There is so much more to Google than just PPC. The internet giant offers a whole range of services to help promote your business. Here are our top tips for getting the most out of Google.
Google My Business
‘My business’ from Google puts your business information on search, maps and Google+ so potential customers can easily find you and contact you no matter what device they are using.
Using this interface allows your customers to view your location, distance, directions, phone number (with ‘one click to call’ functionality) and crucially your web address which can drive customers straight to your shopping, booking or deals page. Loyal customers can post reviews and rate your business (perfect for businesses such as hotels or restaurants), and there is a share option for Google+ posts, helping you to build your loyal fan base.
Something else to note; Google+ Local enables offline businesses to gain greater prominence in local search results. Google looks favourably on business listings that contain useful, up-to-date information and gives them a boost in search rankings.
Outdated technology could be a blocker
In my opinion, the single most annoying thing about browsing the internet is when you come across a website which uses outdated technologies that are not supported by the device you are using. A classic example is the use of Flash on your website. When users access your site they may see nothing but a blank space or miss out a large portion of the page content.
Earlier this year Google search results in the US started to indicate to searchers where a website may not work on their devices. For example, Adobe Flash is not supported on iOS devices or on Android versions 4.1 and higher, and a page whose contents are mostly Flash will be noted in the search results.
In their Q2 financial report for 2014, Apple announced that 43.7 million iPhones and 16.3 million iPads had been sold so far this year. And that’s just Apple, what about Android devices that have the biggest market share? That’s a lot of potential customers who can’t access your flash based website.
Is Google+ for you?
The jury is still out when it comes to whether your business should be on Google+. Although Facebook is still the giant, creating a Google+ account for your business could be a winner, connecting you with an new, larger audience quickly.
Because Google+ is a Google product it means any content you share via your account can be made available to the search engine world much quicker than any newly created page on your site. And of course this content gets ranked and will show up in search engine results pages if it correlates to a user’s search.
It’s also pretty cool if you want to demonstrate your social kudos. Paid search results for companies with a Google+ account indicate how many followers you might have. You just need to make sure you follow the guidelines for setting this up e.g. you’ll need more than 100 followers and ensure you consistently post high quality content.
Another benefit is Google’s knowledge base. If a user searches for your company, they would still see natural search results, however instead of seeing paid search results they may now see the ‘Knowledge Graph’ information as well. This information is pulled from your Google+ profile as long as you have verified your official page. It also includes a selection of your most recent Google+ posts.
Why Google recommends you use Auto-Complete
Enabling your customers to auto-complete their addresses where possible is not only great for their experience of your site but it’s also a plus in the eyes of Google. Learn more on this by reading our blog.
What are you tips for getting the most out of Google? We’d love to hear from you.