A Brief Guide to Google Local for Hotels
Google Local is Google’s way of categorizing and organizing local businesses for search. It’s an important aspect of digital marketing that could have profound effects on your online performance.
Here’s an example of what shows up on Google Maps when you search “hotel kennebunkport, me”:
Sometimes, a smaller version of this map will show up on the right side of a Google search result page, and when users click on it, it will take them to the full map page pictured above. If you were to click on one of the hotels while on the Google Maps page, something like this would pop up on the left side of the maps page:
Why Is It Important?
Many hotel searches are done with a location in mind, like the example above. Often, these local searches prompt the Google Maps preview to show up on the right side of a Google search page. Bottom line is that a properly set up Google Local account is critical to your hotel’s local search performance.
How Do I Get Started?
You can participate in Google Local by going to https://www.google.com/local/business and signing in with your Google account. Then go to the top right and click “add a listing”. You’ll have to search for the address of your business and select it, then follow the steps for filling out the information; don’t forget to upload some images!
The process if fairly straightforward, but the difficult part is when you actually “claim” your business. Google needs to know that the business you’re editing actually belongs to you. They do this by sending a postcard to the address you selected with a verification code; once you receive the postcard, you’ll have to enter the code in your Google Local profile to complete the process and to make the changes to your Google Local profile. Note that any changes you make won’t go live until you complete the verification process.
Interested in Google Local?
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