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Tips and tricks for managing your business with Google’s solutions
3 Ways to Get More from AdWords Express Right Now
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
In 2011, with 13 years of interior design and window covering work under her belt, Sandra Anderson set off on her own to start
Anderson Custom Window Coverings, Inc
. She offered high quality support at a lower cost than many competitors, and was driven to get things right on the first try. But when she opened her business, she found it difficult to bring customers through the door with traditional methods like flyers and a listing in the phone book. That’s when Sandra decided to try Google advertising.
Today, Sandra says 80% of her new customers come from Google ads, and she relies on AdWords Express, our smart advertising tool, to manage campaigns for her so she can focus on running her business. For small businesses without a professional marketer on staff, AdWords Express can lighten the load – and over the last year, the number of businesses using AdWords Express has nearly doubled, with more signing up every day.
We’re thrilled to see business owners finding success with AdWords Express, and are determined to make it a one-stop shop for helping to grow your business. To reach this goal, we’re introducing 3 new features to help you reach a larger audience and understand exactly how your ad is impacting your business.
Ad Scheduling – Choose to run your ad at specific times
Nearly one third of searches for local businesses in the US come from consumers who want to make a purchase immediately.
1
Ad scheduling is a simple way to make sure your ad only runs at times you choose, (during your hours of operation, for example), so you reach your customers at exactly the right time.
You can choose custom hours or link to your Google My Business account to automatically run your ad only during your business hours.
Map Actions – Understand how your ads drive people to your store
Map Actions shows you how many customers who’ve viewed your ad go on to view your business on Google Maps – which can be vital, since over 1/3 of visitors in the US use online maps to find local businesses.
2
If you care about whether your ads drive people to your storefront, Map Actions might just be your favorite new tool.
Map actions shows how many customers interacted with your
Google Maps listing after viewing your ad.
Verified Calls – Get better call tracking
Right now we’re piloting a new way for advertisers to track which phone calls they receive come from customers who clicked “Call now” on an ad on their mobile phones. Advertisers who opt into Verified Calls will also see detailed information about incoming calls, including the area codes and call duration. We’ve already rolled this out to many AdWords Express advertisers, and hope to expand it to all users soon.
New insights into verified calls allow you to see time, duration, and location of each call along with overall trends in call volumes.
If you’re already advertising on AdWords Express, start understanding more about your performance with these new features today. Or, if you’re just getting started, visit
google.com/adwords/express
, or check out our
help center
to learn more.
Posted by Kavi Goel, Senior Product Manager, AdWords Express
1.
Google Consumer Barometer
2.
Google Consumer Barometer
Traits that Spell Success
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
With the Rio Summer Olympic Games just around the corner, we thought we’d look at an uncommon, yet exceptional, group of business owners for our answer: Olympian small business owners. As it turns out, many of them start a second career by running a business of their own bringing the same spirit of
passion
,
perseverance
, and
ingenuity
from their athletic careers.
Passion
Judy Geer and Dick Dreissigacker – two USA Olympic rowers from the 70s and 80s – came to Vermont because it allowed them to combine their passion for active living and the natural environment into what is now known as the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. As Judy puts it, “It’s great that we help train Olympic athletes at our center, but it’s bigger than that. For me, it’s all about helping more people have great experiences, whether they’re getting exercise or just enjoying our surroundings.” Despite its remote location, Judy’s deep commitment to sustainability and lifelong sports practice keeps both local residents and aspiring athletes from across the country coming back. Customers can tell when business owners get out of bed in the morning because they love what they do.
Perseverance
Setbacks are common parts of the journey for any athlete or small business owner. The important thing isn’t the number of obstacles you avoid, it’s the way you bounce back from the ones you can’t miss. When four-time kayaking world champion Eric ‘EJ’ Jackson found his kayak designs rejected by manufacturers across the country, he didn’t give up – and his motto is “no compromising,” so buckling to tradition wasn’t an option. Instead, EJ’s relentless drive to create on his own terms resulted in Jackson Kayak, now a leading manufacturer within the industry. Jackson Kayak now sells products online and through dealers across the country.
Ingenuity
Since the beginning, four-time track and field Olympian and world record holder Michael Johnson has experimented with new ways to tell the story of his performance training center, Michael Johnson Performance. Because he wanted to attract local customers, moving some of his advertising budget online made sense so he could reach them with geo-targeted ads.
With more potential customers finding him on mobile, Michael Johnson also drove growth for his business with mobile ads. “Two-thirds of our customers find us through mobile,” says Johnson. “With Google AdWords, we can see exactly who we’re reaching and that’s invaluable to us.” Making connections with new customers is key to growing any business, and a willingness to experiment with new ways of reaching those customers is a vital part of any business owner.
Learn how all kinds of small business owners – mom and pops to all-star Olympians – are using Google AdWords to grow their businesses by visiting
g.co/AdWordsGoForGold
.
Posted by Claire Mudd, Head of Americas SMB Marketing
Get Better Insights With Google My Business
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Search engines have become the most popular way for people to find info about local businesses
1
– and millions of business owners rely on Google My Business to reach new customers on Google Search and Maps. In fact, the average well-maintained Google My Business listing gets five times more views than listings which haven’t been claimed by their owners.
2
Today we’re announcing some exciting changes to Google My Business, designed to let our users see where and how people are finding them on Google.
Where are people seeing your listing?
Now when you log into Google My Business, not only will you see the total number of views for your listing, you’ll also see a breakdown of how many are coming from Google Search vs. Maps.
How are people finding you?
Though some people search for you on Google by name, others search more generally for what you have to offer. (For example, “pizza restaurants in [your town].”) In fact, when researching a future purchase, 76% of people consider more than one business before making their final choice.
3
Now you can see who visited your listing after searching for it directly, and who discovered your business while looking for a broader category.
To better serve our users, we’re focusing these new insights for local listings on Google Search and Maps, and removing Google+ statistics from the dashboard. With deeper insights on how people are finding your business on Google, you can make sure your efforts to maintain and promote your business are paying off.
Keep your listing up-to-date
by adding photos, responding to reviews, and updating your hours so that users find helpful, relevant information when they’re looking for you directly. And, if you want to reach more customers who are searching for your business category, consider promoting your listing with
AdWords Express
.
We hope these changes make your life a little simpler, and we’re excited to introduce even more insights into your customers' behavior soon. To learn more, check out our
help center
. Happy Tracking!
Posted by Tom Pritchard, Product Manager Google My Business
1. 82% of consumers use Search Engines to find information about local businesses (
Google Consumer Barometer
)
2. Google Internal Data
3.
Google Consumer Barometer
Go the Extra Mile with #SmallBizGames Challenges
Friday, August 5, 2016
Summer’s coming to an end, and with Fall just around the corner, small businesses are preparing for the upcoming season and looking ahead to the holidays. To help business owners brush up on their marketing skills at this key moment, we’re proud to share ten
#SmallBizGames
digital marketing challenges. Every day for the next two weeks, we’ll share a different digital marketing challenge aimed at improving your small business’ online presence – try your hand at setting up a Google My Business page, building your first AdWords keyword list, or creating a custom email address for your business. Each daily challenge is designed to hone your digital marketing skills and help you reach more customers online.
To participate or learn more, join the
Google Small Business Community
or follow us on
Twitter
. Best of luck in conquering the
#SmallBizGames
challenges!
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