How to Setup a New Google My Business Account

August 26, 2019

Having a Google My Business (GMB) account allows you to control your Google company listing, and get insights into how people are interacting with your business online via Google search, Google Maps, and other Google properties. Beyond just having a GMB account, maintaining and optimizing your account is absolutely necessary if you are targeting local customers.

If you’re unaware of what a GMB listing could look like I have attached an image below:

These listings include your address, phone number, hours, website, Google reviews, and more! Having up-to-date information is essential for potential customers trying to reach or contact your business. 

Step 1: If you don’t already have a Google account, create one. If you already have an account, just make sure you are signed in.

Step 2: Navigate to google.com/business

Step 3: Enter your business name on the screen here and fill out the subsequent questions:

  • Do you want to add a location customers can visit, like a store or office?
    • Then add the address
  • Where do you serve your customers? (optional) You can always add more later should you choose.
  • Choose the category that fits your business best. You can change and add more later.
  • What contact details do you want to show to customers? Phone number & website.

Step 4: Verify Your Business

You can do this a number of ways:

  • E-Mail
  • Phone
  • Post-Mail
  • Instantly (if you have already verified your website via Google Search Console)
  • Bulk verification

If you would like more detailed information on how to use any of these methods, our team has put together a blog post here.

On the other hand, if you do not think it is necessary to verify your business, I urge you to read more into the benefits here. There is an abundance of tools and information that can be used simply by verifying your business. You have already gotten this far, might as well take full advantage of what Google My Business has to offer! 

Next steps would be to keep your listing optimized, a few quick tips would be to:

  • Monitor your listings elsewhere to make sure that it aligns with what you have on Google.
  • Regularly post to Google My Business with updates or even informational pieces. This will show in your listing for up to 7 days, so make sure to consistently post! However, even after a post expires users are still able to look through your archive of posts.
  • Add up-to-date images of your business on your listing. This includes your logo, a cover photo, and any additional images that are relevant to your business.
  • If relevant, include your service areas and make sure to update accordingly if it ever changes.
  • Manage and respond to customer reviews.

All of these tips are free to do and only increase the visibility of your business, so there are no excuses to avoid maintaining your Google My Business listing!