We all know by now how important it is for your webpage to be found through Google search right? But what if you have a bricks and mortar business, wouldn’t it be cool if that could be found on Google as well?
Considering that 80% of your business comes from within a 50 mile radius, the resounding answer is yes Marc, that would be cool.
Well not only is it cool, it is also very possible.
What is Google Places?
Google Places, formerly known as Local Business Centre, is a way for you to tell Google where your business is physically located in the world by adding it to Google Maps. When someone does a search on keywords related to your business, Google will return a map of the local area along with a “pin” that points to your business.
Let me illustrate with an example. Head over to Google and search for “sushi restaurant new york”. You should get back a result similar to this:
Notice how the labels for each pin contain the business name, a link to its website and a telephone number. As if that’s not enough, they can even get directions to your place of business.
And they wonder why the Yellow pages are dying.
For even more benefits, watch this 1 minute 47 seconds video on Google Places’ YouTube channel.
Get my Business on There Already
Getting your business listed couldn’t be easier. Just head over to google.com/places and click on “Add new business”.
This will take you to the first of three steps, entering basic business information. Note that when you have entered the address, the map on the right will update and a pin will be added. If the pin isn’t quite where you expect it to be, click on “Fix incorrect marker location” underneath the map.
One other thing to note; at the bottom where it asks for categories, to add more than one you will need to click on the “Add another category” link. Don’t do what I did by adding 5 in one box… Ahem. Also stick to the categories Google prompts you with as this helps with SEO.
The next page asks for more specific information such as opening hours. You also have the opportunity to upload photos and/or videos. I highly recommend you personalise your listing page, it really will help promote your business and convert those potential customers into paying ones.
Once you hit “Submit” there is one more thing you need to do; verify ownership. The default method of verifying ownership is to have Google send you your pin in the post, but I believe there is another option which is to have it sent via SMS text message.
Once you have your pin, log into your Google Places account and enter it. Voila! Your business will be added to the Google Places directory and should shortly turn up in the search results.
If you’ve previously used Google Places for your business, how has it worked out for you?
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