Entwine Inc.

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One of the first steps in creating a powerful digital footprint is to add your business to Google Local Business Listings.  In some cases your business may already be listed BUT, you need to claim it.

WHY do you need to claim your Google business listing?

If your business is unclaimed and missing information, Google will attempt to get the info from other sources.  That information may or may not be accurate.  Search engines can drive a significant amount of traffic to your site.  If the information is wrong or missing, especially the web address, you will miss all of that traffic and worse yet it could be going to your competitors.

To verify if your business is listed, you must sign into your Google account.  You can sign in with your Gmail or Google  AdWords account, or if you don’t have a Google account you can create one here. The following steps will show you how to claim your Google business listing.

1. Go to Google maps, http://maps.google.com and search for your business by entering the business name and location.
2. Browse the list of choices, locate your business and click on the business name. (If your business is not listed you should add your business to Google Local Business Listings.)
3. Once you select your business name a new box with business information will appear over the map. Click on edit.
4. Click “Claim your business” and it will take you to a page where you can select:
   • edit your business listing
   • suspend my listing
   • this isn’t my listing – you may add your business
5. Add the basic information about your business. For consistency, make sure the name is the same as it is listed in your telephone directory yellow pages. You can add up to five categories. Include your keywords in the description. You will also have the option to add hours of operation, photos, videos and coupons.

To complete the listing you will need to verify it. You can choose how you would like to verify your listing, phone verification is the quickest. You will receive an automated Google Verification call to the phone number you listed.  You will be promoted to enter your PIN number immediately. Click Finish and you have now claimed your business listing on Google.

Google is by far the most used search engine but you should also add your listing to Yahoo, Bing and BOTW.

Tip:
You can verify your listings have been added by going to getlisted.org .  Be sure to check this site frequently to make sure your info is correct.