Tag Archives: google my business

How to integrate your web app with Google Ads

TL;DR: You can now have a web application integrated with Google Ads in just a few minutes!

Google Ads
Google Ads is an online advertising platform where advertisers can create and manage their Google marketing campaigns. The Google Ads API is the modern programmatic interface to Google Ads and the next generation of the AdWords API. It enables developers to interact directly with the Google Ads platform, vastly increasing the efficiency of managing large or complex Google Ads accounts and campaigns.

A typical use case is when a company wants to offer Google ads natively on their platform to their users. For example, customers who have an online store with Shopify can promote their business using Google ads, with just a few clicks and without needing to go to the Google Ads platform. They’re able to do it directly on Shopify’s platform—the Google Ads API makes this possible.

Demo App
Francisco Blasco, Strategic Technical Solutions Manager at Google, designed and built an open source web application that is integrated with Google Ads and Business Profile (aka Google My Business).

Anyone can use the app, called Fran Ads, to save significant time on product development. Just follow the simple installation steps in the README files (frontend README file and backend README file) on the GitHub repo! The app uses React for the frontend, and Django for the backend; two of the most popular web frameworks.

App's Logo


Check out a product demo here! You can have this app running in your local machine in a few minutes. To learn how, check out the video tutorial.

Blasco acts as an external Product Manager for Google’s strategic partners, driving the entire product development lifecycle. He created this project to help Google’s partners and businesses seeking to offer Google Ads to their users.

The goal is to accelerate the Google Ads integration process and decrease associated development costs. Some companies are using Fran Ads to see what an integration looks like, while others are using the technical guide to learn how to start using the Google Ads API.

In general, companies can use Fran Ads as an SDK to begin working with elements within the Google Ads API, and serve as a guidance system for integrating with Google. This project will minimize the number of times the wheel needs to be reinvented, accelerating innovation and facilitating adoption. Developers can clone the code repositories, follow the steps, and have a web app integrated with Google Ads in just a few minutes. They can adapt and build on top of this project, or they can just use the functions they need for the features they want to develop. 



App Architecture

Furthermore, you will learn how to create credentials to consume Google APIs; specifically, the README files show how to create a project on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and how to set it up correctly so a web app can consume Google Ads API and Business Profile APIs.

Also, you will learn how refresh tokens work for Google APIs, and how to manage them for your web application.

Francisco wrote a detailed technical guide explaining how to build every feature of the app. Some of the most important features are:
        1. Create a new Google Ads account
        2. Link an existing Google Ads account
        3. OAuth authentication & authorization
        4. Refresh token management
        5. List of Google Ads accounts associated with Google account
        6. Reporting on performance for all campaign types
        7. Create Smart Campaign (automated ads on Google and across the web)
        8. Edit Smart Campaign settings

As you can see from the list above, the app will create Smart Campaigns — a simplified, automated campaign designed for new advertisers and SMBs

Google made public the suggestion services through the Google Ads API. Fran Ads uses those services to recommend keyword themes, headlines & descriptions for the ad, and budget. These recommendations are specific for each advertiser, depending on several factors such as type of business, location, and keyword themes.



An example of three Google recommendations for an advertiser.


The image above shows the final step of creating a Smart Campaign on Fran Ads. In this step, users have to set a daily budget for the campaign. Not only will you receive recommendations for the budget, but an estimate of how many ad clicks you will get per month. This is a great feature for users who are new to digital marketing and aren’t aware of their spending needs.

You can also see an alert message that the budget can be changed anytime, so users can pause spending on the campaign. This is important because many new users, especially SMBs, have doubts about spending on something new. Therefore, it is important to communicate to them that the decision they are making at that moment is not set in stone.

When you start using Fran Ads, you will see there is guidance so users complete the tasks they want.


Guidance on how to complete tasks based on Google’s best practices.


Furthermore, the app is designed based on Google’s best practices. For example, when users are creating a Smart Campaign, in step three (see the above image) they need to select keyword themes (group of keywords). If you choose “bakery” as the keyword theme, your ad is eligible to show when people search for “bakery near me”, “local bakery”, and “cake shop”.

Google’s best practices suggest that advertisers use between seven and ten keyword themes per campaign. Therefore, Fran Ads is designed for users to select up to seven keyword themes. Refer to the image of step three when creating a Smart Campaign on Fran Ads. However, you can set it to ten if you like.

The technical guide also provides:

        1. Production-ready code for both the frontend and backend
        2. Engineering flow diagrams
        3. Best practices
        4. High-fidelity mockups
        5. App architecture and structure diagrams
        6. Workarounds to current bugs on Google Ads API v9
        7. Important information on how to handle important tasks necessary for integrating your platform with Google Ads
        8. Help with the design strategy for the UX and design elements of the UI.

Important resources

See below the list summarizing the important resources that will help you integrate with Google Ads easier, faster, and better.
        1. Frontend repo: all the code for the frontend of Fran Ads.
        2. Backend repo: all the code for the backend of Fran Ads.
        3. Technical guide: 3 sections: ‘Before Starting’, ‘Configurations & Installation’, and ‘Build web              app’. In section 3, you have explanations on how to build all the features of the app.
        4. Product demo: 15-minute demo of Fran Ads showing many core features.
        5. Video tutorial: 17-minute tutorial on how to set up and run Fran Ads.


By Francisco Blasco – Launch, Channel Partners

Shopping on Google brings new features to connect more users to retailers

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ESxE2TPcnaVUmmvFIIEI2cOkZCZX3GMP5EFAkI-L1UBi3FyyXvyj499d1rdmAOBB2d8R2bCMP7FVQcXqZlcudkSAL_a1fReM32Emy7go42CHw49EYjoAWZjmnubNXeVNUrJHiWmW Surojit Chatterjee Vice President - Product Management Google Shopping
Last year we announced a new shopping experience on Search -- a frictionless way for Indian shoppers to discover new products on Google. We also enabled online merchants to list their products for free in the Merchant Center, along with auto feeds that made the process quick and easy.  

We’ve witnessed incredible momentum since then. Indian shoppers engage with this shopping experience more often, and for longer periods of time compared to other markets, and there are now over 200 million offers available on Google Shopping. Not only that, share of clicks on listings that direct to small and medium business websites have increased by 30 percent! We’re committed to helping small and medium sized businesses succeed in India and are excited to announce new tools to help them connect with shoppers, online and off.



Getting local stores online with Google My Business

Although online shopping in India continues to grow in popularity, about 96 percent of shopping still happens offline. Soon, any local retailer will be able to create an online store through Google My Business and connect with the millions of shoppers searching for their products online. When they post photos of their in-store products, they will automatically be surfaced as product listings on Search and in the Google Shopping tab. We’re excited to welcome the 20,000 local businesses that are already on Google My Business in India into the Shopping experience when it launches early next year. 

Shopping in Indian languages

The rate at which Indian language users are coming online cannot be overstated -- 9 out of every 10 new users coming online are Indian language users (largely using their mobile phones, from tier 2 and 3 cities.) And these users are searching online more than ever: at Google For India earlier this year, we announced that 20 percent of Search queries in India are in Hindi.

So we are glad to share that we are extending the power of Google Translate to the Shopping tab as well as the Shopping home page for Indian languages.



Hindi
Telugu
Gujarati

Over the next two to three years, approximately 500 million non-English speaking users will be online in India, and we hope that this step will enable them to more easily find products in their own language. And on the merchant side, it requires no extra effort -- the products that will be showcased to online shoppers in India will seamlessly be displayed in their preferred Indian language. This feature will also be available to shoppers in India early next year.

As we shared when we launched Shopping on Search in India last year, our endeavor is to enable India’s small and medium retailers to grow and thrive, and to open a world of new online experiences for Indian shoppers. With the integration of Google My Business and Google Translate, we are excited to bring the full power of Google to Shopping. 
Posted by Surojit Chatterjee, Vice President - Product Management, Google Shopping

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

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

Answer customer questions on Google

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.

Make your business stand out on Google with Posts

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.

Create your business website in minutes

Business is all about connecting with customers - wherever they are. They can find you on Google Search and Maps, but your website is where they learn the most. As per industry reports, with over 400 million Indians online, and approximately 300 million of them on smartphones, the internet has emerged as the go-to destination to research and buy. However, 32% of small businesses in India* are completely offline. That means they are missing out on many potential customers.

Small business owners tell us that building a website is complex, expensive, and time-consuming. We hear you, so we’re introducing a new simple, free, and fast way to build a website through Google My Business.

With Google My Business, websites are now for everyone - no business is too small. For instance, Pet Palace Dog Hostel has been a part of the pilot project in India. They are based out of Pune, Maharashtra and operate six pet hostels. Pet Project Hostel created a website through Google My Business, and within a few months it has garnered close to 10,000 visits. Similarly Ravi, a Mehndi artist based in NOIDA, UP created a site a few months back and since then it has already received over 6,000 visits.

Using Google My Business, you can create your first website for free, right from your phone in less than 10 minutes. It’s so easy it basically creates itself. We use your Google listing to build the site, taking care of the design and making sure your website is found in Search and Maps.

Our website builder makes it easy to:
  • Create a well-designed site that looks great and runs smoothly wherever and however people find it
  • Stand out online by choosing a design theme, adding your photos, and describing what’s unique about your business
  • Get a free domain from Google or buy your own with Google Domains right from Google My Business
  • Connect with customers by telling them exactly what you want them to do next, like call your business, book an appointment, or sign up for your mailing list
  • Manage everything in one place whether you’re on desktop, mobile, or the Google My Business app
  • Earn new business from AdWords Express and your expanded presence online

In India, you can build a templated and editable website in ten languages - English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam. Over 120,000 Indian businesses are already a part of the pilot program that has been running for the last five months.

No matter what kind of business you own - from an eyeglass shop to a restaurant - a website is a powerful tool to share your business story with your customers, and engage with new customers, even beyond the boundaries of your physical location. People will find you for all kinds of reasons, such as getting your address or seeing photos of what your shop looks like, and you'll be able to grow your business.

Here at Google, we believe in helping local businesses grow their footprint online, and we try to make it as easy as possible. You’ve come this far, so we know you believe in your business. Now make your family and friends proud by showing off your own website, and connect with people locally and around the world.

To create your own website for free, visit google.co.in/business/how-it-works/website/.


Posted by Shalini Girish, Director - Google Marketing Solutions, Google India

Updating Your Holiday Hours on Google? Easy as Pumpkin Pie.

Heather Mohorn, owner of Momo’s Tree House, adds special hours on Google to let last-minute shoppers know when her business is open. “The holiday hours feature makes it easy to communicate [changes in hours] to customers,” she says. “It reduces the number of phone calls we receive to ask whether we’re open, which is nice when we’re busy wrapping those last-minute gifts on Christmas Eve.”

With Google My Business, you can update your business info on Google for free to ensure that your phone number, address, and hours of operation are correct so customers can find you this season (and beyond).

To help you make the most of the season, we put together a holiday workshop filled with tips for using the web to connect with shoppers. Preview the section on updating your holiday hours above, or watch the entire workshop at gybo.com/livestream.

For a list of step-by-step instructions on how to update your hours on Google My Business, visit our help center

We hope this is one thing you can easily check off your holiday to-do list.

Cheers,
Emily Harris, on behalf of the Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map team

Help Holiday Shoppers Find Your Business

Since 1992, Werkheiser Jewelers has been helping customers find the perfect holiday gift–from picking out an engagement ring to restoring cherished family heirlooms. While they’ve kept their love for tradition alive, the way they do business has changed with the times.

Today, 78% of shoppers online use the Internet for holiday research.1 That includes jewelry shoppers searching for a gift for that special someone. Alyssa Rizzo-Berg, Media Marketing Manager at Werkheiser Jewelers, explains, “Maybe they’re looking to buy that first big piece of jewelry or an engagement ring. Because of Google, they’re able to find us.”

We all rely on small businesses to help make our holidays special, and we rely on the Internet to help us find the right local spots. Is your business ready to connect during this busy time of year?
In the next few weeks, Google and our partners are bringing hundreds of local workshops to a city near you to help your business get ready for the holidays. On October 26th, we’re also hosting a live workshop online with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Join us to learn how to create a free business listing on Google, optimize your website for mobile, and advertise online.


- OR -



We hope to see you there. And from our team to yours, happy holidays!

Posted by Emily Harris, Program Manager, Let's Put Our Cities on the Map

1. Ipsos MediaCT, Google Post Holiday Shopping Intentions Study, January 2015, n=1,500.

Get Better Insights With Google My Business

Search engines have become the most popular way for people to find info about local businesses1 – and millions of business owners rely on Google My Business to reach new customers on Google Search and Maps. In fact, the average well-maintained Google My Business listing gets five times more views than listings which haven’t been claimed by their owners.2

Today we’re announcing some exciting changes to Google My Business, designed to let our users see where and how people are finding them on Google.

Where are people seeing your listing?
Now when you log into Google My Business, not only will you see the total number of views for your listing, you’ll also see a breakdown of how many are coming from Google Search vs. Maps.

How are people finding you?
Though some people search for you on Google by name, others search more generally for what you have to offer. (For example, “pizza restaurants in [your town].”) In fact, when researching a future purchase, 76% of people consider more than one business before making their final choice.3 Now you can see who visited your listing after searching for it directly, and who discovered your business while looking for a broader category.

To better serve our users, we’re focusing these new insights on Google Search and Maps, and removing Google+ statistics from the dashboard. With deeper insights on how people are finding your business on Google, you can make sure your efforts to maintain and promote your business are paying off. Keep your listing up-to-date by adding photos, responding to reviews, and updating your hours so that users find helpful, relevant information when they’re looking for you directly. And, if you want to reach more customers who are searching for your business category, consider promoting your listing with AdWords Express.

We hope these changes make your life a little simpler, and we’re excited to introduce even more insights into your customers' behavior soon. To learn more, check out our help center. Happy Tracking!

Posted by Tom Pritchard, Product Manager Google My Business

1. 82% of consumers use Search Engines to find information about local businesses (Google Consumer Barometer)
2. Google Internal Data
3. Google Consumer Barometer

Use Online Reviews to Connect with Back-to-School Customers

It’s time to get down to business for back-to-school. During this time, students, teachers and parents are relying on reviews while searching online for everything from notebooks to new clothes to campus coffee shops. In fact, 3 in 4 consumers say it’s important to read reviews before visiting a business.1

Business owners like Brian Wood of Sureflow Rooter see the value in customer reviews. “We often ask our customers how they found us: online, word of mouth or advertising? We have been pleasantly surprised to hear them say ‘from Google’ and that they liked our reviews and felt comfortable calling us.”

Small business owners looking to make a good impression on back-to-school shoppers should use tools like Google My Business which allow you to engage with, and manage, customer reviews. Below are a few tips to help you get started:

Tip #1: Just ask
Satisfied customers don’t always remember to write reviews, so it’s important to give them a reminder after they make a purchase or interact with your business – but remember to keep review guidelines in mind. Try including a survey link in your receipts or sending an automated follow-up email, rather than, say, setting up a laptop for reviews in-store, or offering incentives, which violates Google policy.

Tip #2: Be proactive about responding to reviews
It’s important to address both positive and negative reviews, since 83% of customers remember reviews from search results.2 When responding to reviews, it’s always good to thank customers. In the case of a negative review, address the issue without getting defensive. For example, try posting a reply describing the steps you took to remedy the situation.

These personalized responses are an opportunity to build relationships with customers. Don’t be afraid to highlight your business’s personality.

Tip #3: Actively monitor your reviews
Managing reviews is an ongoing process, so you should make sure to check in periodically and stay up-to-date with what your customers are saying. You can do this by checking the reviews section of your Google My Business dashboard.

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota noticed that this method helped their business stay in tune with customer interests. Randy Grimsley, the Director of Marketing, told us, “We regularly check on customer reviews. It’s a quick way to discover what’s working and what may need tweaking.”

Your back-to-school assignment? Apply these lessons to your business, and start getting proactive about online reviews.

For more helpful tips on managing your online reviews, check out: gybo.com/review

Posted by Emily Harris, Program Manager, Let's Put Our Cities on the Map

1. Impact Report: How are Customers Discovering Small Businesses?, May 2016
2. Google/ Ipsos, Impact of Search Listings for Local Businesses. Base: Saw Listing (Control=494, Test= 496), August 2014.