If your business caters to customers locally, you have to take advantage of Google places optimization. This is referred to as having a local Google+ page. There is a lot of confusion among local business owners on how exactly to optimize the places page. The reason for this is because there are many different varieties of what used to be referred to as Google maps. I will try and break it down for you and make it as simple as possible. If you want even more detailed information, you can check out what Google has to say.
Your Google local listing details the address, phone number, and other pertinent information about your business. This will display on the google maps feature, and will also allow people to submit reviews. This was the old system Google used for years.
A Google + Page will display the same information as above, but you also have the ability to post videos, blog posts, and alter the about us information. Customers can still leave reviews on these pages as long as the business has been verified. The verification process requires a postcard been sent to the business address, and a verification code from that post card being implemented onto the website.
When the business owner verifies their Google plus page, any existing listings that they may have in the past will emerge with their local Google plus page. You will see this with a verified checkmark at the top right-hand corner of the first image on the page. The image below shows the checkmark next to the circular picture, which shows this business has been verified.
Now that we made it a little clearer for you to Google plus page, now it’s time to dig in to the impact this can have on your local business. It doesn’t matter if you are a chiropractor, DUI lawyer, heating and air conditioning company, or any other local business. If you were trying to attract people within 20 or 30 miles of your office, you must dominate local search with Google plus.
At Hit Me SEO, we work with many different businesses from all over the country. The main criteria for dominating your local search results, is that Google actually shows the little maps when someone does a search. If Google does not consider it relevant and important enough to show the maps listing, we can’t force their hand. What we can do however, is identify which search results show the maps listings, and get you listed in front of your potential clients.
We work with the local chiropractic office in North Bethesda, Maryland. Pro Health Chiropractic is one of the leading chiropractic offices in all of Maryland. The business is located in North Bethesda, a few miles outside of Rockville, Maryland. The challenge for this business, is that they want to attract more business from Rockville, a city a few miles away. There are much higher search results in Rockville as compared to North Bethesda, so identifying the best market was where we began. Below you will see some of the screenshots of the current rankings.
Before you look at the information and start to criticize some of the rankings, please understand that these rankings are automated. These results are actually higher as you get closer to the city of Rockville, Maryland. The results above will show organic rankings not on the front page of Google. However, when doing a local search, we see our client rate highly for both the maps listings, as well as the organic listings.
Think about how much of an impact the mobile market is going to have on local search results. Google wants to deliver the best search results possible to everyone. So if you are on your mobile phone, looking for a chiropractor near a particular city, the Google Maps will show up at the top. This will continue to be more and more prevalent as smart phone search becomes more popular.
Google Places is a gold mine for local businesses, and it can be very difficult to understand. It is even harder to master. Fortunately for you, you have found Hit Me SEO, and we can deliver the same great results with your Google + Page. Give us a call today at 240-477-7085, or contact us online, and we will deliver more leads to you.
