Four Ways to get a higher Google Local listing

When I started JoElla Marketing, I envisioned that it would be a hub for business owners to get all-round assistance for their business' needs. I wanted to surround myself with great people and businesses who were keen to disseminate their knowledge and goodwill with guest BLOGs.I have pleasure to introduce you to James Richardson, Director at Optimising, who has written this post on increasing your SEO in Google.Enjoy and please email me at megan [at] joella.com.au if you have a marketing or business topic you would like to learn more about.Four Ways to get a higher Google Local listingGoogle is constantly keeping SEO strategists on their toes! The search engine giant’s latest trend is about putting prominence on local businesses in their search results, as they believe “local” is likely to be the most relevant result to what the user is searching for.So what can you do about the local trend? How can you capitalise?Google Local listings are these days much more important than a Yellow Pages listing and much cheaper, so it’s worth spending time to get it right.Google PlacesIt can be tempting to make strategic adjustments to your business name to include extra keywords. However, in recent months Google has clamped down on this, so ensure you list your real business name, with minimal additional keywords.Real business name – “Jake Hall & Sons Plumbers”Google Places listing name – “Jake Hall & Sons Plumbers”Don’t use “Melbourne Plumbers Jake Hall & Sons | Plumbing Services”Ensure your business information is spot onIn its effort to present the most relevant information to users, Google is obsessed with accuracy. Within your Google Places listing, ensure the following business information is filled out completely: business address, email, fax number, telephone number and website.Some other things to note:

• Always use a local phone number, never your 1300 or 1800 number
• Never use a PO Box address or you will have your listing removed
• For your website URL, point this to your contact page which already contains all of the corresponding details in your listing.

Get your business categories rightGoogle allows you to select up to five categories that your business falls under. You can either select the Google suggested categories or, if none are appropriate, you can list your own.The best strategy here is to choose two of the Google suggested options, even if not exactly right, and then choose the remaining three as your own. But, the most important thing is to ensure you choose and list the maximum five categories.Stand out from the crowdGoogle gives you 200 characters to explain exactly what your business does. Make best use of this opportunity and use your business description to showcase why you are better from your competition so the user wants to look at your page.Get more reviewsReviews and testimonials are always important both online and offline. Google Places is no different. Google uses reviews of your business as a factor in determining how trustworthy your business is and where it will rank you in the Google Places listings.Encourage your clients to spend a few minutes leaving a review for your services on your Google Places page, it will help your ranking and help you convert more of your search results into potential customers.Google Places is a great tool for getting more targeted, local customers. As Google Places is geographically targeted content, the listings tend to also be more relevant for users and, therefore, convert at a much higher rate. So ensure you utilise this important SEO tool and not only claim your Google Places listing today, but fill in accurately and smartly.James Richardson is a Director of Optimising, a Melbourne SEO & PPC company.Optimising ambitious, talented, and passionate about providing clients with fresh, innovative online marketing techniques.