Loading ...Every business knows that it’s important to have a many-pronged approach to internet marketing. It’s just as important to have a many-pronged approach to your site’s SEO. If you have any locality factors, one of the prongs on your SEO campaign should definitely be Google Local.
Google Local is the service the search engine giant introduced a while ago for indexing local business. It pops up in a number of spots across Google, most prominently on Google Maps whenever a search is performed, and sometimes at the top of the listings if a locality is mentioned. The prominence of Google Local results for certain types of searches makes a top listing incredibly valuable for marketing purposes.
Why you want to be local
The advantages of appearing in a local search function are obvious when you’re a small business, but there are advantages for big businesses as well. Aside from the obvious advantages of appearing in highly relevant searches for your business, there’s the internet marketing factor. Appearing in Google Local simply gives your site a lot more coverage than not appearing.
There are major SEO advantages to appearing in Google Local results, as well. Having one or more Google Local listings can give your search engine optimization campaign a bit of a boost. Of even more benefit is the review function, which allows your customers to post a review of your business, adding yet another reference to your company and your site. Talk to us at SEO Consult Australia if you’re considering setting up a listing for your company.
How to be local
Although Google Local is obviously meant for local businesses, it’s possible for almost any business to get themselves on it. All you need is a little creative thinking, plus a valid physical location and postcode to set up the listing.
For example, say you’re a computer services company with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and London. Your operations aren’t limited to your physical reach, and therefore you market all over the world. You’re evidently an international business and may feel you’re disqualified from Google Local, but you’re not. Using your four office addresses, you can campaign to get yourself listed in Google Local results at least four times, ensuring that every time someone searches your industry in four of the world’s major cities, your company is there.
Obtaining these four Google Local listings might not seem like a big advantage, but it doesn’t take that much hard work either. For a little work, you not only arrange for your site to appear in the highlighted listings for those cities, you open up the opportunity for reviews and other internet coverage, which boosts your off-page SEO.
Keeping local
Once your business is featured on Google Local, it’s important to keep tabs on your listing. While the review function can be a boon for your SEO plan, it can be a bane for your reputation management. Competitors can easily post bad reviews, and it’s vital to squash them whenever they appear.
Related posts:
- Common issues with the Google Local Business Centre
- Using Google Places
- Two things to refrain from when optimising your website for local search
- Google carries out changes to algorithm used in local search
- Changes to Google local business guidelines
Tags: internet marketing, Reputation Management, Search Engine Optimisation, SEO, SEO campaign
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