Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Pet Store Uses Google Maps Attributes to Attract Dog Owners
Transcript
- Lucas: So there is a feature on Google Maps that you have probably scrolled past a hundred times without thinking twice, but for a local business, it can be the difference between a customer walking in the door or walking past it. Luna: You are talking about attributes, right? Those little tags under the business name — 'free Wi-Fi,' 'outdoor seating,' 'wheelchair accessible.' Lucas: Exactly. Google calls them attributes, and they appear right below the business name and rating on a Maps listing. There are over a hundred of them now, covering everything from 'has a children's play area' to 'requires a vaccine.' And most business owners either ignore them entirely or just check a couple at random. Luna: I will admit, I have set up a few Google Business Profiles in my day and I definitely just clicked through that section without a strategy. Lucas: Most people do. But I came across a case recently that really made the impact click for me. A pet supply store in Austin — small independent shop called Barker and Barrel — decided to treat attributes like a marketing checklist. Their owner spent an afternoon going through every single attribute that applied to their business. Luna: And what did they change? Lucas: They added 'good for dogs,' 'pet-friendly,' 'has dog treats,' 'has pet parking,' 'free water bowls,' and 'wheelchair accessible.' Nothing revolutionary — any pet store could claim those. But the key was, their competitors — both the big-box pet stores and other independents — had almost none of them checked. Luna: So the attributes basically became a differentiator in search results. Lucas: Right. And within three months, Barker and Barrel saw a forty percent increase in direction requests from Google Maps. The owner told me that customers would mention coming in specifically because they saw 'good for dogs' on the listing. One guy said he drove past a PetSmart because he knew his anxious dog would be welcome at Barker and Barrel. Luna: That is the power of a two-word attribute. And it is not just about dogs — any business can use attributes to pre-qualify customers before they even leave their house. Lucas: Which is exactly why I wanted to do this episode. Because attributes are one of the most underused, zero-cost tools in local SEO, and they directly influence what Google shows in the local pack. Luna: Well, let's break down how they work. First, how do you even find the full list of attributes? Lucas: You have to be logged into your Google Business Profile. Go to the 'Info' tab, then scroll down to 'Highlights.' That is where you will see the default set. But the full list depends on your business category. A restaurant gets attributes like 'takeout' and 'dine-in,' while a hotel gets 'pool' and 'fitness center.' Luna: So the first strategic move is to make sure your primary category is correct, because that determines which attributes are available. Lucas: Exactly. If a pet store accidentally selects 'pet groomer' instead of 'pet supply store,' they might miss out on attributes like 'has pet treats' or 'good for dogs.' I have seen businesses use overly broad categories — like 'store' — and they get almost no attribute options. Luna: So what is the process? Should a business owner just check every attribute that applies? Lucas: Not quite. There is a nuance. Some attributes are signals for Google's algorithm, and some are purely informational. For example, 'wheelchair accessible' is both a legal and trust signal. Google has said that listings with accessibility attributes rank slightly higher in local searches for queries like 'accessible pet store.' Luna: And the informational ones — like 'free Wi-Fi' — probably don't affect ranking directly, but they do affect click-through rate. Lucas: Right. A customer searching for 'pet store with dog treats' is more likely to click a listing that explicitly has 'has dog treats' as an attribute. So the strategy is: first, check every attribute that applies. Second, look at which ones your top competitors are using — if they have three attributes and you have nine, you stand out. Third, think about what your ideal customer is searching for before they arrive. Luna: And that is where the donation segment comes in, because if today's episode helps you think about your listing differently, that is exactly why this show exists. These episodes stay ad-free because of listener support — if you found this useful, you can toss a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate that. It keeps us focused on the practical stuff without interruption. So back to attributes — the other angle is seasonality. Luna: Seasonal attributes? I did not even know those existed. Lucas: Google does not officially call them that, but you can change your attributes based on the time of year. A pet store might add 'has cooling mats' in summer and 'has heated beds' in winter. A cafe might add 'has holiday decorations' in December. Luna: That is a clever way to stay relevant without changing your core listing. Lucas: Exactly. And it signals to Google that your business is active and updated, which can give you a small freshness boost in local rankings. I have seen bakeries add 'has custom cakes' before Mother's Day and then remove it after — that sort of regular maintenance matters. Luna: What about businesses that do not have a brick and mortar location? Do attributes matter for service-area businesses? Lucas: They do, but the list is shorter. A plumber might have 'emergency service' and 'licensed' as attributes. A landscaper might have 'offers free estimates' and 'serves residential.' The key is to use the ones that appear in the service-area business category. Luna: Is there any downside to adding too many attributes? Lucas: I have not seen a penalty for having too many, but there is a risk of diluting your message. If you claim every attribute under the sun, the most important ones get lost. A coffee shop that checks 'has live music,' 'has outdoor seating,' 'has free Wi-Fi,' 'has vegan options,' 'has gluten-free options,' 'has curb-side pickup,' 'has motorized charging stations' — that is a lot of signals. The customer might not know what the actual draw is. Luna: So there is a case for being selective — focus on the attributes that differentiate you from competitors and match your ideal customer's priorities. Lucas: Exactly. For Barker and Barrel, they decided not to check 'has organic food' even though they sold some organic products, because they wanted to attract the broadest dog-owner audience. They lead with the dog-friendly attributes first. Luna: That makes sense. And I imagine you can also use attributes to address customer objections before they even call. Lucas: That is a great point. A dentist's office that adds 'accepts new patients' or 'has late hours' can eliminate the need for a phone call. A yoga studio that adds 'has classes for beginners' can convert someone who was nervous to sign up. Luna: And those attributes appear directly in the search snippet on mobile, right? Lucas: Yes — on mobile, if you search for a category like 'pet store,' the local pack shows up to three attributes below each business name. So having the right ones displayed can literally be the reason someone picks your business over the one above you. Luna: I want to go back to something you mentioned earlier — the idea of auditing competitor attributes. What does that look like in practice? Lucas: It is simple. Open Google Maps, search for your business category in your area, and tap through each competitor's listing. Scroll down to the 'Highlights' section and note every attribute they have. If five out of ten competitors have 'free Wi-Fi,' that is a baseline. If only one has 'good for kids' and that fits your business, that is an opportunity. Luna: And then you can fill the gaps. Lucas: And then you can also look for attributes that none of your competitors have checked but that are relevant to your business. That is where you create a unique selling point in the local pack. Luna: Let's talk about the future. Do you think Google will expand attributes or change how they are weighted? Lucas: I think we will see more dynamic attributes — ones that update based on real-time data, like 'has open tables' or 'current wait time.' Google already started testing attributes for wait times in restaurants. For local businesses, the best approach is to keep checking your profile monthly for new attribute options. Google adds them quietly. Luna: Final question — for someone listening who has never touched their attributes, what is the single most impactful thing they can do tonight? Lucas: Log into your Google Business Profile, go to the Info tab, and spend ten minutes checking every single attribute that honestly applies to your business. Do not skip any. Then look at your top three competitors and see if you are missing anything they have. That alone can shift your listing from generic to specific — and specific listings convert better. Luna: And if you do that, you might see a bump in direction requests just like Barker and Barrel did. Lucas: Exactly. It is one of those rare marketing moves that takes almost no time, costs nothing, and has a measurable impact. Ten minutes for a forty percent increase in Maps traffic — that is a return most ad campaigns would envy.