Start by Claiming Your Google Business Listing
Whether you have one business location or one hundred business locations, it is crucial to claim and manage your Google My Business listing. This will allow you to ensure all contact information is correct and your business is appropriately represented online.
What is a Google My Business Listing?
A Google My Business listing is a free business profile on Google with information on a
business and includes features such as:
- Business Name
- Business Category / Services
- Phone Number
- Address & Directions
- Website
- Reviews
- Images
- Q&A
If your business has a physical mailing address, chances are good it has a Google business listing, whether you created it or not. These listings are often automatically created by location data aggregators, similar to how a phone directory would get your business’ phone number.
The information in these business listings can be used by your clientele for things like: Google for driving directions to your business, holiday store hours, reading online reviews (before doing business with you), asking a question about the business, and more.
When it comes to your business listing on Google, it is up to you to claim it and control how it is managed.
How to Claim your Google Business Listings
Before claiming your business, you may want to check if somebody has already claimed
it on Google. To see if it’s claimed, do a Google search for your business: “business name + location” and check to see if it says ‘Own this business?’ on the listing.
Then, either click on ‘Own this business?’ to begin the process to claim it; or follow the steps below.
Important: When you begin to claim the business on Google, be sure you are logged into the correct Google/Gmail account you wish to be tied to your Google My Business Listing. Check the right hand corner of the screen to see which account you are logged in under
How to Re-Claim Ownership of a Google My Business Listing
In some cases, the business may have already been claimed (potentially by a former employee or vendor). If the business is already claimed and you need to determine who has ownership or re-claim the Google business listing, follow these steps:
- Go to https://business.google.com/
- Sign in to your Google/Gmail account.
- Click ‘Add a Location’ or go to: https://business.google.com/create
- Enter the name of your business. Select it from the dropdown if it appears. If it doesn’t, you will need to fill in the full address.
- Click ‘Request Access’. On this screen, you will also see a preview of the email address tied to your business listing.
Upon requesting access, an email will be sent to the current owner of the business listing. If they do not respond in 7 business days, you will be able to finish claiming the listing.
For more information, visit Google My Business Help: Request ownership of a business listing
How to Edit Business Information on Google
Once you have ownership of your Google My Business listing, you can edit the information by going to: https://business.google.com/.
Within the interface, click on the listing you wish to edit, and then go to ‘Info’ on the left side of the screen to edit the business information.
From there, you can click on the pencil icons on each listing and edit accordingly.
- Add more than one ‘Category’ if more than one applies. Googles uses this information when determining when to show your business in Google Maps results.
- If you are a service area business rather than a storefront business, select your service area radius in the address section.
- Add plenty of photos! Customers often browse business images before engaging or visiting a business. It is best for the owner of the business to add photos that properly represent the brand, products/services rather than only the images added by others.
- Respond promptly to questions and reviews! Timeliness of responses is a key indicator of a quality business, which could indirectly influence your businesses ranking position.
There you have it – a quick Google My Business 101 on claiming and editing your business profile on Google.
If you need additional support, such as how to effectively manage multiple business listings, feel free to reach out to the team at Americaneagle.com for troubleshooting or management assistance.
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