This common business mistake is robbing you blind!

Grab your Google Local Business Listing right now! Not sure what this is? Think of it as the online version of a yellow pages ad. Sure, there are many online business directories out there, but none as big or searched as Google at this current time. For years now, on the net, local businesses have suffered because a butcher shop in a tiny backwater Vermont town was competing for top Google billing with a butcher shop in New Your City, L.A. or even Hong Kong. Not any more.

Note that, while this is directed to business owners, the same thing applies to Churches, ministries, organizations, charities, and schools - especially those that depend heavily on local enrollment such as charter schools.

Today Google has adjusted the searches to give you  local results first. You see, when you perform a search, based on something called your "IP Address", Google can tell generally where you are. This allows them to deliver what is called geo-targeted ads and messages. It also allows them to deliver search results that are area specific.

What this means to merchants and businesses is very powerful. It means that, if you are a local business, you no longer need to pay to be number one on the planet, just number one in your neighborhood.

Something else Google has done is to auto-generate a bunch of web pages based on business listings from a variety of sources. Even if you do not know it, you may already have a Google generated web page for your business. This is the part that is very much like a yellow pages ad. Best of all, it is totally free.

So, if you have not done so you should stop right now and go to Google and see if there is such a page generated for your business. If there is, you should claim your listing if you have not yet done so. There should be a link on the page where you can first prove you really own the  or control the business, then you can modify it with things like hours, coupons, keywords, and more.

If there is no Google listing for your business yet, no worries. You can create one by going to http://www.google.com/local/add.

Here's something else this will do for you. If you go to Google Maps and look up a business you will see a few numbered tear drops, and a bunch of dots. Those dots are unclaimed business listings on Google. That's free advertising going down the drain. So, how about your business? Are you just a dot on the Google map of business life?

Don't wait another minute to take care of this little task. It can make your phone and your cash register ring. And please, be sure to pass this blog post on to your business owner friends. It takes just a few minutes to do this. You need not be a web guru or an SEO specialist to perform this very powerful maneuver.

Another thing you should do - something very easy to do - is to get a free one year listing on GoSmallBiz Directory. This is a directory set up my former Football Hall of Fame great, Fran Tarkenton. All it takes is a phone call. If you own a business in the United States or Canada simply give Rick Allen a call at 480-221-6792 and tell him you want to get your business listed. He will conduct a brief interview and get you listed, or he will connect you with someone in your area who can help you on a local basis.