Claim Your Free Google Listing & Get More Customers Today!

SEO Consultant & Google AdWords Specialist

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‘Google it’

How often do you hear this term? I bet, you hear it and/or say it a heck of a lot. In fact, there are over 3.5 billion Google searches made a day around the globe.

So the question every business owner should be asking is if your potential customers would turn to Google to look for your services and/or products? I would say, for most types of businesses and industries this would be a firm yes.

Therefore, it’s nearly vital that in this day and age, you have some sort of online presence that people can find through the largest search engine in the world – Google.

To do this, an online marketing quick win is to claim your free Google My Business listing (if you don’t have a website you can also create a free Google website at the same time). And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a computer genius to do it either!

Here are some easy steps to claim and get value from your free Google Maps listing right now:

Create & verify your Google listing

The first step you need to take is to either create or claim your listing (the latter will be the case if the listing already existing due to Google putting it together based on what it knows about your business).

You can follow this step-by-step guide on how to get your business on Google Maps.

It’s important to note that:

  • Google will need to send a physical postcard out to your location with a verification pin code on it so they can be sure your business is where you say it is
  • You can’t have the postcard sent to a PO Box or virtual office, it needs to be a location that is manned by your staff
  • It is possible to hide your physical address from the listing if it’s an online business and/or you don’t have customers coming to your location
  • You may have the option to verify your listing by an automated phone call
  • The verification postcard typically takes 6-10 business days to arrive, once you have added the pin code to the listing, it will take another couple of days to show on Google
  • Once verified, you should keep an eye on and update your listing as necessary

How to make your Google listing ‘pop’

Now if you really want to make your Google listing market your business and help get you more customers, then simply creating and verifying your listing is not enough.

The next step is to optimise your Google My Business listing so you can get the most out of it.

By this I mean:

  • Add in all your business information
    • This includes your business hours and keeping these up to date. If you are closed on a public holiday, you can add this information to the listing too so that customers know you’re closed
  • Add images to your listing
  • Ask customers to leave reviews
    • Plus when someone leaves a review, don’t forget to respond to them and say thanks!
  • Check in on your listing regularly (at least once a month) to check if there are any updates
  • Add Posts to your listing, these Google Posts are basically like a social media post which shows with your listing on Google and allows you to highlight new pages on your website, upcoming events, products and more!

So how does this listing get you more customers?

It gives you an online presence. Which helps you get your business name in front of potential customers when they are searching for services and/or products like what you offer.

This listing will typically show up when someone Googles your business name or when someone is searching for your services/products in your local area. Google likes to show people businesses that are near them in proximity.

The listing will help your business:

  • Stand out amongst the crowd
  • Provide a great online customer experience so people have a good impression of your business
  • Have more touch points so people can find out who you are and what you do

So what are you waiting for? Head over to Google My Business and claim your free listing today!

Casey Bryan

SEO Consultant & Google AdWords Specialist

Casey Bryan is the owner and operator of Grand Cru Digital which launched in 2018. Casey worked in Perth in the SEO and online marketing industry for 6 years, before moving to Gippsland for her husband's job. As a result of the relocation, Casey started up her own business to offer SEO, Google AdWords and website content & maintenance help to small businesses locally and across Australia.

Casey is also a passionate wine-lover and supporter of the wine industry through her wine blog, travellingcorkscrew.com.au that has been running for 8 years now.

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Daley Thompson
6 years ago

Great article Casey, keep up the good work!

Sally-Anne Watson Kane

I have had my free Google business listing for some time and you’re right, Casey: it does work.