Whether searching for a recipe or hiring a service, we trust Google to take references that are genuine. The reviews also play important role in finalizing a decision. Google has become an integral part of our routine life. Most of us go to Google for various reasons that also include, search for the best thing or store to buy a specific item. Google not only helps us get the desired item from the best place, it also offers its facilities to business people who can’t afford to go on TV commercials or print media.
If you’re a small size business owner who wishes to appear on Google, there’s not much that you have to do. Google has provided the best platform for all businesses to make their visibility on Google. Once you’re on Google under a specific category, your business would be shown as an option to your potential customers if they search for it. So, let’s take a look at the steps you may take to make your business visible on Google:
How To Grow Your Business On Google
1. Sign Up On My Business: Before you jump on the bandwagon, it is important for you to register your business. To start with, you must go to google.com/business and sign up using your email. If you are a well-established business owner, there are high chances that your business is already listed on My Business and it appears on Google Map too. In this case, you just need to claim this business. Once you’re signed up, just click on Add location button and proceed to enter your business name.
While entering business name, take a close look at the suggestions shown in the drop-down list. If your business appears there, you might need to just claim it. If it doesn’t, proceed to type the complete name of the business and click on Next. On the next screen, enter the full address of the business and click on Next. You must enter the business category on the next screen. The next screen seeks your contact information like mobile number and business website. Once done, verify the details and click on Continue.
The next screen requires your contact name so that the postcard with a verification code can be sent. This postcard is dispatched from Google to your registered address, once you get the postcard, open it and put the passcode on your My Business profile to verify its location.
2. Submit Your Website URL: Although, Google searches out your website without asking you to fill out on relevant details however, if you want to speed up this process, you may consider submitting your website to Google. To do so, just submit the website URL by clicking here. Make sure you always submit your website whenever there’s a change made on your website. It should help Google to be in the loop.
3. Keywords: Keywords are just words that people use to search anything on the Internet. You must ensure that you’re using the correct and relevant keywords on your website to bring traffic. When a person goes on Google to search for something, Google crawls your site based on the keywords and commonly used words and then ranks your page. You must be aware of the words that people use most in the location your business is located and then decide to use them on your website.
The website content is very important that can make or break the entire online business. If you’re not sure about the keywords to use, you may always seek help from Google’s Keyword Planner to get the ideas for relevant keywords for your business. Once you know the keywords that should be used, it’s time to put them online and improve the site ranking.
4. Meta Description: You must have noticed the little text that comes up with the website ranking. This text isn’t always taken from the website content and can be customized. This text is called Meta text or Meta description that provides more information about your website and business to viewers with an intent to inspire them to click and visit your page. As the text is supposed to be viewed by potential customers, you must pay extra attention while finalizing the meta description.
5. Link to Social Profiles: When you open a new business, it needs to be known in the market. Although, there are various ways where you can pay and make it known but one of the best and organic way to market it is by linking your website to your social media account. Be it Facebook, Instagram or Google +, you must link it so that the people in your circle can come to know about your business. For a better SEO, you may also share a post or status containing your website.
6. Local Directories: It is important that you provide the local directories with your website. There are people who like to approach to local directories for a number of purposes. According to recent statistics, there has been a miraculous surge in people visiting stores after getting the information online on directories.
7. Ratings: Once your business appears on Google, it is your responsibility to take care of the ratings. You must serve your customers in the best way possible and request them to genuinely rate your business on Google. The ratings would help you connect to more customers and reach you to your target.
8.Outbound Links: While writing content on your website, it is important that you provide more information to viewers. This step is much appreciated from SEO perspective as it declares the authenticity of your page and website. While making an outbound link, make sure that the destination page is relevant to what you’re associating it to.
9. Images: This is one of the most important part of Google that most people ignore. The images on your web pages must be of a limited size and should be loaded in no time. Also, make sure that the image file name has the keyword or is at least relevant to what you’re writing about. Google may rank your page according to the name of the image that you’ve used on your website. You must also ensure that your images on website are not copied and should be well optimized professionally.
10. Internal Linking: it is important that you take maximum advantage of linking your other pages in between. Internal linking has a significant effect in reducing the bounce rate on your website. Bounce rate is measured by how many people visited your website and left it from the same page. This doesn’t work well on Google as the search bots measure the pattern of users going on such pages.
11. Website Speed: No one wants to visit a slow website and it is important that you don’t create one. You must think twice before opting for a hosting service. If you’ve already chosen one, you should consider upgrading your plan. According to experts, you should always avoid using plugins on your website as they create many small files and result into delay. Also, you may consider VPN hosting.
12. Paid Marketing: Paid marketing on Google is another best thing to maximize your business. Although, Google has a strict policy to follow before you can get your business on top by paying. Even in paid marketing on Google, the keywords and landing pages of your website play an important role. Paid marketing on Google can be expensive or cheap, based on the product and competition. Before you go for paid marketing, make sure that your website is working well and has an attractive welcome page to bring more potential customers. There are different ways Google charge its fee that you can learn with time.
13. Affiliate Marketing: Although affiliate marketing is a way of marketing about products and services, but you can use it to fuel your business. To start with it, your website must have a decent strength of visitors. When you get more people on your website, there are chances that it may contribute towards a better online business on Google. You may learn everything about affiliate marketing here and decide your next move.
Taking everything into account, it can be said that it is easy to list your business on Google. All you need is an address and name of your business and rest of the things can be taken care of by Google. You must ensure that you keep the ownership of your business and not share it with anyone. If you have to, provide the managerial access to the profile caretaker. If you know some more tips for business on Google, do let us know in the comments below.