Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers: Part 4

This is the fourth in a series of five posts on "Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers." 

The first post in the series addressed the What and Why of SEO. The second was about Keyword Research. Yesterday's post covered SEO Basics. The fifth and final part is tomorrow's post on Google Places Best Practices. These posts are excerpted from the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook."

Today's post is about Setting Up Google Places.

Another step towards dominating Google locally is making sure you are represented on Google Places and have claimed your business.

Google Places is NOT Facebook Places — it isn’t the same thing at all. Have you ever done a search on Google and a map pops up with businesses plotted on it? This is Google Places in action. Many people don’t realize that you can claim your business and control the information Google shares in this manner.

 In this step we will look at how to sign up and add/claim your business.

First you have to visit Google Places.

1.      Sign in with your Google Account — If you don’t have a Google account, sign up for one now. Google has a number of free tools that are must-haves for individuals who want to market their businesses online. Google Places is just one of these.

2.      Check Out Some Information — Once you have entered your Google ID, you will be taken to a new page. On the left hand side is an “Add a Business” button — but before you click that, you can learn a little more about Google Places from some of the links and videos on the right side of page. When you feel comfortable moving on...

3.      Click Add a New Business — You will be taken to a page where it will ask for your country and business’s main phone number. This is to find out if a listing already exists. If it does, you will be taken to a page where you can click “edit” and you can fill out more information. If it doesn’t, you will be taken to a form to fill out to add your business. Fill out as much info as possible in either scenario and click “Submit.”

4.       Verify — Once you click submit, you will have to verify your Google Places listing. You can do this three different ways: via a phone call to your listed business number, a text to your listed cell phone number, or a postcard to your listed business address. The phone call and text will be instant, but you will have to wait 2-3 weeks for the postcard. Sometimes the phone verification won’t work with some phone systems, so you will be forced to go with text or postcard. Either way you do it, you will receive a code, and once you enter that, your listing will be live.

Now, you have either claimed or created your business profile on Google Places. You have taken another step towards building a great online presence. 

Tomorrow's blog post is about Google Places Best Practices.

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This blog post is just one small part of the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook." Purchase the 42-page special report for just $14 and receive two bonus special reports for free: "How to Add a Facebook 'Like' Box on Any Page" and "How to Use Facebook Ads In Your Resume Writing Business."