Do you want your business to be discovered on the internet? Then you have landed on the right page. With the help of Google My Business, you can reach out to more customers and improve your sales. And the good news is, you can do this entirely on your own without any expert’s help. In this week’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to list your business on Google and the benefits that it will bring.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business is one of the many Google’s tools that helps to list an online business so that it can be found through Search, Maps and even Google Plus. It allows customers to get access to your company’s basic information right at their fingertips.
For example, they would be able to find the direction to your business or call your company for inquiries. Such conveniences are what makes getting on Google so exciting for both the business owners and the customers.
How to List My Business on Google?
Step #1
To get started, search for Google My Business to claim the physical location of your company.
Step #2
After typing in the address, a Google Business Page will be generated to confirm the location.
Step #3
In the third step, you need to verify the business through any of the 4 methods listed below.
Assuming you haven’t created a business website yet, you can opt to verify via a postcard (although this may take a longer time). When you choose this method, you will receive a postcard from Google within 2 weeks time. Once it arrives, you have a period of 30 days to verify the location of your business before the code expires.
Here’s the example of the postcard which I received from Google, which shows you the verification process step-by-step.
Insert the code on your Google Business Page and once submitted, you can start to customize how your business appears on Google.
Step #4
Next, you need to fill out the following information so that people will know more about your business.
- Business Name – What type of business name do you use to represent your company?
- Address Location – This information will sync automatically with Google Maps.
- Contact Numbers – This allows customers to call your business directly from their devices.
- Website Address – By creating a business website, you can provide more information about your organization, products and services.
- Business Hours – This will let customers know what is the best time to contact your business.
- Photos – You can showcase interesting images about your business to make it look more attractive.
- Description – Providing a short description here will give people an idea what your business is all about.
For example, when someone browses for “Google New York”, they will see the following information on the search result.
Another interesting feature is that previous customers can also leave their personal reviews about your company. This is a great tool to generate a good reputation for your business online.
Does It Cost You Anything to List on Google?
Listing your business on Google is totally free of charge. As long as you have a Gmail account, you can easily verify and set up a Google Business Page within minutes.
What Do Business Owners Think?
As a small business owner, getting exposure of any kind is important for building your online presence. With a tool like Google My Business, you can expect to bring your company to every part of the world and still have that local touch. Here’s a testimonial from the Claudio’s Seafood company.
So, Is Google My Business Worth The Time?
Out of curiosity, I did a quick research on several local businesses and found that many companies that have good customer reviews (more than 4 stars) have yet to claim their listing on Google. Here are just some of the examples.
Besides, according to Google, the trend for ‘list business online’ is ongoing and as more people understand the benefits of online marketing, we can expect to find more local businesses appearing on the internet.
Technically, after you receive the verification code, it only takes 10 minutes to set up the listing. After that, your business is basically ‘open’ 24/7 to a global audience. Consider it a free advertisement. Which business doesn’t want to benefit from that, right? 🙂
So if you asked me, it’s definitely worth taking the time to learn how to list your business on Google.
Take Your Business to the Next Level
Creating a successful online business doesn’t end there. Remember the part that requires a website information? Well, half of those who have yet to claim their listing haven’t even created a business website. If Google is the online directory, a business website is like an online store where you can continue to build positive relationship with new and old customers.
With a website, you can do so many things such as;
- Write blogs featuring your business activities.
- Engaged in discussions with your customers.
- Create YouTube videos to showcase your products/services.
- Create online surveys to improve on the quality of your business.
- Build your clientele through social network interaction.
- Get found on other search engines; not just Google.
So, are you ready to join the trend and take your business to the next level? Watch the video tutorial below by Jay from Wealthy Affiliate to get started.
Do you have any thoughts or questions about listing your business on Google? Please leave them in the comment area below and I’ll get back to you.
Cathy,
Thanks for another great post. I never really thought about listing the business on Google that way. I think this is a great thing especially if you have a small business and are looking to get more exposure. All of those mom and pop organizations could greatly improve their traffic, both physically and internet traffic.
Thank you for sharing this post. I love the idea. From here, I am going straight to add my website to Google My Business. My website is still new and it is yet to be indexed on Google. I hope this will help. I think this app is going to be helpful for my business to be found by local customers.
Hey Cathy,
I actually had no idea such feat was available within Google’s tools.
I do have a question. For the unclaimed businesses which you listed, are those covered by the Google Maps crew and/or random people who happened to notice that business but there was no online listing of them?
Anyway, I do not have a physical business myself, but the doubt came to mind.
Also, the video of Claudio’s Seafood company isn’t being displayed, it just shows a “The page can’t be displayed” legend.
For the unclaimed listings, I think they show up because people are making online references to the business over a period of time.
The video plays just fine on my side. Perhaps it’s a browser compatibility problem? I am using Chrome.
Interesting post. But is Google My Business suitable for any website owner or it is better if you have a physical store or at least an online one?
How do you verify the Address Location if you are listing a website, not a real store?
It sounds like an idea I would like to explore or at least to know some more about it. I would come back to your site again.
Thank you for opening my eyes for new things.
Hi Ellie, Google My Business is essentially for businesses with physical locations. If yours is a web based business, then you should create a Google Plus Brand Page instead. You can start by registering on this page.
Very informative and educational page. The rationale for using Google My Business can not be disputed. By following the simple steps laid out, the business and the business location can be even more accessible to anyone. It is a free service that can only be a benefit to any business. Add to that the business website for a powerful advertising combination. Another bonus is getting feedback and being able to respond to it.
Indeed Steve,
With a website and the help of Google Listing, one can take his/her business very far. If you look at the examples above, all these businesses have good ratings from their customers but they are not making their services/products more visible due to the lack of a website or claiming their listing. Eventually, they will lose online visitors to their competitors where information is more accessible.
Creating a business website isn’t really that hard and you can learn more about it at SiteRubix.
Hey Cathy.
I just wanted to say great job on the Google My Business guide. I followed your steps and I think I am now listed in GMB. So thanks! Really. I couldn’t find any easy to follow tutorials for Google My Business.
It deserves the social love! 🙂
Hi Julian,
Thanks for the social share. I am glad to know that you benefited from this article. Just remember – If you have a physical business, you should start using this free tool immediately. If you are running a home based business, a Google Page will serve a better purpose.
This looks like some really useful information for people with a physical business location 🙂 Would you say it’s worth spending the time to get listed for an online business, or is this more of a thing for businesses with a physical “shop front”?
Great to see you back on my blog, Zoe.
Listing on Google is mainly for physical businesses, hence the verification process. If yours is purely an online business with no physical location, you are encouraged to create a Google Plus Page instead.
Hope you are having a safe travel, wherever you are!
Hi Cathy
Thank you for the very thorough instructions on how to get your business on ‘Google My Business”. I have never heard of this before, but will bear your article in mind for gaining more business.
I do not have a product to sell as such as I am doing the BootCamp Course at Wealthy Affiliate. However, once I have learnt the ropes I will branch out into my own product and that is when your article will come in handy.
Hi Lucinda,
A lot of people do not know that they can actually claim their business listing on Google for free. This service is not new and in fact, it’s very much under utilize by a lot of local businesses. If you can create a business website and add it to the listing, then you’ll be providing more information to your customers and building your brand online.
Cathy, this is a really aesthetically pleasing page and very well laid out.
I don’t have a business to display on Google, but can see the benefits you talk about.
If I am looking for a particular type of business, can I input the type and get a listing of all the local businesses doing whatever it is I am looking for? That would be a massive benefit for free.
Welcome to my blog, Damien.
From a customer perspective, Google listing is exactly that – it gives you direct information to what you are searching for, granted that the local business has taken 10 minutes to verify their location online.
So, if you are looking for a ‘dentist in Vancouver’ or ‘the best vegetarian restaurant near me’, Google will pull all the relevant listing based on the locality information and present the best results to you. Very much like searching on Yellow Pages, except that it’s 50 times faster 🙂
Gosh, I didn’t know Google has such great tools. It is certainly worth exploring.
Apart from the brick and mortar business, how about address-less online business? Can it get listed? In the post you also mentioned about postcard. I wonder if this is just for US business owners or any business in the world.
Thanks a lot for sharing this information Cathy. Your step by step guide to the tool is super clear and easy to follow.
Hi Fisher,
To answer your questions;
1) According to Google Support, pure online businesses should create a brand page instead of a local page. To create a brand page, you’ll need to set up a Google Plus page instead.
2) I don’t live in the US, but I still received the postcard within 2 weeks. I think it shouldn’t be a problem in your country as well.
I am glad you found some value in this article.
Hi Cathy,
This a great tutorial on how to create a presence for your business in Google. I thought about doing this as well, but I have an online business and I always thought you had to have a physical address in order to use Google Business. Can you use it for an online business as well? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie,
You certainly need a physical address because that’s how you can claim your listing with Google. If your online business has something to do with retailing, then this tool is very relevant to you. If you are dealing with affiliate marketing which usually doesn’t have an address, a Google Plus page or your own Google Plus profile is probably better.
Hi Cathy,
Every time I come to your site, I learned about a new feature! I had no idea Google My Business existed, but it seems like something I would try out 🙂 When you said that we could choose to receive a postcard from Google, that threw me off a tad as I do not think I have received a postcard in like 20 years. But it seems like a very easy process. My business does not sell anything.
So would you still recommend I set it up in Google anyways?
Hi there Emily,
I demonstrated with a postcard to show that even without a business website or lack of web skills, you can still list a traditional business on Google. It definitely helps to have a website, but that’s not necessary. Is yours an affiliate marketing site? Then you might want to consider creating a Google Plus page instead to feature your blog activities. I just use my Google Plus profile to promote my affiliate blog because it feels more personal.
Hi Cathy. Really great info. My question is, does this work only if you have an actual local business location or if you have only like mine, an affiliate marketing website?
Hi Guy,
Google My Business technically caters for local businesses that have physical addresses. It’s not relevant to affiliate marketers although you could be working full time from your own home. I don’t think it’s even a wise idea to verify your residence address, otherwise people would know where you are staying.
OK… I see. Thanks
Hi Cathy,
Really helpful, step-by-step advice here. I just reckon that it’s absolutely unthinkable, in this day and age, for local businesses to not be listed in Google.
I know that the first place I look is Google, if I’m trying to find out more about a local business. I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to hear how many times I’ve tried to look up a business that I’d more than happily give my cash to, only to find that they’re not listed.
It just makes the user experience that much better for me to find a nice, simple business website waiting for me when I Google a business’ name. So worth the 10-15 mins it takes to set up.
Anyway, always good to learn new things here.
You are absolutely right, Sean.
Creating a business website and listing it on Google is not that difficult. I think most business owners didn’t realize that these tools are readily available at their fingertips, without having to rely on any web specialists. A good 90% of our shopping are spent locally, but probably less that 10% of local business make their presence online which very much reflects your frustration as a customer.
The way I see it, if everyone has got a Facebook account, every local business should have at least a business website to balance out the equation. Otherwise, a lot of opportunities are lost, virtually.
You provided very thorough information on how to get your business listed on “Google My Business”. I never knew this tool existed. I am definitely going to follow the steps you provided to get my online business listed and hopefully gain some more traffic to my website. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kenya,
I am glad you found this article useful. Recently, I helped my boss to list our company on Google and we have been receiving a lot of phone calls and new clients walking through our door. Even by providing the basic information, you’ll be surprised with the response from the local clients.
Great post about what and how to get listed with Google for your business. Having Google put your company in there listings for others to find would definitely be an extra way to build your online brand.
I believe for most business this is a great way to get some extra advertising as you said in your post.
Hi Travis,
By claiming your business listing on Google, your business name will certainly show up more frequently whenever someone search for something within that niche in a certain locality. It would be a waste of resources not to use this so-called free advertising tool for your company.
Hi Cathy,
This Google My Business tool is very handy for local business owner to get their presence found easily through Google search engine. I personally use the feature not for my business, but for searching something from a customer’s perspective.
Sometime, I scout on a company and check whether the reviews are good or not. So basically, we are reverse-engineering this opportunity as a business owner to attract more customers toward our products or services! 🙂
Hi there Edy,
The comments on Google My Business page do help to give a quick overall impression about a local company, but I find that they can sometimes be quite brief. I personally prefer blog reviews because they offer more up-to-date information which reflects the true state of the products/services, whether they are negative or positive customer reviews.
I recently made a Google Business page for my website, but it’s only an online blog that works as an affiliate marketing area. Would a business page really even help me in this way? I’m already ranking just with my regular Google Plus profile, and I don’t really like the functionality of the business page, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. What do you suggest?
Hi Sarah,
In my opinion, it doesn’t hurt. In fact, I think it could attract some local marketing traffic to your site and if people find your products relevant, why not? I am also doing affiliate marketing, but I didn’t set up a Google Business Page simply because that’s one less profile to manage on top of other social networks that I am currently active in. Just a personal preference to suit my time schedule.