How To Get Your Business On Google

There are several ways of getting your business to show up in Google search. Years ago, this was much easier to do than it is today. Google Search use to be very basic. Today, it is more complex with more sections or parts where you can get your business to show up.

In order to understand how you can get your business on Google, you have to understand the different “parts” of a typical search engine results page. Getting your business listed in these different parts requires different tactics.

Breaking Down Google’s Search Engine Into 4 Parts

For simplicity’s sake, I will break down Google into four main parts:

Google Ads

These are the ads you will typically see atop and at the bottom of the search results pages. Learn more about Google Ads by reading What Is Google Ads? See screenshot below:

Google Local Pack

This is the section that typically shows below any ads on the page. Sometimes, for more local searches, you will see this section at the very top. It is the section that shows Google maps along with three businesses. See example below:

Google Organic

These are the results you see that tend to be below Google Ads and the Local Pack. See image below for example:

This screenshot is a common example of a search for a local business. You can break these results down into two parts:

Listings of local businesses where you can click on the listing and be taken to the business website.
Listings of business directories like Yelp and Angie.com. These are directories where business can get listed. These are really important for local businesses as people absolutely go to these sites to research local businesses.

Google Business Profile

Have you ever done a search for a local business and seen a section about that business on the right side of the search results on your desktop? This is their business profile on Google. See example below:

How Do I Get My Business To Show Up On These 4 Parts?

In general, when someone does a search for your product or service on Google, you want your business to show up. If you want to increase your odds that someone will see your business on Google and click on a listing or interact with your business profile, then you need to acquire as much “real estate” as you can.

In this analogy, “real estate” is everything that you see on the first page of Google when you perform a search. Let’s assume you are a plumbing company in Phoenix. When someone does a search for “Phoenix plumbing company” you would want to show up in Google. In any given search like this you will see three of the above mentioned sections: Google Ads, Local Pack and Google organic listings.

If you do not show up in any of these sections, you obviously are not going to get that person’s business. If you show up in Google Ads, you now stand a chance that searcher will see your ad, click on it and potentially contact you.

Now, let’s say you have a competitor who also runs Google Ads and their ad shows as well. In addition to that, they also have their business show up in the Local Pack where someone can see their business listing on Google Maps. On top of that, they also have their business website show up in Google organic. And, they have also listed their business on Yelp and Angie.com.

So, they have three direct business listings (people can click on a listing and go straight to their website) and two listings on business directories (Yelp and Angie.com). They have a higher chance of getting the attention of that searcher than you do, because they have more listings (“real estate”) on Google.

This is why I recommend that businesses don’t focus on a single way of getting their business on Google. The more ways you can get your business to show up whenever someone does a search for what you offer, the better your chances are of acquiring a new customer. Now, how the heck do you do this? I’ll cover that next.

Start Running Business Ads With Google Ads

So long as you have a credit card with a balance or a bank account with funds, you can run ads on Google. Of all of the ways mentioned in this article, this is the fastest way to get your business on Google and in front of prospective customers. If you want to learn how to use Google Ads, then a good place to start is Google’s own learning hub. It’s called Skillshop and this is full of course for learning and how you can get Google Ads certified. Check it out.

If you don’t have the time to adequately learn Google Ads to where it can be profitable for your business, then seek out a pro. Businesses typically turn to freelancers or agencies who specialize in Google Ads management. A good place to seek out freelancers is on Upwork. They are the biggest network in the freelancer space. If you want to look into agencies then I suggest you read How to Choose a PPC Agency before starting your search.

Add Or Claim Your Business Profile On Google

If you have a local business with a physical address, then this is an absolute must for you. Now, you may already have a business profile and not even know it. If this is the case then you will need to find it and claim it. If you do not have one yet, then you will need to set one up. Below are instructions on how to do this.

Find & Claim Existing Business Profile

Sign in to Google Maps on your desktop computer
When you are in Google Maps do a search for your business name. When you find your business, click on it.
Click on the “Claim this business” link.
Select the verification option you want to try and go through the steps.

Add Your Business To Google Maps

Sign in to Google Maps.
There will be three ways to add and verify your business.
- Enter the business address in the search bar and click “Add your business” from the left side of the screen.
- Look for the menu in the top left of the screen and click on the “Add your business” option.
- Right-click anywhere on the map and click the “Add your business” option.

Keep in mind that Google will need to verify your business once you have completed this process. Once your business is verified then you will have full control over your business profile and will be able to edit and add information to it.

Note

Getting your Google business profile set up and verified is also the first step you should take in trying to get your business to show up in the Local Pack.

Get Listed In The Google Local Pack

To get your business listed in this section, you will need to perform a good amount of local SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. Local SEO is a specific type of SEO where you try to improve your visibility with local search results on Google. Learn more about Local SEO.

Get Listed In The Google Organic Listings

This is similar to Local SEO. To get listed in the organic results of Google search, you need to implement a comprehensive SEO strategy. This involves a great deal of work on your website as well as attracting links from other websites and external digital sources. Here’s a great guide to SEO.