If you’re looking for a clearer picture of local SEO and creating a web presence, then you’ll appreciate this “Web Equity” infographic created by Mike Blumenthal and Mike Robertson. It’s an interesting organization of the sometimes overwhelming subject of local SEO and different ways to acquire citations. Be sure to read the overview and explanation of terms as there is some good info in there. Check out this previous post explaining how to get citations if you’re interested.
This is Local?… and I’m gonna ask you just one more time… And it’s Local? (pardon the Portlandia reference)
Google is constantly learning who you are, and they certainly know where you are. That’s why folks are now inundated with local results for many Google searches… especially searches involving a type of business. Have you noticed your search results looking different? How bout that 7-pack of local listings planted right in the middle of the page? It’s no mystery why Local SEO is becoming so important. Searches for local businesses account for 20% of all searches in Google.
Google knows this, and they recognize the significance of local listings. Furthermore, there is eye-tracking data to prove that people are indeed drawn to these local listings. Check the heat map below taken from Search Engine Land:
Crucial for Businesses
So what does this mean for business owners? It means you better get crackin with your local business directories to build citations. Citations are “mentions” of your business in terms of business name, address & basic info on other websites. To be clear, we’re not referring to general link building. We’re speaking of listings in specific types of sites, such as directories and associations. There doesn’t need to be a link to your website to constitute a citation, aka a “web reference.” For example a citation would be a listing of your company’s basic info on Yelp, Superpages, or another online directory.
Why Exactly?
Major search engines such as Google use these citations as a major factor in their ranking algorithm. Portals like Superpages are well indexed by the search engines, and citations there can provide search engines with certainty of your business category and information. Furthermore, people do actually use these directories to directly look for businesses. So you want to be there when they do.
Okay, Okay, What Do I Do?
Start listing your business! *But make sure you list it consistently. As Search Engine Land states, “if you have “Street” on your Places page, make sure it’s “Street”, not “St.”, across all citations as well.”
Oh yeah, did we mention that if you don’t have a Google Places page, then you need to get one… yesterday.
Below is a great list of directories to submit your business information.
I Want More
The above list is a good foundation, but by no means comprehensive. They are the bigger more general (though important) directories. You can do your own research to discover other listing opportunities that may be valuable. Here’s some things you can do:
Competition
Social Networks
Blogs
Local Newspapers & Directories
Lastly, if you have the dough, Whitespark has a local citation finder that does most of the dirty work for you.
Most of this information was pulled from Search Engine Land. They also provided the following links:
If you’re not already taking advantage of Google’s Local Business Center Google Places for your clients, you should be. Your competitors are already there; plus it’s free. Not to mention millions of people conduct local searches each month to find businesses in their neighborhood.
With Google’s features you are able to list business hours, payment options, and other info relevant to your company. There is an option to create coupons for your customers to print out. Analytic data also comes along with Google’s LBC. Start identifying where your customers are coming from and make better local marketing decisions.
Now that your business is submitted to all the local business directories online, it is imperative that you understand that your business is just another business according to these directories. But that is not true, right? Your business is unique and offers something better than the other businesses in your area. But how do you prove to these local business directories that your listing deserves top placement over all the other businesses in your city? Besides being the most relevant term to the keyword typed in, you’re going to have to prove to them that you are the ‘best’.
Below are a few things you can do to increase your local business presence online.
Here are more suggestions not applying to Google Maps but could have an indirect influence on your Google Maps and Google Organic rankings.
The concept is easy to understand;
Never stop seeking positive reviews and always aim to mention your address and/or phone number when mentioning your company name (if possible & if relevant to the situation).