Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Pet Store Won Local Maps With Video Reviews
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this pet store in Portland — Paws & Claws, been around for about eight years — and they were stuck on page three of the local Google Maps results for 'pet supplies Portland'. Pretty much invisible unless you scrolled forever. Luna: Right, and page three on Maps might as not exist for foot traffic. So what changed? Lucas: They started collecting video reviews. Not text reviews — short 15-second clips from customers filmed right in the store. The owner, a guy named Derek, asked every customer who bought something if they'd be willing to say a quick sentence on camera. Luna: And people actually did it? I feel like most customers would say no. Lucas: Derek offered a 10 percent discount on their next purchase if they filmed one. That got him about three to four videos per week. He uploaded them as Google Posts on his Business Profile, tagged them with relevant keywords like 'dog food Portland' or 'cat toys local'. Luna: So the videos were going into Google Posts, not the reviews section. That's interesting because Google Posts usually get overlooked by small businesses. Lucas: Exactly. And within about three months, his profile started appearing in the top three results for a handful of searches. What I think happened is Google started treating those video posts as strong engagement signals. The videos had higher click-through rates than any photo he'd posted — something like a 35 percent higher click-through rate on the post itself. Luna: And higher click-through on the post probably tells Google that people find the business relevant, so it boosts the overall Maps ranking. Lucas: That's the theory. Derek also noticed that the number of direction requests — people asking for driving directions to the store — went up by about 40 percent over that same period. He went from maybe 50 direction requests a month to around 70. Luna: That's a real tangible metric. So it's not just about ranking higher — the videos seemed to convert searchers into visitors. Lucas: Right. And here's the thing — Derek didn't have a big budget. He shot the videos on his iPhone, no editing, just natural lighting. The customers were holding bags of kibble or a new leash. It felt authentic. Luna: I think that authenticity might be part of why it works. A polished commercial probably wouldn't get the same response from Google's algorithm or from users. Lucas: If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — maybe a tip like this video review strategy — we'd love for you to consider supporting the show. It keeps us ad-free and lets us keep digging into these specific case studies. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep this going. Luna: Yeah, it really helps. And speaking of authentic — Derek also made sure the videos were responses to specific questions people search for. Like, one video was titled 'Best dog food for allergies' because that's a common search. Lucas: Smart. He used Google's keyword planner — the free version — to find which questions customers in Portland were typing in. Then he'd ask the customer to mention that exact phrase in their video. So the video post became a direct answer to a search query. Luna: That's basically creating content that matches search intent, but through your customers' voices. It's like user-generated SEO. Lucas: And it didn't stop there. Derek started uploading one video per week as a Google Post, and he'd also share it on his store's Instagram and Facebook. That meant the video was getting engagement off-platform too, which might have helped the overall authority signals. Luna: Did he ever try paying for ads to amplify those videos, or was it all organic? Lucas: All organic. He didn't spend a dime on ads. The only cost was the 10 percent discount on future purchases, but he said most people who filmed a video ended up buying more anyway, so it basically paid for itself. Luna: That's a great loop. So what's the takeaway for a small business owner listening right now? Lucas: Start with one clear search query your customers care about. Ask a happy customer to film a 15-second video answering that. Upload it as a Google Post. Repeat weekly. You don't need fancy equipment — just a smartphone and a willing customer. Luna: And track your direction requests and click-through rates. If you see them go up, you know it's working. Lucas: Exactly. Derek's story is just one example, but it shows that even a small local business can move the needle with a little creativity. And it's not a one-time thing — consistency matters. Luna: I'm curious if this works for businesses that aren't retail. Like a dentist or a plumber. Lucas: We've seen similar results with a dentist in Austin who had patients film testimonials about specific procedures — teeth whitening, Invisalign. He saw a bump in appointment requests. The key is matching the video topic to what people are searching for. Luna: So the principle scales across industries. It's about using Google Posts as a vehicle for authentic, intent-matching content. Lucas: Right. And because Google Posts are free and show up prominently on a Business Profile, it's a low-risk experiment. Worst case, you've got some nice customer testimonials. Best case, you see your Maps ranking climb. Luna: I think a lot of people underestimate how much Google values fresh user-generated content on a profile. It's a constant signal that the business is active and relevant. Lucas: And video specifically seems to be weighted more heavily than images or text. That's anecdotal from multiple case studies now, including this one. Google's own documentation hints at it — they say 'high-quality photos and videos' can improve your ranking. Luna: But they don't tell you exactly how much. So it's up to business owners to test and measure. Lucas: And that's exactly what Derek did. He kept a simple spreadsheet: date of post, topic, number of views, click-through rate on the post, and direction requests that week. After three months, he had a clear story. Luna: That level of tracking is rare for a small business, but it made the difference between 'I think it's working' and 'I know it's working'. Lucas: We'll put a link to a simple template for that spreadsheet in the show notes. But the main thing is — start small. One video a week. Pick a search term. Ask one customer. You might be surprised. Luna: And if you try it, let us know how it goes. We love hearing from listeners who test out strategies we cover. Lucas: Absolutely. That's it for this episode — next time, we're looking at how a coffee shop in Chicago used Google Maps attributes to stand out. See you then.