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On June 14, 2017 Google hosted another informative Partners Connect session for Local Businesses. The focus of the discussion was on ways small local business owners can use online tools to increase their visibility online and reach more potential customers. This month’s presentation had two speakers; Joe DeMike, Head of Agency Innovation at Google, and Stasia Kudres from Google’s Get Your Business Online team. Joe DeMike discussed the importance of digital marketing for local businesses and Stasia Kudres highlighted 4 ways that you can grow your business online.
Here is the recap of what they had to say:
- There has been a 34x increase in searches for “near me” in the last 4 years
- 3 in 4 people who do a search on their phone visit a related business within 24 hours
Customers have high expectations for your website and expect to be able to act quickly with no friction. More people are searching on their mobile devices when they are in close proximity to your business – and they are likely looking for immediate answers.
Google’s 4 ways to Grow your Local Business
Digital Marketing can help you grow your local business because it helps you to:
Here are Google’s suggestions on how to get more visibility online:
1. Create a Free Business Listing
- Connect to your potential customers on Google Maps
- Keep your business information current
- Bring your business to life with photos
- Show customers what you have to offer
- Use Business Attributes to better define your business
- Make it easy for customers to reach you
- Always include your local phone number
- Be there when customers need help
- Engage your potential customers online by responding to customer reviews
- Take advantage of category-specific features
- This can include things like menus and reservations
- See what is working with you My Business Insights reports
- How do people find you online?
- What parts of the listing do they click on?
- What are they doing (calling, directions, visiting your site)?
- Where do they come from?
- What days of the week does your listing get the most traffic?
2. Have A Great Website
- Attractive, consistent graphics
- Simple navigation
- A site search feature
- Well written & readable text (from any device)
- Useful tools
3. Try Google AdWords
- Target your local customers
- Connect to your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) listing to show your address with your ads
- Track conversions, including phone calls
- Connect with the right people through targeted audiences & remarketing
4. Get Help from Experts
Many of these features can be time consuming to set up on your own. When you reach your technical or time limitations, call us at Ontario SEO and let us perform a free audit of your website or Google Business Profile listing. We are a badged Google Partner Agency that specializes in Google AdWords and Local Search Engine Optimization.
