How to Rank Well in Local Search

Constant changes can be expected from SEO standards, especially with the continuous improvements implemented by search engine giants like Google make to help improve their service to users. From algorithm changes to the growing importance of social signals, encrypted searches, and other SEO tweaks, search marketers and website administrators have a lot to keep up with.

While search engines do provide general guidelines to help websites maintain best practices, it is hard to figure out where to start to pull up rankings and get the results that you want, especially when shooting for good local SEO results. If it is local SEO you are most concerned about, your Google Places page is the best place to start. This Google leg lists down hundreds of thousands of local businesses across the globe, helping searchers and consumers make more informed decisions when it comes to their purchases and service subscriptions. As consumers search for specific search terms, Google place pages that are relevant to the search query appear in the results. If you wish to maximize the use of local SEO for your website, there are ways by which you can ensure the effectiveness of your local SEO efforts:

  • Verify your page – The first step to gaining control of your Google Places listing is to claim your business page. Once you have made your location page, make sure to verify the listing and make additional improvements.
  • Make efficient category associations – Once you get Google to verify your page, you also get the opportunity to make business category associations. Google Places will provide you with as many as 10 categories (1 primary and nine other relevant categories) to which your business can be associated during searches.
  • Be consistent with your business information – Make sure your contact details (name, address, phone number, etc.) are consistent in all web pages and links that contain them to avoid discrepancies.

Encourage people to make reviews about your business – The reviews you receive also play a part in your overall search optimization success.