Google edge for small companies

Aftab, a Bangalore-based power yoga instructor, has been flooded with enquiries since the last three months, coming from as far as South Korea. Did he spend a bomb on advertising or get celebrity endorsements?

Actually, he took a simpler route. He uploaded his business information and contact details on Google Places, a tool which allows business owners to control the content of their business listings as they appear in Google Search and Google Maps.

Using the tool, businesses can define the areas they are willing to service, promote sales and special events or reach out to their customers in any way they need to.

Not only are they able to upload contact details but also photographs, reviews, maps and directions thus making it a more credible tool for engaging potential customers.

“I used to get 4-5 enquiries a month, now I get as many as 6 a day,” says Aftab.

Shaan S Khanna, an independent wedding planner, too, has seen a jump in her clientèle after listing her business. “Around 60% of my current clients have come in touch with me through Google.  This includes a number of international clients, too,” she said.

Aftab and Khanna are the part of the 30 million small businesses in India that Google aims to bring online through Google Places.

According to the firm, one out of five searches on Google is related to a user’s location and very often people are looking for local businesses.

However, in India, Google says, local businesses do not feel the need to have an online presence because of the expenses associated with maintaining it through traditional routes such as setting up a website.

This makes free tool a valuable asset to create a web presence.

“The growth of Google Places in India has been phenomenal and we have seen over 40% growth in businesses registering on Google Places over the past 6 months,” said Manik Gupta, product manager at Google India.

Currently, about 3 million businesses are listed on Google in India, sourced from traditional aggregators of business information such as Infomedia as well as the users themselves.

In the future, Google expect a significant portion of its ad revenue from India to be driven by Google Places through schemes which promote ad sales.

For example, business owners who are making use of it are given Rs 2,500 worth of free credit for utilising Google’s ad services.

How much such enticements would grow ad revenues remains to be seen, especially considering India’s low internet penetration.

Meantime, Indian businesses seem to be going places, courtesy Google.