Earlier in this series, we examined the importance of a Google My Business listing and how to create one for your business.
But what if Google has already created one for you?
If your business has ever advertised in the Yellow Pages (remember them?) or if you’ve used any of Google’s earlier tools (Google Places, or Google+ Pages), you might find that your business already has a Google My Business listing.
If that’s the case, all you need to do is claim it!
How to check if you already have a Google My Business listing
Before signing up for a new Google My Business listing, it’s a good idea to check if one already exists for your business.
Do a simple Google search for the name of your business, or the name of your business and your suburb. For example:
“sbim” or “sbim brendale”
If you already have a Google My Business listing, it should appear to the right of the search results:
If the listing is unclaimed, you will see an “Own this business?” link:
Clicking on that link will take you through the verification process discussed in Step 3 of our previous post.
You may also find your unclaimed Google My Business listing when searching in Google Maps:
It’s always better to claim an existing listing than to create a new listing when one exists already. You don’t want an unclaimed listing misrepresenting your company with outdated details.
What if your Google My Business listing has already been claimed?
It’s unlikely that someone outside of your business will have claimed your listing, because of the verification process that Google puts you through when claiming a listing. The claimant would need access to your phone number, email address, website or physical address!
But if you’re not sure who claimed the listing in the first place, you can simply request ownership of the listing. Whoever had claimed the listing previously will be notified and will have 7 days to respond to your request.
