Unlock your local business listing on Google. It’s free. Click Here
Manage your local listing
Edit the content of your Google listing, add it for the first time, and delete old locations. Make sure your information is correct, and see it on your Place Page.
Engage potential customers
More people search locally on Google than anywhere else. Show them coupons, add videos and photos, and even post real-time updates.
See the results
Log in anytime to see how many times people have viewed your listing, what actions they took, and where they came from in your local area.
Here is how you can be listed Page 1 in Google New! Create a public profile page
Set up Google Alerts so anytime your restaurant or catering company is mentioned in a web posting you know about it and you can manage your online presence. http://www.google.com/alerts
Googles Favorite Place Program – Google recently sent to one of my restaurants the attached information and a sticker that goes on the front door. The sticker, see attached, goes on your front door and people that visit your restaurant can scan the black bar code type thing and it immediately loads there phone with all your business information as listed on google.
Other FREE Resources I recommend from Google:
YouTube -
Yes Google owns YouTube. I recommend having your own channel and recording a few quick videos about your restaurant. Examples: A video tour, showing your place on a busy day (I say on a busy day, because no one wants to go to a restaurant unless others like to go there)
Another good video strategy is to have quick videos about covering your frequently asked questions. example: What type of food do you serve? What is the best time to come? What is your specialty? etc.
Google Docs – a great place to share documents and spreadsheets online that you share with your team. It has features that allow you to work on a document and save with changes online so others can access it from anywhere with an internet connection.
Create and share your work online
Google Calendar - Organize your schedule and share events with friends
With Google’s free online calendar, it’s easy to keep track of life’s important events all in one place.
1. Share your schedule
Let your co-workers, family, and friends see your calendar, and view schedules that others have shared with you. When you know when everyone is free or busy, scheduling is a snap.
2. Get your calendar on the go
With two-way syncing to your mobile phone’s built-in calendar or a mobile version of Google Calendar that’s made for the small screen, you can access your calendar while you’re away from your desk.
3. Never forget another event again
Customizable reminders help you stay on schedule. You can choose to be notified by email or get a text message sent right to your mobile phone.
4. Send invitations and track RSVPs
Invite other people to events on your calendar. Guests can RSVP to your events by email or via Google Calendar.
5. Sync with your desktop applications
Access your calendar however and whenever you want by syncing events with Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCal and Mozilla Sunbird.
6. Work offline
Know where you’re supposed to be even when you don’t have internet access. With offline access, you can view a read-only version of your calendar no matter where you are.
My last little tidbit - Have a document with all your restaurant information in it so you can easily load it into online directories and tag it (use Keywords) to get your information easily found by search engines.
How do you use Google services? Add questions & suggestions
Hello Jonathan,
I do agree that Google’s local listing is something that a local business needs engage and embrace. This is probably the first time the Internet will help the local business and provide a marketing tool that will reach the local consumer.
What I am most concerned about are small and local businesses having to contend with multiple websites when it comes to their local listing.
Afterall, there are over 60 websites in four different categories specifically geared towards local listings. How can a local or small business have the time resources to cover this space.
Even if you made a conscious decision to not manage all 60, there are well more than Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask. The space goes to Local.com (they went public), Yelp, Merchant Circle, and many others.
Consumers will be the ones deciding which of these local listing websites they will go and post their experience through consumer reviews. This adds to the burden that no one single local listing website will do the trick. Certainly restaurants are prime targets for consumer reviews.
Something we recently read at KillerStartUps are companies that are offering a low cost service to update then manage these listings for companies. You can read about this at KillerStartUps here:
http://www.killerstartups.com/Search/smartfindslocallisting-com-be-found-online
It is a changing world and the local business will benefit. There will be some adjustment to this space needed.
Good information from your post and hopefully it will help raise the awareness of this new and free marketing tool.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by jwmunsell: New blog post: GOOGLES Free Tools Every Restaurant Needs to Use http://bit.ly/aRumjf...