Somebody looking for a local business using the internet on their computer or mobile phone are probably looking for a business they recognize or one that is very close to their current location. If your business is not aggressively using Google Places you could miss the opportunity to be one of the 2 – 7 local search results that will display on your next customers search device. When you provide plenty of information in your Google Places listing it makes a better experience for the user and possibly gets your listing to show over your competitors.
You can claim your Google Places page for free with a free Google account. An easy way to get an account is to sign up for gmail using your business name.
Getting added in Google local is not automatic so a business owner needs to go to the Google Business Center and enter their local business information. However sometimes you’ll see a listing for your business in Google Places. If you haven’t put it there you need to claim that listing and make sure all the information is correct. You’ll probably need to add more to make it complete.
Finding the Google Places business center is easy. Just search on Google for Google places or Google business center. This URL works too places.google.com/business. Fill out everything possible. The more you enter, the better for your potential customer and for getting your information to show on a Google search.
The business category will also be asked for and filling up all five fields with categories relevant to your business is crucial. Filling in the field with unrelated information may be labeled as spamming by Google and the penalty will be felt in the rankings. Also, usually using locations in the categories is a no-no and your Google Places page could be de-indexed by Google.
You’ll need to validate your listing usually using the phone. A code will be sent to your primary phone number and you can enter it on the Place page. The other option is to get a mailed postcard which can take a couple weeks. A real person reviews your listing and approves it about a day later.
Make sure that your primary business website, if you have one, is the best it can be. Useful information could be a map and directions and contact information. An opt-in form may be something to consider also. Getting questions answered on your website could free up time and resources from office staff.
Your Google Places page comes with a click reporting system. review this data regularly to see what kind of traffic this free Google Places page is generating. Keep you main business website updated with helpful information since people can easily click through to your main site from your Google Places page.
So you owe it to your business to get your free advertising on Google. People are looking for you. Do you want to be found? Just go to the Google business center and set up your business right now.
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