How to Register and Set Up Google My Business

It's hard to imagine local promotion without registering on Google Maps. You can do it yourself, the main thing is to know how.

You may have heard of Google My Business, but what is it and how does it work? The digital agency Idea Digital Agency will tell you how to create a Google My Business account, set it up, and use it to promote your company.

What is Google My Business

Google My Business is a tool that allows you to add information about a company or its branches to a city map. The map, where all company profiles are marked, is displayed for local queries as a special block above the search results. Users will be able to find out all the important information at once, as well as plot a route to the point marked on the map. 

Google can focus on the user's location if geolocation is enabled: in this case, Google My Business cards will be displayed without specifying a specific city or if the user adds the words: «nearby», «nearby», etc. to the query.

If the profile is filled out correctly and qualitatively, your business will be included in a small list under the map, and an unusual snippet with data will be displayed along with the name. With such a bonus, SEO optimization of an online store or service site will be even more successful.

By brand query in the output, you can find a beautiful card of your company in the special block on the right.

By brand query in the output, you can find a beautiful card of your company in a special block on the right.

What is in Google My Business

The card includes several blocks and elements that provide the user with all the most important and necessary information.

1. A block with photos and videos of the company, its location on Google Maps, and a street view.

2. A block with the address, working hours, and contacts.

3. A block with products.

4. A block with questions and answers, where users can learn more about the business from its owner or representative.

5. A block with reviews on third-party authoritative resources.

6. Google User Reviews Block.

Based on user reviews and their ratings, the organization's rating is formed. The higher your rating and the more positive reviews your business has, the more trust it inspires among users.

Setting up Google My Business allows you to promote individual, most priority services for free. Of course, it will not have the same effect as site promotion, but there will undoubtedly be benefits. You can add announcements to your business card, for example, in this way, you can notify users about a promotion or some event.

The main question is - how to register a company with Google? We will tell you in detail.

How to register a company with Google Business

Registering a company with Google is a simple process, but it can cause difficulties for some users. For your convenience, we have divided it into several steps.

Step 1. Create a Google mailbox for your company

Skip this step if you already have a Google account for your company. If not, create a new Google account that will be associated with your company.

When creating an account (1), do not forget to select the Manage business option (2).

Step 2. Go to Google My Business

Once you're logged into your Google account to manage your business, go to https://www.google.com/business/. At the bottom of the page, you can select the country and language that is most comfortable for you. Once you have chosen your language, click the «Start» button in the upper right corner.

Step 3. Enter your business name and address

You need to use a current address, it is by it that your business will be found on Google Maps.

Step 4. Select the service area and type of activity

You can list the regions to which your goods can be delivered or select the Delivery within the radius of the company item.

After selecting the service area, go to the next item, where you need to select the type of company's activity. Here it is important to choose the category that is as close as possible to your activity - the further set of settings will depend on your choice. For example, for a cafe or pizzeria, in the next steps, you will be able to select the services available in the establishment (for example, the presence of a summer terrace, WI-FI for guests, etc.).

Step 5. Add a phone number and website

It is important to specify a number that you have access to because if you choose the option to verify your account by phone number in the next step, the code will come to it.

If you have already created a business card before, but it is not displayed on Google, you can check if there is data about your company or branches on GMB - you can search for the company in Google My Business through the Account Information section.

Verify your website in Google My Business

Above, we have indicated all the steps necessary to create a Google business account and register a company. But its registration still needs to be confirmed. There are four possible verification options:

1. By phone number.

2. By physical letter with a PIN code.

3. By email.

4. By webmaster tools.

The system will automatically select the verification option for you. If it is confirmed by phone, consider yourself very lucky. This means that you will be able to verify your account immediately by entering the code that will be sent to the number you specified earlier.

Practice shows that the most likely option is confirmation via a physical letter containing a special PIN code. It will arrive at the address you specified earlier within 13 days. Very important: do not make any changes to your business data until you receive the letter. Otherwise, the letter will become invalid.

What to do if the letter has not arrived

On the Web, you can often find a complaint from business owners - the Google Business verification code is not coming. What could be the reason for this:

1. The data entered during account registration was incorrect or violated. If everything is entered correctly, you will receive an email stating that a physical letter has been sent to your address. If nothing has arrived in your email, check the data.

2. There are extra words in the company name. For example, if our company card had said «Agency Idea Digital Agency» or «Order Internet services at the agency Idea Digital Agency», the system might think it was spam and would not pass such registration further. Even more: for this you can get a ban, the removal of which can take a very long time. By the way, special characters ("», "", * and others) must also be in the name.

3. You have specified an incorrect address and index. Unfortunately, due to inattention, you may incorrectly specify the house number or street, and use the wrong index. Therefore, it is important to check the data very carefully when filling in the appropriate fields. Otherwise, you may not get your letter.

Configuring the main sections

Now let's see how to configure Google Business to suit your needs.

Entries

With this section, you can add promotions, events, products, services, and company news. After adding, the block with entries will appear in the Google Business card.

Information

This block contains all the data about your business: contact details, office address, website, opening hours, and other attributes, for example, price list.

Statistics

This section will be available only after your account is verified. In it, you can see how users find your company - by address or by category, as well as details by search time, calls, and number of photo views.

Reviews

It is in this section that users can write reviews about your company. To leave a review on Google Business, all you need is a personal Google Account. After going to the Reviews block, click the Write a review button and the appropriate form will open in front of you.

Positive reviews increase your rating, and negative ones, respectively, decrease it. Deal with negativity - respond to your customers' comments to smooth over bad moments and reach a compromise. Respond to positive reviews as well - this increases your level of trust.

Website

When creating a business card in Google My Business, you can also create a simple business card website for it, if you don't already have a website for your company. The data you enter during registration will be transferred to the business card automatically.

Branch

To add a branch to Google Business, you must go through the same steps as when initially registering a company.

Deleting an account

If you need to delete a company in Google My Business, go to the Branches section in your account, select all addresses, and click the Delete button. Confirm the action, if necessary, log in to your account again. After that, a warning will appear, read it and click the Delete account button.

Benefits of using Google My Business

Registering with Google Business gives you a number of advantages. First of all, this way you increase the visibility of your business for users. This will be a big plus for those niches where customer traffic is important: restaurants, cafes, salons, shops, clinics, dentistry, hotels, etc.

Another non-obvious advantage of registering with Google My Business is the ability to receive more attractive contextual advertising.

The main plus of Google My Business is free company placement without hidden fees. Therefore, if you are just thinking about whether to register for GMB or not, we say unequivocally - yes, register.

Let's sum up. The main advantages of GMB:

• local promotion - appearing on Google Maps is a huge plus for your business;

• additional site visits - the GMB card works as an extended snippet, attracting more user attention;

• increasing brand awareness - users immediately see the name, logo, and website address, and this is memorable;

• this is the best way to increase the level of trust - reviews, a block with questions and answers, and ratings work for this.

FAQ

1. How does category selection affect promotion? The category tells Google which queries to show you for and which profile features to activate. If the category is inaccurate, you may lose relevant impressions or, conversely, receive an audience that is not relevant to you.

2. What are the ways to verify a profile? Google may offer verification by phone, letter with a PIN code, or video. The system automatically decides which option will be available.

3. Is it important to respond to reviews, both positive and negative? Yes. Responses show that the business is alive and that customers care. It is better to respond to negative reviews calmly and to the point — this often «overrides» the impression even for those who are reading the review for the first time.

4. What are the benefits of Google Business posts? They are a way to regularly update your listing: announce promotions, news, services, or events. For users, this is a sign of activity, and for businesses, it means additional interactions with their profile without an advertising budget.