I have talked a lot about optimizing your website for search engine optimization also known as SEO but one thing that can be equally important is Google Places and other local search results. This is especially true to those businesses who?s target audience is local. With the internet most businesses have a target audience that expands well beyond their local zip code however there is always a lot of business in your own backyard. As a Phoenix web design company we have many clients outside of Phoenix but the majority of our clients are still from our own back yard. Whether you are a restaurant, retailer or run your business only online you will benefit big time by optimizing your Google Places. I am not writing this blog on why but rather on how. Let?s take a look at a few tips and tricks that will help you optimize your Google Places page.
- Verify Your Listing ? In order to get your Google Place page on Google?s SERP you must verify your business. There are many ways to verify your listing whether it be through SMS, Phone call, snail mail, etc. If you have not done this yet this should be the next thing you do besides it doesn?t look good when there is the message on your listing that says, ?Are you the owner? Please verify your business?
- Citations ? So just how does Google decide who should rank on Google Places? It searches for your address and phone numbers on other websites and based upon that decides the relevancy of your business on Google places. This is why it is so important to submit your business to other directories etc. Sending out press releases is also a great way to accomplish this.
- Local Phone Number Only ? You may have an 800 number or numbers from other area codes but you will want to use your local business phone number for Google Places. In order to score high rankings in Google you will want to use a local number that is consistent with your business zip code. HireAWiz for example because we are a Phoenix web design team we would want to use a 602, 623, or 480 number.
- Phone Number and Address ? You will want to place the same phone number and address on your website. It looks good when Google sees that your Google Places address and phone number is consistent with the phone number and address on your website.