Google for Small Businesses
The numbers don’t lie… most consumers today make local purchasing decisions based on internet research.
Though the number of small “brick and mortar” businesses that have a website is increasing… it appears many haven’t allocated resources nor developed a plan to establish a solid web presence.
Those that don’t are missing out on a NECESSARY means to protect and improve their competitive position.
There are many schools of thought on how to establish a strong local web presence… we could debate all day about the pros and cons…but right now I want to focus on getting our foot in the door!
I’m going to focus on Google because of its overwhelming market share in online searches.
If you don’t have a website already, it’s not absolutely necessary, but highly recommended. There are a myriad of resources available to make this process relatively painless. I personally recommend going to local colleges and seeking help from students who are privy to all the cutting edge technologies. Remember, though, you are not competing with “Amazon”… Keep it Simple!
A website, though, is a piece of digital real estate that is all but invisible, and for the most part, so is our physical location if we don’t provide a web presence.
So what’s a free and simple way to use Google to direct traffic to our online and physical locations?
Google Places
This is a free business listing service offered by Google where you can provide descriptive content about your location, website, products/services, and current “deals” in the form of coupons.
You’ll be asked to provide you’re specific * business name * address * phone# * website address *
There’s a business description section which allows you to elaborate on your business. Try to enrich this section with as many keywords as possible….the more descriptive content you provide the better.
Google asks you to categorize your business… you can and should include 5 relevant categories to optimize search results.
Include images(no stock photos) of your building, employees, company logo and brands.
Include videos to enhance your ranking… if you currently don’t have one put together a simple slide show using free software online….perhaps a “how to” video would be useful to your customers.
Venture outside the “Google box” and provide you’re specific * business name * address * phone# *website address * with online directories, blogs, ratings sites and news resources… this will enhance your ranking on Google by establishing “citations“.(this information must be consistent with your Google Places listing).
There is a section where you can provide additional details about your business:
Hours of Service
Parking
Languages Spoken
Specialties
Specific Brands Carried
Be Creative But Only Cite Details That Provide Value
Currently Google places a lot of value on credible reviews.
Get socially involved with your market and provide incentive for customers to enter legitimate reviews on your Google Places page.
The goal is to have a 100% complete profile enriched with keywords, images, videos, reviews and links to multiple “citation” sources.
Google Places is a powerful resource to help establish and enhance your local business web presence….granted there is much more you can do but this is a great place to start.