Google Places is what gives your website the top of Google, with a map, it is the most likely place people will click on when searching for businesses in their area. Google use a lot of new and different ways to rank websites for local search, and it can be a small mission to get it all right.
Anyone with a physical address can submit their business to Google Maps. However there are a few things they do to make sure the system is not being manipulated. To make sure the basic information you submit is accurate, Google will ask you to verify it first by entering a PIN that will be sent to either your business address or phone number.
There are a few things that we will do for you to improve your position at the top of Google Maps. This is how we work;
- There is a far higher value placed on information from authoritative listings, such as Yellow Pages, White Pages and other directories. We work with some of the big, main directories, to ensure that your website and your business is listed correctly.
- Largely, the ranking relies on your physical location. There is more emphasis placed on the city/suburb of the search than the keywords. We can help you find ways to get listed in more location cheaply, but it means you will have to open other offices in other locations.
- We will not resort to old SEO tricks to manipulate the results. All our methods are above board, legitimate and will not infringe on Google’s terms.
How We Work
- One listing per physical location. Even you cover multiple towns, you should focus on one area, or try to get office space in the other areas. We will optimise the description of your business or categories to explain the different services your business offers. For businesses with special services, such as law firms and doctors or health centres, we will not create multiple listings to cover all specialties, but try to find the one category that fits.
- Pick your Battles. If you have the chance to list your business in a small local area, do it. Do not try to go up against larger competitors in bigger areas.
- We will help with Semantic SEO, to make sure that your business has the right tags to improve on local searches.
- More local citations, we will get your business and address listed in as many local addresses as possible.
- Good reviews through Google Places will improve your position. We will help you encourage your customers to write a review of you as much as possible.
The SEO landscape is an ever evolving world. The world of the local search has developed a full head of steam and there is no turning back. As Google has never been known for making anything simple and easy to manage, the same algorithms that are used for primary SEO functions will not apply with local searches; an entirely different set of algorithms will be used. There are number of ways that you can improve your local search rankings. This article will focus on the use of Google Places.
Over 20 percent of Google searchers are searching for local businesses and this number literally doubles when the search is conducted from a mobile phone. What does this mean? Basically there is an entire market out there for local businesses and making your local business easily accessible in searches is paramount for the success of your business.
It is no surprise that Google has launched Google Places which is a powerful tool to improve your ability to be searched and found during local searches for the services that you offer.
Google Places can be compared to Yelp as a general online local directory of businesses in a multiplicity of categories. With the new search engine algorithms implemented by Google and other large search engines such as Yahoo and Bing, having a Google Places optimized account immediately places you in a higher position with a larger listing than when you are found in organic search results.
As with all Google products, Google Places receives unique attention from the Google search engine. There is a level of relevance that is associated with having an optimized Google Places account. With a Google Places account your prevalence during searches is higher. With a Google page you are able to enter all of your pertinent information such as address, hours of operation, contact information and service specifications. Searchers will also be able to view a map of your current business location, as well as get directions.
With your Google places account your customers will be able to provide reviews on your services and products which will be valuable when searchers view your profile. Positive feedback from customers increases your chances of growing your business.
It is important to understand the rules for ranking and placement on local searches are different that traditional Google searches, and your Google pages ranking is dependent on maximum optimization. This can be a complex cycle that is better left up to professional SEO companies that have specific expertise in using Google pages to enhance local search rankings.