How to Create and Verify Your Google Business Profile

Turning people who find you on Google Search and Maps into new customers is easy with a free business profile for your store or service area. Customize your profile with photos, offers, publications and more. Your free Google business listing (known as your business profile) can do more than you think. When properly optimized, it showcases your best features and makes it easier for consumers to discover, learn about and contact your business. But to properly optimize your business profile, you need to access it, and to be able to access it, you must verify with Google that you are the rightful owner. The process of creating a Google my Business account and using it to claim and verify your business profile on Google is not as simple as it seems. It requires three different Google accounts and two different Google platforms, all with very similar names. To get full access to your business profile on Google, you must first understand the different platforms and accounts. The advantages of a Google Business account are numerous. It makes it easier for consumers to discover, learn about and contact your business online. Without a Google My Business account, you have no control over the information displayed in your business profile, and according to a BrightLocal study, 68% of consumers would stop using a local business after finding incorrect information online. Additionally, a Google Business profile managed through a Google Business account can be optimized to rank above the competition in searches for relevant keywords. To create a Google My Business account, you must first have a Google account. Many call it their “Gmail account”, but Gmail is just one of the features; in fact, you can use any email to set up a Google account. Once you have an account, you can access the Google My Business platform and create your business profile. This screen is where you will enter your business address so that Google can verify that your company exists. You can also have a profile if you are a hybrid company that serves customers at your company's address and visits or delivers directly to customers. If you offer or bring services to your customers instead of them coming to your business for their needs, select “Yes” to add your service area. Once you have created your profile, you must claim it in order to gain full control over the information displayed in it. This is done through the Google My Business platform by verifying that you are the rightful owner of the business. You can do this by phone or postcard verification. Once verified, you can make changes to the information in your profile such as hours, phone number, categories, and attributes. Google is all about relevance, so if a potential customer is looking for “italian restaurant” but you're a pizza place, you might not show up. To ensure that your business appears in relevant searches, make sure that all of the information in your profile is accurate and up-to-date. Additionally, take advantage of the tools available on the platform such as photos and offers to make sure that your profile stands out from the competition. Creating a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is an important way to attract new customers to your company through Google Search and Maps. With this free tool at your disposal, make sure that you follow the steps above to create, claim and verify through Google My Business today so you can make the most of this incredible free tool that you have at your disposal.