SCORE Minnesota

Small Businesses Claim Your Listing On the Internet–Free

November 1, 2011

Claim Your Listing

By Dean L. Swanson

Last week I was visiting with a couple of small business owners who were wondering how to get more business from the internet and I asked a simple question….have you “claimed your business listings” for web searches. A blank paleness came over their face. I knew at that minute that I had hit on my next topic for this column.

Over the last several years, local business listings have continually become more prominent in searches and in particular in Google’s search results. Google claims that over one-third of all internet searches have what they call “local intent”. A search with “local intent” is just what it sounds like – you’re looking for a product or service that a local business would typically provide.

Google’s mission is to provide the most relevant search results possible for its users, so it only makes sense they would respond to this fact by providing more local business listings at the top of their search results.

From what I read, this trend will only continue. As more and more internet searches are performed using mobile phones, local business results will play an increasingly important part of Google’s results. Do me favor while reading this. Go to the internet and do a Google search on “Accountants in Rochester MN”. You will see eight options with pins locating them on a map.

This means that Google has listed the site in their “Google Places” and unlike the rest of the search results, which could be from anywhere in the country or world, Google Places results are there to show you information from businesses that are located in the city you live in, or chose for your search.

So now to the question, why do you need to claim your listing? The benefits of claiming your Google Places listing are impressive as listed by Google:

1. Edit your listing and speak for yourself Your business probably already shows up on

Google, but you should still verify your listing and make sure its details are accurate and

thorough. Your improvements will start appearing as soon as you verify them through Google Places. Also, you can add notifications.

2. Practical and easy to manage Your Google listing is an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website. You can visit Google Places anytime to edit your information or see how many people have seen and clicked on your listing.

3. Access premium options, all for free. Make your listing really shine with photos and videos; custom categories like your service area, brands you sell and how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchase.

Your goal as a small business owner should be to get your business, and it’s message, in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Your Google Places listing represents a powerful opportunity to share your story with customers in your area, which are looking for exactly what you’re selling!

The obvious next question is how to find your business’s Places listing? Odds are, Google has already created a Places page for your business and finding it is easy. Just go tohttp://www.google.com/places/set and enter your business name in the search bar. (Note, you may have to include some address information to locate your business.) Now, you should see your business listed on the left side of the page. Simply click on the name of your business and you’ll be taken to your Places page.

Have you already claimed your listing? Just take a look in the upper right hand corner of your Google Place page. If you see “Owner verified listing, it has already been done. But if it says “Business Owner?”, you should get to work on this task.

 

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Dean L. Swanson
Southeast Minnesota SCORE
c/o Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce
220 South Broadway, Suite 100
Rochester, MN 55904

*Dean is a volunteer SCORE Counselor.

Share your questions and comments in the Section below.  Thank you.

Al Hanzal,
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Filed under: Business Planning,Marketing,Start-Up