How to Create a Google Local Listing

Despite of what some might think, Google local listings were not created with big businesses in mind. Quite contrary, if I might say.According to Google, 75% of all search is local search, and small businesses cannot afford to miss the opportunity that stands in front of them.
 
People search for pizza places near where they live. They look for shopping centres, best car mechanics and barber shops. Great news for them – there are many, many options they can choose from. Bad news for business owners – the number of Internet marketing channels is on the rise. There are general search engines, local search engines, Internet Yellow Pages sites, local business directories and a number of other sites aiming to promote small business. 
 
As a small business owner, what can you do?
 
Create A Google Local Listing
 
The first thing you should do is create a Google local listing. It’s easy, quite fast and free. Just follow these step-by-step instructions.
 
1. Go to google.com/local/add
 
2. Login with your Google account (if you don’t have one, it’s very easy to do so)
 
3. Go to “Add New Listing”
 
4. Fill out the fields with information required: the country where your business is located, its name, address, phone number, email address, website, short description of your business and enter categories. You can enter up 5 categories which best describe your business. After you finish, click “Next”.
 
5. Fill out the “Hours of Operation” field. You want to put in the correct hours, because your customers want to know when you’re open.
 
6. Fill out the “Payment Options” field. You want to be as specific as possible, just check out all payment options that apply to your business.
 
7. You can also upload photos of your business. Of course, this is optional, but adding photos puts you one step ahead over your competition. It’s a well known fact that having an image in any kind of search engine result pages draws searcher’s attention and can even compensate for lack of very high ranking. You can upload up to 10 photos.
 
8. You can upload videos to YouTube and type in the URL in the blank space, then click “Add Video”. This is also optional, but it can dramatically enhance your local listing in Google, as well as other search engines. 
 
9. Your potential customers might find it very helpful if you include your other business details in the listing, such as parking options, brands carried etc. 
 
10. Click “Submit”. 
 
And you’re done! 
 
Claiming A Google Local Listing
 
If your business is already featured in local search, then you need to claim your local listing. You do so by searching for your business, and then clicking “Edit” button, and then “Claim Your Local Listing” option. 
 
After you claim your listing, you will be brought to the Local Business Center login page. 
 
It’s important to remember that we assume that you already have a Google account.