Although many businesses are unaware, there is a free and easy way to advertise your business for free on Google. In fact, not only can you advertise for free, but your business will typically show up on the first page of results when users search for terms that you enter in your profile. The way to accomplish this is to set up your business on Google Places which is Google’s solution to the local business directory. Then, results like the following show up with your business information as a result of a relative search entry:
Like many of Google’s applications, it is free to list your local business with Google Places. It is also pretty simple and can be set up in just a few minutes. Here’s what you need to do:
- Go to google.com/places and click ‘Google Places for Business’
- Create a Google account or log on with one you already have (associated with your business)
- Click the ‘list your business’ button
- Enter your business phone number (Google will check if it already has information on your business)
You will then be taken to a form to fill out the following:
- Basic information (country, address, website, etc.)
- Service areas
- Hours of operations
- What payment options you accept (cash, check, credit…)
- An opportunity to add photos and videos to your listing
- Additional details (parking, brands carried, etc.)
Once you get done entering this information, you are ready to submit your data to Google who will then verify that you are the owner of the business by calling the number you provided during normal business hours. Of course it’s a good idea to cue in all employees that are likely to answer the phone that Google Places will be calling to verify ownership so that everyone knows what to expect. Once your Google submission has been verified, visitors to your Google Places page will see a green tick mark and statement proclaiming that yours is an ‘owner verified listing’. Anyway, this is a pretty nifty way to get free local advertising on the first page of Google, so if you haven’t already done so, go ahead and reach out and grab that low hanging Inbound Marketing fruit!
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