If you still can’t have your own website, keep reading because we will give you some tips so that you can appear in Google searches anyway.
Nowadays Google has become so important that it has become the perfect showcase for all types of businesses, in other words, if you are not on Google, you don’t exist. If you are a startup or an entrepreneur who still can’t have your own website continue reading because we will give you some tips on how to appear in Google searches without one.
The best thing to do is to get one as soon as possible, but even without it there are certain tools and strategies you can implement to tell the most important search engine that you exist and start appearing in the first results on the search page.
1. Google My Business
We have already talked in other entries about what Google My Business can do for your business or entrepreneurship, so now we want to highlight these advantages when you do not have a website.
When you register on this platform what you get is a listing of your business that will appear in local search results for businesses of your type or when someone searches for you specifically.
When you register on this platform you have to provide as much information as possible about your business: name, location, services, opening and closing hours, phone or email, plus as many photos as you can of your business and the services you offer.
This information appears in a box on the right side of the results page and on the right side of the Google Maps page, and you can even upload 3D tours. It is important to say that through this platform you can also answer questions and doubts that Internet users have about your business.
Another of the advantages it offers is that it generates quite complete statistics on how they found you, how many times they clicked on the call button or on the link of the directions to your business. Best of all, you can have these advantages for free!
2. Rename your photos
There are small changes we can make in our interaction with the Internet to significantly improve our appearance in search results.
One of these changes that you can do by yourself, and that you should do as soon as possible, is to rename your images. It doesn’t matter if you only have one profile or several profiles on different social networks or if you only have a blog, the images that are on the Internet should have a name that tells Google what they are about.
For example, if you have a bookstore with a Facebook profile and a blog, the images you upload to both sites should not be called “DC20210228.jpg” which is how the camera names an image by default; the best thing to do is to change it to something that tells Google’s algorithm that this nice image is about a bookstore, for example “bookstore-el-aleph-queretaro.jpg”.
So now you know, change the names of your image files that are online as soon as possible and start uploading photos with clearer names.
The key to rename your images is that, besides adding the name of your company or business, the name of the image responds to a common search that your customers would do; here you have to use your imagination and put yourself in the shoes of your customer. As a general guide you have to think about the way they name your services both formally and colloquially, mention the city or country and name the services you offer. It is also a good idea to use keywords in the names of the photos.
With this simple change you will be telling the search engine that you exist, where they can find you and what services you offer, to increase your chances of appearing in search results.
3. Don’t neglect your social networks
Appearing in the most famous search engine without having a website is somewhat difficult, but not impossible, however things get complicated if your company does not have a profile in any social network, so it is necessary that you propose a strategy for the social media of your business or company.
The profiles on social networks also appear in Google search results, so you should not waste this opportunity, plus creating a profile is all social networks is free. However, there are some tips you should follow to optimize them as much as possible.
Make sure that your profile’s biography shows the most important information about your company, for example what are your services and your location and remember to rename the images you upload in them with keywords and the name of your company.
Surely you have realized how important images are on social networks, especially for applications like Facebook or Instagram, luckily today you can do more than just rename them to use them as a tool to improve your positioning. Today social networks allow you to write alternative text in each image, which means another space to relate your publications with keywords that help identify your business.
Now you might be wondering which is the best social network for your company, the answer to this question depends a little on the line of your business, but it is best that you open a profile in the most popular ones.
4. Register in directories
There is one more option to appear on the Internet without having a website, even without doing any of the previous techniques; and for some businesses it can be more productive and work better than social networks or Google My Business. We are talking about joining directories such as Booking.com, Trivago, Yelp or Foursquare.
In recent years, directories have gained popularity among Internet users, as they show detailed information of businesses related to the type of service the user is looking for. It is an excellent option for local businesses, because searches are almost always made in very specific areas. In addition, they always have an important flow of visits which translates into greater visibility for your business.
Despite the benefits they may offer at first glance, there are also certain disadvantages that you have to consider before registering on these platforms.
The first disadvantage is that they are not always free and some, especially booking sites, ask you for a commission for transactions made on the platform, which can range from 16%.
The most obvious disadvantage is that at the end of the day the objective of these directories is to present several similar businesses to the consumers, so that they can choose the option that best suits them.
On these platforms the only option you have to stand out from your competitors is to have excellent comments and reviews from users, so you have to provide impeccable customer service and, even then, it is very unlikely that all your customers will take a few minutes of their time to write their comments on these platforms.
In conclusion, appearing on Google without a website is possible, although visibility may be scarce, so you should take these suggestions as an interim strategy while you build your own website, or as joint strategies when you already have one.
Tell us, do you know other ways to appear in Google without having a website?