Google My Business: Have You Claimed Yours?

Google have confirmed that they will begin deactivating Google My Business accounts that have not been active in the past 6 months from the 28th July onwards. With only 37% of businesses having claimed a local business listing the question is- Have you claimed yours?

There are a number of benefits to having a verified Google Business Account

• It gives you a great opportunity to describe your business for google who will use your description as Meta data for your page in search results. You can add links to your site to increase backlinks
• It allows you to be found on google maps for local search results
• It is a way of maintaining up to date details such as contact details and opening hours
• You can read and respond to customer reviews on google

 So if you have not claimed you Google my Business listing here are some simple steps in doing so:

Firstly go to: http://www.google.com/business/ and search for your business. If your business is already claimed it will let you know if not you can proceed in setting it up.

You must confirm you are the business owner and create a google plus page.

Follow the instructions and then choose how to verify your listing. There are 2 options:

1. Google will send a postcard with a verification code to the business address you provided. Make sure your address complies with their address entry guidelines. This postcard should arive within one to two weeks.

2. Phone verification isn't available for all businesses. If you don't see this option when you attempt to verify, request a postcard instead using the steps above. 

If you have any issues you can contact the Google My Business Help Centre