SEO School: Local Search – how to rank well in a competitive Marketplace
The fight for local search rankings has just gotten a lot nastier, thanks to a decision from Google to cut the number of results displayed on the first page of Local Search from ten down to seven. The decision from Google is likely to turn up the heat on a battle that is already pretty vicious. Google does obviously display more than seven local search results if you click through to the second page or further, though it doesn’t take a marketing genius to realise that, the number of clicks for position eight is going to be vastly different top the number position seven gets.
Why has Google done this? Well, as always I can only guess, though I reckon it’s got something to do with the old capitalist tenet of improving overall service by making sure competition is as fierce and cutthroat as possible. Google evidently feels that by making competition for places 30% more lively, companies will be forced to add more information to their profiles, giving Google more on which to base their ranking decisions. It’s hard to see it not working to be honest.
So, how do you make sure that you are in the top 7.
Well the good news is that even though these changes have made optimisation for Local search substantially harder, it’s not altogether too late to sort out your local search. The fact is that many companies are, mystifyingly enough, not making this a priority currently, which can leave an open door for people willing to take it seriously though that door is likely to slam shut very soon as people start to take local search optimisation more seriously.
So how does one go about optimising for Local Search?
The main thing is to get your listing right, this means that you must…
• Include the keywords you want to rank for in your title, without being spammy! For instance if you’re an accountant, write J.P. Morley, Chartered Accountants and Tax Advisers, rather than just J.P. Morley
• Make sure the address(es) you provide match the addresses listed on your site and anywhere else on the internet, like yell.com etc., exactly! If they differ then change them to match. The more places that Google can verify your address the more trustworthy it will think you are
• List a local phone number with a local area code – Google views this as more proof that you are actually a local business
• If you have email addresses and websites then list them, though there’s no evidence they make a huge difference to your rank
• You get 200 characters with which to nail your business description. The importance of this cannot be overstated, though be careful. Of course you want to get the keywords in, though the second it starts to look spammy Google will penalise you so keep it readable. If it comes down to a choice between keywords in your description and keywords in your title, the title is much more important. Keep your description readable and useful.
• When the time comes to set your Google marker, the little pushpin thing in the map that denotes your location, be honest. Your location on the map MUST match the location you have given Google.
Once you’ve done all the above you’ll be ready to claim your listing. This will involve either Google calling you on the phone number you have listed or sending a postcard to the address you have listed, so make sure you’re about at those locations.
One other thing you can do is online reputation management. Local Search not only takes positive reviews you have received on the major review sites into account, it actually displays the number of positive reviews as part of the listing. Obviously a number of good reviews is not only goods for your ranking but also your conversion rate.
You don’t have to simply wait around for the good reviews though. Try putting out a call to some of your more satisfied customers and getting them to give reviews, if you tell them exactly where to post and within reason what to say they shouldn’t begrudge you a good review.
So that’s our advice when it comes to local search listings, if you run a local business, I really can’t overstate the importance of doing this and doing it soon! It may be hard now, but it’ll be even harder in a few months.
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