How to Claim, Set Up, and Verify your Google My Business (GMB) Page for your Repair Business

In order to get started ranking your retail repair location on Google, it is essential that you go and claim the page. Even if you see your business on the Google maps results, that does not mean that the page has been claimed yet.

The Google My Business database feeds into Google Maps and Google Search, so if you want to attract more local traffic and improve your online visibility, a Google My Business profile is vital. But Google is not always the most user-friendly website to work with, and some of their steps can be really tricky and downright confusing.  Not to worry, we are here to walk you through it. And unlike those generic one-size-fits-all articles, we are going to tell you precisely what you need to do for SMART Repair.

Start here If You Already Have a Google Listing.

If you are already listed and verified by Google, then skip ahead to the section dealing with optimizing the profile to get found and attract customers. 

Start here If You Don’t Know How to Create a Google My Business Listing.

Any business can create and claim a Google My Business listing on Google Maps, whether it operates locally or is entirely virtual. To get started, you need a Google business account.

1. Create a Google Account. 

First, create a Google account for your business at https://www.google.com/business/. You’ll need your:

• Business name

• Business name
• Address
• Website URL
• Phone Number
• Delivery area (if applicable)

Google will also prompt you to choose a category that best fits your business, for paintless dent repairers, that will be “Automotive Dent Repair.”

2. Go to Google Maps.

Now, search for your business on Google Maps. You can either:

• Type your business name into a regular Google search and then click on the Maps tab, or
• Go to Google.com/maps and search for your business there

3. If you show up on Google Maps, skip ahead.

If your business shows up on Google Maps, this means your listing already exists (anyone can add a place to Google Maps) and needs to be claimed and verified. If this is the case, skip down to the Claim Your Business section.

4. If you do not show up on Google Maps, add your location.

If your business is not showing up on Google Maps Google doesn’t yet know your business exists and you will need to create a location. You’ll be given an option to create an entry from scratch for your business location in Google Maps.

The link to click on will be titled “Add a place”, and it will appear in the left panel on the Maps results page. 

5. List your physical location.

Google will ask you to list your physical location. If your business is 100% mobile, create a listing based on where you set up your LLC or corporation even if it is your home. You can’t use a PO box. If your business has a storefront or office, use that address. When you create an entry, a business listing creation dialog will pop up. Fill in the information and click Submit.

6. Check your email.

Google will then add your location to their listings, usually instantly. Although the addition is instant, your listing won’t appear on the map right away. It has to make its way onto the Google search servers first, which can take up to 24 hours. However, you’ll immediately get an email from Google informing you that the new listing is active, and providing a link to click on to visit it.

7. Go to your Maps listing.

Click the link from your Google confirmation email, and your business listing should appear. Check your listing as a Google Maps place to make sure the information is accurate and complete.

How to Claim Your Business on Google: 

If your business appears in a Google Maps search, this means it is already listed. To gain control over your listing, however, you need to claim it. Here’s how to do that:

1.  Go to your Maps listing.

Click the name of your business on Google Maps, or click the link provided in the email from Google. 

You are looking for the phrase  “Claim this business” in blue.

2. Click “Claim this business.”

Clicking on “Claim this business” will open a series of pages walking you through the steps of identifying and claiming the business as your own. You’ll have the chance to correct the name, address, and contact information for the listing, enter a URL for your company website, tell Google what kind of business it is, and confirm your ownership.

3. If you created the listing:

If you are the one who created the listing, then confirming your ownership is as simple as clicking “Claim this business.” If you are still signed into the same Google account that you used to claim the business initially, Google will recognize that and immediately validate you, giving you complete control over the business listing. This means you can make updates, edits, and changes as needed. 

4. If you didn’t create the listing:

Sometimes you might have the issue where a former employee claimed your page, or maybe you used an old email account, or it was added to Google’s database from a third-party tool like a business directory, you will have to prove to Google that you are the owner of the business. 

How to Get Verified by Google

If you need to confirm that you are the owner of your business, Google will send you a PIN verification code, which you can then enter online. Depending on the information that Google already has on file concerning the business, you will be able to choose from at least one method of receiving your PIN and confirming that this is your business.

If someone claimed the page, you will need to send a request for ownership through Google. The problem is Google only gives you the first part of the address and three letters after the @ symbol. So it may look like “ian@gre*******.com, and you may have no idea who that person is. You will have to wait about three days for that person not to respond then you can go back and verify using one of the methods below.

Postcard to the physical address of the business – takes a few days.

A phone call or text to the phone number associated with the company – only works if you don’t have to enter a number to get through to you. It needs to be a direct dial to a landline phone at the business.

Regardless of which option you choose, once you have the PIN you can verify your ownership and manage your Google My Business listing.

Completing your Google My Business listing – Optimizing your profile

Finally, you have control over your GMB listing. The next steps are to fill that profile out as thoroughly as possible. Make sure you have all your correct hours, your correct phone number, add some photos of the business or remove old irrelevant ones. You might need to flag some for removal if you were not the one who took and uploaded them.

Be sure to put in all the variant key phrases of your service such as Paint Correction, Hail repair, Hail damage repair, hail dent repair, dent repair, ding repair, wheel repair, glass chip repair, scratch repair, etc.

If you have the time, add some blog posts videos or other content — the more, the merrier. If you take appointments, link your scheduling page to your GMB page under the appointments section.

With your Google My Business listing up and active, you’ll expose the business to an ever-increasing number of customers who shop through web search before ever setting foot in the door.