If you’re like most SMB’s, you probably do a substantial amount of your business locally.  Traditionally, people used local phone books or yellow pages to find services like yours.  However, people are now turning to Google to find local service providers, and therefore you’re at risk of losing to your competitors if your business is not listed in the Google Local Business Listings.

Google Local Business Listings typically show up when the user types a service oriented business followed by the city for their search.  A Google Map appears alongside with up to ten URLs including phone numbers for each business. Google’s Local Business Listings are becoming even more important since they are being displayed more often in search before organic listings even start. As a result, they often get most of the clicks from users.

Google uses Yellow Pages and other business directory information from third party providers to generate the basic local search results. If your business is already in Yellow Pages, it’d likely be listed in Google local business listings. However, the information is often limited and usually does not take advantage of the new features that are available on Google.

Here are a few things you can do to take advantage of Google Local Business Listings:

Create your free listing or claim ownership of an existing listing by going to Google Local Business Center. When you register your business, Google will send an activation code to your mailing address. You can also activate by having Google call your registered number and entering the PIN number displayed on the screen.

Include photos of something interesting at your business. This adds a whole new dimension to local business listings on Google Maps. Add as many photos as you can and a company logo.  Floral shops often include enticing photos of special arrangements.

Make sure you select the proper categories of your business. If possible, use keywords in the categories as well as the company name and brief description.

Take advantage of Google printable coupons is a good way to attract more business. Google allows printable coupons to be added to your listing. You can also track the conversion and effectiveness of the listing by adding a coupon that is exclusive to your local listing.

Remember to review your local listings from time to time. Google continues to add new features to the local listing, like the ability to integrate YouTube videos.   Using Google Local Business Listings and its features will keep your listing exciting and attract more visitors to your website.