How do I manage my business website?

Google My Business helps businesses create and maintain their own websites. If your company has an existing profile, then you'll be able to access all the same features as if it was brand new — including uploading images and adding pages (including blog posts) from within the tool itself. The only difference will be that you won't need to make changes or add content yourself. Everything will happen automatically.

The good news is this: you don't even really need to know how to code HTML & CSS to use Google My Business effectively. This article explains what steps are involved with creating and updating a basic website using Google My Business. It should help guide you through the process so that if you ever want to change something down the road, you're not left scratching your head wondering where you've gone wrong!

What goes into managing a website?

Before we get started, let’s talk about why Google decided to offer its services to small businesses in particular. For one thing, they already had a huge database of information regarding local businesses. That's important because when people search for anything online, they often type "near me." So by having Google My Business profiles for every single business in the world, anyone searching for these types of results would be presented with relevant info.

Furthermore, many big brands have been slow to adopt digital marketing techniques like SEO and social media. But because Google owns YouTube, which is the second most popular site in the U.S., they were able to tap into a massive audience who could potentially become customers. They wanted to give those companies the tools necessary to compete against larger competitors, just without spending millions of dollars.

So now that you understand why Google offers its service to smaller businesses, let's move onto what exactly needs to go into making sure everything looks right.

What is involved in managing a website?

There are three main components that drive our ability to update our websites:

1. Your Google account

2. Your domain name registration

3. A hosting provider

First things first, you may find that there's already a free version of Google My Business available for you to use. This means that Google gives you a blank slate upon setting up your account. Since Google doesn't charge until after 90 days, however, you'd better hope that you actually stick around long enough to fill out some data.

Once you set up your free account, the next step is getting your domain registered. There are plenty of options here, but since we're talking about building a simple website, we'll focus primarily on GoDaddy, which provides both web design templates and hosting plans designed specifically for small businesses. After signing up for the cheapest plan ($4 per month), you simply enter your desired URL and click Next Step. Then you choose between a few different layouts based on whether or not you'd prefer a standard template or a custom-built one, and finally select a color scheme. From there you're ready to begin designing your site.

Next comes the part where you upload your chosen image files and write your copy. Once that's done, you can either publish your page immediately (which takes less than 15 minutes) or leave it unlisted for 30 days. At the end of that period, you must take action to make your site live publicly. Otherwise, it remains hidden behind a password protected landing screen. In order to do that, you'll have to log back into your account and activate publishing mode.

Finally, once you've published your site, you can check it regularly to ensure nothing major has happened. When you see that everything looks okay, you can delete the unpublished version and start over again. Hopefully, this goes smoothly.

Now that you know what goes into managing a website, hopefully you feel much more prepared to dive in and build yours. And while you might think that it seems overwhelming, remember too that you'll be working with a very capable team of professionals to handle all aspects of the project. Just keep in mind that each piece of software requires slightly differing instructions depending on what program it uses. With that said, though, you shouldn't encounter any issues whatsoever.

What goes into maintaining a website?

In addition to being able to quickly launch a fresh website or rebuild an old one from scratch, you can also tweak certain elements of your current site whenever you wish. Most importantly, you'll be able to adjust the look and layout of your entire website. As mentioned earlier, you'll always be able to view your latest revisions under Settings > Design Mode. Here you'll be able to move sections of your webpage around and rearrange them as needed. You'll probably notice that the whole experience feels familiar if you've used another website builder before.

You'll also be able to make edits to individual pieces of content such as your About Us section. These updates include changing text, adjusting formatting, adding additional pictures, and removing unwanted links altogether. While you're here, you might consider moving items around to save space. Sometimes it makes sense to put a contact form ahead of a navigation bar or vice versa.

It's worth noting that although you're given complete control over your website, sometimes things break unexpectedly. Luckily, support is readily available 24/7 should you run across a problem. All you have to do is visit Help Center > Contact Support.

Lastly, you'll want to stay updated on what else is happening to your site. Fortunately, there are several ways to do so. First off, you can sign up for email notifications whenever someone visits your page. On top of that, you can subscribe to various RSS feeds for specific topics. Lastly, you can track visitors directly from your dashboard.

This last option is particularly helpful if you haven't yet built a tracking system for your website. It allows you to monitor traffic coming from outside sources, such as direct referrals from other sites or organic searches. Keep in mind that you'll still receive emails whenever someone does land on your homepage, regardless.

What is the 5 essential parts of a website?

Since Google My Business is meant to serve as a central hub for all your digital marketing efforts, it's understandable that some users may wonder why they should bother learning about coding. Thankfully, there are five key points to cover here.

1. Create a solid foundation for your website

Whether you decide to use WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, or another platform entirely, the best way to avoid headaches down the line is to make sure you learn the basics first. Don't worry—if you aren't confident in your knowledge of HTML and CSS, it's easy to pick up these skills relatively fast. Even if you never intend to touch a computer keyboard again, knowing how to properly format documents is invaluable for future endeavors.

2. Use visuals wisely

While graphics are great for branding purposes, they can also distract potential customers away from the actual message you desire to convey. Make sure that you're keeping your messaging straight and clear throughout your site. Avoid using too many colors unless it serves a purpose. Also, try to limit the amount of text featured on your homepage. Instead, opt for large images or videos instead.

3. Add value wherever possible

As tempting as it may be to add tons of useless filler material, you'll likely regret it later. Focus on providing useful information to your target market. Don't forget to mention how frequently you post new content and how responsive you are to customer inquiries. Remember that it's more beneficial to provide answers rather than ask questions.

4. Keep everything organized

If you're going to spend any significant amount of time editing your website, you'll certainly appreciate being able to easily navigate through all the different areas. Therefore, it's crucial that you lay out your pages according to logical categories. Try to avoid breaking up your website into separate tabs, especially if you're using third party apps. Not only will it confuse your readers, but it will also cause problems during maintenance and development phases.

5. Track stats

No matter what kind of marketing strategy you employ, it's important to measure the effectiveness of your tactics. Unfortunately, no two platforms work perfectly. However, there are some tried and true methods of measuring success. One method involves analyzing the number of conversions or leads generated from each campaign. Another involves looking at the bounce rate for each page. Either way, you'll want to pay close attention to the statistics.

Hopefully this list of tips will help you along your path towards becoming a self-sufficient digital marketer! Whether you decide to use Google My Business exclusively or combine it with other programs, rest assured that you'll be well on your way toward achieving your goals.

For more advice on finding the perfect domain name and registering it, check out our guide on choosing a domain name.

Google My Business (GMB) has become an essential tool for many businesses who want to make their online presence known or promote themselves offline. 

The process of creating a GMB profile involves several steps that should be followed with care. This article will show how these simple processes work, as well as what happens if they're not done correctly.

This guide assumes you already own a domain name, but this isn't necessarily true -- we'll cover how to get one later in this article.

Here's how to set up a new account on GoDaddy using your existing email address so that you don't need to remember yet another username/password combo. If you'd like to learn about other hosting options for websites, check out our list of best web hosts.

1. Sign into your Google Account

2. Click "Create New" next to "My Business".

3. Choose "Business Website."

4. Enter your desired URL. For example, if you would like to use Shopify, enter shopify.com.

5. Select whether you want to add credit card payments, shipping information, etc.

6. Add additional pages by clicking "+Add Pages & Settings," then choose where you'd like them.

7. Make sure all fields are filled in properly before proceeding.

Once you've created a website, you could move onto Step 2 in order to start building your site. However, there are some things to keep in mind when managing your website from within Google itself. Here's what those seven steps look like.

What are the 7 steps in creating website?

Step 1: Create a website through your Google Business Manager.

To get started, click the three-pointed star icon on the top right corner of the screen to open up Google Business Manager. Once opened, select "Website Management" under Tools. Then, scroll down until you see "New website on Google+", which will take you to step two.

You must fill out every field in order to proceed. The most basic details include your company name, your phone number, street address, city, state, zip code, country, and website URL. After completing the form, you will receive a confirmation message.

Step 2: Manage your website after being approved.

After you submit your application, Google will review the content and send you an approval notification. From here, you will have access to various features such as adding products, images, videos, customizing colors, editing your logo, uploading documents, adding links, and much more. If everything looks good, you'll get notified that your website was officially published.

Step 3: Publish your website.

Now that your website is ready, all you have to do is publish it! To do so, just follow these quick instructions:

Click the gear icon on the left side of the page.

Select "Publish."

Scroll down to "Your Site Is Published!"

That's it! Your website is now live! Now, let's go over five easy ways you can build a website without having to spend hours trying to figure it out yourself.

What are the 5 easy steps to create a website?

While it may seem complicated at first glance, setting up a website really only takes a few minutes once you know exactly what needs to be done. These 5 steps are perfect for beginners because they involve very little effort:

Signing Up - First, sign into Google's My Business portal using your existing Gmail credentials.

Adding Products - Next, simply search for the product you wish to sell online and click "Add Product."

Upload Images - Upload pictures directly from your computer, or drag and drop files from your desktop.

Change Colors - Changing your color scheme is super easy. Just head back to Google My Business and change the background color.

Edit Logo - Finally, update your image banner by selecting "Image Editor" and changing its dimensions.

As you can see, there's no reason why anyone shouldn't be able to design their own website. It's actually quite fun to play around with different themes and layouts. Plus, since there aren't too many steps involved, even the laziest person can complete each task quickly.

What does it mean to manage a website?

Managing a website means keeping track of things like inventory, customer reviews, orders, and more. In addition to making changes to your store front, you might also consider hiring someone else to handle certain tasks, such as SEO optimization.

Most people think that they'll never hire help to manage their website, but doing so doesn't hurt anything. A professional team can ensure your website runs smoothly while saving you countless headaches.

There are plenty of great freelance services available today that can assist with website maintenance. Some examples include:

Webmaster: Provides technical support to optimize sites for search engines. They can also provide assistance with social media marketing.

SEO Specialist: Helps improve traffic and conversions by optimizing websites for search engines.

Social Media Marketing Expert: Offers tips and strategies for increasing exposure across social networks.

Online Reputation Consultant: Saves companies money and resources by providing guidance on how to increase brand visibility.

These experts usually charge hourly rates ranging between $20-$50 per hour depending on experience level. So, it won't break the bank to find an expert who can help you run your website efficiently.

Why is IT important to manage a website?

For starters, a poorly designed website can cause problems for both customers and employees alike. When visitors come to your store, they expect to find all necessary information easily accessible. Having a cluttered layout makes it difficult for potential buyers to locate items they were looking for. And employees often forget about important announcements posted on the website. Not having enough space for advertising materials can result in lost sales and revenue.

A poor-looking website can also lead to lower conversion numbers. Since users tend to bounce off a bad landing page faster than they do a normal webpage, they may give up altogether and visit competitors' stores instead. That said, there are numerous benefits associated with running a successful online storefront.

Aside from helping customers find your merchandise, a professionally managed website helps boost overall productivity. Employees can view real-time data throughout the day and adjust accordingly. Additionally, managers can monitor employee performance to determine areas needing improvement. Lastly, a website allows you to reach new markets and expand your customer base.

It's safe to say that everyone should strive to maintain a functional website. With proper planning and attention paid to detail, you can save a lot of time and effort in the long run.

However, if you still have questions regarding Google My Business, feel free to leave us a comment below. Or, if you'd prefer to speak with someone in person, contact us anytime.

Do you already have a website but want to change it or make changes yourself? If so, you've probably heard about using the "Business Manager" option in Google My Business (GMB). The GMB provides several ways to access your website from within the search engine results page. However, if you don't currently use a web host that supports this feature, you may be wondering how exactly to navigate through these options. This article will walk you through some basic steps to help you get started with managing your site from the GMB.

For most people who run their own businesses online, having a website is essential -- whether they're selling products or services directly to customers or as an intermediary between them and other companies. A website helps potential clients find out what your company does and connect with you. It allows you to showcase your brand, show off your product/service offerings, and provide contact info. And because there are many different types of websites, each one has its own unique set of features and requirements that affect how easy it is to build and maintain. So let's take a look at seven parts of a typical self-hosted website:

1. Homepage: Your homepage serves as a landing point where visitors land after searching for information related to your business. Typically, it contains important details such as your name, address, hours of operation, phone number, social media links, and email address. It might even include a link to your blog or another webpage that's specifically designed to drive traffic back to your main site. In addition to providing all of those pieces of information, you'll likely want to add content like images and videos to draw attention to specific aspects of your business. For example, you could display a video explaining why your service works better than others, or post pictures showing what happens when you complete certain tasks.

2. About Us Page: An About us page shows visitors relevant information about your organization and explains what makes you stand out among competitors. On it, you can explain what sets you apart from your competition, highlight notable achievements, and describe industry trends. Depending on what type of business you operate, you may need to write up a separate version of this section for various audiences including employees, suppliers, partners, and prospective buyers.

3. Contact Info Page: Visitors often want to know how to reach you by phone, email, fax, postal mail, or chat. Having multiple methods available increases your chances of getting a response. Some sites automatically generate forms based on your preferences, while others require users to fill out custom fields manually. Regardless of which method you choose, it's always best practice to keep your contact info current and accurate. Make sure you update your information regularly.

4. Blogs & Social Media Pages: As mentioned above, blogs allow you to share updates about your business with readers and followers. They can also serve as additional marketing tools that attract new leads and encourage repeat visits. Most blogging platforms offer free accounts that give you limited storage space and only allow you to publish posts once every 24 hours. Paid plans typically cost less money per month and come with increased flexibility. There are plenty of resources available online that teach beginners everything you need to know about writing quality blog posts. Many bloggers suggest starting with topics you enjoy reading about so you have something to talk about. When posting, remember to follow good SEO practices and avoid spammy language.

5. Pricing Information: Whether you sell physical goods or digital products, pricing is crucial. Customers expect clear, honest descriptions of prices and discounts, along with convenient payment options. Be careful not to oversell or underprice. Even though you might feel confident about your price points, it's worth checking them against similar items from competing sellers.

6. FAQs: These pages answer common questions and concerns that arise during customer interactions. Think of it as a resource or guidebook that answers frequently asked questions. Keep them updated and organized so they remain fresh in searches and useful for new visitors.

7. Reviews: Customer feedback plays a vital role in driving sales. People trust reviews, especially when they come from established sources like reputable news organizations or consumer review websites. Take advantage of this opportunity! Include ratings and comments from satisfied customers as part of your home page. Use a third party tool like TrustPilot or Epinions to collect testimonials from real people. Also consider adding user generated content, like surveys or polls, to learn more about your audience's opinions.

Now that we understand the basics of setting up a website, here's how to actually manage it:

How do I create and manage a website?

Google's Business Manager lets you customize your profile across the entire suite of Google properties, including Search, Maps, Ads, Shopping, YouTube, Places, and Gmail. Simply click Manage My Business to open the panel, then select Website Management. Here you’ll see sections dedicated to Content, Appearance, Links, Photos, Analytics, Videos, and Events. Click Create New Site to begin building your first page. From there, you can design the layout, upload files, and assign keywords.

You can also view your website stats, track analytics data, schedule events, and send emails. To finish up, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and sign into your account to save your work.

How should a beginner maintain a website?

Before launching your website, consider hosting it elsewhere. Not only are there cheaper options out there, but you won't be tied to a single platform. Plus, switching hosts means keeping your existing domain intact and avoiding downtime. That said, self-hosting gives you full control of your site. Since you decide what goes in and what comes out, you can easily tweak it whenever necessary without waiting for approval from someone else. But before jumping into anything too advanced, check out our list of helpful tips for beginners.

How do I start creating my own website?

The process depends largely on what kind of website you'd like to develop. Do you plan to launch a simple ecommerce store? Or maybe you prefer to focus on blogging instead. Either way, you can quickly get started by visiting GoDaddy, Hostgator, BlueHost, DreamHost, Fatcow, Kinsta, WordPress.com, Wix, SquareSpace, Weebly, or Tumblr. All of these companies offer free trial periods and you can try out their packages for 30 days before committing. After deciding on a provider, simply log in to your account and click Get Started Now. Next, you’ll enter your credit card information and confirm your purchase. Once done, you can move forward with designing your website.

When selecting a template, keep in mind that templates vary depending on your chosen provider. Themes usually contain elements that are customizable, like colors, fonts, layouts, headlines, logos, and icons. While you can pick whatever looks right to you, it's smart to stick with themes that match your target market and branding style. Also, consider choosing a responsive theme. Responsive refers to the ability of a website to adapt to different devices, like phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc.

Once you have your website ready, you can promote it by placing ads on popular ad networks like AdSense, Facebook, Bing, Yahoo!, and Twitter. Then, take advantage of paid advertising opportunities offered by major companies like Yelp, LinkedIn, eBay, Google, Amazon, PayPal, and Zillow. You can also choose to partner with influencers or brands that align well with your values. Finally, you can hire virtual assistants to handle things like social media marketing, graphic design, videography, editing, copywriting, and photography.

And that's just scratching the surface. With so much freedom, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Don't worry - there are lots of great resources out there to help you succeed. Check out these guides to help you grow your business:

Weebly Guide to Making Money Online

Squarespace Guide to Creating Websites

Shopify Beginner Course

Wix Tutorial for Beginners

Tumblr How To Start Building A Brand

WordPress Starter Pack

Canva Tutorial for Beginners