Google recently announced that they will be shutting down websites built with Google Business Profiles in March 2024, leaving many small businesses without a digital presence to call their own.
Like Orel Shalom wrote in an article shared to this blog, profiles and landing pages are no replacement for a bonafide website. Directory listings like Google’s Business Profile feature make it difficult, or even impossible, to embed analytic tracking codes, customize the user experience, or perform any worthwhile pay-per-click campaigns—especially retargeting campaigns. They just don’t compare to the unlimited flexibility of a website.
Thankfully, when one door closes, another opens.
Google hasn’t released any exact numbers, but it’s probably safe to assume that a significant number of small businesses are about to lose their website. These were free, rudimentary websites—often without custom domains—that appealed mainly to small businesses, likely with no internal marketing team. That means you can expect at least three immediate obstacles to converting these businesses into new website customers:
Thankfully, where there are obstacles there are also opportunities. For example, some of these businesses may see this as a chance to take their digital presence to the next level with a more advanced, interactive, and professional website. Like any strategic business motion, all you need is the right strategy.
As I mentioned earlier, Google Business Profile websites were incredibly simple. They lacked many of the advanced features professionally built websites enjoy like visitor personalizations, transactional capabilities, and content management. That means if the small business you’re working with has only ever used a Google Business Profile website, they may not even know what they’re missing out on. In this situation, it’s your agency’s responsibility to show them the potential.
For clients selling services, transactional capabilities in particular may be enough to pique their interest. This simple addition transforms their website from a lead generator to a revenue generator, a highly compelling proposition. Orel wrote about this concept as well in his article titled Why Transactional Client Sites Are A Golden Ticket For Growth, a must-read if you want to add this talking point to your sales arsenal.
For other clients, seeing is believing. Google Business Profile websites were fairly cookie cutter, design wise. It should be easy to impress them with a few samples from your portfolio, but if you need more we’ve also compiled a list of stunning Duda-built websites for you to present.
You’re probably thinking to yourself “are these clients even worth pursuing?” That’s a valid question! Chasing price sensitive clients can be a recipe for disaster, after all the return on investment often just isn’t there. However, what if you didn’t have to chase them?
We have written extensively about automating client acquisition in our recent eBook, “Your Comprehensive Guide To Agency Profit And Growth.” While the entire piece is worth visiting, the most relevant strategy in this scenario might be Instant Sites.
Duda’s Instant Sites empower your agency to create a site, as the name suggests, instantly using information previously collected, potentially via a form for example. If you pair this with a PPC campaign, like Facebook ads, you’ve built a hands-free acquisition pipeline perfectly suited to acquiring this type of customer while maintaining a worthwhile ROI.
Let’s review. You’ve built a hands-free acquisition pipeline using Instant Sites alongside PPC ads and have identified the key talking points necessary to sell websites to Google Business Profile refugees. What about those stand-out clients looking to elevate their website experience? To find them, you’re going to have to upsell.
In this arena, communication is key. If you decide to offer Instant Sites, include an opportunity to speak to a member of your agency for additional features within the initial email. Then, follow up with more specific value propositions. Discuss transactional capabilities, custom designs, accessibility—really whatever segmentation works best for you.
The most important point is that, within your communications, you should express the Instant Site as an entry-level tier with bespoke services available as an add-on. This tiered approach greatly expands your market while simultaneously increasing the amount of revenue you can extract from each customer. We wrote about this in a piece titled “Intelligent Pricing And Packaging For Vertical SaaS,” however the overall theory applies to agencies as well.
March is rapidly approaching, meaning these small businesses will be looking for new websites before you know it. Do you have the tools ready to put your client acquisition plan into action?
If you’re interested in the concept of Instant Sites but haven’t worked with our robust API before, experts are here to help. Schedule a conversation today to learn how your agency can put this plan into action and start the year off strong with an influx of new clients.
