Google My Business is a great way to get seen in the search engine results. All businesses with a physical location should have a Google My Business listing. This means setting up a listing that gives all relevant information for your location.
Easy, yes? Definitely – but what do you do if you have several locations spread around different towns, cities, or even streets within the same area?
The answer is simple. Each separate location should have its own listing. If you have three shops in the same town, you should have three Google My Business listings – one for each shop. The same applies if you have a dozen locations spread around the country.
Here’s how to do it.
Keep things simple with just one Google account
If you don’t already have one, open a Google account related to your business. Ideally, use a professional email address. You can create a separate listing for each of your locations within that same Google account. It also means easier access to them all, no need to remember lots of different logins, and easier management of all those locations too.
A single account also means you can control the data within it. This holds true even if you operate a franchise business. You can check the NAP information (name, address, and phone number) for each location is correct whenever you wish. A franchisee may not think to do this – they may not even know about Google My Business or how important it is. By retaining control over this information, you’re protecting your business and its ability to be seen online.
What if you own three businesses that are in three different industries?
In this case, operating a separate Google account for each makes more sense. If you add more locations to one of these businesses, you can list them under the relevant account.
Upload details for multiple locations in one hit
Google has made things as easy as possible by giving you a bulk upload tool. This reduces the amount of time it takes to add separate locations to your Google account.
Review the information periodically
The more locations your business has, the more frequently you should review the NAP details for each one. Check all the information is correct for each location, so everything remains up to date. The longer you go without checking it, the more likely it is you’ll get inaccurate listings online – and that won’t help you or your customers.