Does Your Business Telephone Number Show Up Correctly in a Google Search? Here's How to Check it (and Fix it...)

By Dan Baldwin

The whole point of having a Southern California business phone number and a published listing is so people can call you and do business with you.

But until customers and prospects commit your phone number to memory or your multi-location business phone numbers earns a spot on their speed dial list, how do you suppose they're going to find your number?

Pull out the latest 10-pound printed phone book from their desk drawer - no.

They'll Google it, if course.  

But does your business phone number, your address and a little map pop up as the top listing when your business name is Googled by customers and prospects?

If not, you need to fix that. It doesn't cost anything and it's pretty simple to do

 

Google Business  Listings 101

To see an example of what a semi-proper Google listing should look like, Google search "ATEL Communications".  

Below is an example of what this search delivered the day I wrote this blog post. Click on the image to see it bigger.

If you click the image above to see the normal size presentation of this Google search, you'll see what is delivered.  In addition to the address, phone number and a map, you'll see searchers are also provided with a web link to the business website as well as a list of business reviews.

Not only does a search result like this produce your phone number, it reaffirms to your customers and prospects that you really are in business. If your competitors Google business listing looks this good but yours does not, follow the simple steps that follow.

 

Step 1:  Go to Google.com/Places

This is where you can edit your listing if someone's already created it or initiate the listing if it does not yet exist. (You can also get to this starting point at Google.com/Local/Add or Google.com/Maps.

 

Step 2:  Follow the Listing Directions

You can put in all the details about your business address, your phone number and a description along with your web address. You can also add photos and a video.

To ensure that only you can create a listing for your business, after completing your free business listing you need to wait about two weeks to receive a postcard in the mail from Google with a confirmation PIN to finalize the listing.

 

Step 3:  Promote Your Listing & Solicit Customer Reviews

If you run a a B2C (business to consumer) type business (dentist, tax returns, veterinary, etc.) you definitely want to solicit reviews by asking your customers to scan a QR code with their cell phone or by giving them a card with a short link to your Google Places page.

Google frowns on "paying for" customer reviews with coupons or discounts but setting up a computer "review station" in your office waiting room appears to be acceptable.

While soliciting reviews might seem a little bit scary for businesses that annoy as many customers as they make happy, once you are successful getting your phone number to pop up in a Google search of your business name you certainly do not want it to look like none of your customers care enough about your business to give it a rating.

To get some good reviews started, send out a letter or email to all your best customers and ask them to give you an honest review. 

To avoid negative published reviews you might want to invest $25 per month in a service like TalkBin from Google that allows customers to immediately communicate via text or email with the people in your business in charge of making customers happy. 

 

Other Resources to Consider

I found the following when writing this post.  If you're really interested in taking your "local search marketing" to the next level you certainly want to make sure your marketing person is all over this stuff.

Blumenthal's Blog  I don't know who writes this but they are all over "local search". Here's a specific blog post that summarizes what the blog author thinks has been most important in 2011.

TalkBin by Google  If you're serious about immediate customer feedback while there's still time to fix a problem (so you don't read unhappy reviews on the web about your business later) then this seems like a great program.

Customer Lobby  This appears to be an online customer review publishing service you pay for ($69/mo after $199 setup). Click here to read a PDF overview of the service.

Using QR Codes to Get Reviews This is written by an SEO specialist who gives a step-by-step instructions for getting reviews from "off line" customers 

Yelp  A large review site.

Google+ For Business  After getting on Google Local you should probably sign your business up for a Google+ site as Google seems to be serious about taking on Facebook and other review sites. Click here to view "9 ways Google+ can help your business". Here's another good post on the same subject

Express Update This portal feeds WhitePages.com & 411.com

Yext  This site claims to make sure all the Internet business search engines (other than Google) have the right listing for your business

 

Need Help Finding a Local Independent Telecom Agent to Help Your Business?

Looking for a Southern California based, vendor neutral business communications technology service expert that can help you out with your multi-location telecom or data network problems?

Click here to learn about how we might be able to fix your problem for free, then contact me directly at 951-251-5155 or Dan@BaldwinTel.com. 

BaldwinTel helps multi-location businesses across the United States but specializes Southern California especially San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County.

Los Angeles County

Eastside, San Gabriel Valley, Pomona Valley, Westside, Beach Cities, South Bay, Palos Verdes Peninsula, South Los Angeles, Gateway Cities, San Fernando Valley, Conejo Valley, Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Downtown Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire, Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Avalon, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Bradbury, Burbank, Calabasas, Carson, Cerritos, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Cudahy, Culver City, Diamond Bar, Downey, Duarte, El Monte, El Segund,o Gardena, Glendal,e Glendora, Hawaiian Garden,s Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Huntington Park, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale, La Cañada, Flintridge, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lawndale, Lomita, Long Beac,h Los Angeles, Lynwood, Malibu, Manhattan Beac,h Maywood, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Norwalk, Palmdale, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pasadena, Pico Rivera Pomona Rancho Palos Verdes Redondo Beach Rolling Hills Rolling Hills Estates Rosemead San Dimas San Fernando San Gabriel San Marino Santa Clarita Santa Fe Springs Santa Monica Sierra Madre Signal Hill South El Monte South Gate, South Pasadena, Temple City, Torrance, Vernon, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Whittier

Orange County

Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda, 

Riverside County

Banning, Beaumont, Blythe, Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Cathedral City, Coachella, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Eastvale, Hemet, Indian Wells, Indio, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, La Quinta, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Norco, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Perris, Rancho Mirage, Riverside, San Jacinto, Temecula, Wildomar,

San Bernardino County

Adelanto,  Apple Valley, Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Chino, Chino Hills, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Needles, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino, Twentynine Palms, Upland, Victorville, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley, 

San Diego County

Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia, Olivenhain), Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Oceanside, Poway, San Diego, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach, Vista