A verified Google My Business listing can take your company to new heights. When your listing is verified, it gets a major boost in the search engine results page (SERP). It also appears on Google Maps and local pack. Having a verified listing on the Google My Business increases the chances of your website appearing in front of competitors, since Google puts so much emphasis on the location of the searcher.
Over the years, Google has made their policies strict. Today, it’s harder than ever for some businesses (especially those in the service industry) to get their listing verified. So, let’s first find out if your business qualifies for Google My Business.
A traditional office, store, warehouse or shop gets the fastest approval from Google.
If you have a store or office inside a commercial complex, you share that location with other businesses. Although you are entitled to a verified Google My Business Listing, you might face some issues since Google will be extra cautious while verifying it.
Many people have reported that although their business got verified, it still shows “Your business is verified. Listings may be reviewed for quality and can take up to three days to be published.” (But it never gets reviewed and published within three days. It takes way longer.)
This case mostly arises within universities, hospitals, and bigger institutions, since they are spread over a huge area and have various entries for different departments and also have different timings.
Here are Google’s guidelines for getting a verified listing of different departments of the same company.
“Publicly facing departments that operate as distinct entities should have their own page. The exact name of each department must be different from that of the main business and that of other departments. Typically such departments have a separate customer entrance and should each have distinct categories. Their hours may sometimes differ from those of the main business.”
If you are an owner of multiple companies and they all share the same physical location but you want each of them to have its own listing, they should each also have distinct categories and business names and phone numbers and each phone should be answered with the name of that specific business.
What if you are a lawyer or real estate agent who operates from the same location that other lawyers and realtors share? Will you be eligible for an individual listing? The answer is “YES”. Here’s what Google’s guidelines say about it:
“An individual practitioner should create his or her own dedicated listing if:
A practitioner should not have multiple listings to cover all of his or her specializations.”
Having said that, have no doubt about it that it is going to be really challenging. However, if you run into any problems then you can contact the Google support team on Twitter @GoogleMyBiz, or you can fill out the form here.
Google has made it clear that if you use virtual office spaces will not qualify for a verified Google My Business listing. It will be eligible only if you or someone from your team is “available” there at the location during the business hours mentioned. Google has also recently updated its guidelines regarding this. Give it a read.
You will have a tough time verifying this kind of business because no legit business would want to sit at the same location where their competitors are. And in case you manage to get it verified, the chances of data getting conflated is very high. So it’s better to just avoid it because it can get messy.
It’s not very different from shared spaces and virtual office. So let’s just say that if you or your employees are available at the address during the business hours then you are eligible for a verified listing on Google My Business. But let me repeat, it will be tricky!
One of the most hectic situation to be in. Google HIGHLY doubts a business that is being operated from a residential address because it got spammed a lot in the past and now they want to avoid it. However, you may be eligible for the listing, if you can show proof that you have set up a legitimate office in your home where you meet your customers. They may ask for the photos or/and videos of sign boards, business cards, front entry, etc. The reason given by Google for this is: If you meet customers at your home, then you MUST have a signboard. There’s also an option of video call verification where they will ask you to show you your entire setup while being on a call with you all the time.
Let’s first understand what Google considers as Service area business: “Service area businesses are those that do their work at the customer’s location”.
If you don’t meet your customers face to face, then Google thinks that showing your address on the map is not required. If you operate such business, make sure you answer all the questions appropriately while setting up your Google My Business account.
To get this type of business verified, you may be asked for additional proof form Google staff to ensure that your business truly exists and is legit. You may be asked for videos of your work vehicle etc. to assure Google that you are running a legit business.
It has been seen that many companies have tried to create an individual listing of their business from the home address of their own and sometimes employees. While this “Might” work, but there are high chances that it will backfire since you are trying to trick the biggest internet country on the planet.
If you’re interested in using Google My Business and its other resources to better market your company, feel free to call Envoca today.
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