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How to Put Your Local Business on Google+ and Maps

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As a local business owner, it's not enough for your website to be listed in Google's natural search results. It must also show up in Google's business listings which are available through Search, Maps and Google+.

My friend Jo Gagné recently asked for my help to increase traffic to her business website, BodiesonPower.com (BOP). Bodies on Power is an award-winning fitness center here in Penticton, British Columbia.

To find out where her site placed on Google's listings, I did a search for ‘penticton yoga' and this is what I found…

google-business-listings

That's right – nothing in the local business listings.

While her site did show up in the natural listings, I had to scroll well past the initial fold to find it.

That's not a good place to be when her major competitors all had their businesses properly listed on Google.

So, I set her up with a Google My Business listing in less than half an hour. Here's what I did.

  1. Through her Google account, I created a Google+ personal profile page for Jo.
  2. I went to Google My Business (US) (Canada) to set up the listing for her studio.
  3. I created her Google+ Business page by entering the name of her business, address, telephone number and hours of operation. I also uploaded profile, background and other pictures.
  4. I verified the listing using the phone method. I alerted the studio that they would be receiving a call from Google with a set of numbers they would need to record and pass back to me. I entered the verification number the studio gave me and the listing was finalized.
  5. For good measure, I wrote a review of her studio. 🙂

That took me just short of an hour to complete. Shortly afterwards, the Bodies on Power website showed up in the local search and business listings on Google.

google-business-listings-2

Now, when I search for “Penticton yoga”, Bodies on Power at least shows above the fold. YAY!

It also shows up on the Google Map.

Google Business Listing Map

Showing up on Google Maps is very useful, especially in a resort town such as Penticton where our population quadruples in summer and there are no doubt plenty of visitors who would want to drop in to a fitness class.

Better still, the Bodies on Power listing in natural search now includes a ‘local listing indicator' which appears alongside the business address and phone number, as well as links to Google Reviews and the Google+ page.

Last but not least, Jo's business now has a pretty Google+ profile that shows up beside her natural search listing.

Google Business Listing

The beauty of this is that for those of us who use Google Maps, directions to the place of business are just a click away.

Google Business Listing Directions

So… now all we have to do is get Jo's webmaster to install a Google +1 button so her visitors can/will leave reviews, endorse the Bodies on Power content, and re-share Jo's Google+ posts across the web.

Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

Ros

P.S. At the time of writing, the BOP website is under significant revision. Please do not comment about problems with the site. They will be fixed. 🙂

Why Every Local Business Needs a Website

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Element Tree ServicesHere's a true story about why every local business needs a website.

Scott, the arborist, and his crew from Element Tree Services in Penticton had just finished doing a magnificent job of cutting, shaping and pruning the trees in my yard.

As I was writing a cheque for his work, I asked, “What's your website address?”

“I don't have one yet”, was Scott's reply.

“Are you KIDDING me?”, I asked.

“You guys do AWESOME work at very reasonable rates, PLUS you are new to the area, AND you DON'T have a website? Are ya NUTS?”, I spouted in my typical no-holds-barred fashion.

“Haven't got to that yet”, Scott replied.

“OK, well, there's plenty of competition in the area and if you don't have a website that highlights your expertise and services, you're losing business” says I, always the online marketer.

I COULD go on…. and on and on and on and on some more.

But seriously folks, if you have a business and want MORE business… you really need to have your own website.

What Scott has missed by not having a website was my testimonial for the fabulous work he did for me… and trust me, I've worked with enough landscapers and arborists in Penticton to know the difference between OK, good and terrific.

I would have extolled his virtues as a true professional to the world and his site would have been seen that much more readily in the local search results.

Too, because I'm on Yelp, Facebook AND Twitter and not shy to proclaim the positive — I'd have posted my exuberance at finally having found a GREAT arborist in my hometown of Penticton, British Columbia.

As it stands, other than for this post, I haven't been able to share my glee at having worked with such a knowledgeable and professional tree service specialist / arborist in Penticton.

With luck, his company, Element Tree Services, will benefit from this post.

However, don't count on all your customers sharing good news on Facebook, Yelp or on their blogs.

Bottom line? Get a website, especially if you have a local business and want MORE business.

It's NOT that hard and I can help… check out my blogging Academy if you want to save some money by doing it yourself (it's NOT that difficult) and have a BEAUTIFUL website, to boot.

Otherwise, the least you can do is register a domain name and get a quick website up with GoDaddy or Bluehost (the latter of which includes domain registration in their hosting fees.

Either way, it's such cheap marketing for your local business that you're crazy if you DON'T do it today.

Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

Ros

P.S. I'm willing to bet that this post comes up in the search results for “tree services Penticton” at some point… and Scott WILL get the point… at that point. We can only hope. 🙂

Did you find this post about why every local business needs a website informative and useful? If so, please share it with others! If you have a comment, question or suggestion, please leave a comment below!

Cheers,
sig-ros

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