Google is the top search engines in the world. Of the 115 billion searches made on the internet monthly, 70 billion are done through Google. This is impressive in its self but that’s not the only service Google provides for its clients. They also offer a wide variety of programs and advice to help small businesses get a hand up in today’s marketing world. The following are a list of a few Google business solutions that can help give you a competitive edge in your industry.

Google Analytics

Google’s Description: Google Analytics is the enterprise-class web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you’re more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.

What that means in more common terms is that with this tool you can track your website statistics. Some of the most helpful information includes how many visitors are coming from search engines (and other sources) and what keywords are being used to find your site when people are using them. This information can be utilized to your advantage by giving you the insight into what you need to reach your full potential.

Google AdWords

Google’s Description: No matter what your budget, you can display your ads on Google and our advertising network. You pay only if people click on your ads. Here is how the process works.

1. You create your ads: You create ads and choose keywords, which are words or phrases related to your business.
2. Your ads appear on Google: When people search on Google using one of your keywords, your ad may appear next to the search results. Now you’re advertising to an audience that’s already interested in you.
3. You attract customers: People can simply click your ad to make a purchase or learn more about you. You don’t even need a webpage to get started – Google will help you create one for free. It’s that easy!

This is a great way for a new business to get the most for their advertising dollar. By being prominently displayed when certain keywords are used you can streamline your business directly to interested customers. A key advantage to this is that you can be in the forefront of the search engine page without having to pay for it unless you get a hit. This is smart advertising in today’s market as the public is so overwhelmed with ad’s that they are often simply overlooked or ignored. When you only pay for advertisement that works you are truly getting the most for your money.

Google Webmaster Central

Google’s Description: Welcome to your one-stop shop for webmaster resources that will help you with your crawling and indexing questions, introduce you to offerings that can enhance and increase traffic to your site, and connect you with your visitors.

• Connect with the webmaster community
  Research and ask your specific question to our webmaster community
• See how users are reaching your site
  Make your site more search engine friendly

This is a great tool to give you an accurate idea of where you stand online. It helps you by checking your inbound links, searching for site errors and, most importantly, informing you of where you have recently ranked for particular searches. With this info you can make any corrections you might need to take care of and see the results of your work. By tracking that information you will be able to find what works best for your site.

Local business center

Google’s Description: Help customers find you on Google, it’s free.

• Free listing
  Local customers already search Google for the products and services you offer. Create a business listing to be sure they find you.
• Free updates
  Keep your address, phone number, hours of operation, and more up-to-date. Even create coupons and display photos and videos, all for free.
• New! Free insights
  Use the power of Google’s data to learn where your customers come from and what they search for to find you.

This area is helpful when it comes to Google Map optimization. This helps you get your business listed on the map of your local community to help your customers find you easier. The more people know about you the more they will remember you. That is why it is important to not only let them know your name but where you are located at as well. Often people will contact the closest business to their location first when searching for a shop or service. Let them know where to find you.

Visit www.Google.com and click on Business Solutions to find the tools listed above. Some of these services are free and some cost but all are highly valuable tools that can be used to improve your company’s web marketing position. Don’t wait for people to come to you, go get them by using the tools available to you on the web.

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5 Things you can do to increase your presence with search engines in 2009!

Let’s face it.  2008 was a bad year for most small businesses.  The few that figured out online marketing was inexpensive and effective were able to gain new customers, but for the most part, they were simply replacing customers they had lost due to economic slowdowns.

So, what can you do to make your self visible to potential customers in 2009 and beyond?  The first thing you need to do is make yourself visible to the search engines!  Here are 5 things you can do today, to increase your search engine presence, and in turn, increase the number of individuals that call you.

1) Search Engine Placement, or Sponsored Links, or Pay Per Click advertising.  PPC advertising is quick and can be extremely effective if managed properly.  While it is possible to set up your own campaign, we recommend having your SEP program handled professionally.  Keyword research, ad copy and budgeting are all very important to a successful campaign, and with money tight, a high ROI is important now, more than ever.  Check out our Search Engine Placement page for more info on this service.

2) Local Business Listings, often come up next to the map when a user is searching for a company or service.  These listings have quickly become worth their weight in gold, and if you work with them consistently, you can appear on the first page of the search engines, where your next customers are likely to find you.  Combine this with SEP, and you are approaching what we call total page domination.  The more times a potential customer comes across your name, the more likely it is that they will select you.  Customers of NeTraffic Management can request a white paper on tips & tricks for local business listings.  These are things you can do for free to boost your online image.  Contact us for more information.

3) Reviews, Reviews, Reviews.  There are many, many places online that potential customers can leave a review of your company.  Internet Based Phone Book Listings, Local Business Listings and hopefully your website are all places that you should be directing your happy customers towards to leave a review.  Fresh reviews help with search engine placement rankings and also add a human element to your listing.  Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to go to bat for you.  If they are happy, they will do it willingly!

4) Links to your site.  Take advantage of online directories, industry sites and other spots to link back to your website.  The search engines look at how many other links point to your site, and give you a bump in the organic search rankings for popular sites.  Another nice thing about links is that people will come accross them when looking at other sites, a big bonus for you when they click on the link and see what you have to offer!

5) Contact a professional for help or consultation.  The initial cost of obtaining a blueprint for online success is small when you consider the long lasting effects the work will have.  A well designed search engine marketing plan will have you in the right place online, for a long time. Existing customers will continue to find you, and new customers will now know you are there.

Total search engine presence is important to your business.  Without incredible presence, your business gets lost in the millions and millions of search results that overwhelm potential customers.  “If you’re not on the first page of Google, you might as well be on the last”.