How To Get 100% Free Advertising On Google

Published on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 – 9:55 pm

Did you know you can get ranked number 1 on Google for free using Google Local Business Center and Google Maps?

Google Local helps your advertisements show up in Google searches that are made in close proximity to your business which will help you get more traffic, leads and sales.

Let’s use Just Creative Design as an example; if someone who lives around Newcastle (where I freelance from) searches for ‘graphic designer newcastle’ my business comes up first in the local search results of which you can see in the image above and that position is 100% free through the use of Google Local.

In the image below you can see the free local google listing again but this time you can also see my paid advertising at the top (highlighted in yellow) which I have paid for through Google Adwords. I use Google Adwords to ensure that I get clicked first no matter what.

Anyway, keep reading to find out how to get to number 1 on google for free.

What You Need To Get Free Advertising On Google

Before you jump in and get your free advertising on Google you will need to have these things:

  • An account with Google.
  • A short description of your business for when a user clicks on your business name.
  • The phone number(s), addresses and any other contact information you want to advertise. Remember that the phone number will show up on the results page.
  • A logo and/or image(s) of your business and products.

How To Get Free Advertising On Google

  1. Go to www.google.com/local and search for your business to verify that it is not already listed.
  2. Go back to www.google.com/local and click “Put your business on Google Maps” found in the left side bar.
  3. Follow the simple steps provided by Google. You will be asked to verify your business by phone or SMS. A good tip is to to not put your full address into Google but rather the largest town in your area. For example I live about 20 minutes outside of Newcastle in suburbia and not as many people would search for ‘graphic designer cardiff’ as they would ‘graphic designer newcastle’. I also do not want to show my home address on Google Maps as I freelance from home so this is a good way around it.
  4. Come back in a few weeks and see if your listing is up. My listing took about 3 weeks to show up and started off in position D and somehow moved to position A… I am not sure how this is controlled but I won’t complain.
  5. Well there we have it, you can now get free advertising on Google. You can track and edit your listing by going back to the Google Local page.

Further Tips

Well there you have it, you can now get free advertising on Google. Good luck!


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101 Responses to “How To Get 100% Free Advertising On Google”

  1. liam on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    Very clever indeed Jacob, well done man, the tip about not putting your full address is a great one too. I’ll be doing this when I get a chance for sure.

  2. Matthew Bibby on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    Awesome tips, thanks.

    Once I get my new site built I will be making use of your advice! Legend :)

  3. Rob Barrett on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    Thanks Jacob! I never realised before how people got their listings next to the Google Map… or how easy it is to do! Just added my business to the area.

  4. Dave Ellis on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    Unfortunately it isn’t policed at all and I’ve seen various situations where a business will use a fake address to appear top of the listings. Google need to address this.

  5. Markus Zilgalvis on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    Sweeet, appreciated ;)

  6. Robin Johansen on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    Hi, great tips, allthough I knew them all. But what if the Local Business Center don’t show up in organic searches? Does it depend on how many businesses there are?

    In my area (webdesign skien) there are three listings, they use to come up when searching, but not anymore…

    Oh, people should also know that there may be a bit delay before the listings get accepted, at least a week or so.

  7. Jacob Cass on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    The Google Local page is displaying 404 errors to some but it is the correct address, please return at a later time if it shows that for you.

    Dave,
    Yes that is true, I have seen that but it is also handy for people who work from home that don’t want to display their home address. I am not sure how it ranks what order to put the businesses in but I know there are plenty in my area that don’t make it in the rankings.

    Robin,
    I am not sure how many businesses it needs for it to show up in Google and the delay took about 3 weeks for me.

  8. Ricardo on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    I didn’t know this feature on Google.
    Thanks for sharing Jacob.

  9. Cerven on Oct 15, 2008 said:

    It seems like Google has to have your exact postal code, which as a freelancer working from home isn’t a good idea for me. any way around this?

  10. Jacob Cass on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Cerven,
    Put the post code of your nearest large town / city.

  11. Jesse Vlasveld on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    The map results aren’t showing yet in the Netherlands (for as far as I’m aware of it), but I have added my mothers business (the major project I’m working on) to it.
    I think it is also a good way to increase your site’s importance in google’s system.

  12. Andrew Kelsall on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Hi Jacob, this may be off-topic, but very related - how come your Google pagerank has slipped to just 3/10? Or is it just my browser :( (using Google PR bar in Firefox)

    This is a quality site, and if you have slipped down a bit, do you know the reason?

  13. Sasa Bogdanovic on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    This is great technique to get exposed. Unfortunately, it is limited to certain number of countries. E.g. I live in Malta and Google does not offer the possibility to list businesses from a this beautiful island. So the only thing left for me and similar to me is to bring coals to Newcastle ;)

  14. Brian Yerkes on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    @dave ellis , you are right. Google does not police the local biz results enough at all. One major problem with it is that the main algo for choosing the top 10 to display is how close each one is to the center of the city. This is usually the case, unless there is highly ranked site located further away from the city, then this usually ranks higher up in the top 10.

    I don’t think a large number of search users click on these local business results as much as you’d think.

  15. David Mihm on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    For those interested in Google Maps, I published a fairly comprehensive study of the opinions of 20 Local SEOs about the factors that play into ranking well in Google Maps:

    http://www.davidmihm.com/local.....tors.shtml

    Mike Blumenthal also has an excellent study of these factors:

    http://blumenthals.com/blog/20.....smx-local/

  16. Amanda Vlahakis on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    I could kiss you for this excellent tip - thank you :)

  17. Gareth Coxon - Dot Design on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Unlike Amanda I’m not going to kiss you:), but really great tip thanks Jacob! Most wouldn’t share this, its great that you have, cheers, Gareth.

  18. drew on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Hey Jacob, what is the Google Organic that you referenced?

  19. Jacob Cass on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Andrew,
    Not sure, was there a new Google PR update? I am not really fussed with the page rank… at one time I was PR5 but not sure what the reason behind it is.

    Sasa,
    That is unfortunate, but you’re welcome to Newcastle.

    Brian,
    That is another reason I should have noted, that the closer you are to what suburb you type, the higher you appear in the list.

    In a few weeks there has been about 250 impressions for my google local listing, my listing had been viewed 3 times and far as my knowledge goes, I’ve had 2 calls from it.

    Amanda, Gareth,
    You are welcome!

    Drew,
    Google Organic means that my listings appear in the search results for free by organic means, ie. I have not paid for them. You may want to learn about SEO, here is an article for starters. 10 SEO Rules For Designers.

  20. James Nowland on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    So what makes u rank above ur comps in local maps search? First in first serve or does it base it off the website u listed also?

    I found this site actually by doing keyword research for newcastle graphic design ;)!

  21. Warren on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Somehow it moved to position A, this is your masterpiece to get the top listing, somehow? So anybody can register as a local business, your got from D to A by an unknown method and now your showing everybody else how to do it. Hmmm, the plot thickens and shows us nothing.

  22. Jacob Cass on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    James, Warren
    I really have no idea how I got to position A. When I first listed in Google Local I was on page 3 of the listings, then a week or so later I was in position D, then I got to position A a week later, all without doing anything. Maybe the order changes around every now and then and is based on your organic rankings which is my best guess. The plot does thicken but at least you know how to potentially get there.

  23. Krystal on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Your work is awesome, further more, you are beautiful!

  24. John on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    I’ve really dissected Google and I’ve added our address and updated GMaps before, but never even knew about this section… Thank you.

  25. Charles Burger on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Jacob,

    I wanted to let your readers know that it seems in the US, a full street address is required.

    Google maps works. I had convinced a client to become listed and handled listing his business. He was so surprised at Google’s effectiveness, he kicked me a little extra after he had been paid for a sizeable contract resulting from his listing on Google maps.

  26. andy on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    The google.com/local link under point one above has a trailing slash - remove that and it will fix the 404

  27. Jacob Cass on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Krystal and John,
    Thank you.

    Charles,
    Thanks for that, have you tried putting just the street name without the number? Nice to hear of you and your clients good fortune.

    Andy,
    Thanks for that, I have fixed it up now.

  28. nick brookfield (Liverpool, UK) on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    nice info mate. cheers

  29. Colin Richardson on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    How to change positions has proved elusive, I tried a few things like changing our business name to include more/different keywords, which has resulted in shifts but not the A slot.

    “One major problem with it is that the main algo for choosing the top 10 to display is how close each one is to the center of the city”

    Has anyone tried using a city centre postcode to see if the listing moves higher?

  30. whlooi on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    WoW, now we all can have our listing on google for free. Thanks for the info.

  31. Jacob Cass on Oct 16, 2008 said:

    Colin,
    I suppose that it is no surprise that the business name changes your position… it makes logical sense.

    Changing the postcode to the city center is a good tip however many people also have the city code as their post code… but it is definitely worth doing if you can.

  32. Steve on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Our business site has been showing in google maps for quite a while, existing customers with phones and Blackberrys appreciate the map when visiting first time (although we do have a map on the site) we have not done the same for our blog though, so big thanks for this.

  33. Mathieu Beausoleil on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Good strategy ;) Can you give us an idea of the statistic “click vs print” (stats you can find in the Google Local Business Center) ? I’m curious about the quantity of click a freelancer can have VS an hostel or other business of same type…

  34. Don Campbell on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Nice post Jacob.

    Another interesting statistic, if people see your business in both the natural search results and the AdWords results (as you have done) they are 1.8x more likely to click on your entry in the results page.

  35. Dainis Graveris on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Wow, really smart trick!! And thanks for sharing!! Gonna try this! Bookmarked :)

  36. Mark on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    I’ve added mine.. let’s see how long it takes to show up :)

  37. Meryl K. Evans on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Thank you, Jacob. Like the others have reported, you must enter a street address and zip code. You can omit the number. Plus, you can move the marker — which I did to the nearest major intersection.

  38. Jacob Cass on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Steve, Dainis, Mark, You are welcome.

    Mathieu,
    Well I have had about 280 impressions with 3 clicks onto my actual business name and 2 calls that I know about from the listing within 30days.

    Don,
    Thanks for the stats, I guess it is worth it then.

    Meryl,
    Ah ok, well I didn’t even put a street address into mine when I filled it out, I just put the suburb but good to know you can move the marker.

  39. Ron Ley on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Sir,

    Im trying this Google Local, unfortunately, it seems like it was not applicable here in Philippines? Our country doesnt appear on the list!

    Correct me if im wrong!

  40. Banago on Oct 17, 2008 said:

    Great advice! Thanks!

  41. Banago on Oct 18, 2008 said:

    Google local is not applicable in my country (Albania) too. Eh!

  42. Mathieu Beausoleil on Oct 18, 2008 said:

    Nice ;) Thank you again !

  43. Jacob Cass on Oct 18, 2008 said:

    I am not exactly sure what countries qualify for Google Local so the best way is to check from your own country… thanks!

  44. Lisa on Oct 19, 2008 said:

    thanks!!!

  45. Justin Leaf-Wright on Oct 21, 2008 said:

    Awesome sweet man…

    Thanks for the Interesting read.

    Will bookmark.

  46. mrcabi on Oct 22, 2008 said:

    That is a nice way to get a good ranking.

  47. Rosanna Soriano on Oct 23, 2008 said:

    This is a great way to advertise your business. Great!

  48. James Kurtz III on Oct 24, 2008 said:

    Nice!! Thanks so much for the tip! I’ll be implementing your advice right away.

  49. Amanda Vlahakis on Oct 24, 2008 said:

    SWEEEET!!

    I just checked. I seem to have position A for ‘Sutton Coldfield Graphic Designer’

    I’m also no sure what decides your position, but it’s probably the same factors that decide your position in their general page results.

    More kisses….

    xx

  50. Jacob Cass on Oct 24, 2008 said:

    Lisa, Justin, Mrcabi, Rosanna, James, Amanda,
    You are all welcome. All the best.

  51. Richard Samples on Oct 26, 2008 said:

    Yes it is a good technique but many browsers don’t list Google maps anymore and although local is getting better, people still predominantly search for generic terms and they really have to figure out the “Local” aspect by adding a city address.

    The listings certainly don’t hurt thats for sure but it’s just a piece of the puzzle to great page rankings…

    Rich

  52. maxibon on Nov 1, 2008 said:

    hey jake.

    how come my listing doesn’t appear at google.com but only at google/local?

  53. Jacob Cass on Nov 2, 2008 said:

    Maxibon,
    What is your domain? So you appear in Google Local but not actually in Google organic search results?

  54. leandra on Nov 4, 2008 said:

    FYI, for the United States users, it does work if you just put the street name and no house number. Thanks, Jacob. :)

  55. sam on Nov 4, 2008 said:

    Thank u dude.

  56. Clayman on Nov 27, 2008 said:

    Thanks Jacob,you’ve done a great job. I’m using Google Adwords now and trying hard to get the best position on the page (the top left on the first search result page). Now I got the ideas from you and it’s really helpful. Thank you very much.

  57. Jacob Cass on Nov 28, 2008 said:

    Hi Clayton,
    Please be aware that the local search results do change around regularly. For example I am in position J now rather than position A. All the best.

  58. OKECHUKWU on Dec 13, 2008 said:

    MORE KISSES FOR SUCH GREAT TIPS. WILL GIVE IT A TRY.http://tinyurl.com/5a4cdf

  59. Yunar - Free advertising on Dec 29, 2008 said:

    It’s a great way to promote your business online, unfortunately not all countries listed, mine is not listed :-(

  60. Jonas on Jan 9, 2009 said:

    Thank you very much for your tip!

  61. Chuck on Feb 12, 2009 said:

    What an excellent tip. I have noticed Google local and maps, but never had a clue how it works. Seems easy too…Thanks.

  62. Steve Constable on Feb 15, 2009 said:

    I put mine in Chicago. I just get calls from abroad - mostly India offering their services to me for $15 an hour. (This is not comedy here. I’m serious. I really do get a lot of calls from India. Perhaps you get them too?)

  63. Scott on Feb 18, 2009 said:

    Hey Jacob. Very informative read. I added my business on Local maps. I’m using CPC right now to get on the top page for my relative search that I need to be on. So far that is working. Thanks again.

  64. mnaeem on Feb 19, 2009 said:

    hi i want my car web site free to ad on google thanks

  65. BenSky on Feb 21, 2009 said:

    Interesting, ive seen numerous companies doing this, will be interesting to see if google start to penalise people for doing this!

  66. bayu on Feb 26, 2009 said:

    thank for information because i have new blog, i wish my can show no 1 in google or other search engine.

  67. Jeffrey Morse on Mar 1, 2009 said:

    Thanks for the tips, I just added my blog.

  68. Bernadette on Mar 13, 2009 said:

    Thanks for the info. Can’t wait to get started!

  69. Nanneth on Mar 18, 2009 said:

    Hi there,

    In Google Local Ads, when you create one, you are also allowed to put a description in the Description box of course. What I am wondering is if it is better to put:

    94123 dentist, San Francisco Dentist, offers Veneers, Dental Implants

    vs.

    A dental practice that offers Veneers, Dental Implants in San Francisco.

    Wouldn’t the first one give off better keywords, so that you will be more searchable say when you type 94123 Dental Implants? Or is it better to have the second one, and if you have in your address as San Francisco, California, it would key off of any of those words in the San Francisco area?

    Thanks!

  70. Jacob Cass on Mar 18, 2009 said:

    Hi Nanneth,
    I suppose it depends on your business but I am not SEO expert so I wouldn’t want to give you the wrong advice however what you’ve suggested makes sense.

  71. Reverse Lookup on Mar 29, 2009 said:

    I have probably been looking around online for like the last 20 minutes for a site like yours. So i just want to give you a big thank you and tell you too keep up the hard work. Have a great weeken! =) Thank you!

  72. Conor L on Mar 29, 2009 said:

    Sweet! Nice tip man, cheers

  73. Jafar on Apr 14, 2009 said:

    Hi Jacob,
    I tried your tip to be listed on google map in Toronto, Canada. I had to enter a postal code and I can only be listed for my neighborhood.
    Just letting you know. thanks

  74. puppy ngepet on Apr 15, 2009 said:

    how can I submit my page information for Local Business Center list if my country not listed in country list at google local business???
    help me please.
    by email will be better.
    Thanks

  75. Jacob Cass on Apr 16, 2009 said:

    I do not believe Google Local is available in all countries yet so just have to wait it out I guess.

  76. best classifieds on Apr 18, 2009 said:

    excellent tips. however, do take note not all countries are listed there.
    google staff should add/update the list of countries. such information is at their fingertips.

  77. jentry Highland on May 15, 2009 said:

    I tried not listing my full address, however the street address is a required field. I cannot just list a city. Is there another workaround?

  78. Jude on Jun 16, 2009 said:

    Hi Jacob. I live in NZ but my business [holiday apartment] is in the Gold Coast. Because of this it will not accept the format of my NZ phone number, so i can not get a verification by Google, do have have any suggestions?

  79. rumahtriadi on Jul 22, 2009 said:

    woow…nice trick..i will try it to put my ad to google.thanks :)

  80. Emma on Jul 29, 2009 said:

    Thanx Jacob. Just set mine up and it’s come on straight away. Thanx for the info.

  81. OurCityKolkata.com on Aug 30, 2009 said:

    Great job done Jacob.

  82. Sidheek on Oct 4, 2009 said:

    Thnks a lot Mr. Jacob,Very usefull….

  83. steve on Oct 9, 2009 said:

    Hi Jacob, thanks for info, will give it a try.
    Steve

  84. adrian zaragoza on Oct 31, 2009 said:

    Thanks that was so helpful.

  85. karl bowers on Nov 13, 2009 said:

    I have set google business centre listing for a few clients so far, and its always puts a smile on their face :-)

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