Google's Latest Initiative Seeks to Put 63 Percent of Local Businesses on the Map
Google’s latest initiative, ‘Put Our Cities on the Map’ is targeting 63 percent of the businesses across the US that could be missing out on traffic and revenue due to incomplete business listings.
According to the announcement, four out of five people use search engines to find local information, like business hours and addresses. Research shows that businesses with complete listings are twice as likely to be considered reputable by customers.
Why is Google Targeting Small Businesses in 2015?
According to Google’s research, consumers are 38 percent more likely to visit and 29 percent more likely to consider purchasing from businesses with complete listings.
Yet, only 37 percent of businesses have claimed a local business listing on a search engine. That’s a lot of missed opportunities for businesses.
“Complete business info can help generate economic value up to $300,000 a year for a small city or up to $7 million for a large one. So when our local businesses are online, our local economies benefit,” Soo Young Kim, Head of Marketing for Google’s Get Your Business Online said.
What is Google’s “Put Our Cities on the Map” Program?
Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map, is teaming up with local leaders to create a program for 30,000 US cities–all with the singular focus of getting local business info online and on the map. Every city will have a website that businesses can visit for help.
According to Google, business can see how they show up on Google and build a free website of their own (free for one year). They are also equipping local partners with free trainings and customized city materials to run workshops in town.
Since 2011, Google’s Get Your Business Online team has been on a mission to make it fast and easy for business to get their complete listings online. Although they’ve traveled to all 50 states and put thousands of businesses on the map – there are still a vast majority missing out.
According to Kim, “If we want to help every business in the U.S., we need to reach businesses where they are. So this tailor-made program provides each city with a custom website where local businesses can find helpful resources, including a new diagnostic tool that shows businesses how they appear on Search and Maps, a step-by-step guide for getting online with Google My Business, and a free website and domain name for one year with our partner, Startlogic.”
To learn more visit your city’s website at www.gybo.com to find out how you can get involved.
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