It is commonly known that Google is the new Yellow Pages. Most people use Google to find local businesses and services. What most business owners don’t know is there are three ways to get your business to appear on Page One of Google:
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization),
- Google Places, and
- PPC (Pay per Click).
These three techniques each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and they all work independently. Obviously, doing all three will maximize your exposure on Page One.
For franchises that don’t own their website (it may be managed by the franchisor), SEO is often not an option since it requires changes to the website. That leaves us with Google Places and Pay per Click.
If you don’t have a Google Places account for your franchise, then simply go to “www.Google.com/Places” to set-up your account. It’s very easy, just follow the instructions. If you already have a Google Place page, there’s an article on the FOF website that will help you optimize the amount of exposure your Google Places page can get on Google.
Like SEO, your Google Places page needs to be optimized, but the biggest factor in getting Page One exposure is the reviews and the ratings. Encourage your customers to write good reviews and mark them with 5 stars. DO NOT attempt to write your own reviews – Google knows you computer’s IP address and you may get blacklisted.
Pay per click is often seen as an expense, but it’s usually much cheaper than many think. Most of my clients spend only between $100 and $300 per month – often less than the monthly fee for an SEO professional and significantly less than a Yellow Pages ad. AdWords (Google’s PPC system) can be very tricky and has numerous pitfalls. Do not try to do it yourself, unless you have time to spend figuring it out and continuously educating yourself on the system. Hire someone.
fantastic information. ive been using a company for seo also and have found that it really does work.