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Solo's blog provides the resources that microbusinesses, solopreneurs, freelancers, and other super-small businesses need to start, operate, and grow.

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How to respond to bad reviews [with examples]

In this article:\nWhy your small business should be listed on Manta\nHow to add your business to Manta\nWhat you should do next\nManta is one of the largest online resources for small businesses. You should definitely keep this free listing site on your digital marketing checklist. \nManta’s directory gets millions of visitors each month, all searching for local services. Because of this, Manta is constantly working to improve its platform to better serve you and your customers. \nWhy get your business listed on Manta?\nIf we’ve said it once, we’ll say it again–you should list your business across several different online directories. That is a major benefit of using Manta, because it’s a free directory that is so easy to add your business to. \nAdding your business to several online directories helps send trust signals to the search engines as they verify your info across multiple authoritative sites, which helps you to rank higher in the local search results. \nBeyond that, Manta has some pretty cool capabilities for you to take advantage of:\nFree listings scan that allows you to check your NAP consistency across several directories (more on this later)\nDrive more customer traffic to your website\nPromote your small business\nConnect with other small businesses and share insights\nHow to add and claim your business listing on Manta\nLet’s get your business added to Manta. \nStep 1: Check to see if your business is on Manta and if it isn’t, add it\nOn every directory you add your business to, it’s important to check if there is already a listing for your business. Sometimes a previous owner or another employee may have created one, or the directory may have pulled data from another source. \nEither way, always check. \nGo to \nmanta.com\n and type in your business name and city. \n(Image)\n\nOn the next screen, if you see your business, click “Do you own this business?” That will automatically begin the claiming process. \n(Image)\n\nIf you don’t see your business in this list, click “Add Business” at the top of your screen. \nFill out the form on the next page, including the following information:\nCompany name\nCompany address\nWebsite\nPhone number\nClick “Add My Company.” \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Update your business information on Manta. \nWhether you added your company just now or it already had a listing, you will then be brought to your business page and shown a screen that asks you to check your business information. Click “Yes” if your information is correct or “Edit Info” to edit your business information. \n(Image)\n\nNext, select a photo for your banner photo, or choose to upload your own later. These are usually pulled from your website if Manta has access to it. \n(Image)\n\nThen, add or check your website to make sure it is correct. Click “Yes, list this as my website” or “No, I don’t have a website.”\n(Image)\n\nThen, update your business hours and click “Yes, use these.”\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Sign up for Manta\nAfter you’ve completed filling out your business information on Manta, you’ll be prompted to sign up so you can save your updates and publish your company. \nYou can connect with Facebook, Google, or register with your email. \n(Image)\n\nOptional Step: Check your online directory listings\nManta has a cool tool (very similar to Yext) that allows you to check several of your business’s directory listings across multiple sites. It will tell you if your business name, address, and phone number (or NAP info) are all consistent across these sites. \nNAP consistency is super important, as it helps Google and other search engines verify your information across multiple authoritative sources in order to rank you higher on their platforms. \nCheck your listings and make notes of those that have errors so you can fix them later. Or you can pay Manta to fix them for you by clicking “Fix All Errors.” They charge $99/month to update and maintain your listings on more than 70 online directories. \nIf you’re not interested in that right now, simply click “Not right now” and you will be redirected to the dashboard for your company profile. That’s all! \n(Image)\n\nOkay, you’ve claimed your business on Manta. What’s next?\nNow that you’ve completed your Manta business profile, there’s a lot more you can do to enhance your online visibility. \nCheck out these two guides for some great next steps:\nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\n\n25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on\n
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How to create and claim your free business listing on Manta

In this 8-minute read:\nFree ways to advertise your restaurant online\nFree ways to advertise in your community\nLet’s be real here, advertising can get expensive! We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. But it’s also so important for gaining exposure, and ultimately more customers, for your restaurant. We don’t believe that you must have a huge marketing budget to gain some awesome reach, though. Here are 20 free ways that you can advertise your restaurant locally as you’re starting out. \n1. Claim your online business profiles\nThe internet is a wonderful place where huge companies like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor have created free platforms for businesses to list their information in order to create the best user experience possible. So take advantage! These online profiles determine how your restaurant shows up in these different search engines. Help your customers and your business by claiming your online profiles. \nWe even have some tutorials ready for you:\nHow to claim your Google My Business listing\nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n2. Get and respond to customer reviews\nOnline reviews are crucial nowadays for converting new customers. Keep up good business practices, have great customer service, and serve awesome food and you should have no problem getting some really good reviews. But happy customers don’t always think to leave good reviews and sometimes need a little nudge in the right direction. \nHere are some ideas to get new reviews:\nAsk for them! (Especially after you hear someone raving about their favorite menu item.)\nPut up a sign that encourages customers to leave reviews (just try to avoid incentivizing customers with gift cards or giveaways because Google does not like that). \nInclude a link to your online review platforms in their email receipt\nInclude instructions to leave a review on all receipts\nOnce the reviews start coming in, it’s important to respond to them too. Interact with and engage your customers! This shows that you love what you do, and ultimately that’s what most people want from their restaurant experience. Plus, research shows that businesses that regularly respond to reviews earn up to 49% more revenue!\n3. Post your restaurant on free listing websites\nThere are tons of free advertising sites for restaurants out there. Take advantage of this and start getting your restaurant listed on these websites. We’ve even got your first list of 25 restaurant listing websites ready to go!\nClick here to read \n24 free listing sites every restaurant should be on\n. \n4. Create a free website \nDisclaimer: Websites are never 100% free if you want to own your domain or need it to be hosted, but they can come pretty close to it. \nWhile free websites aren’t always the most desirable, they are great when you’re on a budget crunch. And there are plenty of ways to create a pretty nice looking website for free. \nHere are a few of our favorites:\nWix \nSquarespace\nGoogle My Business\n (this one can be completely free)\nCustomers typically want to see menus, pricing, photos, and to get a vibe for your restaurant before making the decision to sit down and eat there. Include all of this on your website and make it easily accessible in your online listings.\nToo busy for a website? With a free Solo profile, even the smallest local restaurant, pop-up, food cart, or hole-in-the-wall can have a helpful, functional SEO-friendly online presence for free. Building and maintaining a traditional website is simply too much for many restaurant owners to deal with. This is one reason a Solo profile can be such an amazing benefit. \nYour customizable Solo profile can list your business’s location, relevant contact information, links to your social pages, and any business details you want included. Sign up at\n \nSolo.co\n.\n5. Boost your SEO \nGet your website in front of more customers with the help of search engine optimization (SEO). This is basically how you get any website to show up on Google and other search engines. Claiming your Google Business listing and other online listings sites are a great first step. \nClick here for some more \nfree ways to boost your local search rankings\n. \n6. Participate in forums\nOnline forums like Quora and Reddit, and especially local community forums, can help to promote your restaurant. Create an account and search for questions about things that are relevant to your restaurant, maybe “how to cook the perfect pizza” or “best ways to boil an egg.” Post some helpful answers and at the end add an invite to come try out your restaurant. \nYou can also write up your own articles or post entertaining how-to videos on these platforms. If that kind of content goes viral, you’ll have people coming from all over just to see the cool place that produced that content (and of course to try your awesome food). \n7. Write a blog\nBlogs are great for boosting SEO as well as providing helpful content that promotes your restaurant and gives value to online users. \nHere are some blog ideas you can use for your restaurant:\nShare photos from a community event you participated in \nWrite a helpful how-to article (how to boil an egg properly, perhaps) \nCreate a video tutorial \nShare recipes (no secrets, of course)\n8. Build up your social media presence\nMake sure your restaurant is active on social media. This is an incredibly beneficial way to promote brand awareness and to take advantage of the power of “shares” and “likes” on the internet. Setup a Facebook business page, Instagram account, YouTube account, Snapchat, etc. and go crazy. Just make sure that you have someone who is actively posting to these whatever accounts you choose—at least a few times a week is a great goal to have here. \nSome ideas for your social shares:\nYour food, of course\nNew menu items\nSweet deals\nEmployee favorites \nCustomer favorites (tag them!)\n9. Join your local chamber of commerce\nMost communities have a local \nchamber of commerce\n. Find yours and ask to get your restaurant listed on their website. They typically provide some free resources for local businesses like promotional materials and marketing tips to help you get your restaurant off the ground. \n10. Host local events at your restaurant\nHave you ever done a paint night or slam poetry contest? Try hosting some local events to give community members a fun night to look forward to. Blast that event on social media, share with everyone you know, and post about it on your blog! Not only do these events excite customers, but they’re likely to buy food and drink while participating and come back for more events.\nHere are some ideas for events you could try:\nPaint night by a local artist \nKaraoke night\nLive bands\nArt galleries\nWine tasting\nHost a fundraiser\n11. Ask customers for feedback\nBeyond asking for online reviews, you can send out surveys or ask customers for feedback in-store. You could even have a customer feedback jar or box in the restaurant. This might not directly promote your business publicly (except when customers see your jar full of feedback), but it can help you know where you can improve and what your customers already love about your restaurant. \n12. Start a loyalty program\nWho doesn’t love a good deal? Start a loyalty program to provide dedicated customers with some awesome incentives to keep coming back. There are a few free resources out there, like Loyverse, or you could always start with the punchcard route. \nCheck out \n6 elements of an effective customer loyalty program\n to help you get started. \n13. Host a webinar\nEmbrace the live video capabilities of Facebook and YouTube and host a webinar for your dedicated followers (and maybe even gain a few more). Host a Q&A with your head chef, do a tutorial on how to plate food with perfection, or share the fun history of how your restaurant got started. \n14. Volunteer in the community\nGet major brownie points with some good ole fashioned philanthropy. Customers love to see the restaurants they frequent out and about in the community. Volunteer at 5k in the summer and hand out drinks and snacks from your restaurant, join community holiday parades, or host a fundraiser at your restaurant.\n15. Host a cooking class\nShow off your skills (without giving away your secrets) by hosting a cooking class at your restaurant. Share it on Facebook, post flyers, and get the word out. Show off your fun side and that you want to be involved.\n16. Celebrate funky holidays with sweet offers\nEver heard of “National Doughnut Day”? Krispy Kreme is a prime example of going above and beyond to celebrate their national holiday with free doughnuts at all of their locations on National Doughnut Day. Find the national day that resonates best with your restaurant and do something fun, whether that’s offering a fun discount or giving away free treats to people who dress up a certain way. And share it on social media and your website!\n17. Print out flyers and hand them out like crazy\nNever underestimate the power of flyers. Design some for your restaurant that promote an upcoming event or fun deals or just that you’re new to town and want to get to know the community. You could even ask local college students in a graphic design program to help out—it’s good portfolio piece for them and free promotional material for you. \n18. Make a free promotional video\nMake a fun promotional video and post it on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, your website, and anywhere else you can think of. Cool resources like \nBiteable\n will help you create a free video that is sure to impress. \n19. Post on Craigslist\nCreate a comical Craigslist post to give your restaurant some more exposure. Things like this can go viral and keep the customers wanting more. Look to find other opportunities for free local online classifieds, too.  \n20. Let local organizations/groups use your space\nEveryone wants a cool place to hold meetings. Let book clubs, community board meetings, PTA meetings, and other local groups reserve a space at your restaurant to have their monthly meeting. They’ll order food and tell others where they hold their meetings, leaving more people wanting to do the same. \nTry some or all of these tips and see what works best for your restaurant!

20 free advertising ideas for restaurants

In this article:\nWhat is Talkwalker?\nFree tools that you can use with Talkwalker\nHow to set up Talkwalker for your business and use the free tools\nWith the online world continually growing each day, it can be difficult to keep track of all the platforms that your brand should be on and where people are talking about your business. From social media channels to hundreds of online business directories, there’s a lot to manage.\nThe beauty of the ever-increasing digital world is that technology capabilities are improving with it. Solutions have been created to help you manage your online reputation and keep track of your brand so you don’t become buried in spreadsheets. \nOne such solution is a social media analytics and monitoring platform called Talkwalker. \nWhat is Talkwalker?\nTalkwalker is a tool that tracks your brand across all media sources: social media channels, websites, print, TV, and even radio. \nThis comprehensive platform monitors all of these media sources on a global level and covers 187 languages. Through this coverage, you can learn what customers and competitors are saying about your campaigns, events, brands, and more. \nYou can also see how your brand is perceived on a global and local scale and what kind of an impact it has through the numerous products Talkwalker offers. \nTalkwalker product options include:\nAnalytics tracking with image recognition technology\nConversation Clusters for tracking trending topics\nCustomer Data+ to gain a complete picture of your customers\nVideo recognition\nQuick search\nCommand center\nAI engine\nInfluencer One to help you get in touch with relevant brand ambassadors\nTalkwalker also offers free tools that your business should start using right now\nTalkwalker alerts\nSocial search\nHow can Talkwalker benefit your business?\nEven if all you use from Talkwalker is their free tools, it can have a huge impact on your marketing campaigns. \nThrough brand mention alerts and social media monitoring, you can easily stay on top of the conversation about your business. This helps you keep your public image in check and ensure that your online reputation is well-received. \nHow to set up Talkwalker for your business\nLet’s go over how you set up a Talkwalker account for your business and how you can utilize these awesome free resources. \nSetting up free Talkwalker alerts\nFirst, we’ll walk you through setting up a Talkwalker alert. \nStep 1: Go to talkwalker.com\nGo to \ntalkwalker.com/free-social-media-monitoring-analytics-tools\n. From this page, you can try the different free tools that Talkwalker offers. Click “Try It Now” under Talkwalker Alerts. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create an alert\nOn the next page, you should see a text box where you can type in what you want to create an alert about. This can be anything from competitors to your brand to your favorite topics. Type in what you want to track. \n(Image)\n\nOnce you type something in, you will need to provide some additional information, including:\nYour email\nResult type\nLanguage\nHow often you want results\nHow many results you want\n(Image)\n\nWhen you are done, click “Create Alert.”\nStep 3: Verify your email and create your account\nAfter you create an alert, Talkwalker will ask you to verify the email that you provided. You’ll get an email asking you to click a link and set up the password for your new account. \n(Image)\n\nClick the link, enter your password, hit the reCaptcha, and click “Save.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Check out the dashboard\nWhen you finish setting up your account, you’ll be brought to your Talkwalker dashboard where you can set up more alerts and keep track of your brand mentions. Anytime a new alert comes in, you will get an email notification (unless you disable this), and you can even export your alerts when you have several of them. \n(Image)\n\nSet up your free social search with Talkwalker\nNow let’s show you the awesome capabilities that you can have with Talkwalker’s social search. \nStep 1: Go to talkwalker.com\nGo to \ntalkwalker.com/free-social-media-monitoring-analytics-tools\n and click “Try It Now” under Talkwalker Social Search. \nStep 2: Create a search\nEnter your brand, company name, or a certain hashtag you want to track. Click “Search.”\n(Image)\n\nFrom there, you’ll be directed to a window to provide your name, email, and company name. Check the box to agree to the terms and click “Get My Results Now!”\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Check your email\nTalkwalker will send you an email to finish setting up your account. If you already have an account, follow the prompts in the email and when you get to the new password reset window, click “back to login” to go to the dashboard for the social search tool. \nIf you don’t already have an account, follow the prompts to set up your password and then click “Save” to be brought to the dashboard. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Check out the dashboard\nWhen you arrive at the dashboard you can start tracking your brand, competitors, and topics across all social channels. Enter the phrase you want to track, and if desired, even compare it to another phrase. \n(Image)\n\nFrom within this dashboard, you’ll have the ability to receives tons of different analytical insights through various filters, including:\nMedia types\nCountry/region\nLanguage\nDevice\nSentiment (positive, neutral, negative)\nDemographics\nWith the free version, you can also filter the results over the last day or the last 7 days. If you want a larger look than that, you can \nset up a free demo with Talkwalker\n to test this out before upgrading to their paid plan. \nBe sure to engage with your customers online\nTracking and monitoring your online reputation and mentions of your brand is important. You need to know what others are saying about your business. But you also need to do more than just monitor the conversation. You need to contribute to it. \nBe sure to respond to comments and reviews (yes, even the bad ones) and ensure your current and potential customers know that you're committed to creating an excellent experience for them.

How to set up a Talkwalker account for your small business

In this article:\nHow Alignable helps your small business\nHow to create and claim your Alignable account\nWhat should you do next?\nAlignable is the ultimate business-to-business (B2B) network for local, small businesses. By creating an account on Alignable, you can connect with other businesses, ask and answer questions, and learn more about what your competitors are doing. We created a step-by-step tutorial for adding your business to Alignable.\nAdding your business to Alignable’s directory will also help drive more customers to your business in general, whether you primarily sell to other businesses or direct to consumers. \nHow can Alignable help my small business?\nFirst, we want to emphasize how important online business listings are, even for small, brick-and-mortar shops. Any reputable listing site can help your business whether you utilize its full capabilities or not. Adding your business to multiple online directories, commonly called citation building, is a huge step toward improving your local SEO (search engine optimization). \nGo deeper: \n15 free tips for better local search rankings\nBeyond that, here are a few awesome perks that Alignable can offer your business:\nOpportunities to connect and collaborate with other businesses in your industry\nGet (and provide) valuable insights on Alignable’s Q&A forums\nCreate promotions for products and services\nIf that all sounds good, continue on to create your free business account on Alignable!\nHow to create and claim your Alignable business profile\nLet’s get to it. \nStep 1: Sign up for an Alignable account \nFirst, go to \nalignable.com\n and click “Sign up.” Enter your email on the next screen and click “Sign Up, It’s Free.”\nStep 2: Add your business to Alignable\nOn the next screen, be sure to enter your first and last name and the name of your business. If your business is already in Alignable’s directory, it will generate a dropdown item for you to click your business. If your business isn’t there, then you can just type the name of your business here. Click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThen, add your business address. If your business was already in Alignable’s directory, this information will generate for you. Double-check that your business name and address are correct, make any necessary changes, and click “Complete Profile.”\nNote: There are two options you can check if applicable. \n“Don’t make my address public.” Only check this option if your business is a service area business and the address you listed is not a place where customers can visit you. \n“I have multiple business locations.” If you have more than one location, take advantage of this option. Alignable will allow you to add multiple locations into one account, rather than having to create a new account for each location.\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Verify your Alignable business listing\nAfter clicking “Complete Profile” you will be taken to a page to verify your business listing. Click “Verify with SMS.” \n(Image)\n\nIn the next window, enter a good cell phone number for yourself or your business (it won’t keep this number recorded on the listing). Click “Text me now,” and you should receive a verification code within a few seconds. \n(Image)\n\nEnter the 6-digit code you received. Click “Verify my account.”\nStep 4: Complete your Alignable business profile\nThe next steps will walk you through some additional information you can add to your profile. It’s always a good idea to fill these out as completely as possible for any customers that may find your business here. \nFirst, search for and select the most relevant category for your business. Click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nAre your customers primarily businesses or consumers? Select the best option on the next screen. \n(Image)\n\nThen select where your customers are primarily found: locally, regionally, or nationally. \n(Image)\n\nOptional: Next, you can import your address book from your email account to connect with your contacts who are already on Alignable. This just helps you build up your Alignable network. Click “Continue” to import your contacts or “Skip” to pass this option over for now.\n(Image)\n\nAfter that, you’re in! You can technically stop here, but to get the maximum benefits from your Alignable profile, complete the following recommendations in Step 5. \n(Image)\n\nStep 5: Add even more information to your Alignable profile\nOnce your profile is complete, you can visit your page and add a few more items to really round out your profile. Click the “My Business” dropdown arrow at the top right of your screen under your profile icon and then click “Visit My Business Profile.”\n(Image)\n\nWhen you get to your page, there will be several prompts at the top of the page. Follow these and fill them out. \n(Image)\n\n1. Introduce yourself by adding a company description and uploading your logo. Click “Save.”\n(Image)\n\n2. Add a product or service by clicking “Add a service.” Enter the name of your product or service, a photo, and a description. Click “Create” to add it to your page. \n(Image)\n\n3. Upload a banner graphic. Click “Save.”\n(Image)\n\n4. Update your phone number and website. You can find these on the right side of your profile. Just click “Edit” on each item to update them. \n(Image)\n\n5. Link to your Facebook account. This option is on the right side of your profile page as well. \n(Image)\n\nNow you’ve created and claimed your Alignable profile. What’s next?\nAlignable is only one small piece of the ever-changing puzzle that we call local SEO. So, what are the other pieces?\nLike Alignable, there are tons of online directories out there that can help drive customers toward your business and help you rank better in the search engines. \nWe have a great guide that can help you get listed on more free directories: check out \n25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on\n.


How to create and claim your Alignable business listing

In this post:\nWhy it’s so important for you to claim your business listing on Google\nHow to claim your business on Google\nHow to verify your Google my Business listing\nWhat to do if someone else has already claimed your business on Google\nHow reputation management software can help you save time and money\nAs we’ve written before, the first step in getting control of your online business reputation and responding to reviews is to \nclaim your Google business listing\n as well as your pages on all the relevant sites like Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, etc. \nListings on these sites are basically your “digital storefront,” or the way most consumers discover you before they come to your place of business. \nPlus, research shows that businesses that claim their listings on multiple review sites make more money! Let’s start with discussing how to claim your business on Google.\nClaim your Google business listing as one of your most important marketing tools\nWhen it comes to finding and attracting new customers to your business, the right marketing plan make all the difference. And for many small and local businesses, tight budgets and tighter schedules can make a solid marketing plan feel constantly out of reach.\nRaquelle Dickerson, \nDirector of Marketing at SEO.com\n, recommends the following to small business owners looking to marketing their business on a budget. \n“Every business, regardless of size, needs to have some sort of digital marketing strategy in order to succeed. While big companies can experiment with all the latest and greatest digital marketing tools and services, this isn’t an option for the limited budgets of small, local businesses. That’s why I strongly recommend every small and local business get set up with a Google my Business page.\n“Google my Business is essentially a free marketing listing for any business. Once you’ve claimed your listing, you can add pictures, menus, products, hours of operation, contact information . . . Everything you’d want a prospective customer to know about your business. All for free. And remember, it’s Google. It’s where your customers are searching for your product.\n“If your Google listing is unclaimed or uninteresting, you’re going to struggle to get people in the door.”\nUnfortunately, far too many businesses aren’t following Raquelle’s advice. In fact, 56% of local business haven’t claimed their Google my Business listing. This is \ncrazy\n.\nThe good news is that claiming your Google Business listing is quick and easy. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the simple process of how to claim and verify your business listing on Google so you can take control of your online reputation and attract more customers.\nHow to claim your business on Google\nStart by going to the Google page for business owners: \nbusiness.google.com\nStep 1: Identify your Google account\nIf you are already signed into a Google Email account, you will see the screen below. \nIf you are not signed into a Google Email account, proceed to Step 2.\ngoogle my business login screen\n\nYou can hover your mouse over the icon in the top right hand corner of this screen to view the account holder’s information. \nIs this the Google email account you wish to use to manage your Google Business account?\nYes? Skip to Step 4.\nNo? Log out and proceed to Step 2.\nStep 2: SIGN IN or START NOW\nClick on the “Sign In” button in the top-right corner.\ngoogle business login screen\n\nIf you are not currently registered with a Google email account, click the “Start Now” link to create a Google account with any existing email address (ex: @hotmail.com, @yahoo.com, @businessname.com) or create a new “FirstNameLastName@gmail.com” email account that’s available.\nPlease note: The email address, recovery phone number and other profile information you provide when creating your Google account will NOT be visible to your customers. List the best recovery email and phone number in the event you forget your login password.\nStep 3: Log in to your Google account\ngoogle my business listing sign in screen\n\nSign in with the Google email account you wish to use to claim and manage your Google Business account.\nStep 4: Search for your business\ngoogle my business listing login business name search screen\n\n \nType the name of your business the field provided. If your business name along with the last part of the business address auto-populates your business listing in the dropdown list below, select it and click Next. If not, you’ll need to add your business.\nStep 5: Business address\n(Image)\n\nIf the address in the step above is inaccurate, now is your chance to update your business address to the current information and click Next\nIf the address is accurate with current information, click Next\nOnly select the check box next to the “truck” image shown at the bottom of this page if you do NOT have a storefront for customers visit to render services/products.\nStep 6: Business phone number & website link\n(Image)\n\nMake sure your business phone number and website address are correct and up-to-date on this next page. Again, if any of this information is inaccurate, update as needed then click Next.\nCongratulations! You have now successfully claimed your Google Business listing! \nHow to verify your business on Google\nNow that you’ve claimed your business, you might ask, “Do I need to verify my business with Google?” The answer is yes, and it’s the next important step in claiming your Google business listing. This step proves to Google that you own the business and gives you the ability to manage the information on your page, respond to customer reviews, upload photos, get your business found in search results, and more.\n(Image)\n\nPlease note: If you are claiming an “Unclaimed” Google Business listing, you will see the page shown above. Click Continue to choose from the verification options.\nIf you are claiming a Google Business listing that is currently Claimed and Managed by someone else, (for example; marketing manager, webmaster, previous employee, etc.) please scroll down to “What to do if someone has already claimed your Google business listing.”\nOption 1: Verify by postcard\ngoogle my business verification by postcard screen\n\nIf you wish to receive a postcard containing a verification code sent from Google to your business address, please click on the Mail button on the right hand side. \nPostcard: Look out for a Google-branded postcard to arrive by mail. This postcard will contain the verification code needed to verify your listing. Sign into your Google Business Account (\nbusiness.google.com\n), click on the Verify Now button next to your listing, and enter the verification code. Your business listing is now claimed and verified!  \nIf you wish to verify another way, click on the shield icon next to “Try a different method.”\nOption 2: Verify with a different method\ngoogle my business verification by phone screen\n\nA faster way to verify your business listing is to have Google call or text your business phone number. Please note: This option is not recommend if you are not at the business location at the time you request the verification phone call and/or if your business number cannot receive text messages. \nWork-around: If you choose to have Google call your place of business, ask an employee in advance to pick up the Google verification phone call once you send the request, then have your employee call you back with the verification code.\nVerify later: This option will allow you to verify your business listing at a later time. \nWhat to do if someone else claimed your Google Business listing\nHas someone else claimed your business on Google? Click on Request Access to notify the current listing owner that you wish to claim and manage this business listing. \nStep 1: Submit requester information\ngoogle my business verification request access screen\n\nShare your info with the current owner to continue: Check this box. This is a security measure to prevent any Google user from claiming a business that is not theirs.\nWhat level of access would you like?: If you are the owner and want to fully manage your business listing, select Ownership. You can add other authorized users to manage your account with limited features later on. Click on Learn More for more information. \nWhat’s your relationship to the business?: Select your role for the business, enter your name and phone number so the owner currently managing the listing has the option to contact you to inquire about the Ownership Request.\nStep 2: Await confirmation by current owner\n(Image)\n\nIf the current owner does not respond within 7 days, Google will usually grant your Ownership Request.\nIf the the Ownership Request is rejected by the current owner, log into your account to appeal the rejection and/or contact Google at: 1-844-491-9665.\nManage your online presence\nClaiming and verifying your Google my Business listing is a vital step for any local business, but it’s only the first step. Next steps involve \nresponding to reviews\n, building a strategy consistently \nget more reviews\n, and managing your reviews on all the important review sites for your business type. Make sure you stay on top of it, because online reviews can have a huge impact on your business.\nSee our additional guides: \n\nHow to claim your business on Yelp\n\n\nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n\n

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