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If you want to create your Google Business Profile, it’s crucial to have a Google account. This account is your passport to all things Google – from Gmail to YouTube, and, of course, your business profile.
If you’re already a user of Google services, just sign in with your existing login. If you’re new, figuring out how to create a Google Business Profile is simple. Head over to the Google sign-up page, follow the prompts, and soon enough, you’ll have a Google account, ready to proceed.
How to Create Your Google Business Profile
- Sign Into a Google Account: Your first move is to sign in to your Google Account. It’s the main place to access Google’s suite of tools, including your Google Business Profile
- Access Google Business: Once signed in, navigate to Google Business Profile. It’s where you will create a Google profile for your business.
- Add Your Business Name: This step is about making your business recognizable. Key in the official name of your business to let customers identify you easily.
- Choose a Primary Business Category: Your choice here should reflect the core of your business. Picking the category that best reflects your business helps in making your profile visible to the right audience.
- Provide Business Address: Share the physical location of your business. It’s crucial for customers who want to find you offline. This is also a huge component to your local SEO efforts.
- Detail Your Service Areas (Applicable for Service Area Businesses): If you operate in specific areas, make sure to list them in the service area section of your profile. Doing so will make your listing appear to customers in those areas.
- Include Your Contact Details: Add your phone number and website. If you do not have a website, you can create a quick free one with your Google account here.
- Finalize Your Listing Details: Make sure all information is accurate and complete before finishing the final step. A complete business listing helps maximize your visibility. Try not to skip any steps, it will pay off in the long run to have everything finished. You can always go back to edit or change information as things with your business grow/change.
- Authenticate Your Listing: The last step is to verify your listing. Often, Google offers you different methods to verify. Here is where you should utilize community guidelines and FAQs in order to make sure your verification is as easy as possible.
What you need in order sign in, set up, claim and create your Google Business Profile
In order to claim and showcase your business on Google, creating a Google account will be the first step. If you already have a Google email account and one you would like to associate with your business, go ahead and use that one. If you haven’t set one up yet, then no worries. It is quick and easy to do so. Create a Google account here.
After securing your Google account, you’ll be asked to fill out details about your business. These details will include name, location, contact number, and website link.
Sign in or Find Your Google Business Profile
If you already have a business profile: Log into your Google Account, head over to the Google Business Profile page. And click the ‘Manage now’ button in the top right (see here)…
If you just made a Google account, and still need to create your Google Business Profile, make your way to the Google My Business account creation section (same page as above). This is the portal where you’ll begin to build out a digital footprint for your business.
Keep an eye out for the ‘Manage now’ button located prominently in the top right corner. Clicking on this will take you further into the setup process, guiding you step by step. This button is crucial, acting as the gateway to optimizing your online business presence. Make sure to follow the prompts carefully and take each action as directed.
Entering Your Business Name
Enter the name of your business as it appears in real time. This is an essential step, as the name you provide will be how customers identify and connect with you online. Think of it as your digital storefront sign, inviting searchers to learn more about what your business is about. Do not add any keywords or spam words to your listing name. This will likely get you a suspension from Google.
Here’s (about) what you should see… Be sure to double-check for accuracy. Remember, this is your business’s introduction to potential clients, so accuracy and clarity are paramount.
Filling out your business details
Filling out your business details is probably good for…business. All jokes aside, it is a good strategy for enhancing your online presence. This step is key in helping your business become a searchable entity on various platforms, mainly on searches and maps. Keep your information detailed and consistent. This allows potential customers to find your business easily. Make sure you don’t lose valuable traffic.
Make sure you keep the consistency of your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information. This helps the probability of ranking your Google Business listing long term. Any type of inconsistency can lead to confusion and might divert potential clients or customers. A good practice would be to use a dedicated spreadsheet to store and organize all of your NAP info.
Confirm Business Categories
Choosing a primary category is a significant step when you create your Google Business Profile. This choice has a big impact on your local search visibility in Google. Your selected category is closely attached with the keywords potential customers use. It’s crucial to select a category that accurately represents your business to ensure it appears in relevant search results.
Take time to explore and select the most relevant option for your business. The more precise the better. Remember, you can always refine your category later, but getting it right from the start sets a strong foundation for your business’s online visibility and searchability.
Add your business address
When setting up your business online, especially on platforms like Google, you’ll come across a really big decision. Does your business have a physical address customers can visit, or does it operate within specific service areas? This choice also impacts how your business appears online. If customers can visit your brick-and-mortar store, workshop, or office, you’d choose “Yes”. If not, you’d select “No”, indicating you operate in a service area.
It’s straightforward. If your business has a tangible address, simply input the details. This address becomes your business’s identity online, connecting you with potential local customers.
Having a visible address not only attracts customers but also boosts local SEO. It becomes easier for locals to find your business, increasing foot traffic and, hopefully, sales. This is one of the most important steps when you create your Google Business Profile.
Specify service areas (only for service area businesses)
But what about businesses without a physical storefront? That’s where Service Area Businesses (SABs) come into play. SABs are businesses that deliver goods or services to their customers rather than having customers come to them. Think plumbers, electricians, home tutors, HVAC, etc…
For SABs, Google focuses on the provided service areas, highlighting regions the business serves. The emphasis shifts from a specific location to a broader region, ensuring customers find you when they search for services you offer within those areas.
When you create your Google Business Profile, optimizing service areas in line with your business objectives is vital for reaching the right audience. Start by identifying a broad region where you aim to offer your services, and then drill down to the specifics.
Add your phone number and website
Google’s emphasis on having a phone number or website for verification underlines the importance of a digital presence in today’s business landscape. For businesses without an official website, crafting a local SEO-optimized landing page can act as a fantastic tool. It doesn’t just meet Google’s criteria, but it also serves as a digital storefront, enhancing your brand’s credibility.
Complete your listing
On average, businesses that have completed Google Business Profiles receive more visibility and customer engagement. Make sure to complete every section when you create your Google Business Profile.
Add your services
Expanding on the services you offer is a strong strategy to engage with prospective clients searching the web for specific needs. By detailing the services based on the selected category, you align with relevant search queries, enhancing your profile’s depth and relevance.
These keywords function as signals or even signposts, guiding potential customers right to your door. It’s about more than just listing; it’s about being strategically visible amongst a sea of competitors.
While the initial input is crucial, businesses evolve. Fortunately, the Google Business Profile manager dashboard is user-friendly. It allows for easy adjustments to your listed services.
Add business hours
Make sure you are very clear about your business hours. No one likes to be misled or show up to a physical location only to see that it is closed (this happened to a friend of mine on his wedding day). Clearly state your business hours, eliminate any guesswork and build trust. Always keep these hours updated; it’s a simple gesture that goes a long way in maintaining transparency with your customers. If you skip this step or do not make it as accurate when you create your Google Business Profile – it is likely that you will have some unhappy customers and potential bad reviews to follow.
Enable messaging
The messaging is a pretty cool tool. It lets your customers reach out with ease. Manage all their queries straight from the Google Business Profile manager dashboard. These messages can be turned on and off at your convenience.
Add a business description
Here, detail your unique selling points and give potential clients a reason to gravitate towards your services. Consider this section to be kind of like an “about the business section” and also a pseudo pitch at the same time. This will stand out front and center in search results after you create your Google Business Profile. Need to make changes? No worries. Head to the ‘Info’ section in the Google Business Profile dashboard and edit whenever you want.
Add a business logo
Incorporating your logo not only helps your brand presence but it is a way to give your profile a professional touch. When you navigate to the ‘Photos’ tab, and make sure your logo meets the specified dimensions for best display. Stick to the guidelines, avoiding overly edited or distorted images, and maintain a clear and authentic representation of your brand.
The default logo image size is 720 x 720 pixels and should be downloaded as a JPG or PNG image prior to uploading.
Add a cover photo
The cover photo acts as the main visual to your business. When you create your Google Business Profile, access the ‘Photos’ tab, selecting a representative image can set the tone for potential customers. Try to make it capture the essence of your brand or services.
The recommended Google Business cover photo size is 1024 x 575 pixels with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Like the logo, it should not contain any excessive edits and should accurately represent and showcase your business.
Add attributes
Google Business attributes offer deeper insights about your establishment, benefiting industries like restaurants and hotels. Including them when you create your Google Business Profile can also enhance your visibility on SERP with added features. Do you have wheelchair accessibility at your storefront? Do you identify as women-owned? You can enter details such as these in the attributes section of your profile.
Verify your listing
Verified Google Business Profile listings gain prominence in Google Search results. The verification of a profile is required for everyone, so this will be a part of the process you need to be prepared for once you finally create your Google Business Profile.
The verification prompt will appear towards the end of profile creation, remember that patience is key. Filling out every detail in all of the sections not only builds your profile but also confirms its authenticity, making Google more likely to give its stamp of approval. Think of verification as Google’s trust badge; the more information you provide, the more you’re establishing your business’s legitimacy. There are many different forms of verification, Instant verification, video, live video, phone call, email, and finally, post card.
As long as you have filled your other profile information out with accuracy, you should not encounter any snags in your verification process. Although, it is certainly not unheard of to hear of others who encounter intricate verification hiccups. Luckily, Google has support teams in place to help you navigate any issues if they arise. Another good way to help if you find any verification issues is to search for Facebook groups which are communities built to help others with all things Google Business Profile related. These groups can often help you find solutions or at the very least, answers; faster than Google support tickets.
Common Issues and Solutions
Troubleshooting verification problems
The most common hiccup when you create your Google Business Profile is the verification process. If you haven’t received your postcard within 14 days, don’t panic. Request a new code, or check other verification methods provided by Google. Sometimes, it might just be a postal delay. You can always submit questions via their support page!
Handling duplicate listings
Another common issue is duplicate listings. It can be confusing for customers and harm your online credibility. If you spot a duplicate of your business, report it to Google immediately to have it removed. Sometimes this occurs if you have started to create your Google Business Profile in the past and have forgotten about it, or if an employee has, who no longer works with your brand. We have seen this happen a few times, so don’t be worried if you find yourself in the same shoes. Clear communication with Google over removal of the duplicate profile should be easy.
Keeping information updated
Everything on the internet moves fast.. faster than it did even the day before. Maybe you’ve extended your business hours, or perhaps you’ve introduced new services. Make sure you consistently update your Google Business Profile to reflect these changes. Regular updates not only provide accurate information to customers but also improve your business’s visibility in search results.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, creating your Google Business Profile is not just about visibility; it’s about credibility in todays digital landscape. By setting up, claiming, and verifying your business on Google, you are building trust with potential customers and establishing a strong online presence. Through proper profile management and local SEO techniques, you will be able to also help rank your business above others in important areas such as Google’s search engine results page, and Google maps. At Tactic Multimedia, we have other resources on this matter that you can refer to for your businesses local SEO to help. Create your Google Business Profile today and give your business the platform it needs to reach as many of your customers as possible.
Does every business need a Google Business Profile?
No, not every business needs a Google Business Profile. However, it can be beneficial for visibility on Google searches and Maps. It’s especially useful for local businesses seeking to attract nearby customers.
How do I get my business on Google Maps?
To get your business on Google Maps, create a Google Business Profile. Once you’ve added your business information and verified it, your business will appear on Google Maps. Ensure your details are accurate for best visibility.
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes, creating a Google Business Profile is free. However, there are additional paid advertising options available if you wish to enhance your visibility on Google.
Do you need a Gmail account to create a Google business profile?
Yes, you do. It is free, simple and easy to create. Just log into the Google home page and create!