Win At Google – Out-Market The Competition

Google is such a large part of our lives on so many levels. For businesses, Google remains at the top of the list for most used search engines. Unfortunately, making this search engine giant happy can be a lot like playing chess with a master, except the rules are regularly changing.

How do you keep up with today’s ever-changing search optimization guidelines? How do you out-market your competition inside Google? There are specific techniques that will put your business in the best position on the all-important Google search results.

Improving Your Search Rankings

Your place in search rankings can sometimes seem random or out of your control. In fact, there are specific things you can do to improve your search engine rankings on Google. These tips can be successful even if you’re a local start-up going up against local established businesses. Search engine optimization techniques include:

Use “Google My Business” Properly

Google offers free, built-in tools to optimize your business on their search engine. This is one of the first place you should focus your attention because any chance you can add your business information to a Google entity, do it. (More opportunity to feed Google your information so it can recognize and respect your business online.) Your Google local listing is a powerful tool. Google My Business allows you to:

• Have a customized local listing that you can change anytime
• Create a free website
• Add posts about updates and offers to your listings
• Book customers from your Google listing
• Review your customer’s activity through insights

Update Your Website with Fresh Content

Google loves business websites that are updating online content regularly. Don’t make the mistake of building your site and then forgetting about it. You must add fresh content on a consistent schedule that is pertinent to your business, or your site could fall out of the top rankings. (Google likes to see new, fresh content on your website so it can see that you are relevant in your industry and continually putting forth effort to becoming an industry leader.)

Make Your Site User-Friendly

Have you tried to browse your own site lately, or asked someone you know to try to do it? Site navigation is important. Make sure your website is clear and easy to read, with a distinct call-to-action. What exactly do you want them to do? It needs to be very clearly accessible across all platforms including mobile phones, desktops, and tablets. Avoid confusion by keeping your site simple and equipped with easy navigation features. Google is actually reading and analyzing businesses mobile sites FIRST now, then the desktop version second. So if your mobile site isn’t optimized or mobile friendly, you can start to see your rankings plummet.

Out-Marketing the Competition

Find Your Niche

Setting yourself apart from the crowd is always important. For Google, it can be what puts you at the top of the rankings or on the dreaded second or third page. Sit down and ask yourself the following questions.

1. What makes your company different than your competitors?
2. How can your business respond in a positive way to emerging trends?
3. What’s the number one thing that defines your company?

Offer Free Tools or Resources

Everyone loves freebies. That’s just a simple fact about human beings. Come up with a unique, free offering that is a valuable service to your client base. Make sure it is genuinely useful and not just a gimmick or e-book.

For example, if your business is a golf supply retail store, you could create a calendar on your website of all the community golf events in your area. This calendar is something that would be a resource to your customers and a real reason to visit your website over the competitors.

Build A Community

Building a community around your brand is another tactic that will set you above your competition. Brand loyalty builds excitement and relationships, and there are easy and inexpensive ways to do it.

• Create a Facebook group for your company or product
• Add a live chat to your website
• Have an active presence on social media
• Be involved in local community events and sponsorship’s

These are just a few of the ways your company can climb to the top of Google search engine results. For assistance on out-marketing the competition on Google, contact our Google marketing experts today!