As marketers and small business owners, we can be so focused on polishing socials that we forget about perhaps the most valuable platform of all – Google. 

Google is the most visited website globally, receiving 89.3 billion visits in the past month alone (January 2022). As a platform, it significantly dominates the search engine market with a share of 91.9%, processing over 8.5 billion searches a day. Not only is Google invaluable in regards to referral traffic but organic search actually produces 23% of all site visits. 

It’s safe to say that Google not only offers you great discoverability but authority as well. You may have heard us mention previously, that social media accounts are a rented space but a website is your own. Learning how to harness the in-built features Google has an offer will allow you to leverage this authority, as you have direct control over your website reach and performance. 

Google is home to a plethora of valuable tools for small to medium-sized business owners, the majority of which are free. Read more for insight into the resources you should be using for your business! 

Google Ads – More Tools, more control:

As you may have heard, Google Ads (previously Google AdWords) are imperative to fast track your ranking and with 1.18 billion live websites, there’s a big incentive to invest in ads. Google Ads essentially allows advertisers to bid to display brief advertisements, service offerings, product listings or videos to web users. 

Google Ads allows you to create an ad or series that will appear in people’s search results when they type in keywords that you have aligned with your business. This allows your reach to be extremely targeted and increases the possibility of conversion. The best part is, you only have to pay each time someone actually clicks on your ad result. So if 2000 people saw your ad but no one clicked (we’re hoping this won’t be the case ;)), then it will not cost you a cent. For this reason, it’s an amazing tool to passively gain reach and awareness for your brand.

Google Ads Express – Perfect for Small Businesses:

If you’re a small business owner, the prospect of outsourcing to an agency or even upskilling to operate Google Ads may seem daunting and simply not feasible. 

With the aim of streamlining and automating all of its affordances, Google Ads Express is an attractive alternative for SMB owners, with a simplified approach to a very complex platform.

With the aid of Google Ads Express, you can simply portray your business in numerous contexts, including search networks, mobile device targeting, Google Maps, and even Google website partners.

The primary advantages of Google Ads Express include optimisation and automation that Google formulates itself, meaning you save a lot of time. Multiple ads are generated by Google which is consistently optimized for you and amended on best practices.

If you aren’t ready to outsource and utilise the advanced tools of Google Ads, Express is the perfect way to dip your toe in the water of Google marketing for your business.

Google my business – AKA Google Business Profile:

Google Business Profile is a FREE business listing from Google. It allows you to provide details and photos of your business, including your location, services, and products.

Creating this free profile is a great way to enhance visibility across Google’s ecosystem as information from your profile is distributed to appear in Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping. The best part is you don’t have to show a physical location, with the option to hide it, so Google Business really can get any type of business in front of its customers!

Build consumer trust through reviews!

Reviews are the foundation for social proof and the most authentic way to build trust and credibility. Google’s combined star rating and space for in-depth reviews allow customers to share genuine opinions on their experience with your product or service. Although the prospect of public negative reviews is daunting, having a mix of good and not so good reviews actually increases consumer trust in your brand. Also, Google grants you the agency to directly respond to these reviews, increasing your direct connection with your consumer base, which is always valuable for brand loyalty. 

Keep updated!

You can also create Google My Business posts to share updates, product news, offers, and events, which is crucial for fluctuating elements of your business like operating hours. These updates can be added directly from Google search or Maps. Just search your business name on one of these tools to access the editing panel!

Google Analytics – You’d be silly not to:

If you own or manage a website, you should be using Google Analytics. 

It provides invaluable insight into your brand’s target market, allowing you to make informed and strategic adjustments to your marketing strategy. Specific data sets are at your disposal, including those in regards to device technology, demographics and geolocation of users. For this reason, Google Analytics also assists in boosting website growth and customer retention. 

Similar to Google Ads, Analytics presents dual resources and courses, both for beginners and more proficient users. 

Google Analytics for Beginners shows new users how to create an account, implement tracking code, and set up data filters. You’ll learn how to navigate the Google Analytics interface and reports, and set up dashboards and shortcuts. The course will also demonstrate how to analyze basic Audience, Acquisition, and Behavior reports, and set up goals and campaign tracking.

Advanced Google Analytics walks you through how data gets collected and processed into readable reports. You’ll learn how to use configurations like Custom Dimensions, Custom Metrics, and Event Tracking to collect data that are specific to your business. The course will also demonstrate more advanced analysis techniques using segmentation, channel reports, audience reports, and custom reports, as well as marketing strategies like remarketing and Dynamic Remarketing that show ads to customers who have visited your website.

Organic reach, meeting KPI’s and customer retention are mutual struggles for all business owners. With Google’s in-built features, you can alleviate some of these challenges to your business through passive automation and consumer insights. Although it can seem daunting, the payoff for your business by upskilling in these tools far outweighs any of the time invested. 

If you need some support on where to get started or are interested in optimising the Google Suite for your business, book a complimentary 20 min call with our team!