How to get a free separate phone number for your local business

Here’s how to get a free local phone number and separate voicemail for your local business.

phone

So you’ve got a local business, and a cell phone. Maybe you don’t want the whole world to have your cell phone number, but you don’t want to pay for a landline to your business. Enter Google Voice, a fast, free way to get a local phone number and voicemailbox for your local business. All the calls get routed to your phone, or they can go straight to voicemail if you prefer.

Here’s how to set it up. Log in to your Google Account and Google “voice.” It’ll be the first result. Click on it, and it’ll ask you if you want a new number. Hit “I want a new number.”

Google VoiceThat takes you to a page where you get to pick your new number.

Google Voice Number SelectionPut your zip code in where it says “Area or zip code.” Then hit “Search numbers.”

You’ll get a list of options. Pick any one. Hit Continue. Then you’ll need to enter a PIN number for your voicemail.

You’ll need to give Google your cell phone number so they can verify that you’re a real person. They’ll call you, give you a code, you’ll enter it, and then, voila.

Here you can set up your voicemail message. You can send calls straight to your voicemail if you desire. All your voicemails are transcribed. They can also be sent to your Gmail. Lots of features here. Remember to use this number consistently when setting up your profiles, and encourage everyone who mentions your business online to use this number.

Blingy phone photo by saxarocks.

12 Comments

  1. The problem is that I went through half of this and was then told that there were no phone numbers available in my zip code or city. I think that if you live in the middle of nowhere, this is a great idea. If you’re in a city, I suspect that all phone numbers are already taken.

  2. Elexa

    Everytime I chose the number in my zip code I wanted it said error try again. So I gave up on the one I wanted and clicked others and the same thing keeps happening. I tried on different accounts, same thing. 🙁 Can’t get to that pin screen no matter what!

  3. Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and
    I’m impressed! Extremely helpful info specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was looking for this particular information for a long time. Thank you and good luck.

  4. amy

    A tip for those running into issues: search by area code rather than zip code. My zip code came up empty, but I had plenty of choices when searching by area code.

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  7. Walter Blake Knoblock

    If you’re interested in being able to track who and when calls come in, HostedNumbers.com is a good upgrade. It isn’t free (like $8 a month), but it allows you to have a much better understanding of where your calls are coming from.

  8. Mac Baza

    If you’re looking for a biz number check out mightycall, they offer local and toll-free numbers for business or personal use. Also, they have an app, that is free, that can be customized to help manage you to-do list or customer requests. It’s pretty awesome.

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