The Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with Bluewater 360 Virtual Media for “Putting Portage on the Map” - a Get Your Business Online (GYBO) program from Google, with workshops beginning October 21st at the Portage Best Western.
“It’s all about local businesses building their Google profile and optimizing their Google profile,” said John Schmoeger of Bluewater 360 Virtual Media.
The 4-part workshop is designed for businesses across the spectrum of technical ability and knowledge, beginning with a beginners workshop for business owners who haven’t spent much time on optimizing their presence online. The workshop will start with Maps, Gmail, and Google Plus and build toward an advanced knowledge base, including using Google Adwords, Analytics and more free or low-cost tools.
Google is the most popular search engine in the world, and a larger percentage of the population is finding, searching and shopping online every day. From reviews to menus, it is important that Google can find your business so the growing segment of online shoppers can find your business.
And again, the 90-minute classes are free.
“There are so many free resources that people don’t even know about,” said Schmoeger. “Why not take advantage of it?”
“We want to increase the business's visibility, moving them up in the search engines, all of it - for free,” said Jessica Bailey, Director of Marketing and Community Development of the Portage Chamber of Commerce. “Google gives you higher optimization for every product you use, but people just don’t know about everything available to them.”
It is estimated that less than 10% of businesses have a fully-optimized Google profile, and that is where these free workshops can help support so many businesses and organizations in Portage and the surrounding area. Anyone looking to drive traffic into their storefronts - from salons to restaurants to car dealers - will benefit the most from these workshops.
Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop, follow along and complete the steps as the class goes along. The 90-minute workshop is designed so attendees can ask questions and move at their own pace. Attendees will need to bring in either a utility bill, tax letter, or business resignation letter in order for the GYBO instructor to verify your business.
The classes are free for Portage Chamber members and are $5 for non-members. You can register online here, or contact the Portage Chamber of Commerce at 219-762-3300. An additional benefit for Portage Chamber members will be an ongoing consultation with Bluewater 360 Virtual Media.
The Best Western is located at 6200 Melton Road, Portage IN 46368.