On May 21, 2014 the Oceanside Chamber was one of the locations for the very first Google Partners Live Chromecast Event. The event was organized by Google and hosted by Lisa Frost of AMAZEINC Internet Solutions as part of the Google Partners Small Business series.
Here’s a recap of the key ideas, tools, and resources to grow your business presented by Frederick Vallaeys, Google Adwords Evangelist.
KEY point: The importance of optimizing your Business online. While most businesses already have some website or internet presence the real question is, “are you targeting the audience that you want to reach?” There are over 100 Billion Google searches per month. To get found in any of these requires using the proper keywords to target your audience. Google calls this “the moment of relevance”. Once you have found your keywords, the initial instinct is to overload that keyword content on your website. Do NOT overstuff your content with just those keywords. Write content that will also ENGAGE your visitors and keep them on your website.
KEY point: Resources to get higher search results in Google. Get listed in directories and get reviews. 90% of customers say buying decisions are influenced by seeing positive online testimonials; however, 55% of small businesses don’t have any reviews online. That is a major disconnect. When asking for reviews from your customers, direct them to the site that you use most – like the Google+ Profile specific to your business! Be consistent with your address and phone number. Use a local phone number to engage locally. Engage frequently and DO NOT copy reviews from Google+ to your own site. If Google recognizes that the review has been duplicated, it may remove it from the G+ profile.
KEY point: SEO is very important but greatly misunderstood. Google indexes over 60 Trillion pages and uses over 200 factors to rank results. Most important points; keep your content fresh and engaging, avoid outdated content like copyright from 2009, keep your content relevant and benefit focused. Take advantage of all the new features on the Search Results Pages (SERPs) https://serps.com/tools/. Consider doing some Shopping Ads through AdWords. It used to be that only your website could rank organically now Google SERPs show much more than just website results so include social media, videos, photos, and other content in your mix.
KEY point: Make sure you have a mobile friendly website. 3 of 4 smartphone users have contacted a business they found on their phone. Keep menus short, let users purchase as guests, design efficient forms, and let users click to call or find you. Offer downloadable coupons or use QR codes.
KEY point: Get More Customers Through AdWords. Google AdWords is the most effective way to reach people looking for what you offer. Statistics show that 97% of consumers research products online before buying locally. AdWords also generates interest in your company, products, and services. Local marketing with AdWords is equally important. Statistics show that 72% of consumers who searched for local information on a smartphone visited a store within 5 miles. Remarketing is a recent new tactic to target potential customers. Ever go on a website to look for something and then leave, but then you start to see ads for that very same site? That is called “remarketing”. It is proven that remarketing can more than double the conversion rates. Bottom line is AdWords is affordable for small businesses IF managed effectively.
KEY point: YouTube. Did you know that there is an average of 63 hours watched on YouTube per month? Now you can also advertise on YouTube through TrueView, where you only pay for interested users. Visit http://www.google.com/ads/innovations/trueview.html for more details. Google owns YouTube and includes videos in their search results if they are indexed correctly.
KEY point: Maximize your social presence. 27% of time online is spent on social media in the United States. Be where your audience is such as G+, Facebook, Twitter, etc and be interesting. Maintain a consistent tone. Post a mix of interesting content and promotional offers.
KEY point: Grow With Smarter Insights. Google offers many helpful tools that can help you measure your results like Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools. Google Insights, Trends and Alerts can help you track trends and how to adapt to changes happening online and within your industry. You can even track competitor websites, create custom dimensions and metrics to collect accurate data that’s unique to your business. You can then use this data to create new, relevant and engaging content that will appeal to your target market.
KEY point: Keeping up on the rapidly evolving Online Marketing landscape. Since many small business owners have limited resources the inclination is to try and manage your own online presence to save money. The irony is most business owners are too busy running their business to become internet marketing experts. This is why Google developed the Google Partners program. Working with an experienced Google Partner agency like AMAZEINC Internet Solutions can actually help you save time, money and frustration. All Google Partner agencies are committed to staying on top of the industry and can be a key player in turning these tips and tools into successful strategies for your business.
It was a pleasure to be able to share this information and as your local Google Partner we are here to help you grow your small business. If you would like to view the entire Chromecast, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEnm0e-cZSw&feature=share&list=UUc688n0naRh68-n5LSiVNFA
If you would like to schedule a FREE Consultation to discuss your internet success plan in more detail, please visit us at www.amazeinc.com or call (760) 754-8012.
Author:
Sarah Candelaria
Social Media Specialist
Amazeinc Internet Solutions
