Getting your Business Listed on Google Places

Getting your local business location listed on Google Places is now even more important than acquiring a top position in the organic search results, if you own a location-based business, such as a boutique, shop, restaurant or a café, etc., where your customers have to walk in to get served. So why not make things simpler and easier for your customers, by making your business location’s address, more accessible and easy to find, which will further turn out to be beneficial for you as well, and here’s how:

1. Your business location’s address will be just a click away, being accessible from Google’s organic search results, when one searches for your business name as search query, or right from http://www.google.com/local itself.

2. Even though you don’t own a website, your business still gets an online presence and gets listed on Google, where in, you further get the ability to edit your information, view insights about how many people have seen and clicked on your listing and allows your customers to leave you feedback, reviews and ratings.

3. Make your listing really shine with photos and videos; custom categories like your service area, brands you sell and how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchase.

Now let’s get started with getting your business location listed on Google Places.

1. Go to http://www.google.com/local/add

2. Sign in with your Google/Gmail Account login credentials, or sign up if you don’t have one yet.

3. Click on List your business.

4. On the next page, choose your country and put in your business’ phone number. Google will do a search to see whether your business is already listed in Google Places. If so, all you have to do is claim that listing.

But if your Business’ listing is not found, you will be directed to the page where you can create your listing, where you need to:

Fill out the form as completely as possible, as Google favors listings that have more information.

Putting the right keywords is important, since these are the terms that Google Places will associate your listing to.

Upload pictures and videos if you have any then click on submit.

Choose your preferred validation method. Validating by phone is usually preferable, since it is faster but if you like receiving postcards, suit yourself. Click on finish and you’re done. A verified listing helps, as no one other than you, can make changes to your listing’s information.

It can take up to 2-3 weeks for the post card to reach you, which will have the further instructions on getting your listing verified, while it can take up to 6 weeks, for the listing to get displayed on Google Local.

5. Enhance your Google Places listing – Do so, in order to further attract customers, by adding pictures, videos and promo coupons and these will appear alongside your listing.

Here’s short video, demonstrating the concept of Google Places: