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Internet search giant Google is reaching out to small businesses through a blog that includes a series of posts and information about Google’s products, features and projects of specific interest to the small business community. With the creation of the Small Business Blog, Google is moving these resources to an official home, as opposed to the small business blog entries previously posted to the company’s main blog.
“Rather than having to sleuth around in many different locations for details about templates for creating video ads on YouTube, tips for your employees using Gmail or how to respond to the business reviews on your Place Page, you can find all of this helpful information right here in one place,” wrote Deanna Yick, a member of Google’s Small Business Blog team.
One such post described how small businesses could benefit from Google Tags, the company’s online advertising offering through Google Places that lets users personalize their Google.com and Google Maps listing with specific information such as a coupon, video, Website, menu, reservations, photos or a custom message. The small business blog posts will feature stories of small business owners using Google applications and technology, the company said.
Susan Holt, the co-founder of a recreational cooking school in Washington, D.C., has been using Google Tags and related her experience. “A strong Website with the built-in functionality to register and pay for classes online was part of our strategy from the start, but we soon realized we needed a way to generate more awareness,” she explained. “Since setting up Google Tags, the clickthroughs on our listing have increased a whopping 400 percent, and class bookings also jumped 9 percent because of the coupon tag.”
Last week Google Product Marketing Manager Judy Nam wrote a post describing the company’s two-day visit to Boise, Idaho, where they met with more than 40 small business owners. Google representatives also partnered with the Idaho Small Business Development Center to offer free 60-minute seminars to more than 300 local small businesses interested in learning about online marketing tools and strategies.
“We hope to visit more towns across the U.S. later this year. If you’re a small business owner and are interested in having us visit you in your city, please let us know,” she posted. “For more information on how you can use Google Places or Google AdWords for your small business, checkout the Hire Google website.”