google // Add COVID-19 announcements
Due to COVID-19, many organizations, such governments, health organizations, schools, and more, are publishing urgent announcements that affect schedules and other aspects of everyday life. This includes the closure of facilities, rescheduling of events, and new availability of medical facilities (for example, testing centers).
Here are some examples of [coronavirus] special announcements for Healthcare:
• Announcement of a shelter-in-place directive
• Closure notice (for example, closing a school or public transportation)
• Quarantine guidelinesTravel restrictions
• Notification of a new drive-through testing center
• Announcement of an event transitioning from offline to online, or cancellation
• Announcement of revised hours and shopping restrictions
• Disease spread statistics and maps
To help this information surface on Google Search, organizations can add structured information to their web pages. We use a standardized format that is REQUIRED ON THE PAGE. The page structure we use will classify the page content and let your information appear in google search results. Learn more.
Healthcare Providers //
Control How Your Practice Looks Online During Covid-19
Google has special features in Google My Business for healthcare providers. In additional the the special announcements for Covid-19. The standard GMB service keeps your information current.
Get your Google my Business Listing for Healthcare. Joanne Klee Marketing Can Help. This service runs around $350.
How Should My Healthcare Practice, Restaurant or Business Look Online?
We recently spoke at the Solo CEO Summit. We were helping Business and Healthcare owners get clarity on what is required in online marketing. With all the advice out there, what is the minimum a business owner needs for their website?
This is how your practice or business should look online. For your business to appear fully optimized look for these signals:
Search your Business Name. This is how your should look online . . . .
Do you see top website content / most popular page links?
Do your business images appear below your website link
Do you have a google index card?
If your business information appear incorrect online, and you have different information on different websites, we can fix your online profiles and help you take control of ALL your healthcare business information online.
Learn more from Google about how Google my Business works for healthcare providers.
One More Time! Disclosure: Please know we are NOT ATTORNEYS. This post includes Best Business Practices advice. If you want legal advice about COVID-19 and the implications of posting ANY ADVICE about your business, contact an attorney!
Thanks for reading our "Coronavirus Communications, What to tell Customers a Mini Guide for Small Business.
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