What does that actually mean, “We Can Place Your Business On The First Page Of Google”? As a business owner, we all have had many companies contact us in some shape or form trying to sell this service. It could have been an email, a Facebook message or a phone call.(Most likely automated). These companies are relentless and keep trying to get in touch with business owners to sell this service

Do we as business owners understand what they are talking about? In this post I will give a brief explanation of the 3 different areas of a Google Search Results, questions you should ask, why you should use a local company for this service.

When we do a search on Google, whether it is on a desk top computer or a mobile phone, Google produces 3 different results on the first page Google for the product or service your looking for. The first thing we need to understand is this, when you do a search on Google, the search results are based on where we are when we do the search. If I Google “Plumber” and I am in East Lansing these are my results :

First_Page_of_GoogleArea 1 is Google Adwords. Will always be at the top of all search results. These are ads that businesses pay for each time the add is clicked. This is the only service that can guarantee your business will show up on the front page of Google. I like to call it Pay to Play. It does have it;s advantages and disadvantages.

Area 2 is Local Search results. If there are any local business near where I am searching from, then Google will show me these businesses here. Google found that over 85% of all search were local. Over the years this has been called Google Places, Google Local and is now called Google My Business. A local business is not guaranteed to show in this area. I highly recommend that all local businesses claim or add their business. There are a lot of benefits to this that I will get into in a future post.

Area 3 is what I call website results or SEO. This is the area that Google will start listing websites that they feel is relevant to your search query. This is decided about a lot of different factors. Some of those factors are based on your websites structure and keywords, the content on your website and content publish else where online and what authoritative websites have a link going back to your website. These are just a few things that going into getting your website on the First Page Of Google.

If your looking for this type of service to help your Business get more online exposure these are some questions that you should be asking of the company.

Where are you located? (Do you want to work to with a company that isn’t local? I always recommend working with a local company whenever possible. If you get a referral to a company from someone you trust then go with the referral.)
Ask if the company is working with any other businesses in your area that provide the same product or service you do? (Remember, we are talking the First Page of Google. Do you want to work with a company that is also working with your competitors. That is way my company has a exclusive clause with our clients when it comes to search. Two businesses can’t occupy the top post)
Ask the caller if they will be doing the work? (This is where it gets tricking. A lot of companies farm out this type of work overseas and hire a bunch of people in a call center. If they aren’t doing the actually work, would you want to spend your marketing dollars with this company. Always choose a local company that does the work in house, if your able too)
How long have you been in business?
What other businesses are you working with in my area? (I know you already asked question #2, but you want to be able to call these businesses they are working with.)
What are the terms if I do work with your company and what are your cancellation policy? (You want to how long your committed for contractually. You also want to know about cancelling service. There are some companies that require a 30 or 60 day notice to cancel. You will want to know all this upfront.)
A lot of these companies will offer call tracking. I always recommend against call tracking. These can be fudged. I always recommend putting a system in place at your business to track calls and walks in.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I understand you may have questions and I am always here to answer them for you. Our next post will get into more detail about Area 2, Local Search Results and what you can do to stand out.

 

Ken-WhitingerKen Whitinger is a media manager and local business owner, known for his commitment to helping businesses grow and thrive. Ken is the owner and operator of Mid Michigan Interactive and Shop Local Lansing, a media marketing company that uses new media to help local businesses expand their customer base. Through the use of innovative internet outreach, Ken has helped over 150 businesses in the Lansing area to maximize their advertising dollars and expand their reach.