If you've ever Googled a geographical area looking for a specific product or service, you know that local business listings pop up near the top of the search results. Google "dentist" followed by the name of your city and post code, and Google presents you with a list of dentists in the vicinity.

If you do business locally, try Googling your business in the area you serve. If your company doesn't appear in the list, click the "Local business results for..." link above the Google Map results to see if your business is listed there. Based on what you discover, you have two possible next steps:
1.Add your business
2.Improve your listing

Adding your business listing to Google Maps
To add your business listing to Google Maps, head to Google Maps and click the link for putting your business on Google Maps.

Follow the onscreen instructions to sign in or create a Google account, and then complete the steps required to add your business. The process is really simple - it's just a matter of entering information about your business on a series of forms.

Add as much detailed and relevant information as possible to make your listing a bigger target and more helpful for consumers. Be sure to include a photo and your website or blog address! At the end of the process, Google informs you that it must verify your business before your listing will appear.

Editing your Google Maps listing
Having a local business listing on Google Maps is great, but even better is having a detailed listing. To edit your listing, first click the "More info" or "# reviews" link next to your listing in the Google Map search results. Then, click the "Edit this place" link and use the resulting form to edit your listing. (You must have a Google account and be signed in to edit your listing.)

By Mikal Belicove