Is Your Business Listed On Google?

Does your business have a physical address? Do you want people to find you on google when searching for a product or service in your general area? If the answer to both these questions is yes you should be listed as a business place and show up on google maps.

Google Places allows small businesses to be found in the organic search when people are looking for a product or service in your area. With the internet being used by so many people, the yellow pages have become a bit redundant. Think of Google Places/Maps as the yellow pages. If you want to be found you need to be listed.

The benefits of being listed on Google Places are:

• Improve search engine page ranking. Google will put businesses registered in a specific locality higher up the ranking than those without.

• It will allow you to show up on google maps.

• Easier for people to see how close you are to them and get driving instructions etc using google maps.

• Its free and it would seem daft that you would spend money on advertising your business before making sure you had used all the free channels for marketing first.

How to make sure your business is fully listed on Google Places

• On Google.co.uk search for your business name and location e.g. Waves Sailing School Falmouth.

• You should now see a listing for your business and a map. Click on the link next to your business name which says 'place page'

• If you do not show up then you do not have a google account and will need to get one and then sign in to your account.

• Choose edit my business information option and complete as fully as possible.

• Add photos and video... as much as you have to show (this is like a full page ad in the yellow pages)

• Submit

There are plenty of sites on google to help you list your business. Also, videos showing you how to add your local company to Google Places.