Must-do: Get Onto Google Business Listings!
If your business relies to consumer marketing to generate revenue, it’s critical that you get listed on Google’s business listings as soon as you join The Harlem Collective. All full-time members can use our office as their permanent mailing address which you’ll need to get listed. When you register (free!), your business will appear:
On Google Maps (both in the app and on the web site)
In relevant Google searches
When the public uses Google to search for a service, the search engine relies heavily on these local business listings to determine which results are relevant, up-to-date and nearby.
Take The Harlem Collective, for example:
You probably found us using a Google search. Nearly 90% of our new members originate from a Google search! You probably found us by searching for “coworking space” or “Harlem coworking” or “Harlem office space.” Our result is one of the top results for those searches if you’re located nearby us, and we don’t pay for “sponsored” listings on Google. Those results are free to us. Here’s why:
We registered our business address with Google Business, so the search engine knows that our space is real and is located at 1850 Amsterdam Avenue
We constantly ask our members and Day Pass visitors to write a review for us. Our average over 60+ reviews is 4.5 stars (out of 5), so the search engine knows that we offer a quality product
We use the Google Business Listings tool to post updates and photos about our space, including special offers and announcements. These posts appear in search results and Google Maps so that potential customers know we’re current and relevant
How to Get Set Up
Google has easy, helpful instructions to get setup with your free listing. (Note: it truly is free. Don’t respond to any calls or emails from third-parties offering to set you up for a fee! Paid search with Google is a separate topic which we’ll explore in a separate post, but getting listed is relevant for all businesses!).
Here’s what to do most urgently:
Go to https://www.google.com/business/ and follow the instructions there
You’ll be asked for your mailing address to mail a post card — use your Harlem Collective address
Once you’re verified, Google will give you access to your “Business Manager” page: follow the prompts to add as many details about your business as possible. Most critically, add your web site, phone number, a brief description of your business using terms that customers are likely to search for
Add some photos of your business. These can include an image of your office space, but they can also include relevant imagery to your business. If you’re a massage therapist, for example, you could include a massage photo or an accountant could use a photo of someone working on Quickbooks. There are many royalty free photos available at www.unsplash.com
Stay Updated and Relevant
Once your business listing is set up and verified, you should go back to your business page at least once per week to post an update, offer or photo. These posts appear on Google Maps and search results when potential customers look at your listing. Even if you don’t have anything special to offer currently, get creative to think of updates to provide, like links to customer success stories on your blog
If you’re having trouble, hit up the Community Manager at The Harlem Collective to make an appointment; we’d love to help you out, if we can!
