Google Has Changed. That’s Good News for Small Businesses

As you'll know if you've signed up to our free monthly newsletter, thanks to Norfolk County Council's Go Digital programme we've been able to go "on tour", running fully funded workshops across Norfolk. That's great news for those of you who've told us you'd love to come to our free small business workshops but can't always make it to Cromer.

This week we were in Great Yarmouth talking to a room full of brilliant local businesses about how Google is changing and why that's actually good news if you run a small business. If you couldn't be there in person, you missed a bad cake analogy that didn't work... and a Taylor Swift analogy that worked all too well.

Rather than trying to squeeze a two-hour workshop into a single blog post, we thought we'd share one of the biggest ideas from the morning.

One thing we hear time and time again from small business owners is that marketing feels overwhelming.

SEO.

AI.

Google Business Profiles.

Algorithms.

Keywords.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion about what you should be doing next.

That's one of the reasons we wanted to run this workshop.

Our job isn't to turn business owners into marketing experts. It's to take complex subjects, strip away the jargon and build simple frameworks that help people make better decisions.

Google is no exception.

Behind the scenes, it's becoming incredibly sophisticated. AI, machine learning and vast amounts of data are helping Google understand businesses in ways that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.

Ironically, that means the advice for small businesses has become simpler.

Twenty years ago, Google's job was fairly straightforward. It was trying to find the best webpage.

Today, it's increasingly trying to recommend the best business.

That might sound like a small difference, but it changes everything.

Imagine someone asks you:

"Can you recommend a good coffee shop?"

You probably wouldn't reply:

"Their website has excellent keywords."

You'd say something like:

"The coffee's great. They're really friendly. They're dog friendly, have brilliant gluten-free cakes and it's always busy."

In other words, you'd recommend them based on your experience.

Google is trying to do exactly the same thing. And it's getting better at it all the time.

Rather than looking at a single website, it's building confidence from lots of different pieces of evidence:

• Your Google business profile

• Your website

• Customer reviews

• Photos

• Business information

• Your wider online presence

  
  

Each one helps Google build a more complete picture of your business.

That's why our advice is becoming less about chasing algorithms and more about getting the fundamentals right.

• Keep your information up to date.

• Answer your customers' questions.

• Collect genuine, thoughtful reviews.

• Take good photographs.

• Clearly explain what you do.

• Make it easy for people to choose you.

None of these things are particularly glamorous.

They're simply good marketing.

So here’s the big idea: Success on Google is increasingly the by-product of good marketing.

You don't need to understand every detail of how Google's technology works. Instead of trying to outsmart an algorithm, focus on giving Google clear, consistent evidence that you're a genuine business that people would happily recommend.

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If this workshop got you thinking about Google, SEO and getting found online, our next workshops are the perfect follow-on.

This August, we'll be delivering three free Go Digital workshops in Fakenham, Attleborough and online, focusing on Marketing That Actually Works: The Foundations Every Small Business Needs. 

Before you worry about Google, we'll help you understand the marketing strategy that underpins every successful business.

Follow us on social media or sign up to Navigator to be the first to hear when bookings open.

We're also advisors on the Go Digital programme. If you'd like tailored advice for your business, along with the opportunity to apply for a £500 digital grant, visit the Go Digital website.

Or if you’re ready for us to support you fully, our One-Day Marketing bootcamp is always the best place to start. Our next course date will be in September and announced in a few weeks. To be on the waitlist to hear about the date first, email Gabs: gabriella@coastalmedia.biz