Google has recently announced an expansion of its digital coaches program for SMBs, which provides online marketing advice and assistance, for free, to diverse small businesses across the US. You can check out the official video announcement here.
The program aims to connect SMBs with approved digital coaches from their area to help them navigate the various aspects of getting their online business, as well as maximizing brand awareness.
More Coaching!
Originally launched in select regions back in 2019, Google’s now expanding the program, with new coaches in Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.
As per Google:
“Trained in partnership with Main Street America, these new coaches will work with businesses in their home states, with a focus on those that operate in small towns and rural communities. Digital Coaches will offer ongoing workshops on topics designed to help small businesses grow and thrive, including connecting with customers, selling online, and improving productivity – all for free.”
The primary benefit for Google here, of course, is increased ad spend from various businesses, as well as more focus on improving the listed details of each business, which will enhance Google’s database of businesses, services, and products that it can then highlight in Search.
So, it’s free, at least in direct cost, but there are also clear benefits for Google in providing this education to as many businesses as possible. Granted, it’s a relatively minor update, but the impacts could be great. If anything, it does indirectly increase Google’s reach as well as boost its appeal for brand reach and discoverability.
The Wrap
Google says that there are now 28 certified Grow with Google Digital Coaches across the US, helping Black and Latinx businesses maximize their digital presence. Thus far, these coaches have helped more than 160,000 small businesses gain new skills, and this new expansion could see that number rapidly rise, easing more businesses into the digital shift. On a slightly distant tangent, this also helps solidify Google as the prime search engine, helping to retain its dominance in the search space.
Learn more about Grow with Google Digital Coaches here.
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