We live in an increasingly digital age. It can be difficult for brick and mortar businesses that have actual storefronts. But it is also a great opportunity that can help you flourish! If you were going to look for a place to eat, a business to get a massage from, a hair cut or even a restaurant where would you turn to? For most people unless they discover you via Facebook (which trust me is a definite possibility) they will probably turn to a search engine. I think you should do both! We’ve shown you what to post, when to post, how to make it look professional and even how to build a Facebook page that customers can actually find. However, a lot of people will probably google your business. That’s why today we’re going to discuss how to Google Verify my business.

Sure, appropriate keywords are incredibly important to bring your website to the top of the page. But this will help your business appear in google’s listings. If you were to google restaurants in Las Cruces the screen capture below would appear above the other websites.

If you select this option then it will bring you to an entire list of google verified businesses. You can then select an individual business. This allows you to see the hours of operation, reviews, website etc. These are all exceptionally helpful for any potential clients.

This is how everything will look if you selected one business that was listed to get more information from the list on the left.

So without further ado let’s show how to google verify your business!

 

How to Google Verify My Business

1. Open Google My Business

You’ll begin by typing Google My Business in google’s search bar. This link will take you there! Then select Start Now. You’re going to use your google mail information to sign in.

2. Enter Basic Information

Then you’ll enter some basic information, the most important being your businesses’s official name and address.  This is also where you will choose your category. If you’re not sure where your business may fall this is a great post explaining what category you should select.

 

You can always access this later on the left hand side of the screen by selecting Info! This includes your hours, your website, category, phone number and physical address. You’re also going to eventually have to select the box that states you have permission to move forward, i.e. that it’s your business.

3. Verify My Business

The next step is going to be to verify your business. Now at this point you can either verify via phone (if they give you the option) or they will mail you a code. For this you’ll need a business mailing address. They will most likely verify you via a mail in code.

After completing the steps above they mailed us a code for my mother’s business. It is supposed to take an average of 5 days but can take up to two weeks. She received hers within this time period. This is what her postcard looked like.

To verify her business I selected the Verify option on the left hand side and entered the pin on the postcard.

4. Complete Any Missing Profile Information

At this point you’ll need to complete any missing profile information. For us, we just needed to add some pictures! You should add a professional profile picture or any interior or exterior photos you have. These are coming soon as mom and dad are just finishing up renovating her new business!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Lauren