While some people hate Google for trying to usurp the local search phenomenon, the truth of the matter is that they’re really trying to make it easier for you to promote your business online. Google understands the value of localized search, especially when you consider the amount of people that actually buy local products and services as a result of online searches. There are many elements to consider when trying to rank better in Google Plus Local, but here are some of the most important factors.
The On-Site Factors
These are absolutely crucial if you want even a chance of ranking in Google+ Local. As a business owner expanding online, you have no doubt heard of search engine optimization (SEO). You need to use the same practices for your local online business, but with a few modifications.
You need your NAP prominently displayed on your website. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. These need to be 100% consistent across all social networks and online directories. If they’re not, Google may get confused and think you have not one, but 2+ businesses online. That seriously hurts your chances of ranking online.
Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!
You have no doubt heard about the amazing potential of online reviews for your business. Yelp, Yahoo! Local, and even Google Places have become the go-to websites for reviewing businesses and getting quality information about local businesses online.
As a business owner you need to get on top of this as soon as possible. We’re not saying you need to create fake reviews, but you need to get your customers reviewing you on these platforms. The key here is QUALITY. Make sure you’re incentivizing your customers to give honest, helpful reviews of your business. Offer a free product for clients that review your product or service, or discounts on future purchases.
Encourage your customers to check in to your local business using Foursquare by giving them discounts when they log in. Foursquare is extremely popular and can also become a strong source of traffic for your site.
Citations, Citations, Citations!
If links are the backbone of an SEO strategy, then citations are the backbone of a local SEO strategy. Citations are listings of your NAP on different directories and websites online. These are worth their weight in gold for you and you need to make sure you’re constantly acquiring these as often as possible. There are many creative ways to get them, but the go-to strategy is to use online business directories and niche-related websites that you can reach out to personally.
An excellent tool to find citations is WhiteSpark Local Citation Finder. Use this tool to search for citations on an ongoing basis to grow your number of citations over weeks and months.
Google Plus Local Ranking Factors
Below is a list of the most important local ranking factors:
1. Physical address match from the searchers city
2. Relevant category
3. How close the address is to the center of searcher’s city
4. Authority of the Website based on inbound links
5. How many structured citations mention the business
6. Mention of the location in the title of the page
7. How many reviews in Google Plus Local
8. Authority of citations
9. Area code is local to the searchers city
10. Owner Verified Place page
11. Links from locally relevant domains
12. How many unstructured citations from sites like blogs or newspaper articles
13. Mention of the product or service in web reviews.
14. Target keyword in the URL
15. City mentioned in reviews to the website.
Play By The Rules
Google hates people that try to cheat the algorithm. While being hated by Google may not stop everyone, know that Google will eventually identify spammers and heavily penalize them. You don’t need to resort to these methods in order to rank well – just follow the tips provided above and you should be miles ahead of your local competitors, no matter what business you’re in!
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Photo Credit
Courtesy of Marcela De Vivo
Guest Author Bio
Marcela De Vivo
Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer focusing on internet marketing & technology. She loves to share her knowledge with small business owners to help them grow their business.
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