Getting Business to Show up on Google Search?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Periodically, a company contacts us and says they can get our small business to show up on the first page of a Google search. Today’s offer was for $400 for a four-month trial. I have already filled out the Google Local Listing information. I think offers like the one we got today are a scam, but my husband wants to try it.</p>

<p>Do any of you have any expertise in this area? I don’t mind spending money on marketing, but I don’t want to throw dollar bills out the window, either.</p>

2

<p>I don’t have any expertise, but I think it depends on what you have already tried and how much you are willing to revamp yourselves.
<a href=“4 Ways to Get On the First Page of Google - wikiHow”>http://m.wikihow.com/Get-On-the-First-Page-of-Google&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Most of those offers are scams. They have a variety of tricks they use - but it isn’t going to make it any easier for the average user to find you. If you PM me with your business web site URL I can take a look at it and give you some tips & pointers to help with search engine placement. </p>

4

<p>Search Engine Marketing – Putting your web site in the Ad section, on the first page, for the keywords you choose in the geographical area you choose. You pay for this: it’s where people tend by click when they’re ready to buy.</p>

<p>Search Engine Optimization – Getting your web site to the top of the “organic” section of the search results page, again based on keywords and location. This can be done without spending money per se, but it takes time to build that page placement and you need to have a Google-optimized web site: Good page titles, good outside and internal links, strong meta tags, unique page and photo descriptions, mobile optimization, and other design features. The organic section is typically where people go to conduct research on your type of product or service.</p>

<p>Obviously businesses need strong web sites – it’s a 24/7 entrance to your business, so to speak. But a great web site does little good if people can’t find it when they search for your type of business… which is where SEM and SEO come in.</p>

5

<p>How is your current website? Is it professionally done and up to date? You can seed it with key words or pay for search engine ads but if users click your site and don’t find it useful it is not going to help your business.</p>

<p>Edited to add - I work for a company that contracts with Google to evaluate search engine results.</p>

6

<p>This is called Search Engine Optimization (often abbreviated as SEO). I don’t know much about it and I don’t know this company, but I do know that it’s a real thing that people do pay for and does work with some level of success. </p>

7

<p>On your website, you can enter Meta Keywords which should help with search engines. Review Google webmaster tools for some information on how it works: <a href=“https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/1050724?hl=en”>https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/1050724?hl=en&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>My husband is an independent IT consultant and among other things, he offers SEO for companies. It is a legitimate advertising tool. If your website isn’t on the first page of a web search, then your webpage isn’t as likely to be found. </p>

<p>There are different ways to do this and a good company will keep abreast of the changes in Google to be able to keep your website on the first page of a Google search. It is a time consuming process, hence the fee for this service. </p>

<p>PM me if you have more questions. </p>