How to create a Google Business page and verify it easily?

Google Business page is a free online tool offered by Google. You must have Googled “Restaurants near me” or “Hotels near me” once in your lifetime. You might have gotten hundreds of options in your search results, saving you from the tedious work of going out there and searching by yourself. This convenience is all thanks to businesses understanding how to create a Google Business Page.

That’s how Google Business page (Now Google Business Profile/Google my Business) works. It makes finding businesses easy for us.

If you have a business, you can use it too. Think of how many new customers you can get by creating a Google Business page. You’ll get reviews and feedback from them, boosting your authenticity. You can share images, videos, and information about your business in just a few clicks.

Sounds appealing? Well, then, this guide is just for you. We’ll show you how you can create and manage your Google Business page. You’ll learn how you can add keywords, images, and Q&As to your profile.

But before we get into all the nitty-gritty stuff, let’s first check what exactly Google Business page is.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business or Google Business Profile is a tool that helps businesses and organizations manage their online presence. With this tool, you can help your customers find your business easily and inform them about your business hours and availability.

How to Create a Google Business Page?

Now that we know what Google Business page (now Google Business Profile) is let’s start creating your own Google Business page. Don’t worry you won’t have to do any technical stuff, just follow this really simple step-by-step process: Google Business pageGoogle Business pageGoogle Business pageGoogle Business pageNow that we know what Google Business page (now Google Business Profile) is let’s start creating your own Google Business page. Don’t worry you won’t have to do any technical stuff, just follow this really simple step-by-step process:

Step 1. Visit Google.com/business

To start the page creation process, you need to visit google.com/business. Make sure you bookmark this page as you’ll be visiting this page a lot when you manage your business page.

Step 2. Log in with your Google Account

It’s really simple. Log in with your Google account. Or, if you don’t have it, create one by visiting google.com/accounts.

Step 3. Enter the business name

Now, you need to enter your business name. Make sure to enter it in Title Casese by capitalizing the first letter of every word. It looks nice when in the search and gives a nice first impression to the customers.

Step 4. Enter the Address

Next, you have to enter your business address. That’s how Google knows that your business is real and legit. You can only register one business per address.

Step 5. Tell Google if you’re a storefront or a service provider

Here, you need to choose whether you’re a storefront and want your customers to visit or whether you work from home (service provider) and don’t want the visits.

Step 6. Verify your business

After providing Google with all the information about your business, it’s time to verify it. You have many options, such as phone, text, email, or video verification methods. There is more on verification in the next section.

Step 7. Profile Optimization

At this point, you have created your business profile. Now, you just have to add additional information to it. The more, the better. You can add:

• Your business hours.
• And option for your customers to contact you.
• A brief description of your business.
• Photos related to your business. This will boost the authenticity of your business.

How to Verify My Business on Google?

In the previous section, we mentioned that you’ll have to verify your business after you provide the information. Let’s take a look at how you can do that:

• To verify your business, you have these methods available: Phone, text, email, or video.
• You must select one method. However, depending on the requirements, you might have to verify with more than one method.
• In the phone, text, or email methods, you’ll get a code through a call, text, or email, respectively. You need to enter that code in your dashboard.
• In the video method, you’ll have to record a short video of yourself working on your business premises and upload it.
• The verification might take 5 business days to complete.
• When you get verified, you’ll be notified by Google. If you don’t, you’ll get the ‘Get Verified’ button showing up again. You need to try again using a different method.

How to Add Keywords in Google My Business?

Adding keywords to your Google business profile will boost your visibility. Before you even move to add keywords to your profile, make sure you do proper keyword research. Find keywords with high search volume and low difficulty in your business niche.

Here’s how you add keywords to your Google My Business profile:

• Open your business profile dashboard and click on ‘Edit Profile’.
• Click on the Business Category option under the ‘About’ tab and type your keyword. For example, “Copywriter”.
• You can add multiple keywords to your profile. Just click on ‘Add another category’ and type your other keywords.
• Likewise, below the ‘Business Category’ option, you’ll see the “Description” option. You can use a keyword or two there. But make sure your placement looks natural and not forced.

Google My Business: Questions and Answers Feature

There’s a Google My Business questions and answers feature that allows you to answer questions asked of your customers. When someone clicks on your business profile, your answers are directly displayed.

Alternatively, you can add your own Q&A to your business profile. This way, you can anticipate common queries and handle them beforehand.

To add your own Q&A, visit your business profile dashboard and use the Q&A button, or go to your business profile and click on the “Ask a question” button.

Managing Google My Business Images and Cover Photo

Having Images in your Google business profile boosts authenticity and trust. People will know you and your business are both real. According to Google, businesses with photos get more direction requests and clicks. That’s why we insist you take some great photos and upload them to your profile.

You can upload and manage your photos directly through your dashboard.

To add a photo, follow these steps:

• Visit your business profile.
• Click on ‘More’ and then on ‘Add photo’.
• Choose the photo/s you want to upload from your gallery.
• Then click on ‘Publish’.

To add a cover or logo, follow these steps:

• Visit your business profile.
• Click on ‘More’ and then on ‘Logo or Cover Photo’.
• Select your photo from the gallery. Google My Business cover photo size should be 1024 x 575 pixels.
• Click on ‘Done’ and then hit ‘Publish’.

Benefits of Google My Business

You might think, “What’s the point of going through all this trouble?”. However, working on your Google business profile will provide you with some assured benefits. Such as:

• Discoverability: You’ll have a greater chance of people discovering your business in Google searches and maps.
• Providing Information: Using Google Business profiles, you can share information about your business, like business ours, contact details, products, etc, to a wider audience.
• Building Trust: Through photos, videos, and information available on your profile, people will form a connection of trust with your business.

What to Do if Your Google My Business is Suspended?

If you don’t follow Google My Business guidelines, Google might suspend or disable your profile. If such a case has happened to you, you can file an appeal. But before that, make sure your business follows all the guidelines Google provides.

To submit an appeal, you need to prepare the evidence first. They might include:

• Official business registration.
• Your business license.
• Your business’ utility bills.
• Your tax certificates.

Visit the Google Business profile appeal tools. Choose the business profile you want to appeal for. At the bottom right, you’ll find the ‘Submit appeal’ button. Click and follow the process step by step, submitting the business identification evidence.

How to Delete My Business from Google?

If the time comes when you need to delete your Google Business Profile, whether you’re closing your business or simply choosing to remove your presence from Google, the process is straightforward but requires careful attention. Deleting your business profile is a significant step, as it removes all your business information from Google Search and Maps. Here’s how you can delete Google My Business:

Step 1: Log Into Your Google Business Profile

To begin, visit google.com/business and log in with the Google account associated with your business profile. This is the initial step to access your dashboard where you can manage all aspects of your profile.

Step 2: Select the Business You Wish to Delete

If you manage multiple businesses, make sure to select the correct one from your dashboard. This ensures that you are deleting the right business profile.

Step 3: Navigate to the Info Section

Once you are in your business profile dashboard, look for the ‘Info’ option on the left-hand menu. Click on it to proceed to the next step, where you can make significant changes to your business information.

Step 4: Request for Deletion

Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find an option to ‘Remove listing’ or ‘Delete business.’ Click on this option. A confirmation window will appear, asking if you are sure you want to delete your business profile.

Step 5: Confirm Your Decision

You will be prompted to confirm your decision. If you are sure, proceed by clicking on ‘Delete’ or ‘Remove.’ Remember, this action is irreversible, so make sure you are certain about removing your business from Google.

Step 6: Follow Up

After you confirm deletion, your business profile won’t immediately disappear from Google. It may take a few days for the changes to take effect across all Google services. During this period, your business may still appear in search results and on maps.

Step 7: Check for Confirmation

Google will send you an email to confirm that your business profile has been deleted. Once you receive this confirmation, your business should no longer appear on Google Maps and Search.

Let People Find You Easily

Setting up a Google Business profile is simple but has profound benefits. The number of people you can reach by optimising your profile through keyword placement and images is uncanny. You get reviews from your customers directly, and they will show on your profile in rating and text form.

The upsides are countless, and the downsides are none. Through this guide, we’ve tried to make it simple for you to create your Google My Business page and provide you with enough information to manage it. You can handle pretty much everything now, from adding keywords and images to handling the suspension. Thanks for reading!

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