In New Zealand, small and medium size business makes up about 97% of all enterprise. All of these businesses contribute about 30% to the country’s GDP and with that in toe, it is safe to say that they play a vital role in the NZ economy. That said, about 66% of those businesses are said to have a website whether it be functional or not. That leaves more than 100,000 business that don’t have a website.
In this day in age, an increasing number of people are turning to the internet and social media to research products and services which makes it increasingly important for businesses to have an online presence. Having an online presence opens business up to a world of opportunity that may include but isn’t limited to being able to sell products and services online, getting more leads, receiving customer reviews (important as people rely more and more on reviews to help with buying decisions), reputability (some people feel more comfortable about doing business with a company that has an online presence versus one that doesn’t).
At the end of the day, having your business online can see it meeting or exceeding goals. Even if a business doesn’t have a website and isn’t quite at the stage of setting one up, there are other ways of building an online presence with of them being a business listing on Google.
Getting your business on Google My Business
One easy and free way of getting your business online (whether or not you have a website) is with Google My Business. What this service does is that it gives your business a listing on Google Search, Maps and Google+. It allows you to put relevant business information online such as a business description, contact information, opening hours and more. This makes it easier for consumers to find, connect with and review businesses online.
Getting your business onto Google My Business is a simple and easy process. You’ll first need to head on over to the Google My Business page and either sign in/sign up or click on the “Get on Google” button from where you can search for your business. Google may already have your business information and if not, you will need to enter it and start from scratch. The next step is verifying your business which can be done via a phone call from a Google representative, postcard (which can take up to two weeks) or instant verification (available to select businesses who meet certain criteria). From there on in, it is a matter of filing in as much of the listing as you can (100%) and make it appealing to consumers.
For a few tips on optimising your listing, take a look at the Google My Business Basics playlist below:
Having a Google My Business page makes business sense because it just makes it that much easier for consumers to find you and best of all, it is free. As with many things online, it is not just a set it and leave it item. You should pay regular attention to it, keep it relevant, monitor and respond to reviews and keep up to date on the product.
If you are looking to set up a Google My Business listing and need some help or have questions, do get in touch via my contact page or leave a comment below.
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