Google has about 1.3 billion users, which represents a great opportunity for small businesses to reach a massive crowd who might be interested in their product or services.
Google created ‘Google My Business Pages’ to help small business owners increase their visibility within Google search, Google Maps and Google Plus. Google My Business for mobile has already been created for Android. The IOS version is coming out soon.
Needless to say, it’s worth your time claiming and setting yours up because the Googles are kinda of a big deal. 😉
5 Benefits of a ‘Google Business Page’
There are several benefits for setting up your Google Business Page but most importantly, doing it right will allow you to drive more visitors to your site.
The Google My Business admin interface or dashboard allows you to:
- Keep your business information updated.
- Build loyal customers through your Google Plus page. This means that the clients who follow your business page can leave you great reviews about your services, which are GOLD for attracting new customers.
- Increase engagement with your audience.
- View information on your related YouTube channels and Google Analytics accounts.
- Google My Business Page is also very good for Local SEO. “Local SEO” is the search optimisation process of your website in order for you to acquire higher local ranking on the search engines and ultimately, more visitors.
How to Set Up your Google Business Page.
First, set up your Google account (if you haven’t already).
To unlock the option of setting up your Google My Business Page there are some basic things that you would need to do. The first thing you would like to do is to create a Google Account or a Gmail Account. Below are the steps on how to achieve that:
- Go on https://accounts.google.com/login
- Click on the Search Result “Sign-in – Google Account”
- If you don’t have a Gmail account setup, then you will need to create one.
- You will need to fill in the information as requested by the “Create your Google Account” online form. After that, simply follow the prompts.
Setting up your Google My Business Page
STEP 1: Go to www.google.com/business
STEP 2: Click on ‘Get On Google’ button then sign in your Google account by entering your email address and password.
STEP 3: Once you sign in, you will see a map. In the search box (refer to below screenshot), you can search for your business.
If your business doesn’t come up automatically in your first search, choose “Not a local business” link top right, which is the option shown by the arrow in the picture below.
STEP 4: Choose your business type. This is an important step that you want to ensure you get right. It makes a big difference because the Brand means that you don’t have a local street address but you still can make it function as a regular Google Plus Page.
You can choose ‘Service Area’ option if you are serving clients at their place within a specific service location.
The ‘Storefront’ option is perfect for businesses that have a specific location like a restaurant, hairdressing salon, gym etc.
Let’s assume your business has a fixed location and will we choose ‘Storefront’ to set up your Google My Business Page.
STEP 5: After choosing your business type, now we need to find our business (again). Look for your business in the search box as highlighted below.
If you can’t find your business, then click on the option ‘Add your business’. See the screenshot below.
STEP 6: Once you click on ‘Add your business’, you will be taken to new window where you will need to fill in an online form with your location details (see below screenshot).
Fill in the information and click on the blue button or hit ‘Next’.
STEP 7: After entering your information, you will have to accept the terms and conditions to let Google know that you are authorised to manage the business page.
Now click ‘Continue’.
STEP 8: Once done Google will send you a code via snail mail which you will receive within 1-2 weeks. When you receive it, simply login to your newly created account and enter the code (as shown in Step 9).
STEP 9: After receiving your code, simply sign in your Google My Business account and click on the “Verify Now” button to enter it.
After verification is complete, your Business Page is fully operational.
Congratulations!!
The Google My Business Page is being used by so many small businesses already and for good reason. We highly recommend you claim and setup your Business Page to be on Google Maps and remain one step ahead of your competitors and for the sake of just 30 minutes of your time (or less), it is well worth the investment.
If you would like us to assist you in setting up your Google My Business page to maximise your success online, please get in touch today, and one of our friendly web geeks will be more than happy to help.