April 2018
Add a Business Description

The latest updates on Google My Business.

This post is part of a continuing series of monthly updates on the #1 search tool used by ready-to-buy customers. For all the updates, or to see additional information, read Attract More Customers with Google My Business.

How to Add a Free Google My Business ‘Description’ Immediately to Get Your Website Noticed

Google is at it again. Shaking up the top Listings.

You can expect to see some significant movement in Listings in the coming weeks. If you’d like to see your business move up in the Listings, now is the time to act. If you’re not familiar with Google My Business Listings, the image below depicts a common search result with 3 Listings.

The Top 3 Listings are Google’s Best Search Results

Google My Business has added the ability (re-added is more accurate) to include a 750-character Description to your Listing. This description is a search-friendly, keyword-rich statement about who your business is and what you do.

If local marketing is important for your business, then you need to make time to update your Listing today.

Here’s how:

1. Log in to Google My Business here.
2. Look to the top right, click Sign-In.
3. Under Locations, choose the Listing you’d like to add a Description to.
4. Look to the Menu on the left-hand side of your screen on desktop. (At present, it does not appear that these changes can be made from a mobile device.)
5. Click Info on the left-hand Menu.
6. Scroll down past Website and Attributes. The next selection is Add business description.
7. Add up to 750 characters describing your business. Use customer search terms, keyword descriptors and any other key ‘findable’ terms.
8. When complete, click Apply.

It can take up to 3 days for changes to appear.

Google Continues to Up the Ante

Google continues to up the Listing ante with Descriptions, following the success of Posts and Messaging. As a local business owner, this super-charged listing service is a fast-tracked opportunity to get found.

Prefer to hire a professional writer for your Description? We’ll write it for you! Just email us here.

How will the Description Help Get My Business to the Top of Google

You can expect to see descriptions in search results, listing descriptions and matched carefully with Google’s ever-changing algorithm. While the algorithm itself is not for the faint of heart, what we do know for definite, is playing by Google’s rules will get your business found by more customers, more often.

Take Time Today and Update Your Listing

Here are the guidelines to consider, as stated on Google My Business.

Business description guidelines

“Published content should highlight what makes your business unique. You can use this field to provide useful information on services and products offered, as well as the mission and history of your business.

You should be upfront and honest about the information provided, focusing on content that is relevant and useful to your customers to understand your business.

Content published in this field should not:

• Be misleading to users. Do not provide inaccurate or false information about your business or the services and products offered.
• Display low-quality, irrelevant, or distracting content. For example, misspellings, gimmicky character use, gibberish, etc.
• Focus on special promotions, prices, and offer sale. Examples of content not allowed include, “Everything on sale, -50%” and “Best bagels in town for $5!”
• Display links. No links of any type are allowed.
• Display offensive or inappropriate content:
  • Harassing, bullying, or hateful content. Published content must not promote hatred or incite violence against individuals or groups based on ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
  • Content containing obscene, profane, or offensive language.
  • Content promoting and encouraging violence or terrorist activities.
  • Sexually suggestive or explicit content. Content must not include profanity, sexually graphic and offensive slang terms, terms that are common signals for pedophilia, content that promotes pedophilia, bestiality, or sexual violence, or content that promotes escort services or other services that may be interpreted as providing sexual acts in exchange for compensation.
• Display un-permitted content:
  • Do not upload content related to the sale of dangerous and illegal products or services.
  • Do not upload content that exploits or abuses children.”

To read more, please visit Google My Business Support.

Share Your Description

Ready to write your description? Keep in mind the search-friendly, keywords customers use to describe your business or find your business and start with these descriptive terms. Expand your description based on what you want customers to think and feel, when they think of your business.

Willing to share? Leave your description for our readers below to get ideas for their business and share this post for other local business owners.