Put your shop on Google Maps the right way

Ask anyone how they found a new shop near their home. Many will say the same thing. They searched on Google Maps.

They typed sweet shop near me or tailor in Lajpat Nagar. A few shops came up with a name, a photo, a rating and a button to call. They picked one of those.

Your shop can be in that list. It is free. Google calls it a Google Business Profile.

Many owners have a profile but it was made in a hurry. The category is wrong. The name has extra words stuffed in it. There is one blurry photo from the opening day. A customer looks at it for two seconds and moves to the next shop.

Setting it up properly takes one sitting. You need your phone, a few good photos and a cup of tea.

Fill these in properly

1. Use your real shop name. Write it exactly as it is on your board. Adding words like best or cheap to the name can get the profile suspended.
2. Pick the right main category. Choose the one that says what you are, like Sweet shop or Dental clinic. You can add a few more categories below it.
3. Fill in timings for every day. Add the lunch break and the weekly off. Set special hours before Diwali and other holidays.
4. Add real photos. Put up the front of the shop so people can find it, the inside, your products and your team. Add new ones every month.
5. Write a post every week. A new offer, new stock or a festival greeting. It shows customers that the shop is active.

Mistakes to avoid

• Putting the map pin on the main road when the shop is in a lane behind it
• Making a second profile because you forgot the login of the first one
• Using a photo from the internet as the cover
• Giving a landline number that nobody picks up

Verification is the step where many people give up. Google may ask for a short video of your shop. Show the shop board, the counter and some stock in the video so it is clear the shop is real.

Once the profile is live open it once a week from the app. Answer the questions people have asked. Check that the timings are still right. Ten minutes a week is enough to keep it fresh.

What to do in the next 7 days

• Day 1: Search your shop on Google Maps from a friend's phone and note what looks wrong.
• Day 2: Fix the name, the category, the phone number and the map pin.
• Day 3: Take 10 photos in daylight. The front, the inside, the products and the team.
• Day 4 to 7: Add the photos, write your first post and set special hours for the coming holidays.

We can set up your Google profile with you on a short call. Message us on WhatsApp

Search your shop name on Google Maps right now. Is everything on it correct? Tell us what you found.