Since its debut in 1998, Google has taken the world by storm conducting 90% of searches universally today. Due to Google’s large influence on consumer purchase behaviors, it is essential to create online visibility for your brand as a business owner. Once attention and awareness have been brought to your business, customers can be easily directed to your website through Google and converted into leads. 

For your business to frequently appear on the Google search engine results page, it is recommended to have a thorough digital marketing plan. To accomplish this, we recommend:

1. Running Google search ads, 
2. Creating local off-site SEO content
3. Building out service area pages
4. Utilizing in secondary ad campaigns

These actions will help many small businesses reach their goal of appearing on the result page that Google’s search engine returns after a user submits a search query.

How to show up on google results?

1. Search Ads / Local Service Ads

To dominate Google’s search engine results page, your company should utilize local service ads if available in your location. These Google ads are on a pay-per-lead model and are free to set up! This means that your local service ads will show up when prospects in your area search for something related to your business. Search ads are cost-effective because you will only be charged if a customer contacts you directly through your ad. 

2. Local Off-site SEO 

To control different aspects of the Google search results page it is also necessary to be one of the three businesses to be shown within the local service pack. Google’s local service pack takes all of your off-site SEO content into account during its ranking process. 36% of this ranking is attributed to your Google Business Profile. If your profile is optimized incorrectly and not frequently updated Google will conclude that your site lacks credibility and not display it on the search engine result page. Another 17% of Google’s off-site ranking factor is based on google reviews. For this reason, encouraging customers to leave reviews about their service experience will strengthen your chances of appearing on Google’s local service pack. 

3. Local On-site SEO

The next most important marketing component to focus on is organic on-site SEO. Optimizing the organic part of your website for local search can be done by creating service area pages. These pages should consist of original content surrounding a particular city that your business serves. For organic pages to be successful, they should be correctly built on the back end with high-ranking keywords and a minimum word count of 750.

What are keywords and why are they important on Google?

The term “keyword” refers to the words or phrases that are entered into search engines. Keywords are important because software systems like Google can link your website’s pages to search words that relate to your industry and location. By continually creating content and ranking high on numerous top-of-the-funnel keywords, your company can easily increase its online visibility. 

One extreme benefit of running Google local service ads and Google local search ads is the ability to monopolize keywords. For example, Google can be programmed to show a specific ad when someone searches a keyword within a particular location.

4. Use Secondary Platforms like Yelp, Angi, Thumbtack, etc.

Yelp ads work to promote your business in key areas across Google including appearances on search result pages and surpassing your competitors. We recommend partnering with large, credible sites like Yelp because the abundance of content on their site naturally ranks highly among every keyword imaginable. Similar to other secondary ad platforms like Thumbtack, Groupon, and Angie, partnering with Yelp will increase the chances of your company’s profile being shown in the organic section of the search result page. By advertising your business through a trusted platform like Yelp, you are guaranteed to see more prospective leads and conversions.

A considerable amount of experience and technique is needed to correctly run Google ads, track their performance, and ensure their proper function. By seeking professional digital marketing assistance your company can rest assured that the money spent on advertisements will be correctly allocated and produce the best results. 

At Phlash Consulting, we implement custom marketing plans for small local service businesses to improve and manage their online branding. If you want to dominate Google’s search result page and blow your competition out of the water, schedule your free consultation today! To learn more about our services and what we can do for your company, click here.