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Google My Business, for localized businesses

In addition to having a website it is becoming important to have a Google My Business in order to be found.

Putting your business location on the map is crucial
Putting your business location on the map is crucial

As smart phones and mobile computing are becoming increasingly common, having a Google My Business is becoming more and more important in being found online. Smart phones are able to determine location and when search terms such as "hotel" are entered, Google will provide results based on location. 


Adding a Google My Business to the directory is easy. 

To list your business as a Google My Business, start by choosing your country and providing the main phone number used by your business. Remember this phone number will be displayed by Google so it is not a good idea to give out personal or home numbers here but it must be a phone number that you can access. 

Then accurately fill out all the relevant information, including address, operating hours and keywords that are related to your business. You will need to confirm that you own the phone number provided by having Google phone or SMS you with a PIN number. 

Basic principles in optimizing your Google My Business listing. 

In general it is a bad idea for a business to have more than one listing with Google My Business. 

  1. Search for your business by phone number: Google My Business places are usually identified by phone number. It is possible that your business already has a place. If you are the owner of the phone number associated with the place, you will be able to claim the place and modify it so that it accurately reflects your business. 
  2. Search for your place by address: You will often be able to find multiple business that have the same address. While it is possible to have a multiple businesses at a single location, out of date or misplaced business should be removed as to not create confusion. 
  3. Search for your place by name: In addition to searching by phone number and address it is also a good idea to search for your business by name. Someone may have added the location under the wrong address or without a phone number. Also search for common misspellings of your business name. 


Make sure you have claimed at least one of the Google My Business places as your own. If you don't already have one, claim the one that is appearing near the top of the search results. This will be the place that is already showing the best results and will be the easiest to further optimize. 


Then you can begin removing all the duplicate content from Google My Business. You will need to report duplicate listings to Google to do this. 

Open Google Maps and click on the duplicate listing. Then click on "Suggest and edit" and select "Mark as closed or remove" with "Duplicate or another place" as the reason.   
Remember this is checked by Google so don't think you will be able to get away with trying to remove your competition. You will only get yourself removed and banned by trying. 

Make sure you fill in all the information that you are able to. 

Google gives priority to places that are complete. Providing an address and phone number is great but what Google really wants to see is a profile that is complete. 


  • You can add up to 10 photos. Use them. Provide a picture of your shop and your products. and why not one picture of smiling staff.
  • There is space to add 5 Youtube videos, use it. 
  • Provide your business hours
  • Use multiple keywords, and create custom categories if and when they are relevant. 

Don't stuff keywords into your title or into your keywords. 

If your business name is Jerry's Refrigerators. 


Then your Google Places name should be: Jerry's Regrigerators
and not: Jerry's Refrigerators, Hitachi, Samsung, Maytag, Cheap prices. 

This might get you to the top of the search results very quickly but it is a surefire way to ensure that you end up on the bottom of the list in the long run. It is simply not worth stuffing many keywords into your business title. It is about your main name here.

Lastly your Google My Business allows users to leave reviews. Use this feature to your advantage.

Having a list of reviews (good or bad) shows Google that your location is trustworthy, at least in terms of the actual location and people coming to your business. Ask your clients to visit your Google place and fill out a review. The reviews also act as keywords and will help you be found in the search results. 


Don't be tempted to fill in false reviews. Google has very sophisticated technology for finding automated or false reviews and they will be removed and your credibility will be harmed for filing false reviews. 
Trust that you have a good product or service and that your clients will be willing to fill out a review for you. 

Add Google My Business to the list of your promotion tools

Don't rely on your website alone to be found by Google. If Google determines that a search query is location based, the first seven results that Google displays are often from Google My Business. Use Google My Business in conjunction with your website in order to better serve your customers and let your readers find you. 

Is Google My Business a free service?

Yes, adding your company to Google My Business is free of charge.

Will Google My Business bring me new clients?

Google My Business is very effective in recommending businesses registered in it to potential customers who make location-based searches.
To help your listing perform better make sure that your description is precise and based on keywords, add relevant pictures.

How to remove a duplicate Google My Business place?

Open Google Maps and click on the duplicate listing. Then click on "Suggest and edit" and select "Mark as closed or remove" with "Duplicate or another place" as the reason.   
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