Put your business on the map with Google My Business

Have you had issues getting your map in the correct location in Google maps?
Have you wondered why you cannot control the Write a Review feature on your Google map location?
Have you wondered why other businesses are listed on a Google map on the first page of local search results? Do something great for your business today and sign up for a FREE listing in Google My Business.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business contains local business profiles. This service was previously known as Google Places for Business. When local searches are conducted for your business,  Google business listings are in the first pages of search results. Claiming your place will allow you to create a profile with your logo and official company information.

Why Should You Claim Your Place?

Claiming your Google My Business listing is a simple and free process. There are a few reasons why you should do this.

• Your local business information can be easily found across Google, including on Google Maps, Google Search, and Google+.
• Your profile is available on all devices, so your audience can access the information when they need it — for example, your driving directions from their smart phone, and click-to-call for your phone number.
• Allows you to add details, pictures and video links to your listing.
• Ensures that Google contains correct information about your business.
• Invites customers to leave reviews about your business.
• Gives you a competitive advantages over other, unclaimed listings.

Here is a sample search result for “prince edward county wineries”, this displays on the first page of Google search results.  Notice the wineries that have claimed their Google listings.

How to Claim your Google listing

Here are step-by-step instructions for how to add your business information to Google My Business:

1. Visit Google > Local > Add www.google.com/local/add/
2. Read the Google quality guidelines and local listings content policy prior to creating your listing.
3. If you already have a Google Account, sign in with your email and password. You can also use an AdWords login address and password, if you have one. If you don’t have a Google Account, you can sign up for a free account.
4. On Google Local homepage, click Add new business.
5. Enter your business information.

On the “Find your business” tab, search for your business by phone number to see if Google already has information about your business.
Select the country of your business location from the drop-down.
Enter the phone number of your business listing.
Click Find business information.
Review the search results, if any, to see if one of them describes your business.
If none of the results are related to your business, you will be prompted to add business information on the Edit Details page.
If none of the results is your business, click Add a new listing. You’ll be prompted to add more information on the next page.
Fill out the basic information about your business. This includes:
Company/Organization:
Address
Phone Number
Website
Business Categories
Hours of operation
Payment options
Photos: You can add up to 10 photos to your listing.
Video: To add a video, upload it to YouTube and copy and paste the URL to your Places listing. You can add up to 5 videos to your listing.
Additional details: Use this section to add custom information fields to your listing. For example, parking availability, or whether your business allows pets.

You can preview your listing as it will appear in Maps on the right side of your screen. When you’re finished editing your listing, click [Submit] at the bottom of the page.

6. Choose how you would like to verify your listing and click Finish.

7. Once you’ve submitted your business information, you’ll be asked to verify it before it goes live.

About verification

PIN Verification is required to confirm that the person claiming and verifying the listing through Google Places is actually the business owner or an authorized representative of the business.

A PIN, also known as a verification code, is sent to either the business address or the business phone. The business owner then enters the PIN into the Google Places account. Once the listing has been verified, the listing will appear on Google.

For further information, see https://support.google.com/
 

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Is your business using Google My Business? Have you seen any improvements in your traffic and/or sales since you started getting involved with local search? Let me know your story and your thoughts in the comments below.