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Top local spots to help with last-minute holiday shopping

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The last-minute holiday shopping season is officially here! To help shoppers discover new and unique retailers in their local communities, Google is sharing the top local stores in the United States according to data from users’ actions on Business Profiles on Google, like direction requests and clicks to call, and the number of reviews and average user rating. From jewelry to electronics and toys, these local spots are popular in their communities and might have the perfect last-minute gift for those on your list. You can check out the top stores below:






And if you’re in the Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, or Philadelphia areas, check out the top local stores specific to those areas to help you with your holiday shopping.


Happy Holidays! 



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The last-minute holiday shopping season is officially here! To help shoppers discover new and unique retailers in their local communities, G...

Learn how to get holiday-ready at our special livestream workshop

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Last year, shoppers said they completed 30% of their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving.1 With that busy time of year fast approaching, it’s time for small businesses to get ready.

We’re here to help – join us for a special livestream workshop, “Drive a Holiday Shopping Rush for Your Business.” We’ll discuss how to get in front of your customers and showcase what you offer using Google My Business, Google Ads, and more.

Livestream: Drive a Holiday Shopping Rush for Your Business 
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
9:00am - 10:00am PST | 12pm - 1:00pm EST


And, since it is the season of gratitude, we want to give a #SmallThanks to you, the local businesses that make our communities special. In this livestream, you’ll also learn how to get free customized #SmallThanks marketing materials to promote your business and turn your customers into your biggest advocates. (Get started today by visiting the #SmallThanks Hub.)


We’ll wrap up the workshop with a live Q&A session. For the chance to have your questions answered live, post your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #HolidayLivestream18. 

Posted by Whitney Cox, Marketing Manager, Get Your Business Online


1Google/ Ipsos, Omnichannel Holiday Study, Nov 2017 - Jan 2018, US, Holiday shoppers 18+ who shopped in previous 48 hours n=5945.


via Google Small Business https://ift.tt/2OxzDCT
Last year, shoppers said they completed 30% of their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. 1  With that busy time of year fast approaching, ...

Join Google, Constant Contact, LinkedIn, and Vistaprint for a “Small Business Summer School” Livestream Workshop

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School is in session: Sharpen your pencils, pull out that notebook, and settle in on July 25th when we share a special livestream workshop. Learn about key strategies and tools to help your business prepare for a successful second half of the year, including the holiday season.
“Small Business Summer School” Livestream Workshop
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
9:00am - 10:30am PST | 12pm - 1:30pm EST


There are two ways you can watch:
1. Register for a partner-hosted viewing party to watch the workshop with fellow businesses in your community. These events are hosted by local organizations that partner with Google to help small businesses grow.
2. Can’t find a viewing party near you? No problem. Register here and we'll send you details on how to access the livestream online.


During this livestream you’ll learn from Google and our friends at Constant Contact, LinkedIn, and Vistaprint. We’ll share lessons on how to reach more customers with social media, get more out of email marketing, stand out online to local shoppers, and make your busy season your best season.


We’ll wrap up the workshop with a live Q&A. For the chance to have your questions answered live, post your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #SmallBizSchool.


Posted by Whitney Cox, Marketing Manager, Get Your Business Online



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School is in session: Sharpen your pencils, pull out that notebook, and settle in on July 25th when we share a special livestream workshop. ...

Join Us for a Small Business Week Workshop to Learn How to Connect with Local Customers Online

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It’s National Small Business Week and our partners across the country are hosting in-person workshops where you, and fellow business owners, can learn how to connect with local customers online.

Find a free, local workshop near you.

Can’t find one that works for you? Register to watch our livestream online (Wednesday, May 2 at 9am PT/12pm ET). Ask your questions during our live Q&A session by posting your question on Twitter using the hashtag #PartnersConnect.

We hope you can join us!


Posted by Whitney Cox, Marketing Manager, Get Your Business Online


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It’s National Small Business Week and our partners across the country are hosting in-person workshops where you, and fellow business owners,...

Learn Business Best Practices at the “Open for Business” Livestream Workshop

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If you made a New Year’s resolution to grow your business online in 2018, we’re here to help. Tomorrow, February 21, Google is teaming up with the Small Business Administration (SBA), Facebook, Constant Contact, and Square to host a livestream workshop.

“Open for Business” Livestream Workshop
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
9:30am - 11:00am PST | 12:30pm - 2pm EST

There are two ways you can watch:
1. Register for a partner-hosted viewing party to watch the workshop with fellow businesses in your community. These events are hosted by local organizations that partner with Google to help small businesses grow. There is no charge for you to attend.

2. Don’t feel like leaving the house? Can’t find a viewing party near you? No problem. Register here and we'll send you details on how to access the livestream online.


Experts will share best practices for keeping your business competitive, tips for creating a positive experience for online and in-person shopping, steps for expanding your reach, and advice on building brand loyalty using email. We’ll finish the workshop with a live Q&A. You can post your questions in the comments section of the Facebook Live broadcast. 


Be sure to follow and post using the hashtag #SBAOpen4Biz on social media to see how other businesses are tuning in. 

Posted by Whitney Cox, Marketing Manager, Get Your Business Online


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If you made a New Year’s resolution to grow your business online in 2018, we’re here to help.  Tomorrow, February 21, Google is teaming up w...

Challenges and Opportunities for Small Businesses Online – New Research from Deloitte

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Today, we are hosting a research livestream at 12pm PST with Deloitte, building on previous research about how the web is helping small businesses grow. We commissioned additional analysis to better understand the barriers that small businesses face in adopting digital tools. By publishing this research, we hope we can have more impact through our programs and partnerships in helping small businesses grow online. Tune in here.


Read on for highlights from Deloitte’s analysis which we’ll be discussing in our livestream later today:


Women-owned small businesses are adopting more digital tools.
Between 2007 and 2016, the number of women-owned firms increased by 45%, compared to just a 9% increase among all businesses. Deloitte’s research found that women-led businesses are also more likely to be using digital tools. Around 55% of women-owned small businesses are using more advanced digital tools.1 Kim Ormsby, founder of Natural Baby Company in Bozeman, MT knows the value of using digital tools first-hand. She started the company when she was pregnant with her second child and connected with like-minded parents around the world the world using the Internet. “The web is pretty much where all of our growth is happening.” 

Rural-based small businesses are less likely to be using advanced digital tools than their non-rural counterparts.
Deloitte’s research found that rural-based businesses are not as likely to be using advanced digital tools. While they face many similar challenges to non-rural small businesses, US small businesses in rural areas were twice as likely to report having an inadequate Internet connection. Jim Hobart, co-founder of Alpaca Direct in Hayden, ID, has had to overcome this Internet access challenge to build a thriving yarn and apparel business that serves over 100,000 customers in 30 countries. In a Senate testimony, he discussed the challenges that rural-based small businesses face: “For a small business in northern Idaho, our sales demographics may surprise you. 92% of our annual sales are online. In the USA, our four top selling states are New York, California, Texas, and Florida. We feel that improved Internet access…needs attention. Our competitors in urban areas are operating on the equivalent of a 12-lane freeway while our access to that freeway is a like a worn-out toll road." 


The smallest businesses are less likely to be using advanced digital tools.
Deloitte found that only 12% of small businesses with less than 10 employees were digitally advanced, compared to 39% of small businesses with 100-250 employees. While the smallest businesses are less likely to be using advanced digital tools, those that are online are holding their own against much larger competitors. Villa Lagoon Tile based in Gulf Shores, AL has seen the power of digital tools to help them grow. With ten employees, they work on a very niche product - durable cement tiles - and heavily rely on online tools to find their customers. According to John Adams, Director of Technology, “AdWords is really perfect for matching clients and vendors in a niche market. We could never compete with big-box stores on standard tiles. But we can compete for cement tiles thanks to Google search and advertising.”

Small businesses face real barriers to fully using digital tools.
When asked what prevents them from using digital tools more, Deloitte’s research uncovered a number of barriers. 40% of small business respondents reported that digital isn’t relevant for their business and 38% said it’s not effective. 34% selected concerns about privacy and security. Small business owners also reported facing resource constraints. 30% said they don’t have enough experience with digital tools, 29% said they have no time to learn about digital tools, and 28% said that digital tools are too expensive.



Next steps for learning more about digital tools. 
There may some hurdles to using digital tools, but as we learned in Deloitte’s first report, small businesses can greatly benefit from building their presence online and reaching new customers. Many small business owners tell us they want to be doing more with digital, but they often don’t know where to start or have enough time to decide which tools to use. To introduce busy small business owners to digital tools that can help them grow, we designed Google’s Get Your Business Online training program as a way to get started and better understand the value these tools can offer. To learn more about how digital can help your business grow, find a workshop near you.


The full results from the Deloitte Connecting Small Businesses research can be found here. We hope you’ll tune in to our research livestream today at 12pm PST here. 



Posted by Soo Young Kim, Small Business Outreach






1. Women-owned businesses using either high or advanced digital tools as defined in Deloitte’s digital engagement ladder




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Today, we are hosting a research livestream at 12pm PST with Deloitte, building on previous research about how the web is helping small bus...

Join Us for a Livestream Featuring New Research from Google and Deloitte

by Unknown at
Last year we published research with Deloitte about how the web is driving small business growth. The study found that the use of digital tools (such as websites, analytics, and online marketing) positively impacts small business growth in four key ways: reaching new customers, reaching new markets, growing faster, and creating jobs:
Despite these benefits, 80% of small businesses in the United States are not fully utilizing the power of digital tools. Therefore we commissioned a second report from Deloitte to better understand why more small businesses aren’t using advanced digital tools. 

Join us on January 17th at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET for a livestream presentation where we’ll share our new research, and host a panel discussion featuring small businesses who have used digital tools to grow. 

Learn more about the livestream and RSVP here. We hope you will join us.




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Last year we published research with Deloitte about how the web is driving small business growth. The study found that the use of digital t...

‘Tis the Small Biz Season: Google and Friends Team Up for a Holiday Livestream

by Unknown at
The holiday season officially begins in a few short weeks. While everyone else is making their shopping, entertaining, and traveling lists (and checking them twice), if you’re a small business owner, you’re probably busy prepping. We’re here to help.
Marketing Wonderland Livestream - November 1
On Wednesday, November 1st, Google’s Get Your Business Online team will be joining forces with the Small Business Administration (SBA), Constant Contact, Facebook, and Square to put on a workshop, streamed live on YouTube. This team of digital experts is part of the SBA’s Small Business Technology Coalition, committed to empowering entrepreneurs across the U.S. to use the web and digital tools to better manage, promote, and grow their businesses.
Experts will take you through a marketing wonderland, sharing search engine optimization strategies, tips for reaching customers on mobile, steps for creating a seasonal email marketing plan, advice on the latest and safest payment options, and more. And if you have questions, we’ll be finishing up with a live Q&A via Twitter. You can participate by tweeting your question using the hashtag #MarketingWonderland.
Find and register for a partner-hosted viewing party near you to check out the livestream on November 1st. These events are offered at no charge for you to attend, and in addition to catching the workshop, you could also get hands-on help applying what you’ve learned and mingle with other business owners and organizations in your area.
Can’t find a viewing party that works for you? You can also watch the livestream from your own home or office. Register now and we’ll send you details on where to access the workshop on November 1st.


We hope you’ll be tuning in on November 1st—let’s deck the digital halls for your merriest and brightest season yet!

holiday livestream.jpg

Posted by Whitney Cox, Marketing Manager, Get Your Business Online


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The holiday season officially begins in a few short weeks. While everyone else is making their shopping, entertaining, and traveling lists (...

Answer customer questions on Google

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Planning a visit to a local business can raise questions ranging from “Does this restaurant provide high-chairs?” to “What accessibility accommodations does this B&B offer?” When looking for answers, 82% of people turn to search engines, but they often have a hard time finding accurate, up-to-date information.1 That’s why Google is bringing Questions and Answers to local business listings.


As a business owner, you have the most reliable answers to your customers’ questions and we want to make it easy for you to receive and respond to those questions. That’s just what Questions and Answers lets you do. To start using it, just search for your business on your mobile phone and go to the Questions and Answers feature on your Google business listing.


Questions and Answers offers new ways for you to engage with your customers:

  • Add frequently asked questions to your listing so that mobile users who find your business on Google Search and Google Maps can easily get the answers to your customers’ most common questions.

  • Answer questions from potential customers on Google Search and Google Maps on your mobile phone. If you have Google Maps on Android, we‘ll also send you a push notification when a new question has been asked about your business so you can post an answer instantly.

  • Highlight top responses. Beyond FAQs and your own responses, customers are also able to answer each other’s questions. You can highlight the most helpful answers from your customer community by using the thumb to bump them up to the top of the list.



If you’re not using Google My Business yet, sign up and start managing your free business listing on Google. Once you’ve verified your business, you’ll be ready to start posting and answering questions. To learn more, visit the Google Maps Help Center.



Posted by Lisa Wang, Product Manager, Google Maps




1. Google. Google Consumer Barometer, 2017.



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Planning a visit to a local business can raise questions ranging from “Does this restaurant provide high-chairs?” to “What accessibility acc...

AdWords Express delivers meaningful interactions with goals

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While AdWords Express has always aimed to make it easy to set up ads on Google, we’ve seen that it can still be challenging for small business owners to tell how well their ads are working to deliver real-world results.

Today, we’re changing that with the launch of goals in AdWords Express. You can now choose which business goal you want to achieve with your online ad. AdWords Express will then continuously optimize your ad with that goal in mind and show you how well your ad is meeting your goal.
There are three goals you can choose from depending on what matters most to your business:

  1. Call your business: Get more direct calls from potential customers who are ready to talk on the phone about your products or services.
  2. Visit your storefront: Bring more customers to your physical store location.
  3. Take an action on your website: Get more people to take a specific action on your website, such as filling out a form or requesting a free quote.


Depending on which you select, AdWords Express then fine-tunes your ad to meet your goal. For example, selecting “Call your business” will prompt Google to show your phone number more prominently in your ad, making it easy for potential customers to call you at the exact moment they want to get in touch. Then you can check out your ad’s performance by reviewing goal-specific metrics, like how many calls your ad generated, or how often people saw your ad and then searched for your store on Google Maps.


The addition of goals is possible because of a series of changes we’ve made to AdWords Express over the past two years — including using Google Analytics to track website actions, and using Google Maps visits and Google forwarding numbers to track store visits and phone calls. Together, these changes help you do what you really care about — connect with customers.


We’re excited to continue working to help you get better, more meaningful interactions with customers, so stay tuned for coming updates. In the meantime, to learn more about AdWords Express, head over to our website.




Posted by Kavi Goel, Group Product Manager, AdWords Express


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While AdWords Express has always aimed to make it easy to set up ads on Google, we’ve seen that it can still be challenging for small busine...

Home Service ads help more professionals get quality leads online

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Home Service ads make it quick and easy to find local service professionals you can trust. When someone searches on Google for a local service professional like a plumber, electrician, or house cleaner, the Home Service unit may appear at the top of the results page. Being in the Home Service unit serves as a badge of trust for service professionals–only those meeting Google's strict qualifying criteria are featured there.



Each professional has a unique profile where they can showcase their specific services, service areas, and hours of operation. Customers have the ability to browse through these profiles, see reviews from previous customers, and contact selected professionals who meet their specific needs with a phone call or an online request.



Since its launch, Home Service ads has enabled a number of small service businesses to expand rapidly. Dan Travers, the owner of 1-800-ANYTYME Plumbing, Heating and Air, started using Home Services in order to reach new customers online. Dan has been impressed by the ability of Home Services to generate a high volume of quality leads for the business. “Our booking rates are up close to 70%,” he says. “I had to hire two more technicians to take on the additional volume. We are definitely seeing our return on investment."

To keep helping businesses like Dan’s, we’re continuing to expand Home Services ads. The product is now available in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. We’ve also made it available to other types of businesses, like painters, electricians, and towing providers.
We’re growing quickly, so to be among the first to hear our updates, or to apply for Home Services if we’re already in your area, please fill out this short form.



Posted by Nataliya Broitman, Head of Small Business Marketing


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Home Service ads make it quick and easy to find local service professionals you can trust. When someone searches on Google for a local servi...

Fast mobile sites get more customers. Let's help get yours up to speed.

by Unknown at

How long does it take for your mobile site to load? Five seconds? Ten seconds? These few seconds could be the difference between keeping visitors on your site or losing them – because people aren’t willing to wait. In fact, most sites lose half their visitors while loading.1 And 46% of people say that the most frustrating thing about browsing on their phone is waiting for slow pages to load.2


With a little help, we believe every business can have a fast mobile site. That’s why we’re launching a new set of features to test your site’s speed on Test My Site, which will show you:

  • Your site’s mobile speed: 50% of people expect a site to load in less than two seconds.3 Find out how fast your site loads.
  • The number of visitors you may be losing: When it comes to mobile speed, every second matters – for each additional second it takes a mobile page to load, conversions can drop by up to 20%.4 Learn how many people may be leaving your site during the time it takes to load.
  • How you compare to the competition: See how your business stacks up against others in your industry.
  • How to make your site faster: We’ll email you a personalized assessment with specific recommendations on how to speed up your site.




Taking a few steps to improve your site speed can make a big difference. Yard Dog Fence Company, a Nashville fencing company that specializes in pet-friendly and child-safe fences, took the recommendations from Test My Site to significantly improve their mobile speed. They reduced the file sizes of the images on their site and now their mobile site loads in 5 seconds compared to 26 seconds. For Michael Casper, the owner of Yard Dog, it’s made a real difference: “90% of our business comes from our mobile site. Since we improved our mobile speed, we doubled our sales.”


Making changes like these can help you see a real impact on your business, too – get started now with Test My Site.





Posted by Yong Su Kim, VP Americas, Google Marketing Solutions



2. Google Webmaster Central Blog, #MobileMadness: a campaign to help you go mobile-friendly, 2015.
3. DoubleClick by Google, The need for mobile speed, 2016.


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How long does it take for your mobile site to load? Five seconds? Ten seconds? These few seconds could be the difference between keeping vi...

Make your business stand out on Google with Posts

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With 82% of people turning to search engines to find local information,1 your Google listing is the ideal place to showcase what is unique about your business. Even when customers know exactly what they're looking for, they still want to get to know the business and see what it has to offer. That’s why Google My Business is bringing Posts to local businesses — an easy way to help attract new customers and build relationships with the customers you already have.

Posts appear on your Google business listing. Customers can tap to read the full post, and they can also share your post with their friends directly from Google.



Posting on Google gives you new ways to engage with your customers:



  • Share daily specials or current promotions that encourage new and existing customers to take advantage of your offers.
  • Promote events and tell customers about upcoming happenings at your location.
  • Showcase your top products and highlight new arrivals.
  • Choose one of the available options to connect with your customers directly from your Google listing: give them a one-click path to make a reservation, sign up for a newsletter, learn more about latest offers, or even buy a specific product from your website.


Seventy percent of people look at multiple businesses before making a final choice.2 With Posts, you can share timely, relevant updates right on Google Search and Maps to help your business stand out to potential customers. And by including custom calls-to-action directly on your business listing, you can choose how to connect with your customers.
“Posts definitely helped our business because a lot of people look us up through Google. When they do, they want to see the vibe of the place. Being able to post directly to Google allows them to see the reviews and get a feel for the shop all in one spot.” - Cut & Grind, London, UK
“As a small business, we don’t have a ton of resources. We post with the intention of engaging new and existing customers, informing them of new therapists and services we offer as we expand our business. The posts help us stand out in a unique way and allow us to differentiate ourselves from our competition.” - Just Mind, Austin, TX
“Posts are worth my time because with limited effort you can get something fresh that is reaching people's eyes. 1,100 people saw my last post. Getting information out to the customers is big for this kind of business, letting them know we have bikes or different sporting goods they may not be aware of.”- Play It Again Sports, Saint Paul, MN


If you’re a Google My Business user, you can start posting right now. Posts can be created on-the-go using the Google My Business Android and iOS apps or website.



If you’re not yet using Google My Business, sign up and get started today managing your business listing on Google. Once you’ve verified your business, you’ll be ready to start posting. To learn more, visit the Google My Business Help Center.




Posted by Rosa Wu, Product Manager, Google My Business




1 Google. Google Consumer Barometer. 2014/2015.

2 Google. Google Consumer Barometer. 2014/2015.


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With 82% of people turning to search engines to find local information , 1 your Google listing is the ideal place to showcase what is uniqu...
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