Introduction:
To add your business to Google+ Local, or to claim ownership of an
existing Google+ Local page (which Google might have automatically
created based on information from an old Google Places page or from
references to your business found on 3rd party websites), go to
www.google.co.uk/local/add and sign in with any Google account (Gmail,
YouTube, Analytics, etc.) that you have, or create a new Google account
using the ‘Sign Up’ button.
Once you’re signed, to add your business to Google+ Local, first
enter your business’s primary phone number into the ‘Phone Number’ field
and click ‘Find Business Information’. If Google already has details of
your business, they’ll be displayed next to an ‘Edit’ button, which
should you click to access the form shown below. If Google doesn’t
already have any details of your business, you’ll be taken directly to
the form shown below. This form is where you enter or edit basic
information about your business.
It’s important to note that Google takes the professionalism and
accuracy of their local business listings very seriously, and that they
incorporate various automatic filters and manual reviews into their
Google+ Local platform to prevent businesses from providing false or
misleading information. They have strict guidelines, particulaly
regarding the name, phone number and address that businesses provide,
that must be followed if you want to be included in their local search
results.
The business name you provide should be the exact one that you use to
represent your business in offline. This means you shouldn’t include
any taglines, phone numbers, web addresses, locations or keywords in the
business name field. The phone number you provide should be your
primary business phone number – not your home number, mobile number, or a
call tracking number. Whilst it’s not absolutely essential to use a
phone number with a local area code that matches the town or city in
which you say you’re based, having one is beneficial.
The business address you provide should precisely and accurately
describe the real location of your business. Don’t submit a PO box,
shared address or virtual office as your business’s address. Doing so is
against Google’s guidelines and will, sooner or later, result in your
business’s presence in Google being downgraded or removed altogether. If
you don’t allow customers and clients to visit you at the business
address that you specify, then in the ‘Service Areas And Location
Settings’, you should select the ‘Yes, this business serves customers at
their locations’ option. Complete as much additional information as
possible, as the more visitors to your page know about your business,
the more they’ll trust you.
After you click the ‘Submit’ button, you’ll be asked to validate your
submission by having a postcard sent to the business address that you
specified. The postcard (containing your unique personal identification
number and activation instructions) should arrive within 2-3 weeks. Once
you receive the postcard, and follow the instructions on it, your
business will be added to Google+ Local.
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