I recently registered my business with Googles My business Service.
As a new startup in 2018, this service had passed me by until I had a discussion with a client about how to handle reviews.
It’s a bit of a clunky process that needs to be done in two steps, but once sets up lets your customers see a bit more about you from their Google search, and crucially lets them leave you a review.
The first step is to make sure you have a google account to use. I decided not to use the personal account I use on my android phone, but to separate my personal and business accounts , and created a new Google account. Having logged in as the correct person, you are ready to go through the process, satrting from https://www.google.com/business/
Google will want to know that you really are the person who owns this business, and will validate you. Rather bizarrely, it does this by sending you a postcard in the mail, an actual piece of paper. I have to confess to being just a little bit exited at getting mail from Google, but that’s probably just me.
Having received your postcard, step 2 requires you to use the number you have been sent that is displayed boldly on the postcard. Once done, your business listing is available for all to see, and hopefully post nice reviews on.
One little word of warning. The business dashboard that you will be offered will have a section for website, and the option to publish it. This is a service offered by Google for small businesses who don’t alreday have a website. If you already have one, leave this alone.
I have a detailed step by step of the whole process linked from my support page. Or please get in touch and Small Business Web Support can help you with this process in a 1-1 mentoring session.
The next step is to get that Search Engine Optimisation going to get higher up the search results.
Have you set this up for your business? Did you find it straightforward?