8 Tips to Maximize Your Branded Presence in the Google Local Search Results. With the rollout of the new grey pin local search results, Google has continued to increase the amount of information from your Places page that is visible in the main search results. This is particularly true with the new Branded One Box result. Google is prepared to turn over to your company the better part of the information above the fold and with a little work and some luck you can maximize what the searcher sees about your business. Click to view larger: Here are 8 tips that help you maximize “your ad” on the front page of Google: 1)Select the title tag of your home page with care. If you service only one city, it is no longer necessary to include the city in your title tag of your home page. 2)With the addition of Sitelinks Google provides 6 (it can be 12 but I have yet to see that many in local) or more additional opportunities to engage the customer. 3)Which pages show and title tags show and why is a bit of mystery so you want to be sure to monitor what is actually showing.
Is position 2 on the first page of Google good enough? Or would hiring an SEO and a #1 position be worth the investment? If you haven’t already, read the prologue to this post. If you don’t want to bother, then here’s a bit of info to set the stage. In that post I showed how chiropractors in Scotts Valley were just about rendered invisible because Google bestowed a “Site Links” blessing on another chiropractor in town for the query “Scotts Valley chiropractic.” Dr. Hinde, though in position 2, looked like a mere mortal, while Dr. Thibodeau apparently achieved sainthood. This post answers the question, should Dr. And what about the other chiropractors further down the page and on other pages?
Where oh where can I find a Scotts Valley chiropractor? If you read my previous blog post on where people are going to find local businesses, you’ll know that most are searching online and less in print Yellow Pages, and this is even more true if your market is under 35. How are Scotts Valley chiropractors stacking up? Query “Scotts Valley chiropractor” Google Maps Optimization: 10 Likely Elements of Google's Algorithm. When it comes to local search optimization and, in particular, the Google Maps algorithm, you’re likely to get 10 different answers if you ask 10 local SEOs, What are the most important local search ranking factors? The answer to that question, like just about every other SEO question, is, It depends. It depends on your location, the industry you’re in, the keywords you’re targeting, and many other things.
Local SEO is harder than many SEOs think. This is an updated version of a post that I first wrote on this blog in February, 2007. It represents a summary of my contributions to David Mihm’s 2010 Local Search Ranking Factors survey, which includes the thoughts of a couple dozen local search marketers. I highly recommend reading that for wider perspectives on the issues I discuss below.
Based on my experiences with local clients, here’s my best educated guess about what matters the most today for ranking in Google Maps. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Google’s View on Ranking Factors. Local Search Ranking Factors | Local SEO Best Practices for Ranking in Google Places.
Local Pack/Finder Ranking Factors Google My Business Signals (Proximity, categories, keyword in business title, etc.) 25.12%Link Signals (Inbound anchor text, linking domain authority, linking domain quantity, etc.) 16.53%Review Signals (Review quantity, review velocity, review diversity, etc.) 15.44%On-Page Signals (Presence of NAP, keywords in titles, domain authority, etc.) 13.82%Citation Signals (IYP/aggregator NAP consistency, citation volume, etc.) 10.82%Behavioral Signals (Click-through rate, mobile clicks to call, check-ins, etc.) 9.56%Personalization 5.88%Social Signals (Google engagement, Facebook engagement, Twitter engagement, etc.) 2.82% Localized Organic Ranking Factors Introduction Another year, and another Local Search Ranking Factors survey is here.
My apologies for being late with it again. I developed our own survey tool and, as with any software project, it always takes longer than you expect. Definitions GMB Listing Google My Business Listing. GMB Landing Page Local Pack. How to Research Local Citations After Google Removed them from Places. Late last week, in a move that was apparently spurred by threats of an FTC investigation, Google removed third-party reviews and listings from their Places pages in the Local/Maps results. This change was intended to help thwart complaints by sources like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Citysearch who claimed that Google unfairly used their content to make the Places pages results useful without compensation or traffic.
Below is a visual of the change via the WSJ: Impact on Local/Maps/Places SEO Unfortunately, this move has a strong negative consequence for SEOs, web marketers and local businesses trying to improve their rankings (or earn a listing) in Google Places results. In particular, the popular tactic of researching the citation sources of competitors and fellow business listees in a city/region via their Places pages is now defunct. Since citations are like links for SEO/rankings in Google Places, this change is going to be tough on many citation researchers and local optimizers. p.s. Google Places Page Optimization: Google Local in Review. Google wants to show its users the most relevant, up-to-date, quality information (including companies) possible. This is its mission and just one reason it is the biggest. As such, when it comes to optimizing your place page, you should keep this in mind.
The following are some simple tips & guidelines to a successful Google Places page optimization. The quick tweaks will improve your chances at securing top positions. Please keep in mind that Google Places is constantly changing, and what works at the time of this post may change dramatically in 30 days. Company/Organization: DO NOT get fancy here. What you place here will eventually be replaced with your home page title tag in the search engine result pages (SERPs). Street Address: Whatever you put in here, must occur everywhere else online. City/Town: This is the city that you will have the best chance at ranking in for your keywords. Main phone: Refer to Street Address. Website: First, use you want it to be hyperlinked.