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Local Search Marketing is becoming more and more important to online businesses these days. It’s also the fastest growing search option at the moment and so it’s important that your company is ranking well for localised searches.
An important place to start is Google Maps.
Setting up an account is free and easy and can be done at the Google Local Business Center using your Google account login.
Once logged in simply click on the “Add new listing” and complete the relevant fields. But completing these fields correctly can be the difference between a successful listing and never being found.
Here are a few steps to consider when creating your listing:
Company Title: Look to use your business name and a primary key term that may be searched for. This isn’t always possible but including a key term may help people find you. For example, if you’re a solicitors firm called “John Smith Solicitors” then including your specialised field could result in a Title of “John Smith – Injury Claims Solicitors” to give you better coverage.
Company Address: It is highly important that you enter the complete address of your company. There are a large number of listings within Google Maps that display the approximate location. It is also important that you don’t use abbreviations such as St. or Rd. instead of Street and Road.
If the location Google gives you on the map isn’t correct you can always amend this by clicking on the “Fix incorrect marker location” link directly below the displayed map.
Your Website: It may sound obvious but be sure you include your site’s URL in the website field. You would be surprised at the number of listings that don’t include this information. As you are looking to drive traffic to your site, missing out this information would be disastrous.
Your Phone Numbers: Make sure you enter all relevant phone numbers for your business. You are able to add as many numbers as you need to. If you have different phone numbers for different services or departments, enter them. Give the search engines and potential customers as much help and information as you can.
Email Address: Again a field that is sometimes totally overlooked. This email address should be the initial point of contact address, for example “enquiries@domainname.co.uk”.
Company Description: You want to give the search engines and potential customers as much information as you can so be sure to fill in this field. This also gives you the chance to include key terms that are relevant to the business. You are limited to 200 characters, so make your description to the point and gives a good overview of the company and the services you provide or specialise in.
Choosing your Category: Entering the most appropriate category is vital. You are able to enter up to five categories but choose them wisely. As you enter your category you may be offered some suggestions by Google. If you feel that these suggestions aren’t relevant, enter your own. You are able to change these categories at a later date.
Additional Information: You are also able to enter additional information about your business. Office or opening hours can be added to help give potential customer more information. Images and photos will also help enhance your listing.
Payment Options, videos and any other additional information you may have like special offer or sales can also be added and updated.
We hope you found this post useful. If you need help raising your site’s profile in your locality, be sure to review our local search engine marketing service.