With an estimated 1 trillion Google searches conducted each year, having a presence on this search giant can prove critical for businesses large and small. It’s the latter that Google’s latest initiative strives to reach.
The Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map program launched in late March, designed to equip small business owners across the country with the tools they need to get their companies listed on Google.
The aim is to educate small business owners about the value of having an online presence while providing them resources needed to do so.
How it Works
The new program targets 30,000 cities across the country by providing each city in the initiative with its own custom website local businesses can use to find resources to boost their search presence.
A new diagnostic tool is also available to show business owners how their companies currently appear on Google’s Search and Maps. There’s also a step-by-step guide that shows owners how to get a company online with Google My Business.
The program doesn’t stop with Google listings either. Google partner Startlogic is offering a free website and domain name for one year to businesses who opt to get online.
Taking the effort local, a grassroots-style component of the new program has also been developed. Through partnerships with chambers of commerce and small business development centers, Google is reaching out with free training sessions and city materials to enable workshops to be staged in towns across the country.
“We wanted to make the process of getting online easier for small businesses, and help them find their customers in those moments that matter,” Soo Young Kim, head of marketing for Google’s Get Your Business Online Program, explained to Entrepreneur.
Why It Matters
Google estimates that complete business information appearing online can produce an economic value of up to $300,000 a year for a small town. That number climbs in the $7 million range for larger cities.
On the granular level, an estimated four out of five people use search engines to conduct local searches for things such as business hours and addresses.
When businesses have complete online listings, Google research shows they are twice as likely to be considered reputable by potential customers.
What’s more, customers are 38% more likely to visit and 29% more likely to consider buying from a company that has a complete listing.
Despite these compelling numbers, Google notes that only 37% of businesses have claimed their listings on a search engine.
Continuing Commitment
The Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map program comes on the heels of Google’s recent revamping of its business tools.
Earlier this year, the search giant enhanced the photos tools offered on its Google My Business feature to make it easier for less tech-savvy business owners to upload images of their choosing to their public-facing profiles.
