Google’s Latest Lead Gen Challenge and What You Can Do About It

After Google’s “Helpful Content Core Update” in March 2024 and the recent notification in May that they will be adding AI Overviews to the top of organic search results, you might rightfully be wondering what Google will do next to challenge your ability to drive organic search leads. Well, the wait is over. On July 31, 2024, Google will discontinue the Google Business Profile call history and chat features.

“We’re making changes to Google Business Profiles to focus on features that are most helpful to businesses and their customers. As a result, chat and call history features will no longer be available.”

support.google.com

These features, popular with businesses seeking to engage and generate leads with their Google Business Profile (GBP), are the latest ding to organic search strategies. While Google has not announced which features it will focus on yet, now is the time to adapt to the changes and look for new opportunities to compete for leads.

In this edition of Plain Talk, we will tell you what you need to do today to prepare for this—the latest Google shake-up for marketers. We’ll cover:

• A Brief History of Google Call History
• Important Dates to Know
• How to Export Your Google Call History Data
• How to Export Your Google Chat History
• What Now? Google-Free Lead Gen Opportunities

A brief history of Google Business Profile call history

Back in 2020, Google rolled out call history features to help businesses track and manage incoming calls from potential customers through Google Maps and Search. This was primarily an experimental feature for Google.

This feature allowed businesses to:

• Measure Effectiveness: Evaluate the effectiveness of their Google Business Profile by tracking the volume of calls generated through their listing.
• Understand Customer Behavior: Gain insights into customer behavior and preferences by analyzing call data.
• Improve Customer Service: Manage and respond to customer inquiries more efficiently, enhancing overall customer service.
• Optimize Marketing Strategies: Use call data to refine marketing strategies and improve targeting for better results.

By providing these insights, the feature aimed to help businesses, including injury law firms, improve their marketing efforts and customer engagement, especially as call volume increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Important dates to prepare for

If you use these services, here are the upcoming dates you need to know:

July 15, 2024:

Searchers will no longer be able to start new chat conversations with your business using Google Maps or Google Search. However, searchers already in existing chat conversations will be notified that chat will be phased out.

July 31, 2024:

The chat functionality in Google Business Profile will end completely, and you will no longer receive new chat messages. You will also no longer be able to see your Google Business Profile call history in Google Business Profile.

Be sure to download your history BEFORE THIS DATE.

Google Business Profile chat and call history features will be fully disabled on July 31, 2024.

The end of call history features and what to do now

If you’ve opted into the call history feature, beginning July 31, 2024, you will no longer be able to see it in your Google Business Profile.

To import into your CRM or simply just to have a documented history of the data, you will need to export it through Google Takeout.

How to export your call history from Google Takeout

Google Takeout is a service provided by Google that allows users to export and download their data from various Google services. It’s not a tool that is used very often by small or medium-sized businesses, but for situations like this, when you need the hard data, it is the place to go to download your data directly or to save it to a cloud storage system.

What you’ll need to do to secure your call history

Select the services and data to include

When you access Google Takeout, you’ll be given a number of options for what to export. For call history, select Google Business Profile.

Note: You will only have call history data available here if you’ve previously opted into the call history feature.

Once you’ve selected your GBP call history, you can export it in a variety of ways.

You can email a download link to yourself or opt to export the data to Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Box. Select which you prefer and click export.

After you export your data, you will have it as an archived file for future analysis or historical reference.

How to export your Google Business Profile chat history from Google Takeout

Turn on Google Chat

If you’ve turned on messages in your GBP, you will also have the opportunity to download chat history before the service is discontinued.

How to export chat history from Google Takeout

Before the chat feature is discontinued, businesses should ensure they have saved their chat history. Why? If you’ve been using this feature, preserving chat history is essential for maintaining customer records and ensuring that valuable information remains accessible during this transition.

As we mentioned, beginning July 15, new chat conversations will discontinue, however for active chats with a client or potential client, conversations will still be available until July 31, 2024. If you are engaged in a chat, it’s recommended to identify alternative chat channels or communicate another option to continue your engagement.

So, if you need to save your chat data, you can use Google Takeout. Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process:

1. Access Google Takeout: Visit Google Takeout.
2. Select Data to Include: Choose the data from your Google Business Profile, including chat history.
3. Choose Export Format: Select your preferred file format and delivery method.
4. Download and Save: Once the export is prepared, download the file and securely store it.

Note: You will only have chat history data available here if you’ve previously opted into the messaging feature.

What does this mean for service company lead gen?

Let’s look at personal injury law firms. Google Business Profiles are powerful tools for local businesses like accountants, law firms, etc. These changes will impact two of their main communication channels by eliminating the ability to monitor calls and call history through GBP and by removing the messaging capability entirely as an inbound channel.

In the example of a personal injury firm that invests in third-party call monitoring tools, these tools will lessen the impact of the Google changes, and these firms will continue to have oversight, assuming the use of tracking numbers dedicated to these metrics and incoming calls.

However, all businesses will lose messaging capabilities through Google Business Profiles. This means to engage with prospects, these firms will need to quickly prepare to shift to other communication channels such as email, phone, social media platforms, and more.

The impact on businesses and customers

The removal of chat and call history features will change how businesses and customers connect on Google’s platform. However, several alternatives and ongoing support features will still be available:

• Customer Interaction: Customers can still reach out to businesses through Google Search and Maps. The call button on business profiles will direct calls to the merchant’s provided phone number.
• Information Accessibility: Business descriptions, website links, and photos will remain visible, ensuring customers can access relevant information about businesses.
• Engagement Metrics: Businesses will still receive valuable engagement metrics, including web traffic and direction requests, to track their online presence and customer interactions.
• It’s also important to note that these changes will not impact Google Business Profile ranking factors.

As Google continues to adjust its service offerings, it’s important to prepare, adapt, and have a plan to keep the leads and engagement flowing.

Google-Free Lead Gen Opportunities

It can be frustrating to see elements of your lead generation strategy melt away but there are still prospects out there who need your products or services, so as Google continues to tweak, what can you to keep those leads coming?

Content Marketing:

Blogging: You may only think about your blog as a tool to improve SEO (it does), but let’s not forget that great “helpful content” is called that because it can help prospects solve problems using your offering. Now is a great time to dial up that content volume and quantity.

Video Content: Once seen as impractical in many business verticals, video has gotten really fast and affordable. Make videos showcasing your services, customer testimonials, and behind-the-scenes looks at your company and share these on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Webinars and Workshops: Host online events that provide value to potential customers and establish your authority in your industry.

Email Marketing:

Email Campaigns: Now that you have a lot of great new content (see above), it’s time to get it into the hands of the prospects who can use it. Believe it or not, people still overwhelmingly prefer email. Make sure your email “newsletter” or your weekly content email is ready to go like clockwork to help you create warm leads over time and help you drive traffic when prospects are ready.

Lead Magnets: For people not already on your list, promote free resources, such as e-books, guides, or checklists, in exchange for email addresses. You can do this in paid native content, on social media, on your website, or through other channels.

Social Media Marketing:

Another channel that can work harder for your lead gen efforts is social media. From LinkedIn and YouTube to TikTok and Instagram, social media can be used to:

• Run targeted paid ads and content.
• Generate referrals and reviews.
• Partner with influencers who can mobilize their followers for you.
• Drive signups for newsletters or special offers (e.g., lead magnets).
• Engage with prospects who have questions or could be warm leads.

Referral Programs:

With email and social media activated, don’t forget to create referral programs for your satisfied customers. Like testimonial videos, few tools are as powerful as a satisfied customer telling their story to interested prospects.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC):

We promised “Google-free,” but we’d be remiss if we did not mention paid ads like PPC.

• PPC Ads: While Google Ads may have become more challenging to execute, they are still effective if used wisely. Focus on affordable CPC long-tail keywords and local terms. Use ad extensions to provide more information and improve click-through rates.
• Retargeting: Use retargeting ads to reach users who have previously visited your website but didn’t convert.

Innovative Online Platforms:

Industry-Specific Platforms: Utilize platforms and directories specific to your industry that potential customers might use to find services.

Online Marketplaces: Consider listing your services on online marketplaces relevant to your industry.

Events and Trade Shows:

While not to the extent they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, live events are back and, in some ways, are even better than before. Today’s live events allow you to engage with prospects in person, but many also offer the stay-at-homer a live stream or recorded version of the event. Take more aggressive advantage of both options through live and online sponsorship, the use of show registrant lists, and the opportunity to share lead magnets.

User Experience (UX) Improvements:

One of the most overlooked opportunities in lead gen is to fine-tune your user experience. This does NOT just mean to improve your website. Rather, improving your user experience means finding ways to remove friction in the buying process for prospects. You can:

• Add chatbots to take advantage of after-hour lead engagement.
• Automate, automate, automate. If you have the chance to respond immediately to a prospect by text, email, or call, do it. Every minute that goes by where you have not responded to an inquiry is a moment for the competition to move in and steal your cheese. A form-fill option on your website should generate an immediate and meaningful electronic response at a minimum.
• Improve your “shopping” experience. If that means improving your website to reduce prospect “bounce,” use session monitoring or other tools to find the leak in your bucket.

You can still grow leads

Despite the latest Google challenges to lead gen, you still have options to keep the phones ringing. While we think it’s important for Google call and chat history users to capture their data, we also think it’s important to keep an eye on the future by adapting to your best opportunities. If you hit any roadblocks or need some help, drop us a note here or phone us at 502.499.4209, and our team will be happy to help.