After you know the benefits of listing your business on Google Business Profile, you probably want to get your listing as quickly as possible. So how do you do it?
Check For Eligibility
First, make sure your business is eligible for a listing. Currently Google has over 4,000 categories of businesses available, making it right for businesses in just about any and all industries. While it is true that at one time, the platform did not allow online businesses to create a listing, today you can create a Google Business Profile even if you don’t have a physical address.
Create Your Google Account
When creating a Google Business Profile listing, the first thing to do is create a Google account. Google accounts are free and will give you one space to control and use everything Google-related including Gmail, YouTube, Google Play, Google Ads, and more. You can create a Google account here:
https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=SignUp .
Of course, if you already have a Google account, you can start building your business profile just by signing into it.
Once you’ve signed in you can head over to the Google Business Profile Listing Page here:
https://www.google.com/intl/en_ca/business/
Next, click on the ‘Manage Now’ button. Once there you’ll find a few steps to follow, mainly information you’ll need to fill out about your business.
Confirm No Duplicate Listings
You’ll first need to verify that you don’t already have a listing, or claim a listing that’s already there. Even if you haven’t added your business, Google may have created a listing pulling information from around the Web. When this is the case, just claim the listing and start adding information. The information you’ll need is:
- Your Business name
- Country/Region
- Full address
- City
- State
- Business phone number
- Business category
- Service areas
- Additional information such as hours of operation, payment options, photos, videos
Verify Your Google Listing
After filling in all the information about your business, Google will then want to verify your business. This is so that Google can ensure that all listings within the Google Business Profile are real, legitimate businesses, which will help them serve users searching for those businesses better.
Verification can be done through a few different methods. The easiest is usually Google sending a postcard to the business. This verifies that the business actually is at the address provided. The postcard Google sends will have a PIN on it that you can then enter your Google Business Profile listing which will verify it and allow you to start promoting it. In some cases, verification can also be done over the phone or via a text message. It depends on the method Google chooses to use.
If you’d like more information about your Google Business Profile feel free to contact us anytime.
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