Kelly Miller, Sanford's public information officer, is coordinating the Google Partner City program to help local business owners, including ones with at-home or mobile businesses, gain valuable listings as Google-verified businesses. Miller signed on as the program's coordinator after Councilman Charles Taylor presented it to city council in October.
“It seems like something that would be very easy to do and very beneficial,” Miller said.
Basic information on the program is online at www.gybo.com. The Google Partner City program, which is free both to the city and business owners, is designed to give users the tools to have their information online and easily searchable.
Google's service trains Miller to help entrepreneurs have fully-functioning business listings, including product information, store hours, location, photos and even virtual tours. Businesses can go through this process without the city-sponsored program, but the verification of store location and ownership is lengthy for individuals. Entering the store's information online once verified doesn't take long, Miller said, but it's that verification process the city partnership can help make faster.
“If you do it on your own, Google sends you a postcard with a code on it,” Miller said. “You have to use the code to provide information, and then it has to be verified that you are that business owner. You're kind of stopping the process while you wait, but we're able to get people verified much more quickly through the upcoming workshops.”
“We are very happy about this program for our downtown merchants,” said Jennifer St. Clair, executive director of Downtown Sanford. “We want to give our merchants every tool to enhance their business.”
St. Clair said one of the exciting parts of the program for her is that verified businesses can be on Google's map, so someone visiting a location like Temple Theatre would be able to pull up nearby participating restaurants or shops easily. That means free marketing for the business owners who participate.
The benefit to the city, Taylor said when he presented the program, is that visitors and residents can explore the city's shops and attractions easily with smartphone in hand. With the push to enhance Sanford's business climate, more businesses on Google can mean a better experience for day-trip visitors.
In addition to Downtown Sanford, Central Carolina Community College's Small Business Center and the Sanford Area Growth Alliance have been involved in discussions about the program. Miller said using the combined resources of the groups should reach more people. The workshops are open to anyone in Sanford who wants to come.
“Google is the most used search engine for people looking for businesses,” said Terri Brown, coordinator of the Lee County Small Business Center at CCCC. “We believe that it's a useful free service, and you're really wasting an opportunity if you're not signed on to do it.”
“Because they're Google, they make it easy,” Miller said, noting that technological skills are not needed to participate.
©2015 The Sanford Herald (Sanford, N.C.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
