Become visible in search with Google My Business
Google My Business allows customers to find your business when they search for services you offer. Here we tell you what you need to know.
Google My Business is a service from Google where you can create a profile for your business and thus create a so-called business listing on Google.
Why Google My Business?
Such a profile makes you both more visible and more accessible. Your profile will appear if someone searches for what you offer, or the name of your company, in Google search or Google Maps.
Your profile gives the customer an overview of your opening hours, address and the products and services you provide. The customer can then call you, go to your website or ask for directions to the address - directly in Google. It couldn't be simpler.
An example of how Gasta appears when searching for relevant services and geographical area. You can see our profile to the right.
Who is this for?
Businesses with physical premises that the customer can visit (e.g. shop, hotel, shopping center)
Companies with no physical premises but which visit customers within a given geographical area (e.g. plumbers)
Businesses that have both (e.g. restaurant with both catering and door-to-door delivery)
Note that pure online stores cannot have such a profile, because they have neither a physical location where the customer can meet up nor a geographical area where the customer can meet the employees. This means that Google does not have any geographical guidelines for when it is useful to show this business in searches.
Connect Google My Business to your website in Squarespace
Squarespace has its own tool called "Location Management". Here you can link your website to your profile in Google My Business.
Using this feature makes it easier to manage your information in Google, because you can change things like opening hours and contact info directly from your website, instead of having to log in to Google My Business every time.
How do I get started?
Creating a profile in Google My Business is free.
If you have a Squarespace website, you have two choices:
Log in to your website, select "Marketing" in the main menu and then "Location Management". Here you can create a profile and link it to your website.
Go directly to Google My Business and follow the steps to create an account in Google's system. (It can be linked to the website later)
Please note that you must have a Google Account to create a profile. You may want to use your business email address for this.
Once you've created your business and entered your information, you need to verify ownership. Here you are usually given several choices, and can verify by letter, email, phone or through a link to another Google tool.
