Dive centre owners regularly ask us the same question: how can a business appear on the Google map? The answer is less straightforward than it should be.
Last year, Google replaced the public Places pages with Google+ Local pages, connected to its social network. However, the tool a business uses to edit its listing is still called Google Places for Business. There is also a separate Google+ page that a business can create, which is a different product, although the two sometimes appear to overlap. Two dashboards and three names lead many owners to abandon the process partway through.
Google is likely to simplify this structure at some point. In the meantime, here is the order we recommend. The product names may change; the steps will remain largely the same.
Why does your Google listing matter more than your homepage?
When someone searches for a dive centre in Sanur or a warung in Ubud, the first result they see is often not your website. It is the map with its red pins, your address, your phone number and your reviews. Many people never visit the website. They call, or they travel by scooter to find you.
For many searches, the listing is therefore the first page of your business that people see. For a small business without a website, it is the only one. This alone justifies completing it properly. It costs nothing except an hour of work and some patience.
Patience is required mainly for the next step.
How do you claim and verify a Google Places listing?
Many owners are surprised to learn that their business already has a listing they never created. Google builds listings from directories and other sources, and anyone can suggest a place. If no one claims the listing, anyone can suggest changes to your hours, your phone number or even your business name. These changes are not always made with bad intent, but they are often inaccurate.
The first task is therefore to find your business on Google Maps, claim it through Google Places for Business and verify that you are the owner. For most businesses, verification is done by a postcard sent by mail with a PIN. Mail from Google to an address in Indonesia can take several weeks, and in some cases the postcard never arrives and a new one must be requested. Some businesses are offered verification by phone; if this option appears, we recommend choosing it.
We recommend waiting for verification before making extensive edits. Changes on an unverified listing can remain pending indefinitely, which makes it difficult to keep track of what was modified.
Which business name should you use?
Use your actual business name, as it appears on your sign and your receipts, rather than your name followed by a series of keywords such as "Best Dive Centre Bali Cheap Courses". This practice is currently widespread, and it sometimes produces results for a few months. It is, however, contrary to Google's guidelines, and in our assessment it exposes the listing to suspension at the moment it is most needed.
How do you choose the right category?
This is the setting most owners complete too quickly, and in our experience it has the greatest influence on appearing in the right searches.
The listing allows one main category and a few additional ones. Choose the main category as precisely as possible. A dive centre should select a diving category rather than "Tourist attraction". A restaurant that primarily serves pizza should be listed as a pizza restaurant, not simply as a "Restaurant". Type a few words to see Google's suggestions, and review the categories chosen by your strongest competitors.
The additional categories should describe services you genuinely offer, not every search you would like to appear in. Boat trips, courses and equipment rental are appropriate if you provide them. An item sold only once, such as a sarong, does not warrant a category.
Which details do customers check?
Complete every field that applies: address, phone number with the country code, website and opening hours. Accurate hours are essential. A customer who travels forty minutes and finds the business closed is unlikely to leave a positive review.
Photos come next. At present, most small listings in Bali have a single photo, often a logo, and sometimes none at all. This makes photos an easy way to stand out. Add real images: the front of the building, so people recognize it on arrival; the interior; the team. For a dive centre, include the boat and the gear room, not only underwater images, because prospective customers want to know what to expect.
Continue adding photos regularly. We recommend adding something new every month. It takes five minutes and shows anyone viewing the listing that the business is active and well maintained.
How should you handle reviews?
Reviews on the listing are now managed through Google+. A customer needs a Google+ profile to leave one, which significantly reduces the number of reviews. Many satisfied guests intend to write a review but do not complete the sign-up process. Tripadvisor remains the main platform where travellers here write their reviews.
We nevertheless recommend requesting reviews. Those that are submitted carry considerable weight, because they appear directly on the map next to your pin. Ask in person, then send a short follow-up email with a direct link after the trip. Do not purchase reviews or offer discounts in exchange for them. Google's rules are clear on this point, as are basic standards of integrity.
We also recommend responding to every review, positive or negative. A calm, specific reply to a negative review has a strong effect on future readers. Responding also provides an opportunity to thank customers properly.
What is the single most important action this month?
Completing your listing. A verified, complete listing with the right category and real photos can generate more calls than many websites. Google's help pages for business listings are useful and free, although the information is spread across several pages. We recommend reading them before you begin. The listing is the first building block of local SEO, and it is the step that most small businesses in our area still overlook.
If Google renames these services again, as it regularly does, your address, hours and photos will remain valid.