How to Claim and Get Your Business Listed on Google My Business
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Have you claimed your Google My Business listing yet? Did you know that Google gives you a FREE listing that can help you rank locally for your local business? Find out the steps you need to take to claim your local business listing on Google My Business (part of the GYBO partnership program with SCORE East Central Iowa.)
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How to Claim and Get Your Business Listed on Google My Business
- 1. GET FOUND ON GOOGLE SEARCH AND MAPSHow to Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Page Sherry Bonelli, Digital Marketer & SCORE Mentor @sherrybonelli earlybirddigitalmarketing.com
- 2. Sherry Bonelli, MA Internet Marketing Owner, early bird digital marketing • 18+ years’ digital marketing experience • Launched ecommerce business in 1998 • Public Speaker • Specialties: • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) • Reputation Marketing • Content Marketing • Social Media Marketing • Video Marketing About Me…• 18+ years’ digital marketing experience • Launched ecommerce business in 1998 • Public Speaker • Specialties: Sherry Bonelli, MA Internet Marketing Owner, early bird digital marketing SCORE Mentor About Me…
- 3. CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS WHEN THEY SEARCH ON GOOGLE
- 4. CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS WHEN THEY SEARCH ON GOOGLE MAPS
- 5. GOOGLE MY BUSINESS WORKS ACROSS DEVICES Be found on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
- 6. WHAT IS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?
- 7. THE QUICK PITCH Google My Business is a free tool businesses use to manage info across Google Search and Maps. By keeping info accurate and up-to-date, businesses can find and connect with potential customers. To be eligible, a business must make in-person contact with customers during stated business hours. This can happen either at the business itself or at a customer’s location.
- 8. WHO’S ELIGIBLE In order to qualify for a Google My Business listing, a business must make in-person contact with customers during stated hours. If a business is located in a residential area or does not meet with clients at their place of business, they should add a service area to hide their address. Exceptions: ATMs, video-rental kiosks, and express mail drop boxes are permitted. If you add these locations, you must include contact info for customers to get help.
- 9. WHO’S NOT ELIGIBLE Most businesses are eligible for Google My Business listings but there are a few exceptions. Here are a few examples: • Online-only businesses • Businesses that aren’t open yet • Rental or for-sale properties • Businesses that use a PO box as the mailing addresses
- 10. WHERE DOES GOOGLE MY BUSINESS INFO SHOW?
- 11. WHERE DOES INFO SHOW? You can find info from Google My Business on mobile and desktop versions of Google Search and Maps. Customers might not see the entire Google My Business listing, but they can find the info in many places across Google. That’s why verification is so important, so business owners can keep their info accurate and up-to-date. To learn how Google uses business info, read this Help Center article.
- 12. WHERE DO PEOPLE SEE BUSINESS INFO? Using the Insights reports, you can learn where people found your business info and what actions they took, including: ● How many people visited your website ● How many people requested driving directions ● How many people called you ● How many people viewed photos For detailed info, check out this Help Center article.
- 13. GET YOUR BUSINESS ON GOOGLE FOR FREE
- 14. STEP 1: SEARCH FOR YOUR BUSINESS gybo.com/business Click “Find Out” to see if your business appears on Google Search and Maps.
- 15. IS YOUR BUSINESS INFO COMPLETE? Update your business info. Verify your business info. Add your business info.
- 16. SIGN IN TO YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT Sign in to the Google Account you use for your business. Don’t have a Google Account? Click “Create an account” to get started.
- 17. STEP 2: SELECT YOUR BUSINESS OR ADD IT See your business in the list? Click to continue. Don’t see your business? Click “Let me enter the full business details.”
- 18. STEP 3: ENTER YOUR BUSINESS DETAILS Can’t find the perfect category? Pick something close.
- 19. DO YOU WORK FROM HOME? Keep your residential address private. Select “Yes” if your business serves customers at their locations. Then, click “Continue” to set up a service area.
- 20. STEP 4: CONFIRM YOUR BUSINESS Agree to the Terms of Service. Then, click “Continue.”
- 22. WHAT IS VERIFICATION? Verification determines if a business is eligible for a Google My Business listing. It confirms the physical location and that an authorized party controls the listing. After verification, a business can do the following: • Make changes to business info that appear across Google • Read and respond to customer reviews left on Google • Publish photos that showcase products and services • See reports, called “Insights” that show how people find and interact with business info on Google Search and Maps
- 24. STEP 5: VERIFY THE BUSINESS Click “Mail.”
- 25. REQUEST A PIN Your PIN should arrive in about a week. Click “Send postcard.” Click “Continue” to visit Google My Business.
- 26. BONUS: EXPEDITED VERIFICATION - GYBO.COM/VERIFYMYBUSINESS • Google Username: Enter the complete email address associated with the business listing. • Make sure to check your email as you will receive an email to confirm verification or if there are issues that need to be addressed.
- 27. Workshop Host: SCORE East Central Iowa
- 28. REQUEST A PIN Your PIN should arrive in about a week. Click “Send postcard.” Click “Continue” to visit Google My Business. Skip This Steps If You Filled Out the Form on the Previous Slide
- 29. TAKE A TOUR OF GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
- 30. COMPLETE YOUR BUSINESS PROFILE Click to edit your business info.
- 31. EDIT BUSINESS INFORMATION Remember to apply changes. Click pencil icons to edit.
- 32. MANAGE BUSINESS PHOTOS Click to manage photos.
- 33. ACCESS MORE TOOLS FROM THE DASHBOARD Share updates on Google+. Advertise your business on Google. See how people interact with your info on Google. Read and respond to reviews.
- 34. ADD MANAGERS TO HELP Invite managers here. From the dashboard, click this menu icon. Choose their access level. Then, choose Managers.
- 35. TO RETURN TO GOOGLE MY BUSINESS Sign in: google.com/business
- 36. MAKE UPDATES ON THE GO WITH THE MOBILE APP Download the free app for Android or iOS.
- 38. WHEN YOUR PIN ARRIVES Sign in: google.com/business Sign in here.
- 39. ENTER YOUR PIN Click “Enter code.”
- 40. COMPLETE VERIFICATION Enter your PIN, then click “Submit.”
- 41. Email Marketing Basics Getting Started With Email Using Constant Contact Sherry Bonelli, Digital Marketer & SCORE Mentor
- 42. Questions?
Editor's Notes
- Before you present… We recommend running through this process for a local business, including the verification step if possible. Our experience hosting live workshops has been that it works best when attendees watch the entire presentation first, taking notes and asking questions. Then, after explaining the process, attendees work online (following the steps outlined in this presentation) to create Google My Business accounts. We encourage you to print out copies of the slides and share them with your attendees so they can easily take notes and reference them while building their Google My Business listing. Talking Points: Welcome! [Introduce yourself, and give brief overview of your qualifications. Explain the event schedule, ask attendees to turn phones to vibrate, give directions to restrooms, and provide information about handouts, if applicable.] Today I am going to introduce you to a free resource from Google called “Google My Business.” Google My Business is a fast and easy way for businesses to manage their online presence with Google. Google My Business connects you directly with customers, whether they're looking for you on Google Search or Maps. If you previously used Google Places for Business or Google+ Pages to manage your business information, you’ve likely noticed that your account has been automatically upgraded to Google My Business. It is also possible to use Google My Business to manage information about products, brands, artists, and organizations. These types of pages don’t include an address or other physical location information that appears on Google Maps. Instead, they offer ways to reach out to followers, fans, and customers on Google+. Today’s session will focus on setting up Google My Business for local businesses with a storefront or a local service area.
- Why is this so important? Research show that 97% of consumers search the web to find local goods and services, but only 37% of businesses have claimed a local business listing on a search engine. Today’s session will help you claim your local listing. When you get on Google, it’s easier for potential customers to find important information, including hours, contact information and directions. In this example, you see how the Dandelion Chocolate business information is prominently featured on Google’s search results page. You can help Google understand information about your business, and potentially display it to searchers. Please note that setting up Google My Business won’t guarantee that your business will appear in Google’s search results, but it will help Google show it consistently across Search and Maps. Google My Business doesn’t replace your business website; it complements it by giving your business a public identity and presence on Google.
- Businesses with storefronts open to customers —and those that meet with customers in local service areas— can appear on Google Maps. These listings help searchers find businesses nearby. Google Maps also considers other factors, like relevancy, distance, and prominence. Relevancy is how well a business listing matches a search. If your listing is detailed and up-to-date, Google is more likely to show it for relevant searches. Distance is just like it sounds: how close is the business to the searcher, or the area specified? And, prominence is gauged by how well-known the business is, based on information Google can find across the web.
- Google My Business works on desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. Why is this so important? According to a May 2013 study from Google and Ipsos, Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Smartphone penetration has risen to 56% of the population and these smartphone owners are becoming increasingly reliant on their devices. 67% access the Internet every day on their smartphone and most never leave home without it. Smartphones are critical shopping tools with 77% of users having researched a product or service on their device. 46% of smartphone users have made a purchase on their phone. Now potential customers can find your business whether they’re searching at home, at work, on the go, or switching between devices. Google My Business helps present consistent information about your business, everywhere. If you want to manage your business information from a mobile device, there is a free Google My Business app available in the Google Play Store or from the App Store. This mobile app allows you to manage your business information while you’re on the go. There are a few tasks you can’t complete via the app, including deleting a page and changing page settings. Service-area businesses are also limited in the edits they can make to their area of service.
- Google My Business is free. No catch. If you previously used Google Places for Business or Google+ Pages to manage your business information on the map, your account has been automatically upgraded to Google My Business. Let’s walk through the process of creating a Google My Business account for your local business. One Side Note: If anyone here wants to verify more than 10 separate locations for the same business we recommend doing this a different way, using Google’s bulk verification process. During the break when we help business get verified we’ll help you get started with this. NOTES FOR SPEAKER: For Bulk Verification: send them to Help Center: support.google.com/business/answer/4490296 According to Brandmuscle 56% of businesses have not claimed their Google My Business Page!!!!
- Start by visiting www.gybo.com/business Type in the name of your business and click “Find Out” to see if your business is already listed on Google Maps.
- This triggers a diagnostic tool that tells you whether or not the business can be found on Google. There are three possible outcomes. The first: “Nice Job. You’re on the Map.” This means the business is verified, that is, the business owner— or someone authorized to manage the business— can sign in and make updates that can appear on Search and Maps. You can see suggestions for keeping the business information accurate and up-to-date, plus a preview of the listing as it could appear on Google. If sections are missing information they are highlighted for your attention. To access Google My Business from the diagnostic tool, click the “Update Your Business Info” button. You will need to sign in to Google My Business with the Google username and password associated with the listing. The second outcome: “Your Business Info Might be Incorrect on Google.” This means your business information may appear on Google, but the location is unconfirmed and the listing hasn’t been claimed, or verified. If this is your business, you can verify it to confirm the location by clicking the button labeled “Verify Your Business Info.” This starts the verification process. I’ll explain how that works in a few minutes. The third outcome: the diagnostic tool can’t find any information about the business and you see: “Your business isn’t on the map.” Click “Add Your Business Info” to create a listing.
- Before using many of Google’s products, you need to set up a Google account. This provides a single login (username and password), and access to all the connected Google products. For example, if you login to Gmail (which is automatically a Google account), you do not need to login again to access your calendar or docs - they are all connected. If you don’t use Gmail, you can register another email address as a Google account by visiting www.google.com/accounts.
- Look for your business in the list of results. If you see your business, click the corresponding arrow. That will actually skip you ahead to Step #4. If your business does NOT appear in this list, click the last option, labeled “Let me enter the full business details.” That takes you to Step #3.
- If you you clicked “Let me enter the full business details” you will see this page that asks you to enter your business information. Be careful to enter the information correctly, paying attention to capitalization and spelling. This is how your information may appear across Google. Please follow these guidelines when entering your address: Enter the complete and exact street address for your location. For example: "1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA, 94043”. PO Boxes are not allowed Only include information that is part of your official address. Do not include extra information like cross-streets or nearby landmarks. Suite or office numbers may be added separately from your street name and number. Make sure you include a city, state, zip, and country in your address. In some cases, your business cannot be located – for example, in areas where there are only PO Boxes, or on streets so new that they aren’t listed on the Maps. In today’s workshop, we can help verify your business. If for some reason we cannot verify your business during this session, your next step would be to contact Google by visiting support.google.com/business and clicking “Contact Us” at the top. From here you can call Google or use the Live Chat option to get assistance with your listing. You are also asked to select a category for your business. It must be an existing category - you can’t create one. If you can’t find the perfect category, don’t let that stop you from making a listing. Choose something close. For example, let’s imagine you are a LEED certified construction company. You would look for a category by typing characters in and seeing what categories pop up in the list below. You might start by searching for LEED or “green construction” – but those categories don’t exist. The closest fit might be the generic “Construction Company” category. That’s OK – you can use the business description to provide important details about your business.
- Many local service-area businesses operate out of private homes. These businesses can still appear on Google Maps without displaying the address or driving directions. Here’s how you do it. At the bottom of the page, look for a checkbox labeled, “I deliver goods and services to my customers at their location.” Check the box. Now you’ll set a service area. You can define the service area by adding cities and ZIP codes, or specifying a radius. Keep in mind that the service area is intended for a local presence on Google Maps. It’s not a way to advertise the business nationwide or worldwide. Even if the business ships products or offers services anywhere, the radius should reflect a local area. Google does not have an official recommendation for the size of a service area—it depends. For example, in a densely populated area, like NYC, the radius might be 5 miles. In a rural area, the radius might be 100 miles. Choose a distance that makes sense for your business. If the business has a service area and a storefront open to customers, check the box labeled “I also serve customers at my business address.” This allows the address and the service area to appear on Google Maps. When you’re done, click “Continue” to go to the next step.
- Now, review the information carefully. Click the back button to make any corrections. If everything looks good, check the box to indicate that you are authorized to manage the business information and agree to Google’s Terms of Service. Then, click “Continue.”
- Google wouldn’t let just anyone manage your business info, so to make sure the basic information you submit is accurate, Google asks you to verify that you are the owner. Most business owners verify by postcard. If you’re verifying a business that’s already on Google, you may also be able to verify by phone. If you’ve verified your business’s website with Webmaster Tools (Google Search Console), you may also be eligible for instant verification. Make sure you’re signed in to Google My Business with the same account you used to verify your site with Webmaster Tools. For mail and phone verification, Google sends businesses a unique 5-6 digit verification code. You will use that code to confirm your affiliation with the business. Each verification code is unique to the account and the particular listing for which you’re requesting verification. Please do not share this verification code with anyone else. If you have the option to verify your business by phone: Make sure you can directly answer the business phone number to receive your verification code. If you have a voicemail system, switchboard, or call center this method will not work. Click Verify by phone to have the code sent to your phone automatically via automated message. Enter the code from the message into your dashboard. Please note: Google will never call your business and ask for your code, password, or any personal info. If you do not see the phone or Webmaster Tools verification options, click the arrow next to “Mail me my code.”
- On the postcard request screen, make sure your address is displayed accurately. You can also add an optional contact name to help your postcard reach you. Then click ”Send postcard.” It will take about 1 – 2 weeks for your postcard to arrive.
- Google's normal verification process is to mail a code to the business address. Google is expediting this process for businesses at partner-hosted workshops. Google’s team will manually verify your business info, so you do not need to request the code through postcard (just ignore that step) and fill out this form instead. *As the business owner, you must use your email address to create and verify the Google My Business listing. Once it's verified, you can add additional "Managers" to help you update and manage the listing.
- On the postcard request screen, make sure your address is displayed accurately. You can also add an optional contact name to help your postcard reach you. Then click ”Send postcard.” It will take about 1 – 2 weeks for your postcard to arrive.
- Let’s take a brief look at the Google My Business dashboard to see what you can do.
- This is the Google My Business dashboard. You can add a profile photo to help Google+ users find and identify your page. Your profile photo shows up whenever you interact with someone, so pick a photo that really represents your business, like your storefront. Add the profile photo by clicking on the blue circle gift icon or the button labeled “Add profile photo.” You also have the option to add business photos (click the “Add photos” button). And, for businesses who want to show off their storefront, there is an option to “Add virtual tour.” This connects you to a site with information about hiring a Google Trusted Photographer to take a 3D tour of your business location and add to your listing. In the top, center area you can see the information you entered when you created the listing a few moments ago, plus some areas that can use more information like “Add website” and “Add hours of operation.” To make changes, click the red “Edit” button or “EDIT INFO” in the top navigation.
- Now you can edit business details that appear across Google Search and Maps. Again, be sure to use correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, Google doesn’t edit that for you. Click the gray pencil icons to make changes and add more info, like additional phone numbers, a website, and hours of operation. You can write a short description for your business in the “Introduction” section. When you’re finished, click the button at the bottom labeled “Done editing.” You can make changes anytime.
- Photos help your business get found across Google, including on Search, Maps, and Google+. Photos can be added by both businesses and customers. By adding your own business photos, you’ll help your customers understand what makes your business special. Note that your photos won’t be eligible to show up on Google until you verify your business. There are several types of photos you should add to your business page: Profile photo - Add a profile photo so that your customers can recognize your business on Google. Your profile photo will be featured next to your business name on your Google+ page. Your profile should be a different photo from your business logo, which should be added in the "Logo" section. Cover photo - Add a cover photo to showcase your page’s personality. Your cover photo is the large photo featured at the top of your Google+ page. Note that this photo will be cropped to fit a 16:9 aspect ratio. Logo - Add your logo to help customers identify your business. Square-sized logos display best on Google. You can choose to make your logo serve as your profile photo. Your logo won't appear on your Google+ page, but you can choose it to represent your business on Maps and Search. Plus, interior photos, exterior photos, team photos and more. Best practices for photos: Format: JPG/JPEG, PNG Image File Size: 10KB - 5MB Recommended minimum dimensions: 720px wide by 720 pixels high Quality: The photo should be in-focus, well-lit, have no photoshop alterations, and no excessive use of filters. The image should represent reality.
- Now let’s look at a few more Google my Business features, found on the main dashboard page. The page is organized into sections, referred to as “cards.” Each card shows information specific to your account. Here are a few cards you may see in your account. The first card is called “Insights.” Once your business is verified, you’ll see data. The data help you understand your business’s visibility across Google. The card shows a few key stats, like the number of views your business had across Google, the number of clicks, and new followers. You can click “View insights” to get more detailed information, including: All-time data: # of cumulative pageviews beginning October 1, 2012. Views: total # of views of biz info and content received. See views broken down by search, photo, post and profile. Clicks: total # of clicks the biz received, including driving directions and clicks to website. Driving directions: areas from which users searched for driving directions to biz using GMaps. (US only). Actions: total # of actions biz info received in last 7, 30, or 90 days. The actions include: +1 clicks: # of clicks +1 on your G+ posts Shares: # of re-shares from your G+ page Comments: # of comments on posts from G+ page The data is not real-time; it takes 48 hours to refresh. Values are approximate; only significant values shown. The next card you may see is labeled “Reviews.” This card displays data once your business has been verified. From here, you can read and respond to reviews about your business. Businesses often ask about what to do about a negative review (the usual question is, how to do I remove it?). Unless the review violates one of Google’s content policies, business owners cannot remove it. Google encourages business owners to respond to reviews (both positive and negative). This demonstrates that your business acknowledges customers - happy or not. The response might explain a company policy or attempt to amend an issue. The business owner can ask the review’s author to edit or remove negative comments. Business owners can also encourage customers to write about good experiences (send them a link to your Maps listings in an email, or explain how to find in when you chat with them in person ). The next card you see connects to Google+. You can share updates with your audience directly from Google My Business. Actively posting on social media can engage your customers and help build your online following. The last card you may see shows data if you advertise your business on Google. You can see advertising activity, including clicks, phone calls, and and views (impressions). You can access your full account (AdWords or AdWords Express) by clicking the blue “Manage ads” button.
- The owner of the business listing can invite other people to manage the information. Incidentally, inviting another person gives them access to this Google My Business listing, but not any other Google products you might use, like Gmail. In other words, they can’t read your email. To add a manager, click the menu icon on the top left corner of the dashboard. Then, choose “Managers” from the menu. Now, add the email address of the managers you’d like to invite. There are three access levels: Owner (that’s you, unless your transfer ownership to another manager); Managers (they can do almost everything owners can do, except delete the listing or transfer ownership); and Communications Managers (they have more limited access to the business listing). When you’re done, click “Invite” to send an email to the new page managers. Once they open the email and accept the invitation, you will see them listed as Managers or Communications Managers. As the owner, can you revoke access to the business listing, or transfer ownership of the page to another Manager.
- You can make changes to your business listing at any time, via Google My Business. You can make changes from any device with a web browser and internet access, as long as you have the username and password. To return, sign in at www.google.com/business with the email and password that you used to create & verify the account. You don’t need to return to www.gybo.com to access an existing Google My Business account.
- Many people work while they’re on the go, using mobile devices. Google My Business has a free app available for Android and Apple devices. You can make many changes to your Google My Business listing from this app (although not all). Download the app at Google Play (play.google.com) or the iTunes Store (apple.com/itunes)
- Let’s fast forward a week or two, when your postcard from Google My Business arrives in the mail. Now it’s time to complete the verification process, so your business will appear on Maps and you’ll see data in your Google My Business dashboard. The verification PIN code in the postcard is valid for 30 days, so you should do this as soon as the postcard arrives.
- With your postcard in hand, return to Google My Business by signing in at www.google.com/business Do not return to www.gybo.com.
- This is the Google My Business dashboard. You can add a profile photo to help Google+ users find and identify your page. Your profile photo shows up whenever you interact with someone, so pick a photo that really represents your business, like your storefront. Add the profile photo by clicking on the blue circle gift icon or the button labeled “Add profile photo.” You also have the option to add business photos (click the “Add photos” button). And, for businesses who want to show off their storefront, there is an option to “Add virtual tour.” This connects you to a site with information about hiring a Google Trusted Photographer to take a 3D tour of your business location and add to your listing. In the top, center area you can see the information you entered when you created the listing a few moments ago, plus some areas that can use more information like “Add website” and “Add hours of operation.” To make changes, click the red “Edit” button or “EDIT INFO” in the top navigation.
- Enter the PIN and click “Submit” to complete the verification. Congrats! Your business is now eligible to appear across Google Search and Maps, and you can access and manage your business information.
- Welcome, and thank you for coming today…we’ve got a great session planned, with a little bit of marketing theory, a whole lot of practical marketing tips. This session is about how you can use email marketing and social media to grow your business or organization. [click to next slide]
- I want everyone to stop and give yourselves a round of applause. Congratulations, you’re ready to set up Google My Business! Thank you so much for attending today’s session. If you have any more questions, we’ll be here for the remainder of the session to help. You can learn more about Google My Business by visiting www.google.com/business.