How to create a Google My Business Profile for your hybrid office

Google My Business provides companies with an effective way to boost their presence in local searches via Google Search and Google Maps Profile. The free tool allows people to find a company’s details like name, working hours, website, contact, reviews and location quickly and hassle-free.

Businesses often use Google My Business profile to attract new customers. But this easy-to-use Google tool can do more than that. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, most companies adopted remote and hybrid work models, reducing the size of their office footprints. But sometimes, these companies might require their employees to work on-site on crucial matters or report to the office for meetings. That is where the Google Business profile comes in.

Used together with Deskfound, Google Business My Profile allows employees to discover available office desks and book them weeks or months ahead.

That said, here we will demystify the process of creating a Google My Business Profile and how to optimize it for your hybrid employees. But before we dive in, let’s define Google Business Profile.

What is a Google Business Profile?

Long gone are the days people used yellow pages to find businesses, thanks to Google My Business Profile. Re-branded to Google Business Profile in November 2021, Google My Business Profile is an easy-to-use and free tool designed to help businesses and companies take control over their online presence across Google products, including Maps and Search.

Google Business Profile makes it easier for customers to find your business or company without a hustle. Remember, most clients consider businesses on Google as reputable. Creating a Google Business Profile grants you control over what information about your business shows up across Google. The tool allows you to access and edit the details that appear in your company’s listing, including contacts, location, business hours, and much more.

But this exciting Google feature favors not only customers; company workers can also benefit from it. This is true, especially for those employees involved in remote work or hybrid work. 

Why Every Hybrid Office Needs a Google My Business Profile?

Over the years, there’s been a shift in how employees work. With the pandemic still raging on, the 9 to 5 office model is no longer the most effective and safest option for employees. As a fact, research shows that 83% of workers are more inclined towards the hybrid model. 

Today, more and more companies are transitioning from the world of traditional office workspaces into a new world of hybrid work models. As a result, businesses and organizations need to accommodate the preference of their workers, whether it’s on-site office work, remote work, or hybrid work.

But to implement a hybrid office model successfully, companies need the help of Google My Business and a desk booking service or software. With Google Business Profiles, companies can boost awareness of their hybrid workspaces to employees. 

As such, workers can identify available workstations like workspaces, common rooms, offices, conference rooms, and others via Google search or Map. From there, they can use desk booking software like Deskfound to make reservations and check other details.

How to Set Up a Google Business Profile

1. Get A Google Account for Your Business
‍The first step of setting up your Google Business profile is to create a Google Account. We recommend you create a business account instead of using your personal account. If you already own a Google Account for your business, skip to the next step. Otherwise, create one using the steps below.

• Head to https://www.google.com/account/about/
• Tap on Create an account
• A drop-down menu with three options will pop up
• Select the To Manage My Business option and fill in the required details

2. Add Your Business
‍After creating an account, click Manage Now. In the search bar, search for your business name to see if anyone else has registered. Alternatively, you can click Add Your Business to Google and add your business.

3. Start Building Your Google Business Profile
‍Since you’re creating a new profile, enter your business name and select a category. The selected name needs to match your official business name. Avoid including keywords in the name since that goes against Google’s guidelines.

From there, select a category that closely relates to your business. Don’t worry so much if you don’t get the exact category. You will edit it later and even add other categories.

4. Add Location
‍Next, you need to add a physical location for your hybrid offices so they can show up on Google Maps and Search when employees are looking for them. Select the Yes option and tap Next.

5. Add Your Business Address
‍After clicking Yes, you will get directed to a page where you can provide your business address. Fill in the provided space, including country, street address, city, and postal code. This information will connect you to Google products, including Maps and Search. As a result, your company will pop among the list of local search results.

But ensure you provide accurate information about your physical location to avoid confusing workers looking for hybrid workspaces or encountering issues with the verification process. Sometimes you might be asked to pin the exact location of your business on Google Maps.

6. Do You Provide Deliveries and Office Visits?
‍If you do home or office deliveries, you can select Yes. But in this case, you will select NO since the worker will come to your business location for the hybrid office workspaces.

7. Enter Business Information
‍Workers or employees need a way to contact you. Here, you will add your business phone number and website to your Google Business Profile. If you don’t have a website URL, you can tick the box below and tap next. You can add your website URL later after developing your site.

8. Stay In the Know
‍Before winding up with your profile, you will get directed to Google’s Stay in The Know page. If you click on Yes, Google will send you updates, useful tips, and recommendations for your business on Google.

9. Account Verification
‍Hurray! All you need to do now is select a way to verify your Google Business Account. This will allow you to take full control of your business and represent it on Google. There are several ways you can get verified, be it by phone call, text, email, or receiving a postcard. Alternatively, you can choose to verify your account later.

That said, you can now customize various aspects of your Google Business Profile.

How Do I Find My Google Business Profile?

If you’ve created a Google Business Profile, you can find it in the following ways:

• Visit Google Search and enter “my business” on the search bar
• Visit Google Search or Maps and search for your business name and city
• Open your Google Maps application and hit your initial or profile photo, then navigate to Your Business Profile

Sometimes your Google Business Profile might not show up, especially if a business isn’t verified. Also, if you recently added or edited your business details like done some customization, you might not appear in the search results. Usually, edits take about 3 days to appear. However, if you still search for your business name, you can discover it on Google Maps.

So, if you are a Deskfound customer and want workers to find your hybrid office workspaces, consider getting your Google Business account verified. Also, ensure all your business information complies with Google guidelines.

How To Claim & Verify Your Listing

Claiming Your Listing

It’s vital to claim your existing Google Business Profile to ensure every detail is accurate and complete. The step below will help you claim your profile on Google Maps via your desktop:

• On your PC, launch Google Maps
• Enter your business name in the search bar
• Tap on the business name and select the right one
• Hit the Claim this Business option and proceed to Manage Now.
• Proceed to verification, then follow the steps provided

Verifying Your Listing

After claiming your Google Business Profile, you need to verify your account before it goes live. Google presents you with several methods to verify your listing, including text, phone, email, and even video. You might have to verify more than one method, and the verification process can take up to seven business days.

After verification, you might have to wait a few weeks before your profile can get updated across Google.

How to Optimize Your Google My Business Profile for Hybrid Workers

Even after you have set up your Google Business Profile, you still need to optimize it to ensure your business stands out and keep it relevant to Google. Below are a few ways you can optimize your Google Business Profile:

Include All the Elements of Your Profile: Google algorithm finds it easier to match business with accurate and complete information with the right searches. That is because Google can figure out with ease what you do, where you are located, and when employees can visit.

Add Photos and Videos: If you want your hybrid workers to find your office workspaces with ease, consider adding visual cues to your Google Business Profile. Visual aid usually makes a place look more legit.

Verify Your Location: Google Business Profile with verified locations tend to show up in local searches in Google Search and Maps. Therefore, it’s important to verify your business’s physical location.

Include A Business Logo: Does your company have a logo? Add it to your Google Business Profile to stand out.

How to Add Multiple Locations

If your company has multiple hybrid office locations and you want all of them in your Google Business Profile, check the steps below:

• Sign in to your Google Business account and navigate to the dashboard, where you can manage your listing and details
• Navigate to the Add Business drop-down menu at the top right corner of the screen
• From the drop-down menu, tap on Add Single Business
• Next, enter the location’s details and ensure you update all the information so workers can easily find the hybrid workspaces
• Verify the listing via email/postcard, email, phone, or text

Bottomline

It’s no secret! Google has revolutionized the way consumers discover and engage with local businesses. But the same can be said for remote and hybrid workers. These employees can now find hybrid workplaces offered by their companies with ease, thanks to Google Business Profile and Deskfound.

While creating a Google Business Profile for companies offering hybrid spaces might seem challenging, it doesn’t have to be. This guide will help you launch your Google Business account and use it together with Deskfound to help your hybrid workers to find your offices and make reservations in advance. So, get started today!

‍