Let Google help you advertise!
A lot of people have asked me about getting their small business to show up online. Those ever important page one search results are critical to people discovering your business and growing your brand. The more ways people can search for you and find you, especially if they don't already know the name of your company, the more likely it is that you'll get more traffic from random online users looking for services that you offer. This whole issue causes a lot of stress! And there are a lot of companies out there (including the yellow pages) who are quick to tell you that you have to pay to get listed online.
The truth is, there are lots of different things you can do to improve your chances of showing up in searches. The more relevant pages you can get listed on, of course, the better. If other sites link to you, or you can get the local newspaper or community website to do a piece on your new business, this is great exposure that will improve your ranking with customers searching locally. But there's something else that every business ought to be doing that most people don't even know about, and the amazing thing is that it's free - create a business page for your business on Google.
Here's the thing: Google wants as many people as possible to use their services, so it makes sense that they'll give preference in search results for businesses that use the tools Google provides, and make themselves and their company information readily available to potential customers. All you have to do is register a "My Business" account, verify that your business is physically located where you say it is, and Google will add your business onto Google Maps, and allow people to find your business when they're searching for services you offer when they're within the local radius. Your customers can also leave Yelp-style reviews of your business so other customers can see your reputation, and you can list relevant information on your My Business page, like your business hours, a link to your website, contact info, etc.
To start, here's the link to the Google My Business page:
https://business.google.com/
And here's a simple tutorial you can follow to get your business added and start showing up on Google Maps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdCZMWkYDJQ
Now, if you don't have a business that offers local service or a local storefront, but instead only operate online, there are still things you can do to help improve your search index. For starters, you should have a Brand Page on Google+ ... but that's a topic for another article, on another day.
Thanks for reading! If you have questions or comments about improving your search index on Google, or need other IT-related help with your business, be sure to contact me and I can help. See you online!
The truth is, there are lots of different things you can do to improve your chances of showing up in searches. The more relevant pages you can get listed on, of course, the better. If other sites link to you, or you can get the local newspaper or community website to do a piece on your new business, this is great exposure that will improve your ranking with customers searching locally. But there's something else that every business ought to be doing that most people don't even know about, and the amazing thing is that it's free - create a business page for your business on Google.
Here's the thing: Google wants as many people as possible to use their services, so it makes sense that they'll give preference in search results for businesses that use the tools Google provides, and make themselves and their company information readily available to potential customers. All you have to do is register a "My Business" account, verify that your business is physically located where you say it is, and Google will add your business onto Google Maps, and allow people to find your business when they're searching for services you offer when they're within the local radius. Your customers can also leave Yelp-style reviews of your business so other customers can see your reputation, and you can list relevant information on your My Business page, like your business hours, a link to your website, contact info, etc.
To start, here's the link to the Google My Business page:
https://business.google.com/
And here's a simple tutorial you can follow to get your business added and start showing up on Google Maps:
Now, if you don't have a business that offers local service or a local storefront, but instead only operate online, there are still things you can do to help improve your search index. For starters, you should have a Brand Page on Google+ ... but that's a topic for another article, on another day.
Thanks for reading! If you have questions or comments about improving your search index on Google, or need other IT-related help with your business, be sure to contact me and I can help. See you online!
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