By Nancy Jeng
Each new year brings the dream of new beginnings and, for many, that includes the dream of starting a new business. In fact, Google Trends data shows us that interest in “starting a business” peaks every January. To support the millions of businesses that are created each year, we’re sharing some of the ways you can use the web (and Google) to launch your new business:
Use Google Trends to size up your market opportunity. Before you launch a business, you want to make sure there is a viable market for your product or service. You can use Google Trends to help gauge your market potential. For example, if you’re looking to open a pet store, see when searches for ‘pet supplies’ peak or which geographic regions clocks in the most searches for pet supplies.
Find a domain, create a site and get custom email. Picking out the right domain name is often the starting point to building a successful online presence. With new domain endings like .pizza and .photography, there are now more options to choose that fit your new business. Google Domains helps you get started with registering a domain, building a site with trusted partners and setting up custom email.
Make sure your customers can find you online. Once you establish an online presence, use Google My Business to be found on Google by your customers. Google My Business puts your business info on Search, Maps and Google+ so that customers can find you, no matter what device they’re using. The best part? It’s free for all businesses.
Connect with experts and other small business owners. Join the Google Small Business Community to get expert advice and talk to others like you. Participate in live Q&As, read small business spotlights and interact with advisors to get the help you need to succeed. Check out our YouTube channel to see the small business topics we’ve covered in the past from email marketing to social media to online retail.
As we say goodbye to 2015, we look forward to all that 2016 will bring you and your new business. Happy New Year!
BIO: Nancy is the content strategy and operations lead for the Google Small Business Community, whose mission it is to help small businesses succeed online by connecting them to experts and each other. For more about Google Small Business, follow us on Twitter @GoogleSmallBiz or join the Google Small Business Community at g.co/gsbc.