A discussion about the process, steps and options of starting a new business

If you've read this blog before, you probably know that free and cheap are my my mantra, and now I've found free (no strings!) advertising from none other than the search engine giant Google (GOOG).

I was led to Google's Local Business Center by an article in USAToday.com.  USAToday suggested that using the service could be a way to bring customers into your brick-and-mortar business by using coupons, which could be posted in your business listing at no charge.

How great is that?  Besides offering the listing for free, Google is actually giving me a way to identify which of my customers are responding to the ad.  I also have to wonder if signing up for a listing might be advantageous in that it makes my website more visible to Google's search engine.

One caveat here is that Google has their hand in so many different pies that I almost hate giving them more of my information by signing up for new services with them.  They already know more about me than my own mother.  But, I digress from the topic...

The signup process was incredibly simple and easy.  I wasn't given the oppurtunity to add any coupons to my listing, but I'm thinking that the reason is because Goolgle verifies all listings before publication by sending a postcard with a PIN number to the business address.  Google also made it very easy for me to return to their site and check the status of my listing by offering me a link, at the completion of the signup process, to their Local Business Center page. 

Now for the real test...Will it generate any traffic?