Google is an internet giant that seems to be everywhere on the internet. Form the operating system in our mobile to our PCs browser to online maps to our favorite search engine, Google has something to offer.
Listing a business on Google Maps or Google My Business comes with a lot of benefits. It makes our visitors find us easily and it also helps us grow our business. Does Google charge for listings?
This article explains in what ways Google charge us for putting a listing on its maps or other services. Continue reading if you want to add your business on Google’s record but wonder how much will it cost.
What Are Google Listings?
Ever searched a place on Google Maps? If you have searched any place on Google Maps before, you know very well that these places are actually listings on Google Maps by those places.
A listing represents a historical place, a store, an office, and similar other locations that are made public by a person so that people can easily find that place whenever there is a need to visit that place.
The places and businesses that enlist on Google do not pay any amount but Google is starting to monetize this feature. The businesses that integrate Google Maps do pay a regular fee to Google.
Google Maps is a successful service and people from all over the world use it on PCs and smartphones.
What Is Google My Business?
You have read in the previous section that people add listings to Google Maps and Google does not do it for others. For this to happen, Google has a service known as Google My Business or GMB.
When we plan to at a listing on Google Maps, we have to log in to our Google My Business account using our Gmail account. Once logged in, we can fill in the required fields to add a listing.
As of today, Google My Business is a free service from famous search engine Google which is a subsidiary of renowned internet conglomerate Alphabet, Inc.
Google gives businesses the ability to update their information and in exchange, Google provides searchers with local search results that are accurate and relevant.
So far, Google has not decided to charge for this service. But Google may decide to start charging a monthly fee to the current free service they offer.
“If Google My Business listings become a paid offering, the effect on both local businesses and consumers would be substantial,” writes web.com in a recent blog post on Google listings.
Does Google Charge For Listings?
But how much does Google charge for listings? Actually, Google is not currently charging any amount for Google Maps listings. In this part, we are going to discuss the cost of a Google listing.
Please note that Google does not charge for listings on its any of the services. If you receive an email or a text message that says that you have to pay for your Google listing, do not believe it. It is a scam.
Google ads can be used to sit on the top of organic search results on Google search. On the other hand, display ads by Google is another way to show ads on websites your potential buyers normally visit.
An article “Google may decide to charge for Google My Business listings” on Search Engine Land published by Barry Schwartz on April 29, 2019, hinted that Google may start charging for listings.
Barry Schwartz wrote this because of the surveys Google has been sending to businesses in which they asked if businesses are ready to pay for some features of Google My Business.
Listing Business On Google: The Last Word
You have read above that Google does not charge for Google Search, Google Maps, or Google my Businesses listings. In the end, we can say that all types of listings on Google are free at the moment.
However, it is up to Google if they decide to charge for a listing in the future or not. Most Google advertisement experts are of the view that Google will not charge for Google Maps listings.
In case you are interested in putting your business in Google Maps, you should read the method for doing so. If due to some reason you do not have time for it, you can consult a consultant for this task.
