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An unclaimed business listing may have incorrect or outdated information. As a result, your business could undergo a loss of potential clients, calls, and visits to your website or office.
As discussed in a previous post, Google My Business is an essential tool for both large and small businesses. You may come across existing listings for your business that you do not control or manage. Having an unclaimed Google My Business listing is risky and may have a severe impact on your online presence because incorrect information or an incomplete profile could lead to a loss of potential clients.
In this post, we will address how you can claim an existing unclaimed Google My Business listing to give you control over the listing. You must:
1. Create your new listing.
2. Verify your listing
Claim Your Existing Listing
If you find an active Google My Business listing for your business and notice that you do not have control over it, you need to claim it. Once it is successfully claimed, you can manage the information and fully update the listing profile by entering your most important business information (business name, phone number, and address).
There are two scenarios in which you may not have control over a listing: (1) the listing is unclaimed, or (2) someone is already managing your business listing. In this post, we will go over the process to claim your listing when it has not been claimed.
Unclaimed Listing
If the listing is unclaimed, you will be directed to the google.com/business page, where you should click on the “Own this business?” button. See the picture below:
You will then be given the option to manage the GMB listing. Once you click the “Manage now” button, Google will ask you to confirm or update the information on the listing.
First, you’ll need to confirm or select the category that best fits your business.
For lawyers, there is a wide variety of categories, including specific legal practice categories: Administrative attorney, Bankruptcy attorney, Civil law attorney, Criminal justice attorney, District attorney, Divorce lawyer, Elder law attorney, Employment attorney, Estate planning attorney, Family law attorney, Immigration attorney, Insurance attorney, Labor relations attorney, Medical lawyer, Patent attorney, Personal injury attorney, Real estate attorney, Social Security attorney, Tax attorney, and Trial attorney. There are also general legal practice categories: General practice attorney, Lawyer, Law firm, and Legal services.
Second, enter your business address and click on “Next.” If Google cannot locate the address on the map, you will need to confirm the location by manually moving a pin on the map to your address.
Third, you will be asked whether you serve clients outside your business location. If you do, you’ll need to choose a service area. Serving your clients outside your office location is optional, and you can list more than one service area.
Finally, you’ll need to enter your business phone number and website address. This information is needed to allow clients to contact you regarding your legal services.
Once you have entered or confirmed your law firm’s profile information, you will need to verify the listing by phone, text, or postcard, as described in the next section.
Verify Your Listing
You must verify your business listing to manage your business information for Google My Business and make sure that your listing profile appears on Google Maps, Search, and other Google properties.
There are three ways to verify your Google My Business listing:
- Via phone (text message or call)
- Via email
- Via postcard by regular mail
Note: Some options might not be available for certain businesses.
Verification by Phone (available for select businesses)
Some businesses are eligible to receive a verification code by phone. If your business listing is eligible, you’ll see the “Verify by phone” option when you request verification.
Step 1: Make sure that the phone number shown is correct and select “Call” or “Text.”
Step 2: You will receive an automated call or text message from Google that will deliver a five-digit or six-digit code.
Step 3: Enter the verification code on the Google web page.
Verification by Email (available for select businesses)
Email verification isn’t available for most businesses. If you don’t see this option when you attempt to verify, use another method. If this option is available, follow the steps outlined below:
Step 1: Make sure that the email address is correct and select “Email.”
Step 2: Go to your email and find the Google My Business email with the verification code.
Step 3: Enter the verification code on the Google web page.
Verification by Postcard
If you choose this method, Google will send a postcard with a verification code to your law firm’s address. The postcard should arrive at your business location within 14 days. Before you request to verify your listing by postcard, make sure that your business address complies with Google’s quality guidelines.
Step 1: Make sure that the business address is correct and enter a contact name, to whom the postcard will be addressed.
Step 2: Select “Mail.” Please note that the postcard may take up to 14 days to arrive.
Step 3: Once the postcard arrives at your business location, go to google.com/business and select “Verify Now.”
Step 4: Google will ask for the five-digit verification code sent in the postcard. Enter the code and select “Submit.”
Conclusion
Claiming an existing listing is a simple task that can be carried out within minutes. Getting your Google My Business listing up and running with accurate and up-to-date information will help boost your visibility and attract new clients.
At Justia, we can help you set up your Google My Business profile and optimize it to get the most out of it to promote your business. Contact us today if you are interested in getting advice regarding your Google My Business listing.
