By Adedapo Adesanya
Opera Limited and Google have signed a partnership that will see Opera extend its offering to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria, with a view to helping 40 million SMEs improve their online presence.
The partnership will be for easier onboarding of SMEs into Google Search and Maps, making the platform the go-to platform for businesses and merchants that wish to leverage the entire digital ecosystem to grow their businesses and make them thrive.
Google My Business is a scalable tool that helps businesses and organisations manage their online presence across Google properties and with Opera as a verified Google My Business partner, it’s even easier for local businesses to enter the Google ecosystem.
With Opera’s help, the verification of a given business’s profile is faster and business owners are able to get an extended online presence across Google’s popular services and interact with their customers.
In connection with this partnership, Opera is also extending its value proposition by launching Opera for Business. This expansive platform not only connects businesses with their customers via OLeads, OList, and Opera Ads but also through Google My Business and a tailored set of digital marketing and advertising services which include Google Ads.
According to the Executive Vice President, Commercial at Opera, Mr Per Wetterdal, “We’ve been working closely with Google for more than 15 years. Needless to say, we are excited about this next step in our collaboration in Nigeria and beyond.
“Nigeria is currently undergoing a rapid digital transformation and we are thrilled to be part of it by providing local businesses with the most comprehensive tools to date, allowing them to enter the online space and reach a wider audience.”
Opera for Business is an expansion of the company’s existing portfolio of products and services supporting small and medium enterprises. Beyond helping them enter and leverage the online ecosystem by establishing their digital presence on OLeads or OList and instantly connecting them to Google My Business.
Opera for Business also features a rich set of digital marketing and advertising services such as online profile management, review management services, social media management, couponing, and promotional tools, as well as a tailored set of advertising services across Opera, Google, and Facebook inventories.
It noted that companies who are interested in exploring Opera for Business can do so by sending an email to [email protected].
In 2019, Opera launched OLeads, a lead generation platform, and OList, an online marketplace for local merchants. Today hundreds of thousands of local merchants and businesses have already been onboarded and remain active on these platforms, allowing them to establish an online presence and connect with the quickly growing internet user base in the country.
With an internet penetration rate of roughly 47 per cent in Nigeria, the internet is a perfect space for Nigerian businesses to grow and connect with customers across the country and now, with Opera’s latest offering, this is becoming even easier.
Opera has significant ambitions for accelerating the digital transformation of the African region. The company currently has a user base of more than 125 million people in Africa, out of its 360 million global user base. This includes the use of the popular Opera Mini browser, Opera browser, and the standalone news application Opera News.
Opera has set new growth plans in Africa by expanding its product portfolio beyond mobile applications and introducing new innovative online marketing platforms such as Opera Ads, OLeads, and OList.
With this strategy now expanded through a partnership with Google My Business, Opera plans to continue leading the digital shift in Africa and maximizing the visibility of millions of African businesses online.
