In recent years Google introduced a ton of new features to its Google my business product turning it into a crucial marketing tool for any local business owner. Now we are going to look into how to create, optimize and add a business on google to establish your Google my business listing for 2022.
Be ready to take over your local area and get that phone ringing!
We talk about the best tips and tricks to help your small business grow online step by step. If you haven’t yet climbed your Google my business listing, do it now just read through to know how to create and optimize a Google my business listing.
Table of Contents
Log into your Google My Business Panel
Here you can modify your listing as we go through each option to do this head over to google.com/ business and sign up your profile using the Gmail address you registered your business with. Once logged in, click on the info option in the left-hand side menu this will give you access to all the options. Now you can add a business on google by creating the ultimate Google listing.
Adding Your Business Name or add business on google
You must make sure the business name you use on your Google my business listing is the name that people see on your shop front, your business cards, your website, etc don’t try to add keywords in there in your hope, you will rank higher.
For example, Bail bond firm located in Orlando, the business name is ‘Bail 2 GO’ instead they are using ‘Bail 2 Go Orlando – Orange County Bail Bonds’ as their business name. This goes against Google’s guidelines and it is considered as spam. If you have done this by mistake when you first created your listing simply correct it, otherwise there is a risk you might get penalized. For modifying your business name just click on the pencil icon right under the image at the top of your Google my business panel next to your business name and modify your name if needed.
Fix Your Business Category
The business category you choose when you first create your listing is the key to how well you will rank in Google Maps for the services or products you provided. Since your primary category tells Google what your business is about. It is important you choose it very carefully the category option is located in your Google my business dashboard right under your business name fixing the business category is the brightest thing this helps you to add business on google.
There are many categories to choose from and some of them are very closely related so it’s easy to make a mistake for example: –
Electrical appliances contractor and Electrical appliances repair service are two very distinct categories. Pick the one that is most relevant to your business, you can add secondary categories.
For instance, you are a makeup artist but you also offer services such as hair implant and massage you can add these categories in there as long as they are relevant to your business. Whether your listing is brand new or not, make sure you review your choice every now and then as Google updates its category lists very regularly.
Add your Business Address
when adding your address, you are faced with three possible situations.
Situation number 1
You serve customers from a brick-and-mortar business if so, make sure you add the precise address of your business location. This is an obvious statement but many business owners make mistakes that could be very costly for those of you who want to add a suite number. You can do so but it is recommended to add it on a second address line. To do this go to your Google my business panel click on the info option and then on the pencil icon next to the address. There you should have the option to add a line where you will be able to enter your suite number it won’t influence your rankings but visitors coming across your listing will see it making it easier for them to find you.
Situation number 2
If you are running a service-based business such as a plumbing or a food delivery business and serve customers at their home. You shouldn’t add a specific address to your listing but instead, specify which areas your business serves. To do this click the pencil icon next to the service area option and simply add the areas you cover. You can choose between country, city region, and metropolitan areas and combine up to 20 options which will be more than enough.
Situation number 3
If you run a brick-and-mortar business but also serve customers at their home just fill in the details as specified previously. Using the location and service area option from the panel.
Add Opening Hours
Add opening and closing business hours. Do not try to add extra opening hours hoping Google will list your business over another, it doesn’t work and will mislead visitors who will end up being frustrated. To add opening hours, click on the pencil icon next to Add hours in your Google my business panel and add them for each day of the week. Use the special hour option to pre-set irregular opening and closing times around special occasions such as Labour Day weekend, Memorial Day weekend, or if you decide to go on vacation.
Add Phone Number
In your Google my business panel, add your primary business number in the primary phone field you can add two more secondary phone numbers. This is useful if you have a free tool number or other numbers you can be contacted at. It is recommended to use a cool tracking number as the primary number otherwise you won’t be able to track calls coming from your Google my business listing. You must add your main business number in a secondary number field, adding phone number helps you add business on google.
Create a Short Name and get reviews
This feature gives you the ability to create a short link that when clicked on sends visitors directly to your Google listing. On Google Maps the format is straightforward this simplifies the way you can connect with your customers and makes it easy to share your Google my business profile with potential customers. So, they can easily find directions to get to you, read your reviews, and so on. Use it just like you would use a social media profile link and add it to your business cards your email signature and everywhere else you think is relevant. It works both on desktop and mobile to claim your short name go to your Google my business panel and click on the pencil icon next to the add a short name option. Choose a relevant short name, your business name should be an obvious choice here your short name must be between 5 and 32 characters and can only be changed three times a year so choose carefully. Once you’re done just click on apply, short names add business on google.
The additional benefit of creating a short name is that it also creates a short link you can use to ask customers for reviews just add a slash review (htpps://g.page/[yourcustomname]/review) at the end of your short name link and then use this link. Whenever you send a review request to a client, it makes the process a lot simpler and helps you get a lot more reviews. You can get higher ranks by making customers write reviews based on your keywords. You can add business on google by creating a short name and by getting reviews.
Add a Link to Your Website
To add a link to your website on your listing just click on the pencil icon next to the add a website option and your Google my business panel. If you use Google Analytics to track your website activity visitors will click on the website link from your Google listing. These will be considered organic visits making it impossible for you to truly understand how many people click through to your site it’s important to understand how much traffic is coming through your listing over time to measure the effectiveness of your listing. The workaround is to add a special code at the end of the link so you can track your listing activity accurately. Adding website to google my business listing boosts you to add business on google.
Add Appointment Links
Depending on the type of business you run you may have the option to add an appointment booking link which will be visible on your listing. if you are an appointment-based business you should use this opportunity in your Google my business panel. Click on the pencil icon next to the appointment link option and simply add a link in there pointing to a Contact Us page or other relevant page on your website.
Add Your Services
If you are a service-based type of business you can include the services you provide as part of your Google my business listing. It will give visitors a good idea about what you do and it’s a chance for you to showcase your services in detail. You can include a description for each service of up to 300 words and add a price, all of which will be displayed in your profile. This is a great addition to your listing to add a service just click on the services option in your Google my business panel adding services will help you to add business on google.
By default, you should see an existing category google has already created based on the primary category you already have chosen for your business. To add a service to this category just click on the add custom service repeat the same process to add multiple services for the same category. Once you’re done click on apply to add a description and a price to the service just click on it add the price to the description then click on apply then repeat for the other services. If you want to create another category with multiple services just click on the add another business category option and repeat the same process.
Add Attributes to Your Listing
Attributes are used to let customers know what specific features your business has to offer, A Hotel, for instance, typical attributes would be something like wheelchair access, free Wi-Fi, pet friendly etc. Attributes get displayed on your Google my business panel this helps to add business on google. The attribute option available for your listing will depend on your business type. To see what attributes are available to you just click on the pencil icon next to the attributes section and select what is relevant. Add business on google by adding attributes to your listing.
Add a Description to Your Listing
To add business on google description is a must. Adding a description to your listing will help visitors find out what your business is all about. Think of it as the equivalent of an about Us page this will have no impact on ranking whatsoever but more on the overall customer experience. To add a description simply click on the pencil icon next to the add a business description option and add it into the field. A few things you need to be aware of writing your description is it is limited to 750 characters; you can’t add any link in it and there is no need to add keywords.
Add an Opening Date
You can add an opening day to your listing to let customers know when your business first opened. You can even claim a Google listing and add an opening date even if your business is not opened yet up to 12 months in advance although it won’t show up in Google until 90 days before the date itself. If this is the case, make sure you choose the verify later option when creating your listing so Google doesn’t show it unnecessarily to add an opening date. Just click on the pencil icon next to the opening date option fill in the details then click on apply.
Add Photos to Your Listings
60% of consumers confess that images will grab their attention and are likely to trigger the decision to do business with you or not. This means photos are the most important aspect of your profile. Photos will bring your listing to life and give viewers a visual representation of what they can expect. It is recommended to load as many relevant images for each category as you can to maximize your chances of converting viewers into customers. Check and publish your own pictures as it feels more genuine than professional shots obviously. Make sure they are well-taken photos and inspiring ones do not publish stock imagery because it won’t look genuine. Google will find out and delete them. If you can add a 360-degree picture this is very effective for businesses such as a spire hotel a restaurant etc as viewers will want to check out facilities before booking. Now you can add business on google
Click on the add photo option in your Google my business panel then select the category you want to add a photo for and click on the post photo link.
Add Advanced Information
To add business on google my business panel there is a section called advanced information this section is particularly useful for businesses with multiple location store codes. Store codes enable you to specify an ID for each location separately so it makes it easier to organize your listing if you run multiple branches. each ID has to be unique not including spaces or special characters and can be up to 64 characters.
Hope you got a good sense of idea about how to excel in your business through creating and optimizing Google My Business Listing.