Keeping up with all of the different places online to list your business, and making sure your listings are complete and up to date takes more time than many business owners are willing to spend. But even if your time is limited, one place you can’t overlook is Google.
First off, make sure your business can be found on Google maps. You can easily create and edit your own business listing for Google Maps via the Google Local Business Center. Add your hours of operation, photos and other details about your business – free. To find the Local Business Center (LBC), just click on Business Solutions at the bottom of the Google homepage or go to google.com/lbc.
Keeping your listing up to date is also critical if your address, phone number, hours or other key details change. If you have more than 10 listings you can upload a data file to the site rather than typing in all of the information yourself.
Beyond those basics, however, Google offers other goodies for small businesses. For example, you can now create coupons right in the Local Business Center and display your own videos – all for free.
If you need an online checkout solution for your business, consider Google Checkout, available through the Local Business Center or at checkout.google.com.
Google also offers free information on how customers are finding you online, where they are coming from and what terms they searched for to find you – all valuable information for your own marketing plans.
The LBC has a free tool that lets business owners control the content of their business listings as they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. All you have to do is claim your listing in the LBC and go through a quick verification process. Once Google verifies your listing, you can get this data free:
• Impressions: The number of times your business listing appeared as a result on a Google.com or Google Maps search in a given period.
• Actions: The number of times someone took action. For example, the number of times they clicked through to your Web site or requested driving directions to your business.
• Top Search Queries or Keywords: Which specific queries (keywords or phrases) led customers to your listing. For example, did they find your cafe by searching for “tea” or “coffee?”
• Zip codes where driving directions come from: Which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location. •
Daniel Kehrer can be reached at
editor@business.com.
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