How to Make Google Work for You

Every restaurant owner wants their business to top the search rankings on Google. In the latest Academy seminar, members received tips on just how to improve their online presence and better reach customers through Google Search.

In Make Google work for you, Salvatore Mangione, Senior Industry Manager at Google Italy, revealed the workings of Search and how to make the best of the digital giant’s varied tools and services, including Analytics, Ads, and Trends.

“First of all create a good website for your business,” said Mangione. Then it’s all about content and content marketing. “The most important thing that you can do for boosting your organic presence is focusing on content.”

That content can take a number of forms and exist on different platforms, not just on your website. “Consumer behaviour online is complex, people jump from content to content constantly, so you cannot focus on a single type,” he said during a live Q&A with members, following a presentation.

Studying Trends, Analytics and other data points can help you to better understand your customer and how they search, he said. And the technical aspects of search, many of which are now taken care of, should not intimidate you. “The concepts are very straightforward,” he said.

Mangione also looked ahead to two forthcoming collaborative sessions between Google and the Academy: one focusing on YouTube and another on leveraging Google’s local solutions.

The seminar, available exclusively to members in a private Facebook group, is part of the Academy’s ongoing educational program, which has the overarching goal of nurturing the next generation of culinary talent, whilst connecting them with the biggest names in gastronomy. Recent seminars have featured the likes of chefs Massimo Bottura, and Ana Roš and current Young Chef Sage Manu Buffara.