Google consultant Angelina Darrisaw.
Google consultant Angelina Darrisaw.

The day after the last model walked the runway at Aveda’s Global Congress 2018, owners and managers got serious about business at an Aveda Business College session as a number of salon owners took the stage and shared best practices. As a Google consultant, the last speaker Angelina Darrisaw brought some wisdom from outside the industry encouraging owners to take advantage of a number of free Google tools to improve their websites and drive traffic both to their site and their salons.

Google My Business (gybo.com): This business profile show up when potential clients search for your salon or businesses like yours on Google Search and Maps. “When people search for something locally, they have high motivation and intent to follow through—you want to capture them in the moment,” Darrisaw says. “Go to gybo.com to claim and verify your business--it’s a simple, but valuable process. Then you can respond to comments or post when you have a new service, are running a promotion or have hired a team member. Post pictures to make your profile more interesting. You can even request a quote for a 3D photographer to do a virtual tour of your business.”

Google Search Console (google.com/webmasters): “This tool that tracks your website’s search performance, then offers you tips for improving SEO (search engine optimization),” Darrisaw says. This website offers courses and guides that make high-quality websites that are search-friendly.

Google Trends (google.com/trends): Google Trends offers quick and useful insights on what people are searching for. “For example a very years ago, everyone was searching for Paleo recipes, now they’re into Keto,” Darrisaw says. “By comparing search terms again each other, you can create content that better targets your audience.”

Website Speed (testmysite.thinkwithgoogle.com): “Most sites lose half their visitors because they load too slowly,” Darrisaw says. “This site tests your site’s speed and tells you if the load time is too long.” After running the analysis, which takes about a minute, Google offers a report with tips on speeding up your website’s loading time.

Google Analytics (analytics.withgoogle.com): Analytics gives you insight into your visitors’ journey with your website—the information can help you improve your site’s impact. “You can use it to measure traffic sources, bounce rates, interactions with your content and more.  

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