By: Soo Young Kim, Head of Marketing, Get Your Business Online
Your reputation as a small business matters. And today, that reputation is also shaped by how your business appears online, even before someone decides to call your business or step into your store. We believe that with a little bit of elbow grease and the right tools, every business has the potential to grow.
Ecommerce Home Business Start-Ups – Visit the Home Business EXPO
Here are some ways to get started:
- Show up online: Your customers are searching online, so you need to make sure your business shows up when they’re looking for you. You can use this tool to see how your business currently appears online and claim your free listing on Google Search and Maps.
- Add information customers are looking for: Businesses with complete listings are considered twice as reputable, so it’s critical that your business listing is up-to-date. Add pictures of your business, your hours of operation, and your phone number so customers can simply click to call you or get directions. Consider adding a virtual tour of your business to your listing by working with a Google Trusted Photographer.
- Make sure your website works on mobile: More than half of all Google searches happen on mobile phones. Mobile shoppers want quick results–53 percent say they’ll wait no more than three seconds before abandoning a site. Through the Test My Site tool, you can see how well your site works on mobile. We’ll email you a personalized assessment with specific recommendations on how to make it better.
- Increase your digital skills through bite-sized lessons: Running a small business keeps you busy–really busy. That’s why we created Primer, a free mobile app full of five-minute lessons to learn from pros. With these lessons you can learn tips for building a successful website, getting started with email marketing, creating a social media presence, and a lot more. Check out new lessons created by small business experts Anita Campbell, John Jantsch, Ramon Ray, and Rhonda Abrams. Each has created a special lesson from their decades of experience working with and coaching small businesses.
- Get hands-on help with your digital presence: Google and our partners host in-person workshops throughout the year to help you grow your business online. Find a workshop near you.
We hope these resources help you make the most of the web for your business. For additional tips and resources, follow Google Small Business on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube.
