A new type of call-to-action button is starting to appear on Google SERPs (for both mobile and desktop browsers) for certain branded queries.

How it works

Try conducting a branded search (i.e. searching directly for a business’s name) and notice that, in most cases (as shown below), a new button appears below the Map and Review score, encouraging users to GET A QUOTE. It also sometimes appears as REQUEST A QUOTE – which we’ve seen in screenshots from users in Canada. Their SERPs seem to be a bit more polite, go figure…

How it looks

As you can see, the button is really wide, and is solid blue; two indicators that Google is putting a lot of stock into this button! It’s not pussy-footing around with outline-buttons hidden somewhere on the SERP- it’s way up at the top, in the Knowledge Panel. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a paid quote feature being rolled out sometime in the not-too-distant future.

How to set it up

For now, the only way to get this button to appear in the Knowledge Panel for a branded search is to set up Messaging for Google My Business (GMB). This feature connects and pulls from the details you provide in the GMB Messaging feature – for now. We expect this ‘get-a-quote’ function to become more prominent soon, as it’s another step in the direction of Google keeping users within its ecosystem.

Why Should You Care?

In short: it’s a very visually prominent button on the SERP, and so it’s likely to get tons of click action – and all you need to set it up is enable messaging on your Google My Business page. Not doing this means missing out on highly relevant (branded) searchers.

Other than presenting a new opportunity, you should also care because this is something of a sign of the times… As we’ve written about before, and are keeping an ever-vigilant watch on, the prevalence of universal search is growing. “Universal search” refers to everything outside of traditional paid and organic search results.

Search engine results pages (or SERPs) now prominently feature other types of results, such as “featured snippets” (when Google gives you an answer to a direct question directly on the SERP), “People Also Ask” boxes, with lists of relevant related questions and their answers, pictures, videos, local map listings, the Knowledge Panel with its reviews, star ratings, open hrs, etc etc.

Those were the days: when SERPs were simpler, showing nothing but organic and paid search. These days there are many many more ways to appear on a SERP, but many of them keep you within Google’s ecosystem….

So much so is this the case that there’s actually been a decrease in the amount of organic search traffic delivered by Google.

No-click searches are happening more and more, and as such optimising for them is becoming an increasingly important part of an SEO’s job – making sure that not only are you ranking well for traditional organic search, but that you’re also optimised for appearing in whichever other universal results are appearing for search terms that you would like to appear for.

Are you interested in how these Universal results might be affecting your business? Our in-depth SEO audit service will reveal the areas you need to focus on in order to achieve the best results.

Tags: knowledge panel, local, Local SEO, search engine results pages, SERP