t is often said that Internet
marketing and SEO in particular
is probably the most efficient and
cost effective form of modern
marketing. However, due to its
somewhat technical nature it is often put
to one side or ignored in favour of more
traditional methods of marketing which
are easier to understand and have been
used for a long time.
Various marketing specialists and
experts talk about content marketing,
social media, html tags and more but
in practice there are some simple tricks
you can use to let Google know that
you exist and also rank relatively well in
search results.
Though the topic as a whole can lead to
an extensive conversation, in this article
we will look at something that most
restaurants, takeaways and hospitality
businesses can do to improve their
visibility on Google.
LET GOOGLE KNOW THAT
YOUR SITE EXISTS
If you want Google to know that your
webesite exists, it certainly helps if you
tell it so. Google regularly visits sites
and follows links on them to find other
sites, but you can tell it directly.
You can very simply do that by
submitting your website for indexing at
http://www.google.com/webmasters/
tools/submit-url
Your site will then be added to a queue
and Google will try to look at your
site soon. But note that there is no
timeframe given or any guarantees
about it. In practice though it tends to
be a process taking a few days.PUT YOUR BUSINESS
ON THE MAP
As technology evolves, search engines
try to make their results as relevant as
possible. This, combined with the
popularity of GPS on smartphones, leads
search engines such as Google to show
results which are geographically neaby
the user’s location.You may have noticed that when you
search for “restaurants” on google, the
search results tend to be restaurants
around your locations. This is because
your phone or computer tells google
where you are and also knows the
location of the restaurants, and can
therefore show you businesses which are
physically located nearby and are also
relevant to your search.With that in mind, a good and simple
way for your business to appear to these
“local” searches is to ensure that you
list your business on Google Maps. You
can do this by registering your business
at http://www.google.co.uk/business/
where you will be required to use your
google account (you can open one
if you don’t have it) to login and go
through the registration process.Google will try to verify your entry, which
usually happens via sms, phone, and /
or postcard sent to the store but once
your entry is verified your business will
show on google maps and potentially in
search results too for local users. ARPut your business on the (Google) map
by Denis Kondopoulos Naxtech
GET FOUND
ONLINE
- Your business information
is accurate, including your
opening times and contact
details. - Your business description/
classification sufficiently
explains what you offer. The
description/classifications you
use will be critical in whether
you appear in search results. - Show what is unique about your
business. - Feel free to use photos, logos
and other images to make your
presence richer. - Once the process is complete,
you may start to notice that you
are now easier to find online.
WHEN REGISTERING
YOUR BUSINESS YOU
NEED TO ENSURE
THAT:GOOGLE MAPS
SPRING 2017