Local SEO & Google Maps
Ah yes, the coveted arena. We’ve all seen the stats at how people are searching more and more before they buy. The beauty of it all is that when your local customers are searching for a product/service that you provide, they’re in buy mode. When that search is conducted with what is referred to as a “local modifier” (they put in a location name like their city or zip), Google – and other search engines – return some results on Google Maps. These are specifically called: Local Results.
How do you show up for local results?
If you’re familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), then I’d like to introduce you to Local SEO. Local SEO is the art & science of showing up on Google Maps. The more of your competition that is aware, the more difficult it becomes of course. However, the concepts and strategies are still fairly new and it’s usually not too difficult to see positive results in less than a month or 2.
Local Search Ranking Factors
Fortunately, the experts in Local SEO are generous. Every year they take a survey to rank what signals you have on the Internet and how they compare in importance. This pie chart highlights all of the major factors that will affect how your business is shown on Google Maps and any other local search engine result. They range from your Google Business Listing, Internet Yellow Pages (IYP), to your own business website.
There’s a mountain of resources out there to learn how to increase your search engine ranking.
Contact us and we’ll point you in the right direction.