{"id":998,"date":"2020-08-10T06:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T06:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?post_type=columns&p=998"},"modified":"2021-12-22T22:55:47","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T03:55:47","slug":"make-friends-with-google","status":"publish","type":"columns","link":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/make-friends-with-google\/","title":{"rendered":"Make friends with Google"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to run a successful business, you\u2019ve got to make friends with Google. A recent survey shows the average person Googles something at least three times per day, and some sources estimate it processes more than 3 billion searches every single day. Think about that. Gone are the days when anyone relied on a phone book to find a vendor. Some 275 million Americans have a smartphone in the palm of their hands, and 63% of all Google searches are initiated on mobile devices.<\/p>\n

The most powerful tool you can harness in your marketing arsenal is Google. The first step to take in your relationship with this modern-day \u201cGreat & Powerful Oz\u201d is its online platform called Google My Business.<\/p>\n

What is Google My Business?<\/h2>\n

The last time you Googled a company, what happened? If you were on a desktop computer, on the left side of the screen you saw links to web pages that matched your search parameters. On the right side of the screen on the desktop, or at the top of the page on a mobile phone, did you notice the stand-alone box with the name of the business you searched? It includes a picture of the firm\u2019s location as seen from the street and buttons to click on to visit their website or get directions. Perhaps you noticed store hours and a phone number to call? It was pretty handy, wasn\u2019t it? That, my friends, was a Google My Business listing.<\/p>\n

Google My Business is Google\u2019s replacement for the phonebook. Not only that, your listing impacts how your business appears on Google Search and Google Maps. Part directory, part social media platform, it allows business owners to capture the attention of potential customers long before they visit your website. In fact, if someone Googles you, a certain percentage of customers won\u2019t even click through to your website if your Google My Business listing is complete. They can get directions to your location or even call you from right there.<\/p>\n

Customer convenience is just one reason to create a Google My Business listing. Information provided by Google itself states that one way to improve your local ranking on Google is to have a complete Google My Business listing. Considering that a Google My Business listing is free, there\u2019s just no reason not to take the time to create it.<\/p>\n

Setting up your listing<\/h2>\n

Even though Google sometimes seems like Big Brother, Google doesn\u2019t actually know everything. A Google My Business listing doesn\u2019t magically appear. You\u2019ve got to set it up.<\/p>\n