It's often difficult to explain to small business owners just how imperative it is for them to pay attention to every detail. This is particularly important when it comes to marketing their business on Google - specifically the name of the business.
That's why I was in disbelief after reading an article in the local newspaper last week. The subject matter hit way too close to home to be ignored because it was about Beneva Flowers - the shop I owned and my family’s livelihood for nearly 40 years.
You can read the entire article here, but the short version is that the business is growing and expanding - and I think that's fantastic! But in the process of doing so, they also decided to change the name of their business!
Not so fantastic, Beneva Flowers - a leading florist in Sarasota for over 37 years - was talked into a brand remake by Miles Media.
Their solution was to drop the "Flowers" part of the name in an effort to create a more universal brand. Assuming they would have known better than to hurt the brand, owner David Shuel trusted the advice. As previous owner, I have studied SEO and website development since 1996 and I almost fell over when I heard the news.
Why is something like that so important? Because Google expects you to title your Google Business Profile (AKA Maps) with the properly recorded name that appears on public records. When you can offer a valuable keyword like FLOWERS already built into your name, you get the best of both worlds. Since the beginning of Google, Beneva Flowers was always the #1 result when people searched for flowers in Sarasota. So I would question, why change it and discard the value of that critical keyword?
The article was published on the Monday after Mother's Day and a week later the search results have TANKED.
Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself! The search result from a search in Palmer Ranch (just across the street) show that Beneva was always on top. But now here are three examples that show where they currently stand right now - nowhere to be found in any of the most popular keyword searches!
Warning to business owners! Call me or a trusted digital agent before making any changes to your brand!! These agencies have tried to get in our company for years even though there was never a reason for the change. In my opinion - and being an owner of an agency - I believe in identifying an area of concern with a solution.
Smart digital marketing is the secret engine that moved you to the top of the search engine results - it not luck, there is always a reason. And details are extremely important. Sometimes even the smallest changes can cause the biggest problems.
Photo: Business Observer