Who Can Have a Google My Business Listing? Google has strict guidelines as to who is allowed to own a Google My Business listing. Qualifying for a GMB listing includes: 1. Having ownership of that business. 2. Actually operating during the hours listed and able to meet in-person with cus tomers during those hours. 3. Servicing or selling products in the area(s) you say you operate in. 4. Having a physical location of some sort (more on this below). Examples of businesses that qualify for Google My Business listings: 1. Practitioners with offices/suites. For example, a physical therapist that works within a building with other physical therapists but has their own office. 2. Having a mobile business but owning an office location. 3. Brick and mortar businesses that sell physical items. For instance, your delicious fruit drinks. 4. Businesses servicing areas. Earlier in the year of 2019, Google introduced new features for busi- nesses that don’t directly have a physical location, but rather service specific areas. So, if you’re a plumber and not a fruity juice expert selling delicious sugary drinks of pure awesomeness, you’re safe and able to use GMB! Who Can’t Have a Google My Business Listing? We know who CAN have a Google My Business listing, but who CAN’T? Ineligible or unqualified busi- nesses include: 1. Properties for rent or sale such as apartment vacancies, model homes, vacation homes, your best friend Jeff ’s kind of cool basement but still hasn’t installed that insulation. No, Jeff, you can’t have a GMB listing for your freezing Airbnb. Brrr… 2. e-Commerce businesses with no physical location. 3. People who don’t actually own the business or lease the business’s location. 4. Ongoing events like classes or meetings at a location where you don’t own the property or have the authorization to conduct business there. 5. Virtual offices. Again, if you don’t have a physical location, a GMB listing isn’t for you. Even though you might have a phone number, mailing address, hours of operations, and some pictures to throw up on the listing, Google will deny you verification permissions. One thing stands true, you have to be able to meet in-person with the customer. The only exception to this is if you can prove to Goo- gle that you own or lease an occupied office space, similar to that of a co-working space. Even then, you could run into some challenges if you don’t meet customers in-person.
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