Google presence for small and medium sized businesses
Social media presence is very very facile to set to up and run. With a little bit of creativity for content creation, and a little bit of budget for ads, literally any business can be present on social media. There is virtually no entry barrier, not even a technical one - just think of how little clicks are needed to boost a post, how the system has default settings ready so that you just plug in the credit card and go!
This is generally good for small business owners - a double edge sword though, if you want our honest opinion. One can end up spending a lot of time, energy and also money on social media (all those boosted posts will add up) - all of this focused on a channel that might not be THE place to generate (more) business, but rather where one doesn't feel so much like a fish out of the water.
Speaking of less comfortable spaces, how’s your Google presence? Getting your website listed on the Google search engine results page is surely not as easy as the social account set up. There is a perceived technical barrier that may seem insurmountable for many small business owners, especially when it comes to SEO or paid Google advertising.
So let’s explore closer the opportunities brought by a search engine like Google, including the organic and paid listing of a small and medium sized business.
1. When actively looking for something, people use the search engine.
One thing no other channel can (still) take away from the search engine is this: when in need of something, we all turn to the search engine to look for it. We might be still in a research phase or already ready to buy, but we are surely closer and more actively engaged in this specific search, compared to when we are scrolling on social, or checking the weather app, or watching a YouTube video.
What does this mean for a small business? That being present, organically or with an ad, when users are actively searching for products or services they offer increases their chance of closing a deal/sale. Without taking any credit away from any other signals or channels that contributed to this active search on Google, being present there when the search is made is of the highest importance.
2. 46% percent of all Google searches are seeking local information
When you are a small brick and mortar shop owner, a Pilates studio trainer or a newly opened brunch place in town, do you value people in your city or region knowing about your business? According to recent studies, 46% of all Google Searches across devices are seeking local information and 33% of all mobile searches contain a location (source: Hubspot Blog). Of course other channels also allow for geographic targeting, but when somebody in Lucerne searches for “Ayurveda practitioner in Lucerne” is your Ayurveda studio showing up? When a user searches from her/his mobile “Lebanese restaurant near me”, is your Lebanese restaurant featured?
3. Searches are many times quite specific
Location aside, when searching for something on Google, users tend to be quite specific in their search. Maybe they look specifically for your brand name, or next to the product/service keyword they add other adjectives.
Let’s take some examples: “white organic linen bed sheets”, “nonallergenic pillows 65x100”, “vitamin C spray made in Switzerland”.
There could be very few searches for these keywords, especially when the search is long and very specific, but when it is relevant for your business, don’t you want to be placed in the way of the person making it?
On the other hand, there could be thousands of such searches made in a month, hence showing up as a small business is hard, due to the myriad of other bigger businesses with higher budgets. So what could you do to still show your ads in this case? You could restrict your bids to only show your ad when somebody from your area of service is searching, or you could only show during specific hours of the day or specific days of the week. There are ways to address the smaller budget availability via the targeting options.
Compared to setting up your presence on social media, building and maintaining your business presence on Google as a small business owner takes longer and it also requires having a longer term strategy and working with several other tools and accounts.
For specific businesses being on Google is a must (think of restaurants, hair salons, small shops), for many others it is important to start thinking about optimising their ranking early on so as to consolidate and optimise it in time (local yoga studios, shops and eshops with a niche offering, regional service providers).
At Journee, we don't take sides - we believe both Social and Search are important channels for small business owners. What we believe strongly in, is that there are moments in a business journey, there are industries and circumstances that do turn up the importance of search over social, or the other way around.
Wondering how this is looking for your own SMB? Let’s start with a 20 min chat, free of any commitment.
About Journee - Digital at Ease
Founded by two digital marketing professionals with extensive international experience, Journee GmbH is a female owned digital marketing and technology boutique consultancy.
We aim to make a big difference for the small: small business owners and solopreneurs looking to start and advance on their business digital journey.
Our combined expertise covers digital marketing, digital analytics, advertising, marketing technology as well as overall digital strategy support and mentorship.