Locl Toolkit

Visit Big Sky is working hard to help our visitors have the smoothest experience possible while here and part of that is engaging with businesses like yours that provide shopping, dining, and recreational experiences. We know that, as small businesses, you have a lot more to do than just manage your online presence. That’s where Locl comes in.

Locl is an online service that builds on your existing Google My Business program framework but makes it a lot easier for single and multi-location businesses to manage their GMB profile(s), create offers and events, engage with customer reviews, monitor business performance and act on insights

In our work as the hub for support to our tourism partners, Visit Big Sky has recently hired Locl to provide this resource to your business at no cost to you.

Why Use Locl?

• More than 90% of internet searches happen on Google
• Most of us heavily rely on Google to help make decisions, from planning where to go to actually making purchases
• How a tourism business appears online, specifically on Google, matters
• Up-to-date Google listings are more likely considered to be reputable, attract more visits and are 50% more likely to lead to a purchase.
• Google my Business is limited to single-location, 90-days views, with a confusing interface. This program serves single and multi-locations, has 18-months worth of data and a user-friendly interface.

Even if you choose not to connect your GMB profile to Locl, consider the following:

• GMB profiles are the single, largest source of organic exposure for businesses online.⁴
• GMB profiles are a significant signal for ranking in Google. Claiming and regular updating of a business profile (e.g. location updates, photos, customer reviews, etc.) will improve ranking on Google.⁴
• Google has shifted from search engine to answer engine (instead of clicking-through to a website for info, Google presents it information without you needing to click). Zero-click searches account for over half of Google’s search market share.⁵
• One of the largest drivers of zero-click searches are Google My Business listings and over 45% of ALL Google searches (e.g. Google Maps, Search, mobile, desktop, etc.) are people searching that are currently in market.⁶
• The Google Maps product generates 3 billion direct connections between businesses and users per month.⁷
• 79% of consumers who use navigation apps as part of leisure travel use Google Maps.⁸
• 67% of survey respondents cited use of Maps’ “Explore Nearby” feature as part of researching or booking a recent trip.⁹

How to register:

• Create your Locl account
  • Once your Google My Business profile(s) have been claimed and verified, head over to Locl to create your free Locl account.
  • Note if you have more than one location, you will not need to create a separate Locl account.
• Connect your GMB Account to Locl.
  • You will be prompted to login (if you are not already) to GMB and “allow” Locl access. This connects your GMB account to Locl, enabling you to make updates to your GMB profile, using Locl.
• Complete your account setup
  • There are a few additional fields you will need to fill out in order to complete the process. Please note: you may change these inputs any time once you are in Locl.
• You’re in! Get familiar with Locl!
  • Take a tour, get familiar with the tools available to you and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

With your access to Locl, you have every tool that you need to help spread the word and grow your business through Google. You can keep information up to date, respond to reviews, share Posts, and more, all from one dashboard. If you're not sure where to start, don't worry - Locl provides automatic recommendations that share tips on what to do and when to do it to help you make the most of Google search.

References:

⁴Google: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en, MOZ: https://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors#localized-organic-ranking-factors and Miles Partnership (slide 12): Inspire Confidence with Online Listings PDF)

⁵ Rand Fishkin, Sparktoro: https://sparktoro.com/blog/less-than-half-of-google-searches-now-result-in-a-click/ (50% desktop, over 65% mobile)

⁶ CMG Solutions: https://cmglocalsolutions.com/blog/zero-click-searches

⁷ Google’s Economic Impact data, 2019: https://economicimpact.google.com/

⁸ Skift Report, Deep Dive into Google, 2020, https://research.skift.com/report/a-deep-dive-into-googles-impact-on-travel-2020/

⁹ Phocuswright, Travel Technology Survey, Q4 2019 (c/o Miles Partnership, slide 12, Inspire Confidence with Online Listings PDF)