Tue. Sep 17th, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

Your business is growing, you have opened another location, and life is good. Almost. As you progress towards your business goals, achieving that next milestone is exciting until you learn about the new challenges that come with growing pains.

One of them is ensuring the up-to-date listing of each business location so customers can find and contact you. Google Business Profiles is the most popular tool to plot multiple locations on a map and, according to customers, the most trusted with prospects are 2.7 times more likely to consider your business trustworthy if you have your profile set up.

Access Your Account

To begin, log in to your Google My Business account by clicking the “Manage now” button. Once logged in, navigate to your Google My Business dashboard, the central hub for this free tool. Here, you can oversee and manage various aspects of your business listing, including details related to your business category, contact information, physical locations, and more.

Add Your Locations

To add a new location to your Google Business Profile account, click ‘Add Location.’ From the drop-down menu, select ‘Add Single Location’. Following this, Google will prompt you to input essential business information such as the business name, address, phone number, website URL, and hours of operation for the specific location you wish to add. Once you’ve filled in these details, click ‘Done.’ Repeat this process for each additional location you want to include.

Once you add all your locations, navigate to the “Locations” tab in the left-hand menu, where you can efficiently oversee multiple locations from a centralized interface. This hub allows you to edit location information, upload photos, respond to customer reviews, and perform various other management tasks seamlessly.

Make Optimizations

To optimize your business listings in Google Business Profile, follow a comprehensive approach by thoroughly filling out each location’s profile, leaving no gaps in essential information. Elevate the visual appeal of your profile by uploading high-quality photos and videos, presenting customers with a compelling visual representation of your business. Incorporate strategically relevant keywords associated with your product or service to enhance searchability and visibility within the platform. Additionally, maintain the accuracy of your information on Google Business Profile with timely updates, especially concerning changes in operating hours or contact numbers. This proactive approach ensures that customers consistently receive precise information, contributing to a positive and reliable user experience.

Verify Your Account

When you complete the above steps, you must confirm the legitimacy and activity of your added business listing(s) by undergoing the verification process mandated by Google. You can choose between mail/postcard, email (typically applicable for service area businesses) or phone.

Each location needs to be verified individually for businesses handling fewer than 10 locations. On the other hand, businesses overseeing ten or more different locations qualify for bulk verification. Keep in mind bulk verification is also an option if you have many locations, with the process being slightly different.

Let The Reviews Roll In

Once your location(s) are live and ready to go, you’re onto the exciting part: collecting reviews! As a form of social currency, reviews on each location may help to tip the scales for customers deciding between your brand and someone else’s.

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