HOW TO GET FOUND ON GOOGLE SEARCH AND MAPS

A) WHY SHOULD I GET MY BUSINESS ONLINE AND KEEP MY INFORMATION UP TO DATE?

B) WHAT IS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?

C) HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?

Imagine you’re running errands in town and have a sudden ice cream craving. You pull out your mobile phone and search for nearby ice cream shop, nothing appears in your search results. So, you walk around until you see an ice cream shop which is suppose to be open for business at that time– but the place is actually closed. You get frustrated, you give up and leave.

Now imagine you own that ice cream shop. You just lost a potential customer. That’s why it’s smart for businesses to be online and post the right information, especially considering how much potential customers are relying on search engines to find local businesses.

LET’S LOOK AT SOME STATS

In a Google survey, 80% of people said they use a search engine to find local business information.
50% of customers who do a local search on their smartphones visit a business within a day.
And people are also 38% more likely to visit a business if the online information is up to date and correct.

With stats like that, it’s clear that having your business online with up-to-date information is important. That’s where Google My Business comes in.

Google My Business is a no charge (free) service that lets you claim a business listing on Google. It’s designed for brick-and-mortar stores (versus e-commerce companies) and other businesses that meet with local customers in person.

With a Google My Business listing, important information about your business will appear to searchers in both Google Search and in Google Maps.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Let’s say someone searches for lmmaculate's Ice Cream Shop, which has a Google My Business listing.

The person will get a search result showing the shop’s location and address on Google Maps. They can see how far Immaculate's shop is from them, and also get directions.

The person will also see the phone number of Immaculate's Ice Cream Shop. And, since they’re using their phone to do the search, they can easily call the shop just by clicking on the number.

The searcher will also get critical information like Immaculate's hours of operation, including any special holiday hours, and the website URL.

Immaculate's Google My Business listing can also feature photos and reviews, which encourages searchers to become customers.

Photos help people visualize a business and get comfortable with it. They can see what the inside of the shop looks like, for example, and can recognize the storefront when they arrive at its location.

Note, listings with photos get 42% more map direction requests and 35% more clickthroughs to the business website than listings without photos.

The reviews on Immaculate's listing can also be a great business move. 88% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as they trust a friend’s recommendations.

Google My Business also lets Immaculate respond to all the people writing reviews, so she can keep engaging with his customers even after they’ve left his shop.

LISTEN UP

What if a person searches “places to get ice cream” instead of “Immaculate’s Ice Cream Shop”? Well, that’s okay. If a local searcher looks for a topic related to a Google My Business listing, that business and its info could still appear in the search results.

Now let’s talk about the steps you should take to set up a Google My Business listing. First, you’d visit google.com/business and click “Start Now.”

A form will appear. Enter your legal business name (no nicknames or slogans). If your business has multiple locations, don’t add extra info like cross streets. Also don’t use ALL CAPS unless that’s part of your official business name.

After you add other basic information (like your address and main business number), you’ll need to select a business category. To do this, first think of how you’d describe your business, like “Ice Cream Shop” or “Dentist.”

Then, start typing in your description and see if it matches an existing category. It’s not a big deal if you can’t find the perfect category. If you can’t find one, use a generic category like “Store” or “Restaurant.”

TIP

If you’re a service-based company without a storefront (like a plumber who serves a certain neighborhood), you can click “I deliver goods and services to customers at their location” to have your service area appear on the map instead of your actual physical location.

With these steps, you’ve set up Google My Business. Before you celebrate, remember to verify your listing.

Usually, verifying your business listing involves requesting that Google My Business send a postcard to your business address. Once you get the card, enter its verification code into your Google My Business account to complete verification.

This verification process is hugely important because it improves the chances of your business listing appearing in Google search results. Also, any changes you make to your listing will only go live after it’s been verified.

Once the verification process is complete, you can respond to customer reviews and see “Insights” reports that show you how people find your info on Google.

I hope this information helps you gain more customers.

Next post is going to be about HOW TO GAIN INSIGHTS FROM YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING.

SatoshiPips:
HOW TO GET FOUND ON GOOGLE SEARCH AND MAPS

A) WHY SHOULD I GET MY BUSINESS ONLINE AND KEEP MY INFORMATION UP TO DATE?

B) WHAT IS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?

C) HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?

Imagine you’re running errands in town and have a sudden ice cream craving. You pull out your mobile phone and search for nearby ice cream shop, nothing appears in your search results. So, you walk around until you see an ice cream shop which is suppose to be open for business at that time– but the place is actually closed. You get frustrated, you give up and leave.

Now imagine you own that ice cream shop. You just lost a potential customer. That’s why it’s smart for businesses to be online and post the right information, especially considering how much potential customers are relying on search engines to find local businesses.

LET’S LOOK AT SOME STATS

In a Google survey, 80% of people said they use a search engine to find local business information.
50% of customers who do a local search on their smartphones visit a business within a day.
And people are also 38% more likely to visit a business if the online information is up to date and correct.

With stats like that, it’s clear that having your business online with up-to-date information is important. That’s where Google My Business comes in.

Google My Business is a no charge (free) service that lets you claim a business listing on Google. It’s designed for brick-and-mortar stores (versus e-commerce companies) and other businesses that meet with local customers in person.

With a Google My Business listing, important information about your business will appear to searchers in both Google Search and in Google Maps.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Let’s say someone searches for lmmaculate's Ice Cream Shop, which has a Google My Business listing.

The person will get a search result showing the shop’s location and address on Google Maps. They can see how far Immaculate's shop is from them, and also get directions.

The person will also see the phone number of Immaculate's Ice Cream Shop. And, since they’re using their phone to do the search, they can easily call the shop just by clicking on the number.

The searcher will also get critical information like Immaculate's hours of operation, including any special holiday hours, and the website URL.

Immaculate's Google My Business listing can also feature photos and reviews, which encourages searchers to become customers.

Photos help people visualize a business and get comfortable with it. They can see what the inside of the shop looks like, for example, and can recognize the storefront when they arrive at its location.

Note, listings with photos get 42% more map direction requests and 35% more clickthroughs to the business website than listings without photos.

The reviews on Immaculate's listing can also be a great business move. 88% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as they trust a friend’s recommendations.

Google My Business also lets Immaculate respond to all the people writing reviews, so she can keep engaging with his customers even after they’ve left his shop.

LISTEN UP

What if a person searches “places to get ice cream” instead of “Immaculate’s Ice Cream Shop”? Well, that’s okay. If a local searcher looks for a topic related to a Google My Business listing, that business and its info could still appear in the search results.

Now let’s talk about the steps you should take to set up a Google My Business listing. First, you’d visit google.com/business and click “Start Now.”

A form will appear. Enter your legal business name (no nicknames or slogans). If your business has multiple locations, don’t add extra info like cross streets. Also don’t use ALL CAPS unless that’s part of your official business name.

After you add other basic information (like your address and main business number), you’ll need to select a business category. To do this, first think of how you’d describe your business, like “Ice Cream Shop” or “Dentist.”

Then, start typing in your description and see if it matches an existing category. It’s not a big deal if you can’t find the perfect category. If you can’t find one, use a generic category like “Store” or “Restaurant.”

TIP

If you’re a service-based company without a storefront (like a plumber who serves a certain neighborhood), you can click “I deliver goods and services to customers at their location” to have your service area appear on the map instead of your actual physical location.

With these steps, you’ve set up Google My Business. Before you celebrate, remember to verify your listing.

Usually, verifying your business listing involves requesting that Google My Business send a postcard to your business address. Once you get the card, enter its verification code into your Google My Business account to complete verification.

This verification process is hugely important because it improves the chances of your business listing appearing in Google search results. Also, any changes you make to your listing will only go live after it’s been verified.

Once the verification process is complete, you can respond to customer reviews and see “Insights” reports that show you how people find your info on Google.

I hope this information helps you gain more customers.

Next post is going to be about HOW TO GAIN INSIGHTS FROM YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING.

Thank you sir, you have render a useful help to me. I have been having problem with it for a long time now...

Abolarin91:

Thank you sir, you have render a useful help to me. I have been having problem with it for a long time now...

Glad you find this piece useful. I'm gonna be doing more of this as time goes by.

Note: only if this post gives the push (support)

SatoshiPips:
HOW TO GET FOUND ON GOOGLE SEARCH AND MAPS

A) WHY SHOULD I GET MY BUSINESS ONLINE AND KEEP MY INFORMATION UP TO DATE?

B) WHAT IS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?

C) HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH GOOGLE MY BUSINESS?

Imagine you’re running errands in town and have a sudden ice cream craving. You pull out your mobile phone and search for nearby ice cream shop, nothing appears in your search results. So, you walk around until you see an ice cream shop which is suppose to be open for business at that time– but the place is actually closed. You get frustrated, you give up and leave.

Now imagine you own that ice cream shop. You just lost a potential customer. That’s why it’s smart for businesses to be online and post the right information, especially considering how much potential customers are relying on search engines to find local businesses.

LET’S LOOK AT SOME STATS

In a Google survey, 80% of people said they use a search engine to find local business information.
50% of customers who do a local search on their smartphones visit a business within a day.
And people are also 38% more likely to visit a business if the online information is up to date and correct.

With stats like that, it’s clear that having your business online with up-to-date information is important. That’s where Google My Business comes in.

Google My Business is a no charge (free) service that lets you claim a business listing on Google. It’s designed for brick-and-mortar stores (versus e-commerce companies) and other businesses that meet with local customers in person.

With a Google My Business listing, important information about your business will appear to searchers in both Google Search and in Google Maps.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Let’s say someone searches for lmmaculate's Ice Cream Shop, which has a Google My Business listing.

The person will get a search result showing the shop’s location and address on Google Maps. They can see how far Immaculate's shop is from them, and also get directions.

The person will also see the phone number of Immaculate's Ice Cream Shop. And, since they’re using their phone to do the search, they can easily call the shop just by clicking on the number.

The searcher will also get critical information like Immaculate's hours of operation, including any special holiday hours, and the website URL.

Immaculate's Google My Business listing can also feature photos and reviews, which encourages searchers to become customers.

Photos help people visualize a business and get comfortable with it. They can see what the inside of the shop looks like, for example, and can recognize the storefront when they arrive at its location.

Note, listings with photos get 42% more map direction requests and 35% more clickthroughs to the business website than listings without photos.

The reviews on Immaculate's listing can also be a great business move. 88% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as they trust a friend’s recommendations.

Google My Business also lets Immaculate respond to all the people writing reviews, so she can keep engaging with his customers even after they’ve left his shop.

LISTEN UP

What if a person searches “places to get ice cream” instead of “Immaculate’s Ice Cream Shop”? Well, that’s okay. If a local searcher looks for a topic related to a Google My Business listing, that business and its info could still appear in the search results.

Now let’s talk about the steps you should take to set up a Google My Business listing. First, you’d visit google.com/business and click “Start Now.”

A form will appear. Enter your legal business name (no nicknames or slogans). If your business has multiple locations, don’t add extra info like cross streets. Also don’t use ALL CAPS unless that’s part of your official business name.

After you add other basic information (like your address and main business number), you’ll need to select a business category. To do this, first think of how you’d describe your business, like “Ice Cream Shop” or “Dentist.”

Then, start typing in your description and see if it matches an existing category. It’s not a big deal if you can’t find the perfect category. If you can’t find one, use a generic category like “Store” or “Restaurant.”

TIP

If you’re a service-based company without a storefront (like a plumber who serves a certain neighborhood), you can click “I deliver goods and services to customers at their location” to have your service area appear on the map instead of your actual physical location.

With these steps, you’ve set up Google My Business. Before you celebrate, remember to verify your listing.

Usually, verifying your business listing involves requesting that Google My Business send a postcard to your business address. Once you get the card, enter its verification code into your Google My Business account to complete verification.

This verification process is hugely important because it improves the chances of your business listing appearing in Google search results. Also, any changes you make to your listing will only go live after it’s been verified.

Once the verification process is complete, you can respond to customer reviews and see “Insights” reports that show you how people find your info on Google.

I hope this information helps you gain more customers.

Next post is going to be about HOW TO GAIN INSIGHTS FROM YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING.

Excellent post!