How Merchynt Grew 10x in 2023: Q/A with CEO Justin Silverman

Website Planet interviewed Justin Silverman, Founder and CEO of Merchynt, one of the Top 10 Google Marketing Companies according MarTech Outlook, to learn how Merchynt helps 7000+ small business owners and digital marketing agencies get more customers faster and more affordably than SEO (and without spending a single dollar on ads).

The interview goes into the details of what exactly made Merchynt reach a 10x growth just in 2023 thanks to their AI SEO Chrome extension, ProfilePro, their Google Business Profile management services and their white label Google Business Profile optimization software.

P.S. Justin also revealed what’s the next big thing in Google Business Profile management.

What problems are you solving for your customers?

Merchynt focuses on optimizing clients’ Google Business Profiles through our specialized GBP management and GBP optimization software. The common problem we solve is the underutilization of Google Business Profiles by businesses.

Without effective optimization, businesses miss out on valuable search engine visibility and customer engagement.

Our GBP optimization software offers a superior solution compared to traditional methods or competitors’ services, thanks to our proprietary AI tools and automation. For example, our ProfilePro AI SEO Chrome extension allows business owners with no formal SEO experience or training to optimize their own Google Business Profile for free with the click of a button. Digital agencies would typically charge hundreds of dollars for this, and we make it possible for free.

Which types of companies benefit the most from your services?

Businesses, especially small to medium-sized ones, seeking to enhance their Google Business Profile visibility and effectiveness benefit immensely from our services. These companies often struggle to stand out in Google searches, and our management and optimization software directly addresses this issue, leading to improved online presence and customer reach.

Our sweet spot is with home service providers, such as plumbers, roofers, HVAC techs, and with restaurants. Any business that needs local customers can benefit significantly from ranking higher on Google Maps.

With our Google Business Profile tools & services, even the smallest of businesses can afford to compete.

What makes them eventually choose you over your competitors?

Customers choose Merchynt for our specialized focus on Google Business Profile Management Services. Our unique software provides an easy-to-use, effective solution for managing and optimizing Google Business Profiles, offering noticeable improvements in online visibility and customer interaction, as reflected in our clients’ feedback.

Business owners don’t want a “jack-of-all-trades” type average performance agency

They want a specialist

And that is exactly what we are.

We’ve been able to get over 90% of our clients ranking in the top 3 spots of Google Maps within 6 months, which has helped them significantly grow their revenue and businesses. Over 90% of people are searching for local businesses on Google Search and Google Maps, so if you want your business to succeed you need to focus on Google Maps marketing.

Clients refer their business owner friends to us because we deliver what we say we will, we’re reasonably priced, and we offer phenomenal customer service. We’re also rated Excellent on Trustpilot because we really care about our clients and agency partners:

Since you started, what helped you grow and retain your audience?

Our growth is primarily attributed to our focus on offering specialized Google Business Profile management and optimization software. Our marketing strategies, centered around highlighting the effectiveness of our software in enhancing Google Business Profile performance, have been crucial in attracting and retaining clients.

We’ve also developed a few free tools for marketers, such as our ranking heatmap report tool, which brings us a lot of attention and leads, which allows us to get our primary solutions in front of more people.

How are you doing today and what’s in the roadmap for the future?

Merchynt grew by over 10x in 2023 thanks to the releases of its innovative GBP management tools & services, and its ability to consistently deliver results for our clients.

Our future plans include further enhancing our software capabilities and expanding our reach to help more businesses optimize their Google Business Profiles effectively. We have a new, very exciting, automated Google Business Profile management platform that is set to release in February 2024, which will once again reinvent how agencies and SMBs can optimize their local SEO with AI.

What tools are you using to run your business and daily activities?

We’ve developed multiple internal tools to support our fast growth. Offering a manual service at scale at a reasonable price requires cutting costs without cutting corners, so we constantly look for new automation to build that allow us to do more for less money.

To run our business, we rely heavily on Hubspot, ClickUp, Customer.io, and Zapier. We use Hubspot to manage all of our sales opportunities, Customer.io to manage all client projects to ensure we can keep everything running according to plan, Customer.io to send optimized messages to our prospective clients and existing customers, and Zapier to tie it all together.

Collectively, these tools allow us to operate as though we’re a team 10x our size.

What perspective do you have about where your industry is headed?

The ongoing disruption caused by AI in the marketing industry means that businesses must evolve rapidly to remain relevant. For Merchynt, this means investing in the development of more advanced AI-driven tools that can provide deeper insights, more efficient management, and superior optimization of Google Business Profiles. This commitment to innovation is crucial for maintaining our edge in a highly competitive market such as is local SEO.

We’re excited about the potential of big data in enhancing our Google Business Profile optimization software – By analyzing successful strategies across our Google Business Profile optimization software client base, we can identify what works best and continuously update our approach for all clients.

This data-driven methodology allows us to provide tailored, effective solutions, ensuring that every client benefits from the collective insights and successes within our local SEO software’s ecosystem. This commitment to leveraging big data is a cornerstone of our strategy to deliver unparalleled value and results in Google Business Profile management in 2024 and beyond.