Whether you are an accountant based on Lewisham high street or a market stall holder in Catford, every local business should have a Google+ for Business page.
Did you know that Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average which translates to over and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide? This is why having a Google+ Business page is a no brainer.
If you’ve ever done a Google search for a local business, product or service you may have noticed that Google sometimes comes up with a list of local search results (see image below). These businesses have a Google+ Business page that makes them more discoverable and easy to locate geographically.
So, you need to get your business listed in the results pertaining to your product or service and the fastest way to do that is to have a Google+ page.
Everything you post on your Google Plus for Business page is immediately indexed by Google. So, the content you post to your page can rank in search results even if you don’t have website.
Create a Google+ business page
If you have an existing Gmail account, you already have a Google+ page! By signing in to with your Gmail address and password, you will find a blank profile page.
If you don’t already have a Gmail account, create one. Try to create one with your business name in it. You will need this to create your Google+ page Business page. As mentioned in my introduction post, you can do all this from your smartphone. Just fire up your web browser and get started.
Next visit read through the many benefits of having a Google+ Business page and then click ‘Start Now’
Enter your business name and other details and follow the wizard.
You will see an option to categorise your business:
- Storefront: If you want people to physically come into your business and buy products, this option is for you. In search results, your Google Plus Page will show location, hours, or other contact info.
- Service Area: If you run a service location and you’d like people to be able to identify your proximity to them, choose this option. In search results, your Google Plus Page will show location, hours, or other contact info.
- Brand: If you want to engage and chat with customers or your business doesn’t operate out of a specific location, this option is for you. Your Google Plus Page won’t show location, hours, or other contact info.
Once you have filled in your business details and chosen your category you can go on to customise your page. This means you can upload your business logo and background header. Don’t forget the important details such as opening times and contact information.
Now post something. Take a picture of a product or the outside or inside of your shop and post it to your page with a comment. Whilst this isn’t essential, it helps to get you into the habit of promoting your business online.
This is the just the basics of Google+ there are more features you can use such as Circles, Communities and Collections but just take a moment to familiarise yourself with the basics.
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