in today's video you're going to learn
how to set up a Google business profile
like this one so you can attract
customers who are looking for a business
like yours on Google Search and Google
Maps in 2023. to make this tutorial as
simple as possible I have organized it
into chapters so that even if you don't
watch all of it today you can easily
come back to it later and start from
where you left off using the timestamps
on the timeline of the video if you're
ready let's get started
thank you
the very first thing you need to do
before setting up a Google business
profile is to create a Google account a
lot of you watching this tutorial may
already have a Google account in the
form of a Gmail address although you can
use it to set up a Google listing for
your business I would recommend you
create a dedicated Google account for
your business instead this allows you to
keep your personal email and your Google
Business listing separate to create a
brand new Google account head over to
accounts.google.com from there click on
the create an account link and add your
first and last name and create a
memorable email address for your account
I usually use the name of the business
or something close enough today I'm
going to create a Google Business
listing for a fictitious plumbing
company called smashing Plumbing limited
so I'll use this as an address set up a
password then follow the few extra steps
until you get to the page confirming
you've now created your Google account
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head over to google.com business and
sign in with the Google account you
created it will take you to this screen
which is where the Google business
profile setup process starts Google may
already have created a listing for your
business based on the information it can
find on the web to find out if it has
start typing the name of your business
in the business name field if your
business is listed in the auto
suggestion results selected you will get
a message informing you someone else is
the owner of the profile just click on
the request access button and follow the
process to request the ownership if
there is no existing profile for your
business just click on continue and move
on to the next step at this stage you'll
be prompted to specify your business
type you can choose between three
options which are not mutually exclusive
for example you can be a local store or
a business with a physical location that
also does online retail alternatively
you could be a service business that
only visit customers at their home the
choice is yours depending on which
option you choose the information you'll
need to provide will vary in the next
chapter I'm going to cover the two most
common business type which will be a you
manage a physical location and customers
can visit you in person or B you are a
service business and only visit
customers at their home
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if you operate from a physical location
like a store or office customers can
visit you should select the local store
option typical examples of local
businesses with a physical location
would be dentists beauty salons
restaurants lawyers only to name a few
once your profile is verified your
location will be represented on Google
Maps with a map pin once you are done
click on next the next step is to choose
a business category in the business
category field start typing what you
think your business category should be
Google will suggest the best possible
match once you're done click on next on
the next screen add the physical address
of your location then click next then
add the phone number customers should
use to get in touch with your business
if you have a website add the address to
the website field then click on next
this will take you to a Google business
profile verification step where you'll
need to confirm your business operates
at the address you specified
before going through the verification
process let's now look at our second
business type which is for those of you
who visit customers at their homes
typical example would be electricians
plumber locksmith pest control and so on
CE verified Google will highlight the
boundaries on Google maps of the areas
where your business operates as opposed
to a map pin
select the service business option then
click on next
on the next screen in the business
category field start typing what you
think your business category should be
Google will suggest the best possible
match once you're done click on next on
the next page add the areas where your
business operates you can add up to 20
service areas by specifying cities and
postcodes don't add areas that are
further than about two hours of driving
time from where your business is based
it's against Google's guidelines
once you are done click on next
add the phone number customers should
use to get in touch with your business
and your website address if you have one
then click next
the next prompt is just an interstitial
page Google uses for you to agree to
terms and conditions just click on
continue this will take you to a Google
business profile verification step which
is what we will cover in the next
chapter
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whether you've chosen to add an address
or selected service areas to your
profile you should all by now have
reached the verification process page to
ensure your Google business profile is
genuine and authentic Google will prompt
you to go through one of the several
verification methods available one of
the simplest verification methods is
done by phone all you need to do is
enter your business phone number and
click on next you will receive an
automated message that contains a code
that you can use to verify your business
another method you might come across is
video verification which is something
Google has been using a lot more over
the past few months to help combat spam
to use this method you'll need a mobile
device with a camera and produce a video
in one continuous recording that
includes your current location some of
your equipment and proof of management
this one will take some planning so if
this is the option that's available to
you you may need to click on the verify
data link you can also be given the
option to verify your business via a
postcard Google will send you a postcard
like this one that includes a five digit
code number once the card arrives you'll
need to sign into your profile then
enter the code other options such as
mail verification live video calls or
even instant verification via search
console are available but Google decides
which verification method you will be
given if you need help verifying your
profile head over to the Google support
documentation that breaks down each and
every method in detail you can find the
address in the description of this video
for now I'm going to click on verify
later so we can move on to the next step
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depending on the business category you
have chosen Google might suggest a range
of common Services your business
provides if you feel some of them don't
apply to you simply click on them so
they won't be added
on the other hand if you want to add
specific services that are not listed
click on the add custom service link and
start adding them to your profile
if you don't see this page Don't Panic
it's just that Google is unable to
suggest any relevant services for your
business in which case you'll be
automatically directed to The Next Step
which is what we are going to cover in
the next chapter
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to add opening hours to your profile
although this step is a very
straightforward one it's important to
note you must display accurate business
hours so customers know when they can
visit or contact you make sure you keep
this information up to date and edited
when it changes for example during
public holidays do not be tempted to
show you are open 24 hours if you are
not it is against Google's guidelines
once you're done click on next
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prospective customers who find your
Google listing can get in touch with
your business by messaging you directly
from it when creating a Google business
for the first time this messaging
feature will be turned on by default
although it can drive additional leads
to your business it is important you
answer messages in a timely manner
otherwise Google will automatically turn
this option off it will also prevent
negative customer experience if you feel
you can't commit to answering text
messages from your profile just toggle
this option off if you think you can
leave it on then click on next
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you should now have the ability to add a
description to your profile if you don't
know what to write think of your
description as the equivalent of the
about us page on your website you can
include a brief summary of what you
offer what makes you different from your
competition a little bit about your
history and whatever else you think
might be useful for your prospective
customers don't stuff your description
with keywords in a hook it will help
your listing rank it doesn't work you
have 750 characters to play with so make
the most of them when you're done click
on next
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last but not least add photos to your
listing needless to say photos are a
great way of visually representing your
business they will help your listing
stand out in search results and attract
more clicks photos can also help you
showcase your products or Services as
well as your physical location if you
have one don't use photos from free
stock photo website as they don't look
genuine use original photos that truly
represent your business
don't make this a one-off exercise and
make sure you add photos to your profile
regularly once you're done adding images
click on next after this step Google
will offer you some free advertising
credits which you can skip until you get
to the final screen from there just
click on continue congratulations your
Google business profile is now created
you should have been redirected to a
Google search screen that looks similar
to this one which includes a brief
summary of your listing along with a
dashboard you can use to update and
enhance it for most of you it's unlikely
your listing will be verified just yet
so remember to do this as quickly as you
can you will be able to do this by
clicking on the get verified option
while waiting for the verification to go
through and to hit the ground running
when your listing gets verified I
suggest you build it up further as we've
only covered the basic setup today watch
this video to learn how you can optimize
your listing to maximize your visibility
and attract more customers
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