How To Get A Business On Google Maps

How To Get A Business On Google Maps

EVERY COMPANY WANTS TO BE LISTED LOCALLY! (HERE’S WHY)

How to get a business on Google maps is a vital question that must be addressed if you are a small business owner. Why? Because one of the few ways a small business can compete with other local businesses in its industry that are located in the same area is by dominating local search. You can read more about what is local search marketing here.

In addition to this, a business might choose to take it a step further and employ a variety of local optimization techniques.  They would do this to increase visibility and local online exposure. (This is a very wise thing to do if you have a business and want to rank it locally)

Let’s take a look at the images below so you can have a better understanding of the difference between a GMB listing that has been locally optimized and one that has not.

 

When a business is locally optimized with a listing that is created properly, you will see it show up in the Google Maps 3 Pack as shown below:

 

 

When a business is simply listed in Google, they will show up closer to the bottom.  The business will not be visible in Google maps unless a potential customer goes through all the different pages of maps.

 

In the image below, you can see that there are at least 5 pages:

 

 

 

What We Highly Recommend If You Wanna Be In Maps

As you can see, it is possible to show up in Google Maps by simply creating a business listing.  And we’ll show you exactly how to do that step by step in the following section of this post!

However, if you want to show up and be visible in Google Maps so that your customers see you, we suggest you hire a professional for Google My Business setup and optimization.  Bizmap LLC is a great company that offers Google My Business setup services for as low as $189 for an optimized listing.  You can contact them for more information on that here!

THINK OF IT LIKE THIS: An optimized Google My Business listing is similar to being in the front row of a concert or in the front of a really long line.  Now why wouldn’t you place your business in a position to succeed?

However, many people might not want to hire someone to do this.  Maybe they can’t afford it or they might not be prepared for the extra business they would get with a properly optimized GMB listing.  If this is you, don’t worry.  Having a listing is better than not having one.  Below we will tell you how to set up your listing yourself!

Setting Up Your GMB So You Can Show Up In Maps!

Your GMB listing is like the holy grail of local business tools that are out there.  And this is simply what Google maps hands over to you to be able to do for your business!  With the help of a business SEO services (or on your own) you can get your company on Google maps! And it’s as easy as 1-2-3!  NO JOKE!

Let’s start by taking a look at the screenshot below.  At the top of the Google search page you see, you notice Google adwords PPC ads at the very top. Directly beneath that, you will see the Google maps 3 pack, which is what we will be talking about in this post. So this is the place to start if you were wondering how to get a business on Google maps!

The Google maps 3 pack is where you will see the local search results. These local search results relate to your search query and locality. The only way to be in local search results for a competitive phrase is to optimize your website properly, optimize your Google my business listing, and show google that you are a legitimate business with reviews and submissions to directory listings.

Reputation management might be essential for review prompting and the development and engineering of your online presence.   Additionally, it’s essential that name, address and phone information (NAP) is all consistent on your website and all business listings.

So let’s get right to how you can get your business listed. You can easily get your business on Google maps through the ‘Google My Business’ GMB service. Optimizing your business is vital as well – (but that’s something to enlist an experienced SEO agency to do). But creating a GMB lisiting is pretty easy to do.

GMB (or Google My Business) is a free service by Google to help small businesses get their business seen online. GMB serves as a tool through which Google manages a local business’s information on its various platforms such as Google maps and Google+.

When you get your business listed on ‘Google My Business,’ your business appears in Google’s local search results. This will happen when people search for a specific business or the broad category under which your business is listed in your locality. Although it’s easy to get your business listed, it’s equally important to do it right. So optimizing your Google maps listing properly is essential.

 

How To Set Up A Google My Business Listing

 

STEP 1: GO TO ‘GOOGLE MY BUSINESS’

The first step is for you to go to Google my business dashboard after you have logged in with your Gmail account. The Google account must be associated with the location of the business you want to add, so you might want to create a new Gmail just for this purpose.

If you need to create a new Gmail account, click on ‘Create Account’ and follow the simple steps to create one. The Google Account will be linked to the Google My Business profile you are about to create.

You will click the “Manage Button” while signed into your gmail account that you want to use for your listing. After that, a page will come up where you will add your business manually into Google. You can look at the screenshot below to see what to expect when you’re adding your listing.

You will be asked to fill in your business’s name. You will see a search bar that says “business name” and the heading “What’s the name of your business” above that. You just add it in exactly as you will be listing it on every other site. It’s very important that NAP are consistent throughout!

If your business has been operating for quite some time, your business is most likely already listed. If this is the case, you will see your business name in a drop-down list of businesses once you enter the required information into the search bar. Ensure the address and the phone number is correct. Click on it and claim your business.

However, if that isn’t the case, click on the ‘add your business’ hyperlink at the bottom of the drop-down.

STEP 2: GO AHEAD AND ADD YOUR BUSINESS

This step would apply to you if you didn’t find your business on the drop-down list. Once you click on the ‘add your business’ hyperlink, you will be prompted to a page where you will fill in your business details. From your business category to your business street address and phone number.

Even though Google will provide you with the options of choosing more than one category for your business. It is advisable you do not select more than one. To ensure better ranking, the more specific you are with your category, the better.  You can also choose multiple categories.

If applicable to your business, check the box that says ‘I deliver goods and services to my customers at their location’. Then go ahead and fill in the ZIP codes and city names of the areas you serve.
Check the box to confirm and click ‘Continue’.

 

STEP 3: VERIFICATION

 

To confirm you own the business or you’re authorized to make changes to the business listing, you will be required to verify the business. Click on ‘Verify Now’ in your business listing dashboard.

 

Verify By Postcard

Once you click ‘Verify Now’, you can go ahead and choose verify by postcard option among other options. For this option, a mail will be sent to your business address.

The mail will contain a verification code which is only valid for 30 days. The postcard is a very pretty simple one and easy to miss. So, you’ve to be on the lookout for it. It usually takes 1-2 weeks to arrive.

Once you get the mail, hop on back to your business’s profile dashboard on Google My Business and enter the verification code.

 

Verify By Phone

This is the fastest way to get your business verified on GMB. You don’t have to wait for weeks like the Postcard method.

You will get a phone call from Google stating your verification code as soon as you choose verify by phone method. Put it down, click on the ‘Enter Code’ button at the top-right corner of your dashboard and enter the verification code. This is how to get a business on Google maps.

You can also verify instantly on your dashboard if you have a domain-based email address that is a match with your business’s website listing domain in Google Webmaster Tools.

After successful verification, review your business information for any final changes and click on ‘Done Editing’ to proceed.

 

STEP 4: EDIT YOUR BUSINESS LISTING PROFILE

At the top-right side of your business’s profile dashboard is the ‘Edit’ button.
Here, you can do the following:

• add a profile picture, logo, and other images related to your business
• add your opening hours and additional info
• write a brief description of your business
• use the ‘post’ feature on your dashboard to share updates, events, links, videos or photos

 

In Summary

Now you should have some basic knowledge on Google My Business and the fact that it takes a little work to actually show up in Google Maps.  However, whether or not you are at the top of the Google Maps Snack Pack, you should still have a listing.

Without a Google listing, your business will not be available on local search. So while it’s ideal to hire an agency (such as NJ SEO Bizmap LLC) to setup your listing properly, you should set it up whether or not you have it professionally optimized.

In addition to this, considering local SEO services is crucial if you are a serious business owner.  You can start by requesting a free SEO audit here.  We’ll do it by video and walk you through the results!

We hope you have learned a lot about Google My Business.  Now that you’re ready to dominate search, we hope you thoroughly understand the importance of being listed on Google My Business.  And that’s how you get a business on Google maps!