Adding a Business to The Google Map

Posted by Pixelhead

Today, Google released the Google Local Businesses Center which gives businesses that advertise on the local level some pretty impressive tools to track their web traffic. With these great tools that Google gives you, your business does not even need to have a website to take advantage of this free service.

Have You Submitted Your Business to Google Local?

Submitting your site/business to Google Local is really an easy task. Start by visiting the previous link.

You will need to have a Google Account,which includes a free gmail account. If you don’t have one, this is really easy to set up as well…you will need a pre-existing email account to sign up for a Google account if you don’t have one already.

How to Add Your Business to The Google Map

So you now have a Google account. The next step in getting your site/business listed on the Google Map is to visit the Google Local Business Center and login with your Google account login info.

Then click the “Add new listings” link. You will then need to fill the form out which includes your location to include country, business name, address, city/town, zip for US, main and alternate phone numbers, mobile, fax, and TTY/TDD. You will then need to put in an email address. If you have a website, I recommend using an email with your domain instead of a free email account. You then have the ability to put in your business website url. Next comes your business description. Be short and concise giving a good non-sales like description. (200 Char max).

Next will come the categories. Prior to doing this, I am going to recommend that you do a bit of keyword research using the Google Adsense Keyword tool to see which of your keyword phrases get the most traffic. So for the Earth-in-Hand Landscape site local profile, I used “Landscaper”, “landscaping”, “landscape contractor”. That way when someone types in “Landscaper Easton, PA” my friend’s website will be on the local listing section.

Important Step in Listing Your Business on the Google Map

For your categories, use the broadest keywords that get the most traffic.

The rest of the process of adding your business is pretty easy and straight forward. Your Google Local Profile can include up to 10 pictures, and 5 videos…I suggest adding as much as you can.

To move your site up in the local listings, encourage your patrons to give your profile a rating. Reviews on local sites can also help.

Below is a video that Google put out for business owners…check it out.

Do you have your Google Local profile up?

Update on 10/6/2010: You now can add your business listing to the Google Map, but you will do it through “Google Places”. The process is much the same as it was when it was the Google Local Business Center.

Written by Pixelhead on June 3rd, 2009 with comments disabled.
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29 comments

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Toronto Condos
#1. June 6th, 2009, at 7:10 AM.

Thanks, Useful Information. I never heard of adding local buissness on Google’s map. It would be beneficial for buisnesses.

jesse
#2. June 8th, 2009, at 6:11 AM.

very good info for adding our business to google maps.

HSA Insurance
#3. June 8th, 2009, at 6:11 AM.

It’s very helpful for my local business. Thanks for Google map information and i will submit my business in Google local.

Minnesota Attorney
#4. June 8th, 2009, at 10:54 PM.

If you want to add a Google Map to your business’s website, here is a great little tool/wizard that makes it easy: http://www.whiterocksolutions.com/

Pixelhead
#5. June 10th, 2009, at 1:13 AM.

Thanks Aaron, I’ll check it out.

affordable seo chicago
#6. June 10th, 2009, at 7:39 AM.

Good post here and very informative site you got here. Im glad I found it. Good reference for me to use to submit businesses to local search. Cheers!

Northern European Cruises
#7. June 10th, 2009, at 9:26 PM.

Google maps is a good Seo tool to be used when your selling a service in a particular area that your based in

Skin Care
#8. June 11th, 2009, at 4:20 PM.

Quite useful information. It helps local businesses a lot. But when someone is targeting local niches in the blogs and websites then a bad news as the business results appear at the top.

adam
#9. June 11th, 2009, at 7:37 PM.

Thanks a lot for these tips. I want to add my site but I am not a business, what should I do?

Thanks,

Adam

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#10. June 12th, 2009, at 1:22 PM.

I was looking for some information on sitemapping but I got beneficial information on finding the best keywords. Great, that will work now.

liran
#11. June 13th, 2009, at 11:18 PM.

hey, great post, iam gonna put a link to it from my san francisco hotels and info web site/blog
cheers
john
webmaster
http://sfca.com

Ultralight Fishing
#12. June 14th, 2009, at 8:52 PM.

I am starting a local business resource site, and have been checking up on the geo targeting done by their datacenters. This post helped me actually get it done. I help other businesses submit theirs to the local business directory too.

PinkPlasticFlamingos
#13. June 15th, 2009, at 2:18 PM.

If you have more than ten business locations to input, please submit your information as a bulk upload through the Local Business Center.

Ber2
#14. June 15th, 2009, at 11:14 PM.

Great article, it is very useful. Now i can submit my business to google. Thanks.

Bulk Email Marketing
#15. June 18th, 2009, at 4:06 AM.

I have also found that your position in the Google 10-pack is really effected a lot by inbound links (go figure) from local directories. It makes a big difference to look at the links that point to your competitor local listings and get listed in the same places too!

Allentown Real Estate
#16. June 18th, 2009, at 6:48 PM.

Fantastic! Thanks for your help in connecting my virtual tours to my website. Our website guests are gonna be soooo impressed! I can’t wait to get to blogging about each of our listings… I’ll be getting on Google local ASAP

Hotels in Las Vegas
#17. June 18th, 2009, at 8:04 PM.

How do I submit my business to google maps for adding to their map search section please?

affordable seo chicago
#18. June 19th, 2009, at 12:02 AM.

I actually got a new client of mine on the top of the listings without having any links pointing to her at all. I’m not sure its because its a new submission or because her business got 5 great reviews in yelp chicago? anyway I have a question if anyone cares to comment.

I have her listed now in five google local categories and she’s all excited. If she says she doesnt need seo now how would you respond? I mean if she is listed on top for some high search key words in google local she may ask me this question and I dont want to lose her business.

Any replies?

Donald | Kerala Honeymoon
#19. June 20th, 2009, at 5:46 AM.

Detailed posting about business listing.I have one doubt, how the listing will display which is the keyword used for listing our business.where we can add the keywords related to our business.

kadmiel
#20. June 29th, 2009, at 2:50 AM.

thats a good idea but can you do it for foriegn countries as well?

Pixelhead
#21. June 29th, 2009, at 1:27 PM.

@kadmiel, I am not sure…I would think anywhere that you could access the Google map would be open to adding a local business. You will need either snail mail or a telephone for the business to verify though.

Hotels in Las Vegas
#22. July 1st, 2009, at 8:43 PM.

I have a new business and I’d like to add it to Map Quest, Yahoo! Maps and Google Maps. Not only that, but the address itself seems non-existent on these map sites. How do I go about posting my business on these sites?

Oklahoma City mesothelioma
#23. July 2nd, 2009, at 1:08 PM.

Let me give you another suggestion other than google map if you don’t have google earth.Go to the google toolbar and type in Google Earth.

smith
#24. July 13th, 2009, at 7:51 AM.

Adding business to Google map is really very useful way to promote a business and this video was really helpful to me to list my business site on the google map. Thank you for sharing this video.

Free Memo
#25. July 23rd, 2009, at 10:18 AM.

Really good advice. Many restaurant/business owners don’t think about this, but it should be a no-brainer. It’s actually kinda annoying when I look something up and they aren’t listed.
Adding your business to Google Maps is a great thing to do for local businesses who want to increase exposure to their business, and it’s free and easy to do.

Video to GPhone Converter
#26. July 31st, 2009, at 9:10 AM.

The idea of adding business to google map is really impressive…….waiting for the result !!

4insure
#27. September 15th, 2009, at 3:29 PM.

Detailed posting about business listing.I have one doubt, how the listing will display which is the keyword used for listing our business.where we can add the keywords related to our business.

raphael
#28. September 16th, 2009, at 7:08 AM.

One of the little tricks people tend to overlook – it is important for local searches and I saw websites having 2-3 links from the local results alone.

branchenbuch
#29. October 16th, 2009, at 8:26 AM.

Thanks your very much for the post! I tried to integrate my in Germany and it works the same way with Google here. My company is now listed on the map and in the Firmenverzeichnis. Beste Sascha.