You’ll first need a Google account so make sure you sign up for one, login and then return here to continue.
Once you have signed into your Google account open the following URL:
http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?hl=en-US&gl=US
Unless you have any existing business listings associated with your Google account you will see the following welcome screen.
Click on List your business to continue.
The next screen asks for your business country and phone number. Google will then attempt to find your business using either an existing business listing or using search indexing.
It is quite possible that a business listing may already exist. This could have been created by the previous business owner if the business has changed hands or another employee such as a member of the marketing or administration team.
If a listing already exists for your business and you don’t have the option to edit it, then you must find out which Google account is associated with the listing and ask the owner to transfer it to you.
Assuming there are no current listings the next screen asks you to fill out some information about the business. Please complete as many of the fields as you can, the more information you provide about the business the better chance it has of appearing on associated local searches.
As you complete the fields your advert is shown on the RHS, scrolling down the page as you go.
Pay particular attention to the Category field and choose the best fit for your business. Google will use this category as the basis for associating your listing with local searches. You can add up to 5 category fields and we suggest you use them all to increase your SEO exposure.
Google will suggest categories as you type into the field. Of course you are free to choose whatever category you want, however, it would be good practice to choose a couple of the suggested ones as these are likely to appear in the Google Instant list as it’s the same technology being used.
After filling out all the mandatory fields in the basic information section you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and submit your listing however we would recommend that you complete the other sections ensuring Google has as much information about your business as possible.
The other sections include:
- Service Areas and Location Settings
- Hours of Operations
- Payment Options
- Photos
- Videos
- Additional Details
Take some time to carefully go through the information you have supplied for your business listing before submitting it.
After you have submitted the business listing you will be asked to choose a verification method. This is a security measure to make sure that you are the owner of the information that you have supplied about the business.
The verification methods are by phone, SMS or post and will supply you with a verification code that you will have to enter on the next screen.
Once the correct verification code has been entered your listing will appear on Google maps and Google places for local listings.
Now your business listing is live!
