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Google Local Business Listings – Techniques to Show Up 1st

admin — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 15:06:47 +0000

Everyone is talking about the power of Google Local Business Listings and what it can do for your business regardless of what type of business you own or operate. With Google getting over 70% of all searches on a monthly basis can anyone actually afford not to pay attention to Google Local Business Listings to increase business without breaking the bank.Search Engine Marketing Techniques
You need to what you are doing when adding your business on Google.
You must understand the basic SEO techniques in order to maximize results
You must use the proper keywords and or categories for your business during the sign up process other wise you are never going to show up.
You Must add Pictures To Your Listing
If you have a Video about your business that is always a plus.
Set up your Hours of Operation so that customers know when you are open for business
Customer Reviews, This is the biggest factor when customers see your listing and it does have a weight on results from what we are noticing in searches.
If you have a website add a link from your website back to the Google Local Listing so customers can see both.

Google Guidelines to pay attention to:
Do Not Try and spam with multiple Google Listings with the same phone number ( It Does Not Work )
No matter how many Businesses You own only 1 Address per business ( Do not Use The Same Address for all of your businesses.
Have a Unique Phone Number For Each Listing and Unique Business Address to be successful

There are many other factors and techniques to making your Google Local Map Listing jump to the top of the search results and it comes down to making changes from time to time to see what works best. Google is getting smart with how they rank a listing and we will never know exactly what is the best way to achieve First Page Google Listings other than trying out different tactics that will not get you spammed from Google.We have tried many ways to achieve 1st Page Rankings on Google Local Searches and with most of them working and sometimes they did not work we went back to making small changes to see what factors have the highest weight with Google to make sure the next time when setting up a new Google Local Business Listing for a new client we want to make sure they show up on the first page of Google quickly and stay there for a long time to come.Trying to stay on the first page of Google is like trying to keep your body in shape, you must work out on a regular basis to achieve the goal and the body you have always wanted. SEO is constantly changing and Google changes with it as well, One day Google may rank your website in the top 5 and next week you could be number 11-15. The only way to avoid this is to always update your website with new information in order to show Google you are still alive and kicking.

How To Optimize Google My Business Listing To (Generate Sales)

admin — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:10:41 +0000

20% of your local optimization efforts will give you 80% of your results.Wondering how?With Google My Business.Google My Business (GMB): A free listing of your business’ operating information, reviews, posts, images and much more.Google My BusinessMost of the people you’d come across; consider GMB as just another place to display information about the business.But that’s not true!If you haven’t used Google My Business to its core, you are leaving money on the table.If used correctly, Google My Business is such a powerful tool that can bring you more and more business!How?Here it is…1) Ensure The Information Is Complete And Consistent
Don’t let your audience guess or assume about you. Make sure your listing details communicate enough facts. Try to provide as much information as GMB asks for.If you’ve just entered NAP (Name, Address, Phone) on your listing and waiting for wonders to happen, then let me tell you, this is a complete waste of your time.Also,Ensure the information you’ve entered on the listing is EXACTLY THE SAME as on your website.Inconsistencies in the information will negatively impact your search ranking.Google-my-business22) Verify Your Listing (If You Haven’t Done It Yet)
This is the key to unlock all the GMB features.To verify your listing, you’ll be required to submit a code that is sent to your business address.If you’re expecting some business through GMB, it is highly important to verify your business. With so many fake business registrations every day, a user would not prefer to make a purchase from an unverified listing.After verification, you’ll need to keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Google My Business Listing, for any emails from Google. Google may unverify any listing if it determines that the account is inactive for a significant duration of time.3) Google My Business Descriptions ARE BACK!
Google My Business had descriptions back in 2015-2016. They were suddenly gone and since then businesses had no descriptions; which left the users assuming your products and services.Well, the good news is…Business Descriptions are back!With Google My Business descriptions, you have the chance to describe your business to your audience and explain what makes you different from your competitors.Google My Business Descriptions come with a character limit of 750. So, you can get your message conveyed to the people and simultaneously optimize the listing by using relevant keywords.Optimize Google My Business4) Get More And More Reviews (And Respond To Them)
As described by Neil Patel in one of his articles,Good reviews = sales. More good reviews = more sales.90% of people read reviews before purchasing because everybody likes the second opinion.Ask your customers to review your business. But just gathering reviews won’t help. You need to acknowledge them.All of them!The positive ones, the negatives, the neutrals.5) Update Your Business Hours And Payment Options
Make sure your business operating hours are accurate. Update your working hours for any special events. Make sure that you don’t lose any customer because of incorrectly listed business hours.Also, update your listing for any changes in the payment options.Also read: 7 Reasons Why Businesses Need To Invest In SEO 20186) Choose Best Google My Business Category For Your Business
Be specific while picking a category for your business. Consider your targeted keywords.Be careful though. Don’t stuff your listing with keywords.Remember to be specific. Don’t put “Cosmetology” if you run a “Nail Salon.”7) Pictures, Pictures, And More Pictures
Pictures speak volume!According to Google, businesses with photos see 35% more clicks to their website and 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps.Adding photos of your business is a great way to let your customers get a “behind-the-scenes” look at what your company is all about… AND it can go a long way in promoting your business.People don’t want to see stock images but the real face of your business – who you are, what you do and where you’re located.The most important image in your GMB listing that gets the most exposure and has the most impact, is your ‘Profile Picture’.However, the cover image is also of paramount importance, as it shows up front and center on your listing. You can also add other pictures based on the business you operate in; this might include pictures of interior and exterior of the business, goods and/or services your business, your staff or employees or any other picture that can summarize or describe your business.8) Google My Business Videos
You can also add videos. Videos must be:30 seconds or shorter
100 MB or smaller
720p resolution or higher
Unlike images, videos are not a ‘must have’. However, adding one will make you stand out among other businesses.Creating a video will not take you any extra equipment or any video editing software. Just pick up your smartphone; take, save and share the video. This video must be taken at your location. Any commercials or advertising videos will be removed.9) Add Posts To Share Business Updates
Google launched its ‘POST’ feature on all businesses in 2017. With this feature, you can post updates and offers to your listing. You can advertise the latest offers, share updates about new products/services or any special event for free.Google Posts allows you to add text, photos, gifs, and even call-to-action buttons like ‘Buy’, ‘Sign Up’, ‘Learn More’, ‘Get Offer, ‘Reserve’, etc.You can create posts only after you’ve verified your Google My Business Account.However, Google My Business Posts disappear after seven days unless you set a shorter time frame. So, be time specific while crafting the post.Conclusion:
Google My Business presents your business information to potential prospects. It gives you an opportunity to interact with your customers.Not optimizing your Google My Business listing is like not opening door to a customer knocking at your door.It’s an opportunity!Local SEO takes time but can give you a big payoff. On the top of everything, it’s FREE!If you need any help with your Local SEO or wish to optimize your Google My Business Listing, you can contact us.

Google Local Business Center – 5 Reasons You Must Put the Power of Google Behind Your Local Business

admin — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 08:43:20 +0000

The Google Local Business Center is a tool that enables business owners to more effectively connect with customers searching on Google for information about local business. It puts business owners in control of their business listings and helps them to provide information about their businesses that is authoritative, helpful, and, timely.The Local Business Center (LBC) is even useful for businesses that do not have Websites as Google’s LBC makes it possible for them to use the local business listing as their presence on the Web.Signing up for an account with the LBC – and adding or claiming your local business listing – should be a top priority for your business for five key reasons:1- Your Customers and Competitors’ Customers Search Google to find Local BusinessesThe Google Local Business search engine – which you can find at either local.Google.com or maps.Google.com (maps is, by far, the more popular of the two) – gets an average of more than 50 million unique visitors every month.That’s a lot of people searching every month for, among other things, local businesses to buy from.And although it’s advisable to sign up for local business accounts at Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines, a Google Local Business account should be your immediate priority because Google is the runaway leader in local business search market share, with more than double the local business search market share of maps.yahoo.com, maps.bing.com, and yellow.pages.com combined.Please note that all links, images and videos can be found on the author’s Website – the address for which appears in the Resource Box of this article.Of course, in spite of Google’s best efforts to promote the LBC – and the utilization of maps.Google.com – there are many millions of people who still use the google.com Website, even when searching for local business information. And, as you’ll learn in the next section, that gives local businesses an opportunity to capture some space at the top of Google’s “traditional” Web search results.2- A Google Local Business Listing Can Take You to the Top of GoogleGoogle’s launch of universal search in May 2007 meant that content from Google Images, Google Local/Maps, Google Video, and so forth could be integrated into its “traditional” Web search results pages.This means that Google can – and often does – serve up local business listings as part of the Web search results even if location is not specified (it appears that Google’s search algorithm is able to detect “local intent”).It’s increasingly common to find Google local business listings on the first page of search results – often at the top – as the “Google Local Business Seven-Pack” (a reference, obviously, to the fact that Google displays the top seven local business search results in a cluster of seven).Alternatively, Google may display a search query box at the top of the search results page that asks searchers: Looking for local results for keyword?Either way, a Google Local Business listing can put a business on the fast-track to a coveted position at the top of Google’s search results that may have been impossible to capture otherwise.3 – People Who Search Google for Local Businesses Take ActionA Google-sponsored, comScore.com study that looked at the importance of search in influencing offline buying behaviour found that 25% of searchers purchased an item directly related to their search queries, and that, of those buyers, 37% completed their purchases online while an even greater 63% completed their purchases offline following their search activity.The study results underscore the fact that a Google Local Business listing is not only effective at driving traffic but, more importantly, it is effective at driving traffic that converts.4 – The Advent of Google Local Search for MobileAs they continue to become more sophisticated and the browsing experience continues to improve, access to the Internet via mobile phones will continue to rise. In fact, Gartner predicts that access to the Internet via mobile devices will overtake PCs by 2013.Google has clearly understood for a long time the synergy between local search and the mobile Web, as some key developments suggest:· Google’s July 2005 acquisition of Android Inc, a manufacturer of software for mobile phones (which started triggered speculation that Google was looking to dive into the mobile phone market; the acquisition also eventually led to the development of the Android mobile operating system)· Google’s September 2009 launch of an improved Local Search for Mobile allows users to, among other things, “star” search results on their PCs and have them automatically appear on their mobile phones; it also allows users to search by browsing local business categories without typing (the video on the author’s Website offers a brief introduction to the functionality of Google Local Search for Mobile)· Google’s November 2009 $750 million acquisition of mobile advertising company AdMob (on the heels of a five-fold increase in mobile search traffic over the previous two years)· Google’s December 2009 distribution of Favourite Places decals to more 100,000 of the most sought-out and searched US businesses on Google.com and maps.Google.com (see the video on the author’s Website for details on Favourite Places)· Google’s January 2010 entry into the mobile phone market that finally ended years of speculation about Google’s plans for the mobile phone marketNaturally, Google will continue to innovate in both the local search space and in the mobile web search space. The key takeaway is that the businesses that get on board early will be the ones to reap the greatest rewards. And it all takes to get on board is to visit the Google LBC and claim or add your local business listing.5 – The Google LBC is Easy to Use and It’s FreeIf you’ve already got a Google account, you can simply sign in to the Google LBC and get started right away. If you don’t have a Google account, all you have to do is sign up for one (you can sign up on the LBC sign-in page).The video on the author’s Website offers a brief walk through of the easy process for signing into the Google LBC and claiming (or adding) your local business listing.As Google continues to promote local search, usage of local search by consumers will only increase. And considering that consumers who employ local search are buyers, don’t you think that you should sign up for Google’s LBC and get your local listing working for your business today?