How to get found on Google My Business or Google Local

Quadsimia was asked to participate in "Build and Optimize Your Online Presence", presented by The Mohawk Valley SBDC Professional Series. This workshop was centered around Google My Business (previously known as Google Places, Google Local, Google+). The goal of this business training event was to:

Make sure your business is being seen by customers! This step-by-step, hands-on workshop walks you through putting your business information into Google Search and Maps, then introduces you to tools for growing your business online. Following the hands-on workshop, a panel of local online marketing experts will share their tips and insights regarding search engine optimization and web-based marketing, followed by a Q&A session. Brought to you by the SBDC in partnership with Google. 

Kandi Humpf from Quadsimia was joined by:

• Allie from MPW Marketing
• Brian from Site-Seeker Inc.
• Scott from Brockett Creative Group

Here is a recap of some of the questions and answers we prepared ahead of time:

1. Why should I care about getting my business verified on Google My Business first, over other social media platforms like Facebook?
   1. The information included in your Google My Business profile can show up:
      1. Google's Local Pack
      2. Google's Knowledge Panel
      3. When visitors search for a competitor!!
      4. Google Maps
      5. Google Now
      6. Apps and browsers on both Android and iPhone
2. Is it really that important to upload images to my Google Local Business page?
   1. Yes, especially the profile image. 
   2. Per Google, having photos on your listing increases direction requests by 42% and increases clicks to your website by 35%
      (Credit: Mike Blumenthal 04/15/2015)
3. What if my business listing was already verified by someone else?
   1. Have you tried contacting the current page owner?
   2. If you can't, try creating a new page – once Google warns you that someone else has verified the business, you can request admin rights
   3. Google will ask you some questions about your business, then they will try to contact the current owner by email.
   4. It will help if you can use an email address with the business' name in it – but not absolutely necessary.
   5. If the current owner doesn't respond, Google will work with you to resolve ownership.
   6. Quadsimia has proven experience helping companies claim their Google My Business listing.
      Contact us today for more information!
      (Credit: Google 1 and Google 2)
4. What if my business listing has the wrong address?
   1. Verify your listing and edit it.
5. Sometimes I see results that have extra options, such a dollar signs or ratings, how can I get Google to show that information for my business?
   1. Local Business Schema Markup – use to identify:
      1. Price Range ($$$ for example)
      2. Opening Hours
      3. Payments and Currencies Accepted
      4. Aggregate Ratings or Reviews
      5. Email Address
      6. Employees
      7. Events
      8. Location
      9. Logo
      10. Member Of
      11. Maps
          (Credit: Schema and Search Engine Land)
6. How should I handle negative reviews? Are reviews on Google My Business carried over to other websites?
   1. How to handle negative reviews:
      1. Ignore minor complaints and resolve issues privately when possible
      2. Address issues constructively. Don't use responses to advertise.
      3. Do not ask users for anything or offer them anything.
      4. Be professional and polite. The world can read your response.
         (Credit: Google)
   2. Are reviews on Google My Business carried over to other websites:
      1. No, Google's policy is "Don't use reviews for advertising or post the same or similar reviews across multiple places."
         (Credit: Local Visibility System)
      2. Create a graphic similar to  and direct visitors to your Google+ page

What will my Google My Business page look like on different devices?