
There are hyper local directories, as found at www.myweeklysentinel.com’s Business and Classified section and the chamber websites found in the communities in which we live. In contrast, there are directories such as Google and Bing, the search engine giants that help us find “Italian restaurants near me” and “Lennox furnace service” and “post office”.
Over the next few weeks I will share with you how to register your business with several of the major data search providers. In this blog article I am going to walk you through the registration process for Google.
1. Open your internet browser and go to www.google.com/business.
2. Click on the START NOW button and answer the questions about your business: Company Name, Street, City, State, Zip, Phone. If you are already registered with Google your company name will appear.
3. You will next be asked to select a CATEGORY for your business (restaurant, health club, newspaper).
Over the next few weeks I will share with you how to register your business with several of the major data search providers. In this blog article I am going to walk you through the registration process for Google.
1. Open your internet browser and go to www.google.com/business.
2. Click on the START NOW button and answer the questions about your business: Company Name, Street, City, State, Zip, Phone. If you are already registered with Google your company name will appear.
3. You will next be asked to select a CATEGORY for your business (restaurant, health club, newspaper).

4. And the final question asks if you have a fixed business location or if you deliver goods and services to clients at their location. I have a home office and provide services virtually so I answered YES to that question. You will be asked what is the region that you service? You can supply the names of towns and zip codes.
5. The previous steps create a Google+ page which will enable you to provide further information about your business: website, social media, email address, photos, etc. At the top of the page you will see a red banner advising you to verify your business. Click on VERIFY NOW.
5. The previous steps create a Google+ page which will enable you to provide further information about your business: website, social media, email address, photos, etc. At the top of the page you will see a red banner advising you to verify your business. Click on VERIFY NOW.

6. Google will display a map of your business location. Click on MAIL to complete the verification via mail. Google will send you a mailer with a verification code in 10-14 days. Submit your verification code at google.com/verifymybusiness.
7. There are five areas of content that Google will ask you to complete: Cover Photo, Profile Photo, Contact Information, Hours of Operations, and Website address. This is an optional step.
7. There are five areas of content that Google will ask you to complete: Cover Photo, Profile Photo, Contact Information, Hours of Operations, and Website address. This is an optional step.
Tip: Use www.canva.com, a free online resource, to create your cover and profile photos. The Google Cover photo image size is 1080x608 pixels. The profile photo image size is 250x250 pixels. You will find templates Google, Facebook and other online channels on Canva in the Social Media category.