Many factors go into how your business ranks on Google and how successful you will be in the local search rankings. In this blog post, I will list tips and advice that you can follow to help improve your local ranking on Google so that your product and services are seen by local businesses and customers.
What is a Google My Business listing?
It’s a free tool to help you promote your business and website on Google search and maps.
To claim your business page, you need to prove the business is yours. You can verify over the phone, or by text, or by receiving a postcard.
Your Google My Business page will need the following information:
- Business name
- Business category
- Phone number and address
- Website link
- Reviews
Local search results and google maps
When customers google’s a business type near their location, they’ll see all the nearest businesses listed on Google Search and Google Maps, and they’ll be able to see the latest reviews, prices and opening hours. This is another reason why Google My Business is vital for local businesses, so your customers can find you.
Create Your Google My Business Page
- login to your Google Account (If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one)
- Enter your business address and details
- Select a business category.
- Add a phone number and website link
- Verify the business over the phone, or by text, or by receiving a postcard.
Publish posts about promotions and events on your Google My Business listing
Publishing posts on your page is a great way to get the word out about promotions and events and improve your Google local ranking and local SEO. Publishing these posts will show up in searches for relevant keywords and phrases that relate to what you’re offering. Keep it updated with new offers, so people have an incentive to keep coming back!
Add Business Citations
What are business citations in Google My business?
Business citations are a way for your local business to show up in local searches on Google. Adding citations for your business to credible directories will help you rank higher in local Google search results.
Most citations are found in online business directories, but other sources provide these services.
Websites like Yelp, Yell and Facebook are perfect for business Citations, and you’ll be able to add your businesses details for free. Plus, any local businesses can be referred back to your site as well, so it’s suitable for traffic and your search ranking.
There’s an extensive list of citations websites here
Get Some Google reviews.
Reviews are a massive factor in how your company ranks on Google. A user is more likely to click on the first few search results than scroll down the page, so having reviews will help increase how often people find you and trust what they’re reading!
If you have any happy customers who have paid for products and services and would be willing to write an honest review of your company, give them an incentive to do so. This could be giving a discount on their next visit, or offering another type of reward that would make it worthwhile for the customer!
Alternatively, you can ask them for a review of how your business operates before they leave. This is a great way to get reviews without the customer even realising!
Is your website up to scratch?
Your Google my business page listing will push more traffic to your website, so it’s worth making sure it’s up to scratch.
Your business website needs to:
- Speak directly to your customers, address concerns
- Look professional
- Clear calls to action
- Case studies and testimonials
- Fast loading
- Mobile responsive
- Easy to navigate
If you don’t know how to do any of the above, we offer a free website audit, designed to weed out the issues and get your websites working for you.
