Boost Your Business with Google
The Internet gives a competitive advantage to companies that know how to use it and a disadvantage for those who don't. Read on for ways to get on Google's good side and improve your company's bottom line.

 
The Internet is a lot like real life.

For example, as a career-driven woman, you're always looking to network. When you do meet new people, you want to make a good impression, give a clear and concise "elevator speech" about what you do, and position yourself as a subject matter expert in your industry. Same goes for online, specifically when looking to climb the rankings of Google.

And that's exactly what you want to do if you have a Web site or an e-commerce site. Forrester research found that there was an 18 percent increase in e-commerce last year. And just to give you an idea of how big to dream, e-commerce was a $259 billion industry as of 2007. Read on for ways to get your piece of this cash cow pie. 

How Google Works
Think of Google as high school. It's all about rank. Friends of the cool kids all of a sudden go from geek to chic. Same for Google. You might be ranked as lowly number 214 on a search of florists in Cincinnati, but if you get linked to a New York Times article about blossoming boutique florist shops, you all of a sudden rise the ranks to the top 10.

And in high school, the kids with freshest kicks and coolest clothes were always considered more popular than the rest. It's no different on Google. You have to update your content constantly to stay popular on Google. That doesn't mean you have to invest in a complete site redesign every week. That just means you might want to start a blog on your site, or do a video blog (just videotape what you would have written in a written blog), and update it at least once a week. If you do choose to do a video blog, use Google Video because obviously, the more Google features you use, the more it knows about you.

Another way to keep the updates coming is to have a press release section. Post your most recent company news in the form of a press release. And don't forget to distribute that press release to the press! You can distribute your press release for free on sites such as www.prlog.org. If you were wondering how the New York Times would find a flower shop in Cincinnati, a press release is a good way to do so! But remember to only distribute press releases about newsworthy content, such as non-profit work you do or the new, unique e-commerce feature you added to your Web site.

A third way to add new content is to have a "helpful hints" section on your site. This gives Google key words and phrases to sync up for what people are looking for when they put in a search. So if someone is looking for gardening tips, and you have a helpful hints article on your site titled "Five Simple Ways to Grow a Greener Garden," Google will more likely send them to you than if you just had a landing page that said you were a florist in Cincinnati.

A fourth way to freshen up your page is to have an event page. Use Google's calendar feature and embed it onto your page. It gives you step-by-step instructions for how to do so. It's a really useful calendar because you can directly import a calendar event onto your PC or Mac's calendar.

Just Like Real Life
To revisit that idea about the Internet being just like real life, here are some specifics: 

• You're always looking to network. Have your clients and business partners link to you. The more links you have coming to you, and going out, the more Google will like you.
• You want to make a good impression and give a clear, concise "elevator speech" about what you do. This isn't so much about Google as it is about the person's experience once they get to your site. Make sure your homepage has a tagline or introduction paragraph that explains what your company does. Also, make sure that the layout is simple and easy to navigate. 
  
• Position yourself as a subject matter expert in your industry. Have that press release section and helpful hints section to let everyone - including Google - know that you're on top of your game and are the best site to direct those searches.

PHOTO CREDITS:
Photo: Neysa Ruhl Photography
Location: The McAlpin
Model: Shari Baum
Makeup Artistry: Cecily Claytor, Zoë Custom Cosmetics 

Amy Storer-Scalia
		About the author:
		Amy Storer-Scalia, a Cincinnati native and current Ft. Thomas resident, is the editor and publisher of Cincy Chic. Send her an e-mail at astorer@cincychic.com.
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Last update: 01-07-2008 07:44

Published in : Magazine Items, Career