How to Add Your Business to Google Maps
Google Maps has become an invaluable tool for businesses to reach current and potential customers in the last couple of years.
Learning how to put your business on Google Maps is a simple and free way of increasing your marketing reach and building customer trust. Adding your business can boost your local revenue and increase awareness within your community; as many as 46% of all Google searches are local.
Use this quick guide to learn how to get on Google Maps and gain visibility for your business now.
Step one: sign in to or create a Google My Business account
If you don’t already have one, create a Google My Business account to start getting your company recognized. Like with most other online accounts, signing up is pretty straightforward.
Go to google.com/business, create an account, then sign in.
Step two: add new location
Now that you have an account and have signed in, go to your Business homepage and click the three horizontal bars in the top left corner. A side menu will appear where you have the option to ‘add new location’. Enter your business information: business name, address, type of business or category, phone number, and website.
The more information you enter, the more you can build trust with your online customer base. Lastly, you’ll need to drop a pin on the map to confirm the location of your business.
Step 3: verify business
The last step is for Google to verify that you are who you say you are. As you cannot claim a business for a place you don’t physically live in, you will need to have access to your business address to claim post.
Google will then send you a postcard with a PIN that completes the registration process. Once you have the PIN, enter it into your My Business account, and your business profile will then go live.
Fill out your profile
Now that your account is live and kicking, you want to fill out your profile as much as you can. Over 50% of customers who search ‘near me’ on Google physically visit the store they find in the search results, so you want to make sure to have as much information as you can give your potential customers.
Add a professional cover photo and additional photos of your business to give customers a visual idea of who you are. Confirm all your salient details are correct, like contact number and website, and add opening hours and a short summary of your business. Optimize your listing by adding any useful attributes like free Wi-Fi or wheelchair accessibility.
Benefits of using Google Maps
Google is often the first place people search when they’re looking for something, and “where to buy [product/service] near me” searches have increased by over 200% in the past two years. Getting quick, accurate, and useful information is invaluable in the current environment, so making sure you have all your information in one easily and frequently accessed place is a pertinent marketing technique.
Once you’ve built a small customer base, encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google Maps listing. Good customer reviews are one of the biggest ways people will decide whether or not to patronise a business. And not only do reviews create a star rating for your business but will often include personal photos.
How to get business on Google Maps
Now you’ve discovered how to add a business to Google Maps, make sure you keep it updated. Outdated information like a website typo or incorrect opening times can affect people visiting you or how much they trust you; if you don’t maintain your Google Business account, what else do you fail to maintain?
Updating information on Google Maps is instant and takes a few simple taps and keystrokes. As well as encouraging customers to leave reviews, aim to respond politely and promptly to show you are an active presence that cares about its customers.
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