“I’ll just Google it” has become a permanent part of our collective lexicon over the past 10 years as information, services, products, dinner reservations and even turn-by-turn directions have become accessible with just a few mouse clicks or thumb taps. In fact, according to Statista.com, Google continues to dominate the U.S. search engine market with over 60% of all search queries performed since the beginning of 2008.

So, how can your business, and more importantly, your business’s website take advantage of Google’s reach to better understand and improve your online reputation and drive more customers your way?

As a business owner, you should know how your business is represented on search engines and other business-related sites such as Yelp! Knowing what information is being listed about your business and being aware of both positive and negative feedback is critical to managing your online reputation.

Go Google Yourself

Do you know what potential customers see when they Google you? The first step in improving your online reputation is learning exactly what your online reputation is telling potential clients. So, open up a browser on your computer, tablet or phone, browse to Google.com and then type in your business name, or “auto service” or “auto repair.” Go ahead, I’ll wait…

What you should see is that your business comes up in the Google Local listing, which is comprised of a local map (near wherever you are presently located) showing businesses nearby that match your search. If you find your business listed in this Google Local map, take a look at the information provided and ensure that it is accurate. If you don’t appear, or there is incomplete or inaccurate information, then it is time to take action.

Stake Your Claim

Like the miners of the Old West, if you want gold (or revenue in the more modern case), you must stake your claim. Google wants the most accurate information available for its users, so it provides businesses the opportunity to “claim their business” and maintain information about that business for free.

To do so, browse to http://www.google.com/business. Login to Google, or if you do not already have a Google account, you will be prompted to create one. Once you are signed in, you will be guided through the process of claiming and verifying your business and, ultimately, managing the information that Google displays to its users, such as your hours of operation, address, phone number, website, photos, etc. If you have a Google Analytics account already, use that login and the two will be linked automatically and displayed on your Google Business Dashboard, which can provide ongoing insights and metrics about your website, its users and its reach.

Why is This Important?

As the old saying goes, the three most important things in retail are location, location and location — and the location your shop needs to be in is Google Local. Imagine a prospective client finds they are in need of auto service. They do a quick search on Google to see what service centers are near their present location. Three of your closest competitors’ businesses come up, but yours does not. I don’t think you need to imagine what happens next.

But, as important as it is to ensure your business and correct information are appearing in Google Local, you should also be seeing what Google Local has to say about your business (and what it is saying about your competitors).
When you see your business come up in Google Local, you will notice that there are star ratings below your listing and those of competitors. Those are a result of reviews you have received from Google users, and users can review you whether or not you have claimed your business. This is a big part of online reputation management.

Many businesses don’t even know that they have bad reviews pulling down their average on Google, and this can be the difference between someone pulling in your parking lot or driving a bit farther down the road.

The good news is that once you have your business claimed and your account set up, you can now see all your reviews and be alerted to new reviews instantaneously. More importantly, you can also reply to them.

Addressing reviews on Google, good or bad, is a huge step in improving your online reputation. The fact that you are engaged enough as a business owner to take the time to reply to reviews immediately elevates the trust level for consumers. This process may also help you discover an issue that needs to be addressed and give you an opportunity to right a wrong that you might otherwise not have known about.

Yahoo, Bing and other search engines have very similar features to Google Local. As time permits, I would encourage you to explore as many of them as you can and claim your business on each of them. We have focused on Google in this article simply due to its overwhelming market share, but as a business owner, you should not neglect the others. Below are some resource links to get you started.

Resources for free business listings:

http://www.google.com/business
https://www.bingplaces.com/
http://www.yext.com/products/network/yahoo/
https://biz.yelp.com/
http://www.citygrid.com/
http://business.foursquare.com/
https://advertise.local.com/

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