If you have an online business profile on Google Maps and opted in into receiving Google alerts, you might have received an email from Google asking you if your online information is accurate. It is a good idea to check it to be sure clients and prospects can find your office or website. Google Maps should be a part of a good search engine optimization approach. We often talk about optimizing your website and using social media platforms, but do not forget about Google Maps.

If you never claimed your business on Google Maps (or not sure if you did), we can help you. Our first step will be to ask Google to verify your business so that they allow it to show up on the maps and result pages. Then, it is to build a comprehensive and attractive profile that would attract clients when they search for your keywords. There are cases when your business is not even available to be claimed. We can also assist you in adding it to the maps. This happens often when an office changes location or if your business is new. Note that you need a street address in order to be listed.

If you already claimed your business, it is still important to check it every few months to be sure the hours and other details remain accurate. This is also the opportunity to see if new reviews have been posted and if any comments need to be addressed.

Below ares some of the fields that are available to build your Google business profile on Google Maps:

• Business name
• Category
• Address and pin location
• Service area
• Hours
• Phone
• Website Attributes
• Photos
• From the business
• Opening date
• Menu/Services (limited availability)
• Products (limited availability)
• Check-in and check-out times (hotels only)
• Hotel information (hotels only)
• Health insurance information (US only)
• Car dealership inventory (limited availability)

How popular is Google Maps? Approximately 5 million active websites use Google Maps. Most importantly, the maps has 154.4 million monthly users. Yes, you read correctly over 154,000,000 people using it so let’s make sure your business shows up on it.