VLIEG MAKELAARS NORTH HOLLAND
36% increase in local impressions
84% of customers read reviews when they look for financial advice
Regular posts resulted in 17% incremental impressions
UP ANALYTICS HELPS VLIEG MAKELAARS GROW 36% IN LOCAL SEARCH
VLIEG has been around for forty-five years and has gradually grown to ten offices in the North Holland province of the Netherlands. VLIEG is serving both private and professional clients by offering financial advice, backed by years of expertise in specialised financial services.
THE SITUATION
In the real estate industry, it is important to be present from the first moment customers start their journey. Many customers prefer to work with regionally-oriented businesses, so Local Search is an important “research channel” in real estate. While VLIEG gets a lot of business via customer retention and referrals, it is not enough to lean on this to meet its ambitious growth targets. Therefore, it was vital for VLIEG to get included in the consideration set for new regional customers via Local Search. By gaining online visibility, VLIEG set the goal of driving more prospective clients to its offices and become a local leader in several sub-markets.
THE SOLUTION
Basic NAP information
First, VLIEG ensured all of their Google My Business listings were claimed and verified. Trustworthiness is key so we wanted to own all information published and weed out user-generated content. Correct opening hours and phone number provides the basic need-to-know information. Business description, address and phone numbers would drive customers to contact VLIEG in their preferred way. But why call for an appointment with a specific financial advisor if you can set one up via the integrated online calendar?
Ranking for the right Local Search keywords
The second step was to make sure that Google knew exactly what products and services VLIEG offers in each of the locations. Otherwise, it is difficult for Google to send the right type of users. For VLIEG, real estate is the “umbrella industry”, or primary category. Since their business spreads across multiple locations, it was important to align the locations under the same categories but differentiate them based on the services offered. Some offices were more real estate-oriented whilst others had a focus on financial services.
“I was positively surprised at the quick and structured way in which this project was handled. In no time Up Analytics increased the online visibility of my business with 36%. The solution implementation was effortless with their support!”
Alex Zörner, CEO of VLIEG
Google My Business allows for a very varied service range, from residential and commercial brokerage to mortgages and insurances, to name a few Moreover, we used specific landing pages for all
listings, so people can find out more information about those offices if they needed to.
Optimising VLIEG’s description and listing their service areas has also brought additional authority for Local SEO. Last but not least, we ensured that relevant photos were uploaded as that also has the potential to increase the company’s appearance from a user perspective.
The extra step towards increased visibility
All of the above improved the hygiene of the listed data and made a direct impact on visibility. But for better results on Local Search, it is important for businesses to provide as much relevant information as possible. We needed the organisation to actively embrace Google my Business.
What really made an impact was the introduction of an organisational strategy. Regular posts on VLIEG’s listings resulted in 17% incremental impressions. VLIEG also created processes around reviews that saw local managers take ownership for replying. It is a time investment but provides spectacular results in terms of user experience. After all, 84% of customers read reviews when they look for financial advice. Our tooling made keeping a pulse on the review strategy a manageable task.
THE RESULTS
36% GROWTH IN LOCAL SEARCH IMPRESSIONS
Looking at the year on year results achieved on Local Search, we are seeing a 36% increase in VLIEG’s Local Search impressions.
Consumers expect the world around them to match what they find on their mobile phone. Sometimes even when they are on the go. Therefore, more than ever, it is vital for businesses to provide a good user experience on Local Search.
With the help of a few optimisations and some new business processes around reviews and content, VLIEG managed to take control of a key aspect in their customers’ journey and reach more potential customers.
