Blog

1. Make sure you don’t already have one!
   Google your brand name and see if any results pop up in the knowledge graph. Anyone can create listings if they want to review your business, so there could already be a listing for your business floating out there. (Best to check Yelp too if you haven’t already for rogue listings.) If you find an existing listing, click “Own this business?” and go from there! 
   
   
2. Starting from scratch? Make sure you have a gmail to connect to the account.
   #MarketingTip: if you don’t already use gmail for your business, create a marketing gmail to use for all of your google properties like Analytics, GMB, and Google Ads. 
   
   
3. Got your preferred gmail ready? Great.
   Go to https://www.google.com/business/ then enter in your business name and choose a business category (don’t worry you can add more than one later, so just pick the MOST relevant one). 
   
   
4. Add a physical location, or not.
   A consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) is key to a good local SEO strategy. You can also select your service area if that’s applicable to your business. If you run a virtual office, don’t worry about it, you can select that you don’t want to have a physical location show up.
   
   
5. Add contact details.
   Add in your contact details like phone number and website. Google also gives you the option to create a website for your business at this step.
   
   
6. Verification.
   Google will ask for an address (not a P.O. Box) that they can send a postcard to in order to validate your business listing. Make sure you put in an address where someone can receive the postcard. The post card will have a number on it that you will need to get your business validated. Once you get the postcard, log back in to the email that you created the GMB profile with, click on the blue shop symbol for my business in the top right, and enter in the code to validate your business.
   
   
   
   
7. Add business information.
   You don’t have to wait to be validated to add in your business information like hours of operation, photos, your logo, services and more. Build this out as much as you can to provide value and information to those searching for your business.
   
8. Verify your business
   Look for your postcard in the mail from Google. Once you get it, open it up, log back in to the gmail associated with the GMB account, and it will prompt you to verify. Enter in the code from the postcard, and you are verified! You now own that account and can edit all of the information and photos associated with it.

That’s it! Now your Google My Business is set up. Monitor your email associated with the account for new engagements, comments, questions, and reviews.