2020 has been the year of people supporting local businesses, with almost 60% of people using more locally based services and businesses during lockdown.
4 out of 5 people use search engines to find local information and businesses, so if you are locally-based, you need to use this to your advantage to appeal to as many customers in your vicinity as possible.
Join us as we look at four different ways you can use Google to promote your business to people in your town, city or region.
Localizing your Google Ads
You can set a location on your Google Ads so they are only served to people in your local area. You can select a town or city, or target a radius around a specific location.
If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can use local inventory ads to target people who are near your shop, letting them know what you have in stock.
With PPC you can target your adverts towards people in your area, meaning you can quickly climb to the top of the search engines for the keywords of your choice, enticing prospective customers to come to your site. You can even use local inventory ads to target people in the vicinity of your shop and let them know what you have in stock!
Advertising on Google Maps
If people are looking on Google Maps for a restaurant or store near them, you can make it so your business appears near the top of the list, or appears on the map as a promoted pin. The ads appear on both the Google Maps website and the app, which has over 1 billion downloads. You can advertise on Google Maps through Google Ads. Just select Smart Campaign, and Google will walk you through the process.
Local Services Ads
If you offer a service, you can register with Google as a Google Guaranteed service provider. Your ad will then show up for customers in your area, and you will only pay if a customer contacts you directly or books an appointment.
Local Services Ads even work with voice search, increasing the likelihood of your business being a match! They are easy to manage and maintain as there are no keywords or ad copy to worry about like there is with Google Ads.
Like Google Ads, you can set a budget so once your budget is spent, Google will no longer serve your ad. To be considered as a Google Guaranteed Provider, you need to be able to meet local license and insurance requirements.
Google My Business
The great thing about Google My Business is you can use it to promote your business for free!
All you need to do is search for your business on Google and claim it. You can then add your latest news stories, edit your opening times, add photos and even link to your website or appointment booking system.
1 in 20 Google My Business listing views result in a website click, phone call or a visit to Google Maps!