Right after standing up your website, you should create a Google Business Profile. I did this more than a year after creating the LLC. Shocking, I know. But I founded my side hustle with a built-in first client and a word-of-mouth strategy. Moto Woodworks didn’t really need people finding it in a Google search, at least, not in the beginning. If you’re reading this, that’s probably not true for your side hustle!
What a Google Business Profile looks like
A Google Business Profile is what appears in the right sidebar when people use your business name as a search term. It’s where you get to tell the curious, web-searching public about where you’re located, what you do, your hours of operation, and so on. From an SEO perspective, it also helps your business appear in search results.
Google rejected me
Google rejected my first submission. My profile was suspended due to a policy violation with the vague but ominous phrase, “deceptive content.” Basically, Google called me a liar! Of course, the suspension policy covers all forms of deceptive content, making it difficult to know exactly what was wrong. As near as I could tell, Google’s objection was that there couldn’t be a business at this address because it was already a known residence.
Thankfully, I was able to click that Appeal button to state my case and provide supporting documentation. I explained that I was running Moto Woodworks from my garage and submitted my articles of incorporation along with a current certificate of good standing. After that, I was able to check on the status of my appeal. It stayed at 30% for what seemed like an eternity.
I checked this page every morning for a week hoping for a change. Nothing changed so I stopped checking. Then, a full two weeks later, Google approved my appeal. For some reason, the progress bar retreated to 22%.
Later the same day, the progress bar updated. Whew!
If Google is consistent about this policy violation, it will reject every side hustler running a business from home. I know, it sounds crazy. Maybe there’s an algorithm that randomly selected me for this treatment. But it’s more likely that Google is adding this layer of scrutiny to protect it’s Google Business IP which, in the long run, should benefit all of us. Take a deep breath, file an appeal, submit supporting documentation, and be patient.
Make your Google Business Profile robust
With the suspension lifted, it was time to complete my profile. One of the challenges is that a Google Business Profile is designed more for retail businesses than side hustles. For example, the form asks for your address even though your side hustle isn’t a store. Call me paranoid, but I don’t want potential customers showing up at my home unless I explicitly invite them.
After digging through Google’s help pages, I learned you can remove your address if the business is a “service-area business.” Google still knows your address, but displays the business on a map that shows your service area rather than a zoomed-in view of where you live. I defined my service area by choosing 20 or so cities where I’m willing to make deliveries.
Another example is designating hours of operation. Google’s help pages suggest that a service-area business should not designate hours and instead check a box that says “by appointment only.” It’s true enough so that’s exactly what I did. However, it comes with a drawback. Look at the bottom-left corner of the screenshot. The profile says “add missing information” in bold and gives people a link to add hours. It seems highly unlikely that someone would do this, so I’m playing the odds and leaving it alone. But really, I checked the box, so why can’t Google just show “by appointment”?
Conclusion
Despite the fact that Google made the process more difficult than it needed to be, it’s done. Creating a Google Business Profile was one of those items that lingered on my to-do list far too long. For most side hustlers, this is one of the first things you’ll want to do. It makes your business available in search results, drives traffic to your website, and is a necessary prerequisite if you want to use Google Ads. And I have to admit, there’s a bit of pride that comes with a business as large as Google acknowledging a business as small as Moto Woodworks!
