How to Set Up Your Google My Business Listing?

How to Set Up Your Google My Business Listing?

1. Set up a new Google Account
Or access your Google My Business login, if you have one.

2. Head to google.com/business
And click ‘Manage Now’.

3. Enter your business name
If you have the same name as another business in your region, you’ll see the autocomplete function suggest those businesses for you. This is to allow you to see if your business listing already exists (to avoid accidental duplication), and to add a new GMB profile to an existing business if you’ve just opened a new location.



4. Enter the address of the business location
If you’re a Service Area Business that delivers goods and services to your customers, you’ll need to tick the box at the bottom of this form. SABs have two options here: 

A) If you can receive customers at your business address, enter your address here, tick the box and click ‘Next’.

B) If you don’t have any premises where customers can visit you, leave the address field blank, tick the box and then tick the ‘Hide my address (it’s not a store)’ box that appears below.

All businesses that deliver goods and services directly to their customers will have the option to specify a Service Area in the next step.



5. Specify service areas (Service Area Businesses only).
Before you can choose your business category, you’ll need to specify the areas you serve, so that Google can accurately surface your business for searches in those areas, even without a physical address. Enter one or more regions, cities, or ZIP codes that
your business serves.



6. Choose your business category.
This is a very important field that will not only strongly influence the kinds of search terms you appear in Google for, but also appear within your Google My Business profile. It’s also something worth testing when you come to update your Google business
listing.



7. Add a contact phone number and website URL.



8. Complete your Google My Business Verification.




Google obviously needs to be able to prove that your business is where you say it is, and for entirely new GMB profiles, you have three options:

1. Postcard verification. This is the most-used verification process, and is available to all businesses. With this process, a verification postcard will be sent to the address you entered earlier (it should reach you within five days). Once received,
you can enter the code in your GMB account to verify the business. If your code doesn’t show up, you can click the ‘Request another code’ banner at the top of the screen in GMB.
2. Phone verification. Some businesses have the option to verify their listing over the phone. You’ll know you’re eligible if you see the ‘Verify by phone’ option at the beginning of the verification process. Using this process, you’ll receive an automated message with a verification code, that you’ll then need to enter into GMB.
3. Email verification. Like phone verification, this is only available to some businesses, and you’ll know you qualify for it if you see the ‘Verify by email’ option. This simple process sees you receive a verification code in the inbox of the Google Account associated with the GMB listing and entering it at the verification stage. Be sure you have access to this inbox before proceeding with this option.

The two other options are instant verification, which is only available if you’ve already verified your business’s website with Google Search Console, and bulk verification, for businesses managing ten or more locations. You can read more about both of these options here.


What’s Next?

Once you have an officially verified listing, it’s time to optimize your Google My Business! Now you can:

● Add photos and videos to your listing
● Write and optimize a compelling business description
● Use Google My Business Q&As to understand your audience
● Create Google My Business Posts to showcase offers and promotions
● Add service menus and product collections
● Encourage your most loyal customers to ‘Follow’ you on Google Maps
● Start requesting and managing Google Reviews
● Use the Google My Business app to:
● Update your business hours, location, contact information, and description
● Post statuses and pictures
● View search insights

Once you are done with the above process please give manager access to analytics@growth99.com
For any queries or questions, please feel free to ask at support@growth99.com.