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The End of Google+

The End of Google+

After years of not living up to expectations and multiple exposed security vulnerabilities, Google is finally throwing in the towel on their own social media network. While this may come as a surprise to the few dedicated users that have adopted the platform as their own, social media experts have predicted this outcome seemingly since its inception. However, although the end of Google+ is slated for April, it’s unlikely that the social media platform will be missed.

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Marketing

Think Local: Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Think Local: Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

For expanding your local reach and bringing a potential customer to your business, there is no easier way to get started than with a Google My Business listing. This free listing is the first step to increasing your visibility in Google Maps and organic search rankings. To ensure you are getting your share of customers, it is important to optimize your Google My Business listing.

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Digital Marketing News Marketing

Google My Business Provides New Post Feature

Google My Business

Google has recently started providing a new feature to users of Google My Business and although your profile may not have it yet, the change is likely on the way. Access to the experimental service has been initially provided through invite only but Google is hoping to expand this feature to more businesses over time. If you currently have access to the service, it will be found in your Google My Business account under “Manage Location”.

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Marketing

Improving Search Ranking with Google+

Google My Business

You’ve created a Google My Business page and are ready to start promoting your business to gain higher favor in search rankings. For a small to medium sized business, appearing in Google’s local results can be an important way to gain new customers that previously may not have known about your business. Luckily, the implementation of Google+ and the various tools and resources associated with the platform have made promoting your business easier than it ever has been!

Over time, Google+ has gotten a bad reputation in the social media world. The inherent value obtained from creating an account for your business lies in search engine ranking, not necessarily engagement analytics. However, when a business receives a review on their Google listing it can directly impact the likelihood of customers to choose one business over another.

One of the biggest perks of utilizing Google+ for your business is the ability to gain immediate indexing. This can be important for businesses who may not have their own website SEO up to par. When content is posted onto a Google+ page, it can easily rank in Google results even if your website isn’t! Google+ also provides businesses with a wide variety of marketing tools to better connect with their customers. These resources include Communities, Hangouts, YouTube and Google Maps. When all of these resources are utilized in conjunction with one another, immediate value can be obtained.

If you are struggling to get your business seen, Skynet Solutions can help you use cutting edge SEO practices to ensure the best possible Search Engine Ranking. Though no ranking can be guaranteed, we can help put you in the position to be seen and begin your journey to better search rankings. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Working with SEO Companies: Google My Business

Portrait of two business people pulling SEO banner

Recently, Google released a list of recommendations for picking a reputable local company to help improve SEO and Google search rankings. Google My Business makes local businesses more easily found within search results. This can lead to an increase in organic, local customers to aid in small business growth.

Google admits that even with the tools they provide, not everyone has the time required to set up a listing or properly maintain it. Working with a third party can help achieve these results with little to no effort by the business, letting them focus on maintaining store operations. For this reason, Google released their own list over “how to work with a third-party”, however, we will go over some of the more prominent points.

Be Selective

Google makes it very clear that not all third-party SEO providers are equal. It is important to find a company that has managed business listings previously while similar target audiences or budgets equivalent to your own. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to ask what other services they can provide to further your business goals.

Stick to One Company at a Time

Testing one SEO company at a time will ensure you are receiving unadulterated results from the Google My Business management you are receiving. Business listings are only shown once for each location available, meaning multiple companies would we working over each other. For best results, test companies individually, if you are satisfied with the results then stick to that SEO provider.

Evaluate Business Performance

Google My Business offers a multitude of insights and analytics options. With these tools, businesses can track how customers are finding them and interaction levels they are achieving through the listing. Reviewing Google My Business insights monthly can help evaluate the effectiveness of the third-party in use.

Avoid Deceptive Behaviors

It is important that the third-party used to manage a Google My Business account remains transparent. As the business owner, you are entitled to know how users are interacting with your business and specific data counts, such as views and clicks. It is also important to note that third-parties cannot influence the order in which a business appears on Google Search or Maps.

Also, it is imperative that you obtain an official copy of your agreement before giving your Google My Business account to a third-party for outsourced management. This can help ensure no deceptive pricing is enforced. Regardless of what the third-party provider says, they cannot remove your business from Google or access the listing without your permission. For more information on working with third-parties read the entire Google help page by clicking here.

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2016 your business’s best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Google Deleting Unverified Business Listings

Google My Business

Right now you’re probably asking yourself, “do I have a Google My Business listing?” Or even more likely, you’re asking yourself, “what is a Google My Business listing?” If you know the answers to both those questions, kudos. But for those who don’t, we’ll explain. The answer to the first question is probably yes, even if you have no idea what a Google My Business page is. Essentially, it is one business page that allows you to manage how all the information about your business appears on Google. That includes Google Maps, Google+ and good, old-fashioned Google search. Customers looking for your business will be able to find everything from pictures and reviews to hours and driving directions to your business on your Google My Business page. If you’ve ever created a Gmail or Google+ account for your business, chances are you have a Google My Business account. And customers are seeing it when they search for your business or search for local businesses like yours. This is a great, free resource for local business owners to make sure their customers have easy access to all their relevant business information.  Sounds good, right? Two small problems here. One, if you didn’t even know you have a Google My Business account, you’re not managing it. That means the information on your page is probably out of date and may not be correct anymore. Two, Google is shutting down Google My Business pages that have not been verified. So even if you do have best, most frequently updated page out there, if it’s not verified it could be gone with little to no warning. They are also going to “unverify” pages that are inactive. And then they will delete the unverified pages. Google says this is part of their effort to provide their uses with only the highest quality, most reliable content available. And since a majority of customers rely on Google as their search engine of choice, you want to make sure you perform as well on Google as you possibly can. One of the best ways to keep your Google My Business page active and with a fresh supply of content is to keep on top of managing your Google+ page. Google+ might not seem like the most appealing social media platform to dedicate your time to—we know it’s not as fun as Instagram or Pinterest and that not as many people use it as Twitter or Facebook—it is important. It increases your rankings in Google search, which is still by far the most popular search engine in the world. Your customers are going to be searching for you with Google—and prospective customers are more likely to stumble across you in a Google search than any other way. You need to make sure you can be found quickly and easily and that all the information that comes up is completely accurate. Nothing frustrates a customer more than finding out the hard way that the address or hours listed on a business’ page are incorrect. Or even worse, not being able to find information online about a business they want to use. We discuss all of this and much more at the GYBO events we host with our partners at REI Oklahoma. We’ve been travelling all around Oklahoma hosting these events to help local business owners like you better understand things like map listings, search rankings, analytics and how all of these can affect your business. We’ll also discuss how to ensure your Google My Business listing is verified and doesn’t get deleted. We are hosting more of these GYBO events in the coming months, so keep an eye out for more information! You can check the events section of REI Oklahoma’s websitefor dates, times, locations and registration information, as well as other event information like topics covered and important statistics about why your business should be online. In the meantime, you can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2016 your business’s best year yet. You can fill out our online contact formon our website. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+and LinkedIn!

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