Many small and medium-sized enterprises find it difficult to cope with the hastily advancing digitalisation and are often left behind. But does that have to be the case?
Maybe you're like me and would like to support the regional economy rather than throwing your money at some online giants, but you often don't find anything about local providers. Maybe you are also an owner or employee of a regional company and you notice that in the last few years, turnover has been declining somewhat because you are supposedly not competitive with large online providers.
Of course, small businesses don't necessarily have the know-how or resources to build an online presence that can compete with the industry giants à la Amazon and Co, but in principle that's not necessary. There are some simple ways to position yourself well without having to put in a lot of effort. One such tool is Google business listings, and that's exactly what this article is about, because I want to motivate people to use exactly such small but effective tools.
Nowadays, the demand is that information is available with a few clicks on the laptop or taps on the smartphone. If you fail to be found here or to present the opening hours, for example, the sale of the product or service is typically already over.
Google introduced Google Business listings years ago. Since then, it is no longer necessary to have a website with a good search ranking in order to be found, but you can list your business in no time at all and will be shown directly by Google in the future if a search is relevant. The service is also free of charge, as Google has enough self-interest to provide good results for users.
All in all, this is a good thing from which one can profit enormously. And yet there are still enough small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have a record or do not maintain it properly, although no special knowledge is required and the effort is minimal.
Here you can see what a business entry looks like (the picture is taken directly from the Google My Business site):
As you can see, such a record consists of several pieces of information. Here are the essentials:
- Company name
- Industry / Type of company
- Address
- Opening hours (exceptional opening hours can also be recorded - useful for holidays, etc.)
- Telephone number
There are still links to user reviews and Google Maps.
Everything is geared towards being found and reached, or visited, when relevant.
The time required to create a record is probably no more than 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your affinity. Keeping the record up to date is very comfortable, as you only have to change details or react to new reviews from time to time (which, by the way, is always a good sign for searchers).
By clicking the button below, you will be redirected to the official instructions for creating a Google business listing:
If the opportunity arises, it would be great if you give this tip to businesses in this environment so that they can benefit accordingly. You can show them where to find Google My Business and make your record or directly share this article with them if you don't want to tell much.
I hope you enjoyed the article and that it helps you and your business or someone self-employed in your environment to start or expand your own internet presence. Especially since this is probably the most frequented business directory of all and the record is free of charge.
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