How to claim ownership of your Google My Business listing

Learn how to increase your online visibility by claiming your Google My Business profile

A Google My Business listing—now known as a Google Business Profile—is an important (and free!) online tool to help customers and prospective clients easily find your business on Google. They can see your operating hours, look up your address, visit your website, read and write reviews, and more.

With businesses that add photos to their Google My Business listings receiving 35% more click throughs to their websites than businesses that don’t, it’s an extremely effective tool for businesses of any size to utilize that are looking to boost their online presence. [1]

When you search for your business listing for the first time, you may see that it’s not claimed or that it’s been claimed by someone else. There may be incorrect or outdated information about your business, which can confuse customers and possibly cause you to lose business.

Without ownership of your Google My Business profile, you can’t correct this information or add any new information.

We’re here to help you solve this problem! Continue reading as we discuss how to claim your Google My Business profile or regain ownership if it’s been claimed by someone else.

Different Perspective’s Google My Business profile

Recap: What is a Google My Business listing, and why is it important?

Google My Business is a free and easy to use tool for businesses to manage their online presence through Google, including Search and Maps. It’s a great way for customers to learn about your business and for you to engage with them.

Google My Business profile allows you to share your up-to-date information, respond to reviews and questions, and post photos and videos of your business.

How to set up a new Google My Business listing

To create a new Google My Business listing, log into the Google account that you would like associated with your business, go to Google Business Profile, and click “Manage now”.

You will then be asked to enter your business name, location, hours, website, and more. After entering all the information, you will need to verify the listing. You can verify the listing many different ways, such as by phone, email, or postcard.

How to claim your Google My Business listing if it’s never been claimed

After searching your business on Google and finding the listing, there will be an “Own this business?” button. If the listing is unclaimed, you will be able to enter and confirm your business information from there.

Once you’ve successfully claimed the listing, you will be able to update or change any information about your business through your Google My Business account.

How to claim your Google My Business listing if it’s been claimed by someone else

It can be alarming if you search for your business on Google, find the listing, click “Own this business?” and see that someone else has claimed your business. Don’t worry! There’s a way to reclaim your listing.

If you see this message, it’s likely that the Google My Business profile was claimed by someone else without your knowledge. Reach out to current and former employees and ask if they have access to it and for them to transfer ownership to you using their Google My Business account. You can find the instructions here.

If someone outside of your business has wrongfully claimed your listing, click on the “Own this business?” button on the listing page and request ownership from there by clicking the “Request access” button. This will send an ownership request to the current owner’s email. The current owner will have seven days to respond to your request.

If the owner grants you access, you’ll become the owner and can remove them. If the owner denies your request or doesn’t respond in time you can appeal. To do this, find the confirmation email you received after you requested access and click “View request” then “Appeal”.

This will allow you to verify the Google My Business listing via postcard. Once you receive the postcard, enter the pin into your Google My Business account and you will become the owner of the listing.
If all else fails, you can always send a message directly to Google through their help center and submit the contact form explaining your situation. Google will request ownership on your behalf and have the ownership transferred.

Need help maximizing your online presence?

Different Perspective has over 18 years of experience designing, developing, and creating compelling content for custom, fully responsive websites that catch the attention of your audience and turn searchers into customers.

A good online presence is essential for all businesses. We help our clients boost their online presence by:

Analyzing and updating their online reputation
Improving their local SEO
Managing their social media
Creating high-quality digital content, and
Using these insights to reach new customers.

Ready to get started?
Contact us today!

Source:
1: Google Business Profile | About Google Business Profile

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