Google Aims To Help Small Businesses With Boost

Google launches Boost for small businesses

Subscribe Free By on October 27, 2010 | 8 Comments

If you own a business and have claimed your free business listing in Google Places, which then appear on Google and Google Maps, then you will be glad to know the search and advertising company has introduced another way to help your business get noticed.

The company has introduced Google Boost, which allows business owners to create online search ads directly from within their Google Places account.

The Google Small Business Blog offers more details. “Boost ads are eligible to appear in the ‘Sponsored Links’ section of Google.com and Google Maps search result pages. For example, if you’re a restaurant owner in San Francisco who has signed up for Boost, your ad may show up when someone does a related search like the one below, indicating a cuisine and location that matches yours.”

“Beyond the basics like your company name, address, phone number and website, your ad may also include the number of reviews you’ve received, an average star rating and a link to your Place page to help potential customers find additional useful information about your business. When a map appears alongside the results, a blue pin will help folks quickly find your location on the map. Businesses using Google Tags will also see their yellow tag appear in the ad.”

Currently Boost in in beta in San Francisco, Houston and Chicago. Interested businesses can sign up to receive notification when Boost comes to their area. 

There are 8 Comments. Add Yours.

  1. So I just wanted to give an update on my Google Boost activity for the site Houston Credit Repair.  So far the results have been pretty dismal.  Or very inexpensive, depending on how you look at it.

    Since the beginning there have been 572 impressions and 4 clicks at a cost of around $5.  The avg click is pre-determined to be about $1.60 so the ad doesn’t show up in the paid listings until around page 5-6 due to heavy competition paying avg $5-6+

    There are very few keywords that are relevant, which I believe is related to the fact that there is no existing category for the niche.

    Very well then.  My strategy has been to run the phone number in the Ad along with a solid offer and clearly identify who the offer is for, mostly to discourage untargeted clicks.

    In essence, I am using the Ad more as a billboard, cheap advertising if you ask me.

     

  2. Google seem to be pushing adwords very heavily recently – every time I open a magazine even vaguely related to marketing, out pops an Adwords voucher!

    Google Boost seems to be a cut down version of Adwords, aimed at the owner manager, who (probably quite rightly) is too scared of Adwords.

    Let’s see the results – my guess is that most people won’t take the time to consider their objectives and plan the "campaign" properly…

  3.  Sounds like a great add on. Were in the Northwest, so I can’t wait to see it here. Were in the Weathervane Windows business in the Seattle, Tacoma area and will definiatly benefit from Google Boost.

  5. Yes I will give google boost a try once avaulable in the UK.

  6. I am difinately going to try it.

  7. What I am interested in is will these Boost ads be on a pay per click basis or do you pay a flat monthly fee for them such as you’d do if you have any local listing in Yahoo.com?

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