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Every firm's dream should be to have a free listing on a major search engine at the top of its first results page, allowing prospective clients to find the firm when they're searching for accounting, tax or financial planning services. Imagine if this free listing also included the firm's phone number, a description of its professional services, a map to the office and a link to its Web site (see Exhibit 1). It may sound too good to be true, but it isn't a dream. Your firm can take advantage of all this through Google Maps (officially called the Google Local Business Center.)
Why should you get listed on Google Maps? Consider these numbers:
Web fact no. 1. Sixty percent of your prospective clients search for products and services on the Web (Pew Internet Survey, September 2007, tinyurl.com/dko89w).
Web fact no. 2. Ninety percent of these searchers won't look beyond the first page of a search result (Enquisite Search Analytics study, tinyurl.com/djbsyj). This means that if you're not on the first page of the search result, you probably won't be seen.
In today's market you need to be on the Web, but you also may need to do this cheaply in a slow economy. Google Maps helps you do both. This article reviews what you must do before creating a Google Maps listing, how to register with Google Maps, and how to edit your listing. You need to do two things before registering with Google Maps:
* Create a Gmail account.
* Purchase a "tracking" phone number. (This is optional but extremely valuable.)
CREATE A GMAIL ACCOUNT
To create a Gmail account, go to www.gmail.com and click on "Create an account." Follow the instructions.
(Note: When you register for a Gmail account, the confirmation page will display a link, "Show me my account." Click this link to log in to your new account.)
PURCHASE A "TRACKING" PHONE NUMBER
A "tracking" phone number...