We want Nearby Now to be awesome for service professionals. We also want it to be simple and frictionless. Adding useful features that are low friction is not always easy but we are working hard to make that happen.
We’ve been thinking about what we can do to provide more value for service professionals in the field who are using Nearby Now. Value that helps the business get found by Google and the Nearby Now maps. We decided that the best value we can add now is with rich checkins.
Rich checkins for everyone
Checking in is simple and we plan to keep it that way. A tap or two is all it should take, ever. We’ve added the ability for a user to optionally post a checkin message, such as “fixing a leak”, or a photo, or both. We will still kept the tap or two to keep checkins fast and frictionless.
Why a message or photo?
Simple. It’s food for Google and it conveys a more meaningful message to your potential customers. That message is “I’m a real service professional, not some static business address, and I’m right down the street ready for your call”.
We are using Microformats too. What does this mean for you? Well, again it’s Google food for your business. I’ll give you an example of Microformats in action:
So as you are in the field, checking in with messages and photos, and sending your happy customers quick little surveys, we are feeding Google with that information and helping you build social proof that you are a reputable company truly working nearby.
Rich Plugins
You own this data and we want to help you get the word out about where you are in the field. To do that, we’ve built four awesome plugins that allow you to embed your service area heat map, or recent reviews, in your WordPress blog or Facebook business page.
Here’s some examples of that in action:
If you’d like to learn more about embedding your service area heat map and recent checkins or reviews in your own site or on Facebook, please email us at info@nearbynow.co and we’ll help you get started.
**Please note that the plugins are enabled with paid plans only. The mobile apps, and the Nearby Now Network are free.
