Ethan Evans 3 Marketing Tips to Stay Ahead of the Google Game Ethan Evans 110 18 5 7 110 18 5 7
For most small business owners, marketing on the social giant called Google can be a daunting task. With all of the guru's, so called marketing geniuses and overpriced SEO companies lurking to get your cash, it can be hard to find a strategy that works for your company.
With Google being the biggest search engines around, it's not hard to see why it is also the most expensive to market with. SEO has become the wave in 2016, but not keeping up with Google’s trends can cost your company big bucks.
Here's three marketing tips small businesses must know to keep ahead of the all-powerful Google!
1. Micro Moment Defined
Google is constantly changing the way they search for and crawl your website. An algorithm that they used last year may not even be the same this year. With that being said, have you heard of micro moments? We hadn't either up until a recent marketing conference that Google provided in our hometown.
As a human species, we live in the moment. When you're out and about in a place you have never been and you get hungry, the first thing that you do is pick up your phone and ask Google “what’s the best restaurant near me.” Within seconds, Google has pulled up their recommendations.
Would you like to know how they find these recommendations?
- First, they look at your location.
- Second, they look for companies that offer what you need that are close to you.
- Third, they look at how well those companies present themselves online.
- Fourth, they look at the online ratings and reviews of that company.
- Lastly, they look at how well that company’s optimization is. This means that they look at mobile responsiveness, coding of the companies website and that company’s Google Local account.
After all of that has been reviewed, they then spit out your response.
Do you have a mobile optimized site? Do you have a Google Local account? Are your clients reviewing you online? Fix those steps and you will be on your way to becoming the next micro moment.
2. SEO and all its Marketing Wonders
The term Search Engine Optimization has been so loose lately. Every marketing agency claims to know it but very few do. SEO is not an easy trick to master. Like I mentioned earlier, Google is constantly changing how they find you. However, some tools still work. Here are a few:
- Backlinks: The more other websites link back to your website, the more important you are to Google. Neil Patel wrote a wonderful article on how to get backlinks called “4 Effective Ways to Build Backlinks For A Brand New Site.”
- Use of site maps: A site map (or sitemap) is a list of pages of a web site accessible to crawlers or users. Find out how to create a site map here!
- Use of creative and strategic content: Creative content consists of video, infographics and blogs about your industry. Using these tools can catapult your results on Google.
Following a strategy can be tough. A good rule of thumb when creating a strategy for SEO is to create content weekly. Commit to working on two of the steps above each week.
Paid Google Marketing
PPC campaigns can be a life saver when trying to gain a name on Google. PPC stands for pay per click. These campaigns can help you research what keywords are relevant for your industry while gaining you exposure at the same time. Learn how to create a PPC campaign here!
3. Use and grow a Facebook Business Page
What does Facebook have to do with Google? Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. With billions of users and very affordable marketing campaigns, they play a major role in how Google finds content related to your business.
Google uses the reviews left on your Facebook page and the info that you provide to help your rankings. Learn how to create a Facebook page here.
In closing, what you do on most platforms transitions over to how Google ranks you. What are some questions that you have about Google and SEO? We would love to answer them! Just leave a comment below!
