Guidelines For Representing Your Business On Google

OPTIMIZE YOUR LISTING: Filling out the details

Once your listing is verified, you can go in and fill out all of your business information. Don't skip on this and be as complete as possible. Google will offer a lot of options to fill in details about your business and physical location.

A quick note about your business name – Your business name should be the name you operate under. It can be tempting to add things like your location and keywords into the name, but it is against Google's guidelines and your account may be suspended.

Let's take a deeper look at all of those options, many of which are being updated often.

HOURS

Regular hours: Enter your regular hours first.
More hours: You will also now have an option to add hours for specific services or specials. For example, happy hours, brunch hours, delivery availability hours, etc.
Special hours: This is where you can add any shortened or close dates and times for holidays, special events, or anything else with a date where you know your opening times will be impacted. This section is especially helpful during holidays where searchers will want to know your business's availability.

PHONE NUMBER

This needs to be your primary business number. If you use tracking phone numbers at all, do not include them here. Google uses this information to confirm your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) details, so you always want this number to match all other listings of your business. Also, make sure it's a local number. If you have an 800 number you prefer people to use, consider getting a local number that gets routed to the 800 number. Even if you are a local company, 800 numbers tend to scare people off. If you have more than one main phone number, up to two can be added. (no fax lines should be entered here)

SHORT NAME

A short name will help make it easier for customers who are searching for you to find you. From Google, " When you share your short name, customers can enter the name's URL in the browser's address bar to go directly to your Business Profile. For example, customers can search for "g.page/[yourcustomname]" in the address bar to find your business."
Example: g.page/odddogmedia

WEBSITE

This is where you want to add your businesses' website URL.
If you have more than one location, add the specific location page from your website to this URL space here versus sending everyone to your home page.

We prefer to use a website tracking URL on Google My Business listings. It makes tracking traffic coming from your GMB listing more accurate and easier to find under "campaigns" in your Google Analytics. We always want to see how many times our website link is clicked on in our GMB listing, vs clicked in the organic results. Yes, it's nitpicky, but it's what we do!

Example:

/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=gmb

You can create one here with Google Campaign URL Builder.

While you will still be able to see Local results in your Google Analytics Dashboard, with a tracking URL you will be able to compare specific clicks to your home page from your knowledge panel.

APPOINTMENT URL

If you use a booking website to take appointments or reservations, you can add a URL that links to your system here. Depending on the booking software you use, you may even be able to integrate your booking directly into your GMB page.

See Google's supported scheduling partners here.

PRODUCTS

Depending on your business, you may be able to add products to your GMB listing.
Not all business categories qualify for product listings, however many do, so it's worth filling out if you have this section available to you. Even if you don't sell online, it's a great way to showcase some of your best physical and digital products.

How to add a product to your Google My Business listing: (via desktop)

In your web dashboard, go to the "Products" tab and click Add and then Add product.
Upload a photo.
Name the product.
Select Product category.
If necessary, click the Down arrow and select "Create a new category."
(Optional) Set a price range or a fixed price.
(Optional) Create a description.
(Optional) Add a button like "Buy" or "Learn more."
Click Save

SERVICES

Services will allow you to break down the individual services you offer. While Google will make some suggestions based on your business, you will also be able to add your own and even include a price. Adding specific services will not help you rank for those keywords in search, however, they will help your potential customers find more information about what you offer.

ATTRIBUTES

Google My Business attributes are probably the section that changes the most frequently. 2020 brought us timely attributes like health and safety which includes items like "mask required" and "staff wears masks", "curb-side pick up available", and "online classes". Attributes can be added by the business, but can also be suggested by users. Make sure you are checking in on your listing often to ensure your business is being listed correctly.

Some attributes you have available within your profile will depend on the type of business you are. Including as many as are relevant will help your customers find answers to any questions and also give them a better idea of what to expect from your business.

Some examples of good attributes to use, "wheelchair accessibility" if you have a physical location, "cash only" if you don't accept credit cards, and "LGBTQ-Friendly" if your business is a safe and open space for the LGBTQ community and allies.

Ownership and leadership is another type of attribute Google has added within the last few years. "Woman-led" and "Veteran-led" were both added in 2018. And, "Black-Owned Business" is a new attribute Google added in 2020. If you are a black-owned business, adding this attribute will help make your listing more visible to those who are seeking out to support your business.

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

Use this space to share a bit about your business. When did you open? Who do you serve? What sets your business apart from all the others?

Have some fun here and encourage people to find out more about you. Don't keyword stuff here! Make your business description read like normal, human language. Jamming in keywords here won't help your rankings.

OPENING DATE

Add the month and year you opened your business here.

MESSAGES

Ok, now we can move on from the "Info" tab and over to the "Messages" tab on the left-hand side menu.

GMB Messaging

Messaging will allow customers to contact you directly through your Google My Business profile. This feature used to be only available via SMS and third-party apps, but now it is incorporated much like Facebook Messenger as a messaging feature from right within your GMB page. When you enable Google My Businesses' Messaging feature, a "Message" box will appear on your page when viewed in Google Maps. At this time, it does not seem to appear on desktop searches.

If you do activate this feature, please read the guidelines closely! The guidelines include a 24 hour recommended response time. So if you do plan on using GMB Messaging, make sure you are prepared to respond promptly to all messages otherwise you may be banned from using this feature entirely.

PHOTOS

There are three types of photos you can upload to your Google My Business account.

Logo:
Your logo should be square in dimension, high-resolution, and file size between 10KB and 5MB. Adding a logo will ensure your branding is represented and recognizable for those searching for your business.

Format: JPG or PNG
Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB.
Google My Business Profile Photo Size: 250 x 250 pixels (min 120 x 120; max 5200 x 5300)
Minimum resolution: 250 px tall, 250 px wide.

Cover Photo:
Adding a cover photo signals to Google that this is the image you would like people to see first in your listing. A good cover photo is high-quality and is a great way to introduce people to your business.

Format: JPG or PNG
Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB.
Google My Business Cover Photo Size: 1080 x 608 pixels (min 480 x 270; max 2120 x 1192)
Minimum resolution: 250 px tall, 250 px wide.

NOTE: Even when you've added a logo and cover image, Google will still mix around your photos and you cannot control the order in which they are displayed.

Other Images:
When adding photos to your Google My Business Listing, try to add images searches are looking for about your business.
What does the outside of your building look like? Are you difficult to find? Photos of the outside can help people find your business. Google's Street View isn't updated frequently and won't depict the outside of your business as accurately as you could. What does the inside look like? Is there ample seating? A waiting area?

What about your products or services? If you sell physical products, how are they displayed on-site? Sell food and or drinks? Take images of popular items on your menu.

Within your GMB listing, you can specify what images are from the inside or outside as well as photos of your team, photos of your work, and even specific photos of food and drink for restaurants. Include several for each category you can.

Customers will also be allowed to add images of your business and will appear under the "by customer" tab on your listing. It's a good idea to keep track of these to ensure they are all relevant and not random images that are not related to your business. It's also a great idea to encourage customers to add images during their visit.

VIDEO

Video is still an incredibly underutilized feature! If you are able to add one or two short fun videos to your page, I guarantee you will have a leg up on most if not all of your competitors! Do videos help with your rankings? Not necessarily. But Google likes it when you use their stuff. And the more interaction your GMB profile receives, the more credit Google will give your business listing.

Win-win!

Make sure your videos meet the following requirements:

Duration: Up to 30 seconds long
File size: Up to 75 MB
Resolution: 720p or higher

GMB WEBSITE

What is a Google My Business website? Google has provided business owners with an easy way for businesses to create a free mobile-optimized website. There are a limited number of themes and design options to choose from, and you will not get a custom domain. Google My Business Websites are a quick and easy way to create an online presence for your business IF you don't already have a website, HOWEVER, we strongly encourage you to get a website you fully own and have more customization at your disposal.

Need help with your website? Let's chat!

USERS

Under the Users section is where you can add other managers to your GMB page. This way you can ensure you retain ownership while giving editing access to your team.