Google My Business: How to claim your Free Gift from Google

Claim your free Gift at Google My Business now!

It sounds too good to be true, but if you haven’t yet signed up on Google My Business (previously known as Places for Business) you are missing out on a huge opportunity to get what is equivalent to a large advertisement on the first page of the Google search engine, absolutely free!

Google My Business was launched in June 2014 to help small businesses and service providers connect more easily with customers and potential customers. If you are on Google My Business, you will be found on Search pages, Maps and on Google + , no matter what device your customer is using.

How does Google My Business work?

Google Search:

If someone searches your company keywords or keywords related to your business on Google, you can appear at the very top of the local search results.

Google Maps:

If we go to Google Maps we can find the exact location of our company on the map and even use the GPS mode on the smart phone to get to our front door! Imagine if you are a retail outlet or restaurant - that's very powerful for your business!

Google 

Build and connect with your network:

You’ll be able to start connecting with your customers on the Google + network as well as have people share and endorse your content.

What’s the benefit to you and your customers?

Information about your Business:

You’ll need to make sure that the business information that you include on your Google My Business entry /Google +  page is fully and accurately populated with opening times, telephone number/s and a good description of your business.

Potential customers will then have all the information about you at their fingertips and can call to make an appointment or reservation. 

The added benefit is that they will find you easily using Google Maps.

Customer Reviews:

You’ll also be able to get customer reviews of your business and have the chance to respond to them. (More about that in our next article).

Share your Company news and start a conversation:

You can share news and updates about your Company with articles, videos, images etc  and start a conversation, conference or webinar with people you are connected with using Google Hangouts. 

How do I get started?

• Set up a Google + account and create a Google + page in order that you can manage your business on Google +.
• You need a physical address (s) in order to sign up as well as a telephone number.
• Head on over to the Google My Business page and get started – they take you through a series of clear instructions as to how to populate the information.
• Get Verified. Before your business starts to appear on Google My Business you’ll need to be verified by Google that you are the owner of your business.

How to make a great job of your listing:

Remember, this is going to be seen at the top of the search engines in Google!  Its a big bold advertisement about your business and if you want to stand out from the crowd, get people to notice and click on you be sure to put a lot of effort:-

• Images: Upload plenty of good quality images that really show off your business and your products. You can edit this and add to it at any time.
• Description: Write a good, succinct, description about who you are and what you do including some keywords related to your business.
• Claim the Dedicated URL for your page: You can use it later on for directing people there to review your business.
• Articles and content: with the link to your Google + page, you have the opportunity to put out some interesting content about your business – menus, articles, information about events, images, videos etc.

How can I track results?

The great thing about the Google My Business Dashboard is that you can see all the results of your hard work on the same page on your desktop or "on the go" with the mobile app.

Google Analytics Stats:

If you already have Google Analytics code embedded on your website, by following a few simple steps, you can now  get key information from your web analytics data appearing right in your Dashboard.

Connect your Adwords account:

If you are running an Adwords campaign, you’ll be able to connect the dots and customize and refine your local targeting and see your results in the Dashboard.

Insights about your Business:

You'll be able to see how people are interacting with your business - how they find you and what content they like.

 Check Customer Reviews:

And you'll be able to see stats and comments on Customer reviews.