How to Get Your Business Listed on Google
It’s a fact: small businesses account for half of America’s GDP. In the digital landscape of today, these very businesses have more of a shot to be noticed and profitable. Google has been a huge vehicle behind this phenomenon. If you can speak their language, then no matter what tier of business you fall under you have a shot at making their front page and harvesting large amounts of traffic (then hopefully conversions!).
Today, it is paramount that any sort of business signs up for Google My Business, a platform launched by the world’s largest search engine that integrates maps, reviews, and works closely with AdWords. If you’re trying to figure out how to get your business listed on Google, then look no further; you’ve come to the right place.
Is Google My Business Worth it?
Absolutely. There is zero reason why any business that could profit from more visibility is not listed on it. Not only will it attract more customers, but all businesses listed on Google My Business instantly become more credible. Google uses an array of different sources to create brand and business reputation. These include third parties (that have dealt with your product or service), reviews, and then your very own input once you verify your account. Also, it doesn’t cost you anything. In case you didn’t already know, Google My Business is free.
Related: Direct Messaging on Google My Business: What You Need to Know
When customers visit your listing they will be able to view your hours of operation, location, and then (hopefully) a long list of fantastic reviews about your product/service. Google, customers, and you yourself can post a plethora of pictures depicting your business. The more information you have and the more you keep tabs on your listing, the better the odds that a customer is going to come walking in through the front door. In fact, today when we search for a business on Google, the more information available, the more we immediately begin to trust the company.
So, all in all, listing your company on Google My Business is not just a good move, it’s a necessity. Your competition is probably already on there.
How Do I List My Business on Google?
Let’s start with a computer, as it’s ubiquitously agreed that it’s easier to start a listing from a laptop or desktop.
- Go to Google My Business
- Make sure you’re signed into the Google account you want to use for your business
- Click ‘Start Now’
- You will be prompted with this page
- Fill out the information (country, address, phone, category, website, then whether or not you deliver goods or services to you customer’s location)
- Then once it’s done, all you have to do is click submit
It’s important to note that, depending on your business, someone else may have already verified it. In which case go here and use Google’s prompt to request ownership of a business listing.
If you’re on a mobile device the process is a bit different, but relatively the same. You’ll want to be connected to the Google account associated with your business. If this is your personal email, that’s fine.
- Download the Google My Business Application
- If you don’t have an account you want to use, press ‘Create new business’
- Follow the steps above if your company has already been verified
- Enter your information
- Ensure that you’ve claimed where you are on Google Maps
- Finish
Once you’ve made these steps, it is then important to search for your business on Google’s listing platform to ensure that you’ve done it correctly, your business is listed, and that your information is correct. At that point, it’ll be public, so you don’t want to have misleading information from the get-go.
Related: Google Adds “Posts” to Google My Business
Google My Business Tips
As with anything in the world of internet, there are always ways to do it better.
Pictures
The importance of high-quality pictures can be the difference between someone first interacting with your listing and thinking this is professional, or this is amateur. You really want to make sure you have the best possible pictures on your listing, as it boosts credibility. You’ll want to start with a great profile picture that depicts your brand/company.
Afterward, you can have pictures of the owner, team, interior of the workplace, exterior of the workplace, product, service, brand, and more. We highly recommend you flesh these out with high-quality, professional pictures. They will only help validate that you are a professional company and customers take your listing seriously.
Regularity
You need to stay on top of your listing. Google has a tendency to ‘default’ certain items. Like the above for example; if you don’t control what pictures are being used, Google might crawl a website and use ones that are out of place or not appropriate within a certain category.
Speed
How quickly can someone contact you via your listing? If it suits your business, it’s often wise to include an extension or a direct line that is always (we’re speaking within business hours here) ready for use. How many times have you searched for a certain service or product, called the first number you saw and no one picked up? What does that force the customer to do? More often than not, they scroll down to the next company and call that number instead.
Use Data
Google My Business Insights will provide you with their own form of content metrics. Use this data to see how well your listing is doing, where it’s generating leads, and how it scales in comparison to your immediate competition. There’s no reason that this free data should not be completely utilized.
Go Do It!
The vast majority of customers want to research businesses from the comfort of their home or computer. They want to evaluate, analyze, and then choose. Yet, few of them want to be diligent. This means often they won’t wander past the first few listings. This is one of the many reasons it is time for you to go and list your business on Google My Business.
It’s easy, free, and can massively impact your customer base. You don’t need to be a marketing expert (or even versed in the field) and you can still get up in a running in a less than an hours’ worth of work.
What’s stopping you?
