Google My Business Listing on GMB [Beginners Guide]
What is Google Maps Business? Is Google Business listing free?
Have your business online and preparing to list on Google My Business and Google Maps. Google Maps, formally known as Google Place, is part of the Google My Business Listing, and Google Maps support your business functionality, presence across Google’s various platforms include Google local SEO, Google ads, Google analytics.
In this article, I will try to give a complete guide to Small Business Ideas for beginners on how to list your business on Google My Business and Google Maps listing step by step.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free Google service that allows corporate owners to modify the way their listings appear on Google Search results and Google Maps. GMB is also a free service. It allows you to claim your free Google local business listing and add information like your contact information, company hours, photos, services, and more.
Is Google Business listing free?
Yes, it’s totally free to create your business profile Google. Create your business profile at no cost, no subscriptions fee, and service charge. And you can manage your Google business dashboard from Google search and maps to reach more customers. Read more about Google business FAQs
Importance of Google My Business
Since your business quite definitely will be featured on Google, whether you like it or not. Anybody may input and register your business name with Google. As a consequence, your company’s Google My Business page will begin to appear more prominently in Google Map results. It also helps your company’s appearance on the Knowledge Panel.
To improve your entire online visibility, an optimized Google business listing allows you to provide essential company information to searchers such as business hours, where you’re located, driving directions, and much more.
Would you want to be the manager rather than the one who manages your listing?
The insights pane such as business analysis may also be generated from:
- What people look for when they’re looking for your company
- What search terms do people use to locate your company?
- What people say about your listing, how they engage with it, and a lot more.
These insights are typically easier to understand for small business owners than Google Analytics data.
A profile/listing is the #1 method to balance visibility between large companies and small enterprises.
How Do I Setup Google Maps Business [Step by Step]
It’s important to note that you should do this from a desktop or laptop computer. It will be a lot easy.
If you want to delete a listing, follow these steps: To learn how to remove your Google My Business listing, go to this page.
Step 1: Visit the Official Website
Please visit the following page::
Go to Google and put in “google my business” or go to https://www.google.com/business/.
You’ll notice it as the first result.
Click the Manage Now button.
It will prompt you to sign in if you are not currently logged into a Google account.
Selecting a Name for Your Business
If you haven’t already done so, it will prompt you to input the name of your business once you’ve logged in.
Feel free to type it in.
You should see your listing appear if someone has already listed you on Google (which isn’t uncommon).
If your business does not show, click the result that contains the following text beneath your business name:
Make a company/business with this name.
Otherwise, if your business appears (like it does in the example below), click it.
GMB Setup Name of Your Business.
Then click Next.
Selecting Your Company’s Business Address
The Location UI on GMB
Now you must choose between a brick and mortar and a service area business. For additional information, see the Brick & Mortar vs. Service Area Business section.
Setting your location & Service area business
Whether you use a store or a service point, the manner you established your website is completely different
How to Hide Your Address
If you already have a listing and wish to conceal your address from Google, you may do so via your GMB dashboard’s data settings; we’ve covered how to hide your Google My Business location from Google Maps here.
Selecting a Location for Your Brick and Mortar Business
If you’re running a physical store, you’ll need to mark your location on a map. It’s possible that you’ll have to drag the marker to the exact spot on the map where your company is located. Simply position your marker on the map as desired, then hit the “Next” button once again.
Positioning Your Location as a Service Area Business
If you are a business that serves a certain area, you must inform Google of the area in which you serve clients.
If Google is going to force you to limit your service area to specified places, you might as well do it now.
You can choose your service area by city, county, state, zip code, nation, and so on.
So let’s look at an example.
Assume a local plumber serves the Texas region.
They could type something like this:
- Coastal Plains, Texas
- North Central Plains, Texas
- Mountains, Texas
- Basins, Texas
- and so forth.
They may even enter these locations by zip code or even the major cities in each county if that is where they want to set their sights.
Customized your business
This is also a crucial stage, so don’t rush through it. Take your time and make certain that you get it right the first time.
You will be able to set both primary and secondary categories when you set your “categories”.
This stage is vital if you want to appear on Google’s search results page when potential customers search for a product or service you offer.
Setup your business details & attract your customers
Adding this information to your Google listing is optional, but I strongly advise you to do so.
Including your website has the obvious benefit of potentially attracting a customer to your site, where you can convert them to a lead more simply.
Customers will be able to contact you directly if you include your phone number.
Make sure that you utilize the same URL format for your website anywhere you post it on the web (in a Google listing, Yelp, Yellow Pages, local Chambers of Commerce pages, and so on).
In other words, if your website’s address is https://yourwebsitename.com, leave out the https://www.yourwebsitename.com.
If your name does not have www in front of it, do not list it anywhere (and vice-versa).
Also, be sure to utilize the same [http or https] structure in front of your name across all listings, depending on which one you have. It is critical that your company’s name, address, and website are consistent across all directory listings. A tool like Direction is ideal for ensuring that your NAP is consistent across the web.
Google recommends having a secure website [https], which will necessitate the installation of a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate.
If you’re not sure, what this is or how to implement it, consult with your website developer.
Once you’ve completed that information, click the “Next” button once more!
Finish and Verify Your Business
Don’t get too fired up. You’re not finished yet.
Following that, you must validate your company, which may take a few days. In the meantime, you can optimize your listing.
Google may give you a different option to verify your business, but for most business owners, you’ll have to wait for a postcard with a verification number to be mailed to you from Google.
How to Validate Your Google My Business Listing
Depending on the type of business listing you’re intending to create (or modify), you may have a few alternatives for verifying your company:
- Verify by mail (postcard)
- Verify by phone
- Verify by email
- Instant verification
- Bulk verification
When your postcard arrives, go back to google.com/mybusiness, select Verify Location from the menu or the Verify Now button if it’s accessible, and input the 5-digit code on your postcard.
That’s all there is to it. You’ve got your listing all set up.
It’s now time to improve it (if you haven’t previously) so you can capitalize on the value it can offer to your company.
How to Improve Your Google Rankings My Business Listing
The search results show businesses that are close to your location.
Being at the top of a Google search is like striking gold. But you are aware of this, aren’t you?
If no highlighted snippet is present, about 26% of all clicks are directed to the first result listed (excluding advertising). Otherwise, featured snippets receive approximately 8.6 percent of clicks, whereas the first organic result receives 19.6 percent.
Whether or not you were able to authenticate your business, you can still optimize your Google My Business listing.
Establishing your listing is like laying the foundation and structure of a house; it must exist. It is optimized in the same way that the roof is not leaking and the insulation is performing properly. Having said that, you’ll want to make sure you’re following the Google My Business standards while portraying yourself on Google.
When someone searches for a service or product that Google believes can be delivered by a local business, the search engine results page (SERP) is modified to include local results.
Be cheerful. This is Google searching for local businesses.
