Don’t have a physical office? Google has finally recognized you!

Google has an important feature that many businesses need to have and that is a business profile. This is more important than any social media profile that you may create for your business (yes, even Facebook)! This profile appears right when people are searching for you on, yes you guessed it, Google.

The biggest issue that many entrepreneurs have experienced with Google My Business is that if you do not have a physical location (office, studio etc) then you could not have a profile with Google. There are endless amounts of business owners that are consultants, work out of their car, or are strictly virtual. Countless clients, we’ve had have asked us what they could do because they don’t have an office.

To better understand let’s begin with Google’s process to be listed which would require a postcard to be sent to a physical address to create a Google business profile.

The second question they ask you in the new process is if you have a physical address. You can now simply hit “No” and move on with the process.

The next step in the process asks where you serve your customers. It is extremely flexible and allows you to target down to the zip code. It also allows you to add multiple locations that can be edited in the future. This feature now gives Google insights on location-based searches to have you appear or showcase to users if they are in the service area of the business. This feature also gives a business the ability to be showcased in Google Maps if they are searching for a particular service which may not have a physical location but services clients in that area.

The one thing that still hasn’t changed is the fact that Google still requires a physical address to confirm the listing, and this makes things rather difficult for the entrepreneur on the go. They (Google) clearly state that this address wouldn’t be showcased on the front end. This does mean that it could be difficult for business owners who are constantly traveling to set up their accounts but this is a step in the right direction for Google to address for those without a physical location.

Conclusion

Google has acknowledged all those businesses who may never have a physical location (hey, it’s not for everyone). They have added these new features to Google My Business to accept these types of businesses and included is a more robust option to customize the particular service areas a business serves. This can help quite a few local businesses appear on Google searches and map search to have new visibility online.

Here at YuzzBuzz we can help your business grow. Reach out to us and we can help set up your Google My Business account as well as find the right package for you to gain digital visibility and more business.

Question

Are there any other features you would like to see Google My Business address? Comment below!