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The value of Google Places for local businesses and map ranking factors

So as search engine marketers, we all know the value of Google’s local 10-pack, 7-pack, 3-pack, whatever you want to call it. But how valuable is it, and what are the factors search engines use to determine local ranking? We are going to talk about all this in today’s post.

For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Matt Parks. I am an online marketing consultant helping small, medium and even global businesses to develop proper online marketing strategies and improve their brand awareness through traditional and non-traditional competitive advertising techniques.

Now what you were waiting for… the good…

So you may be wondering… How valuable are the local map results to my business? Well, there is no simple answer to that question. Each company must have a personalized strategy. For example, if you own a local Thai restaurant and want to increase your daily foot traffic, local listings will greatly assist you in your efforts. On the other hand, you own a specialty shoe store that does 100% of your business online, local listings just aren’t for you. Google and other search engines developed their local results pages to help users find small business owners with brick-and-mortar stores, retail stores, or restaurants and get quick information about them, such as hours, short reviews, and even menu items and sale dates.

So, we’ve removed some of you from the mix now. Whats Next? How do I get a premium ranking with these listings?

Ahhhhh. So you want to know the magic trick, huh? Well, first you need to have a list. You can create one by signing in to your Google account, if you have one, and selecting the local business center icon in your settings. If you don’t have one there, just Google: “local business center” and follow the easy-to-use step-by-step listing wizard. When creating your listing, it is very important to ensure that all the information you provide is correct, including phone number and address, as before finishing, you will be asked to verify by phone or mail that, in fact, the listing is yours. Now to the pot of gold. Let’s review the top ten ranking factors for local listings…

1: GENERAL IMPORTANCE OF CLAIMING LOCAL BUSINESS LIST – You must have a list first.

2: LOCAL BUSINESS LIST ADDRESS IN SEARCH CITY – The closer you are to the IP, the better.

3: ASSOCIATE YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS LISTING WITH THE APPROPRIATE CATEGORIES – This is a must, create new categories if necessary, just don’t try to use keywords.

4: PRODUCT/SERVICE KEYWORD IN LOCAL BUSINESS LISTING TITLE: Use your correct full name, but add a keyword if it fits well. ie: Garden Palace – Chinese Restaurant

5: PROXIMITY OF ADDRESS TO DOWNTOWN – Don’t use a fake address, but if you’re a business, a UPS box (no PO box, just physical address) near downtown wouldn’t hurt

6: PRODUCT/SERVICE KEY WORDS IN THE LOCAL BUSINESS LIST DESCRIPTION – Keep it short and sweet. Remember, you are trying to attract the user/searcher.

7: LOCATION KEYWORD IN TITLE/DESCRIPTION OF LOCAL BUSINESS LIST – Garden Palace of Nashville – Chinese Restaurant

8: ASSOCIATE PHOTOS/VIDEOS WITH LOCAL BUSINESS LISTING – Not that important, but try and at least upload a logo.

9: CUSTOM PRODUCT/SERVICE FIELDS IN THE LOCAL BUSINESS LISTING – Don’t know how much this helps, but they are provided, so use them… But don’t OVERUSE them or stuff them with keywords.

10: ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL AREA CODE AS A PRIMARY NUMBER OF LOCAL BUSINESS LIST: Local numbers work much better, may not help with ranking, but with consumer confidence.

An added bonus: make sure the information in your listing is consistent across the board, ie: YellowPages.com, CitySearch.com, etc. as Google uses these data sources to add reliability to your listing and give you ranking bonuses due to being more “relevant”.

Well that’s it.

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