One of the first steps every entrepreneur should take after opening a business is adding their company to Google Maps, even if the website is still under development.
Why your business should be on Google Maps
➊ Presence in local search results
Even if you don’t have a website, you can already appear in Google for local and thematic searches.
Google Maps business listings often show up in search results for:
- Queries that include a city or region;
- Grouped searches for specific company types like law firms, cleaning services, or travel agencies;
- Location or business name searches.
➋ Brand communication
Potential customers can visit your website, find directions, call, or get basic information about your business through the company’s listing on Google Maps.
➌ First online presence
If you don’t have a website yet, Google Maps can serve as the first source of information about your company.
➍ Ad extensions for Google Ads
Your business location can be displayed as an extension in Google Ads, helping potential clients immediately see where your company is located.
➎ Wider online presence
Ideal promotion involves having your business visible across paid ads, SEO, and Google Maps listings. This multi-faceted approach increases your chances of reaching customers and building trust.
How to add your business to Google Maps?
Adding your business to Google Maps is easy!
The main task is to register in Google My Business.
Google My Business is a service that registers your company on Google Maps.
Google My Business will first prompt you to enter your business name and category.
Afterwards, the system will ask whether you want to add a point on the map, or just be registered in the Google Business program without a mark on the map.
Next, the system will prompt you to enter information about the organization’s address if you choose to add a point on the map.
If you choose not to set a point on the map, the system will prompt you to enter the service area.
Next, the system will automatically check whether there is already a previously registered company.
👉 If the company is already registered - the system will offer to establish a connection with the business card by verifying the phone number specified in the company card.
👉 If the company is not registered, the system will offer to go through the last registration, namely confirmation of the business card. This happens in 2 ways:
- sending a letter by mail;
- sending an SMS message to the phone.
Validation in 90% of cases occurs by mail. After entering the data, Google automatically sends a letter to your address, which should arrive within 13 days.
After receiving the letter, enter the code from the letter in the Google My Business service. Only from this moment, information about your company will be sent for indexing in Google Maps. Alas, but these are the rules of the service.
What if you don’t receive the postcard?
👉 Request resending. If the letter does not arrive several times, then Google will have to offer alternative options for confirming the company (phone, email).
There are myths that you can confirm a company in Google Maps in just 20 minutes, but these are myths. As a rule, agencies simply rename the profiles of the companies they have confirmed, and there is no trick here.
There are cases when the company is already on Google Maps. Then, you can confirm it in literally 5-10 minutes, using the phone number specified in the profile.
What to do if there is no physical address?
👉 As written above - when registering, indicate that you do not have a physical point and indicate the service area in Google maps.
This is relevant for private entrepreneurs who work on-site at the address.
What affects the ranking in Google Maps?
- profile completeness;
- distance from the location;
- presence of keywords in the profile name, description, reviews, and on the site;
- location activity (traffic and frequency of adding new information).
We think that the meaning of these points is clear from the names.
We hope this material was useful for you. We will delight you with more.
Order a service