CARIBOU — The city of Caribou has partnered with Google on a project entitled “Let’s Put Caribou On The Map,” and will offer a workshop to help people get there.
The project has the singular focus of getting local business information online and on the map.
According to Google, only 37 percent of businesses have claimed a local business listing on a search engine — which adds up to a lot of missing information. And with four out of five people using search engines to find local information like business hours and directions, it also means a lot of missed opportunities for local businesses.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Caribou,” said Caribou City Manager Austin Bleess. “Anything we can do to help increase their visibility helps not only the businesses, but the consumers in our community and throughout the area.”
To assist businesses in getting more exposure, the city will host an interactive workshop on Wednesday, May 11, to help businesses manage their information as it appears across Google Search and Maps.
The workshop will be held at the Caribou Public Library, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to last about an hour and a half. The event is free and open to all Caribou businesses. Pre-registration is requested, but not required.
There will be computers on hand for business owners to utilize to update their business information on Google. Wi-fi will also be available for those wishing to use their own devices.
For questions or to pre-register, call City Hall at 493-3324, extension 7, or via email at citymanager@cariboumaine.org.
