This section is specific to businesses that rely on local customers. If your company operates globally, you might want to skip ahead to the next section, as this advice won’t readily apply.
For companies that do rely on locals, when an individual searches for a business like yours in Google, the search engine likes to serve up very specific information. These minute details include your organization’s complete and correct name, phone number, address, and website address.
Google can also provide customers with your hours of operation, list of menu items, details about your company’s beginnings, and so much more. You have to provide that information to Google, however, so that you always know it’s correct and listed just as you prefer.
The thing is, Google isn’t the only source of locally-specific information. There are hundreds of directory services online, including Yellowpages.com. Google gets its information from sites just like YP. That means that if even one of those sites contains incorrect or misleading information, Google may present the wrong details to search users. That can negatively affect your rankings, the relevancy of your rankings, and the traffic that’s sent to your business overall.
You can help Google present the proper information by creating a Google My Business account if you don’t already possess one.
If you want your business to show up in the top spots when someone conducts a relevant search locally, completing your Google My Business page is a must.
Aside from the ads on locally-populated SERPs, the business listings come with ratings, live open or closed notifications, and the ability to jump right to your website or get immediate directions right to your location. Google gets this information from the information you provide.
NOTE: If you don’t complete your Google My Business account, Google may populate the information from elsewhere around the web, whether those details are correct or not. Furthermore, if you don’t claim your GMB listing, others can edit the information. Who knows what your listing could say then?
First, log into your Google account and visit www.Google.com/business/. There you’ll be asked for information about you and your organization. When responding to the prompts and providing the necessary details, pay close attention to the following five elements to ensure the listing is optimized properly.