Most the time, we use Google as a basic search engine to look up different events, places and questions. As a business owner, we want to make sure that our business is easy to find and has our accurate information. The process to get your business listed, updated or corrected on Google can take up to weeks! Then there is always the possibility that something might go wrong. Throughout this blog post, I will take you through different situations that can occur with having your business listed on Google and the exciting avenues you can take to talk with Google.
Is Your Google Listing Verified?
All businesses need to be verified through Google+ to appear in the search engine as a credited source. The verification process includes having Google email, call or mail a four-digit code to you that you enter under the ‘My Business’ App. Below is a picture of an ‘Google Approved’ business.
Once your listing is updated it’s a good idea to ensure all your information is correct. Beware that it may take some time to for your changes to show up. Here are some issues you’ll want to be aware of:
- Updating Information. If you change your phone number or address, it could take Google up to weeks before the information is reflected correctly on your Google Account.
- Missing Information. Even though you have added all the correct information, it still might not be showing up everywhere correct on Google Search, Google Maps or Google +.
- Duplicate Address. If you have two businesses with the same address, Google will not approve the second address. Google only recognizes one business per location. For example, if you were BMW Manhattan Car Dealership and had Motorcycles at your location; Google would not approve for you to be both BMW Manhattan Car and BMW Manhattan Motorcycle at the same location.
- Duplicate Accounts. If you do not own a listing, then you cannot delete a business listing. This means that duplicate accounts for the same business could appear. They won’t have the same information, but that means you are losing business because they are receive information from an incorrect account.
How to Fix Your Listing
Now that we have looked at the reasons why we might need to reach out to Google, let’s look at the different and exciting ways that you can communicate with the large conglomerate.
- Google Help Center: If you do not have time to talk with anyone at Google, you will be sent to the Google Help Center. Here, google has a list of frequently asked questions and corresponding articles to help you solve your problems. They also have step by step how to videos!
- Online Form: Google also has a form for you to fill out under the Support Section. With this detailed form, you can highlight the incorrect information and they will fix it for you. Take a look at a part of the form below:
- Live Chat: With this option, you are set up in a chat room to instant message a Google representative. I have found this to be very useful for simple changes, such as requesting they update your information or adding a new member to a google account.
- Phone: The final and most exciting way to reach Google is to give Google a call. Yes, you can call Google! After filling out the same form mentioned above, you can click the “call now” button and Google will give you a call. The Google Representatives are trained handle everything for you from validating your listing to fixing duplicate accounts.
Let us help you.
Updating your Google listing can be a bit intimidating, but it’s so important for the success of your overall digital marketing efforts. Therefore, we encourage businesses to work with Digital Marketing Agencies that are a part of the Google Partners Program, such as Stream Companies. Read here to learn what to expect when you hire an integrated SEO Agency.
STREAM KICK START STEP: Take action and getting started by Googling your business to make sure that all your information is coming up and that your listing is verified. If its listed but does not have the verified check mark or has incorrect information, log into Google My Business to start the process of updating your listing!
{{cta(‘0c683426-554a-4cc8-8063-d22058c699de’)}}
Happy Googling,
Krista Meiers
Digital PR Coordinator at Stream Companies