At the end of the day every business needs customers in order to grow; or just keep the doors open. And to get new customers you need leads. And to get new leads you need to be “visible” in a very crowded and competitive market. I think you get the picture.
But rather than trying to chase leads one at a time, why not “partner” with a powerhouse to have ideal clients and customers looking for you?
Let’s get Google to help send customers your way by doing these three simple things.
1. Claim your name.
Setting up a website is definitely mandatory for all businesses, but you need to go one step further. Google My Business is a service Google offers to give your business its very own web identity. Once you set up an account, Google will then verify your business location, usually by sending you a postcard with instructions on how to complete the verification process.
Once you’ve verified your business, your address will show up on Google search results of local customers seeking your type of business. Companies that verify with Google My Business see their names turn up more often in local searches.
2. Be friendly to cell phones.
Earlier this year, Google announced it would start using the “mobile-friendliness” of a website to determine the site’s rank. This means if your website isn’t optimized for cell phones, your business will become much harder to find on Google.
Citing a study by eMarketer.com, Techcrunch.com writer Sarah Perez suggests Google may be motivated by the study’s claim that 1.91 billion people will have a smartphone by the end of 2015. And given that 43 percent of searches are now done on smartphones, you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice by not making sure your website is attractive on cell phones.
3. Solicit praise.
In addition to verifying your business with Google, also set up listings on Yelp, CitySearch and Angie’s List. Then encourage your existing customers to post good reviews of your business on these sites to help boost your reputation.
Many people turn to these sites to help them choose between local businesses. The better your reviews on these sites, the more local customers will come to you. And as a bonus, Yelp reviews often land on the first page of Google local searches.
What are some other strategies that you’ve used to get “seen” on Google? Share below in the comments!