When setting up your Google Places listing it is important to understand the different ways that Google looks at a company. Whether your company specializes in a local market or sells services nationwide, it is very important to understand the key fundamentals of how to optimize your Google Places listing. By understanding the key factors that the Google looks at when determining how a listing shows in their results, you can ensure you are capturing as much market share as possible.
Claim Your Google Places Listing
The first step in making sure you have a presence in local searches is to claim your listing with Google. You can easily claim your listing by going to
https://www.google.com/places/ and logging in with your Google account. You can choose to verify your listing by either selecting the phone verification or by receiving a postcard with a pin number via email. Phone verification is recommended because it is instant, while the post card can take 2-4 weeks to arrive. Once your listing is verified, simply fill in the requested content. Be as descriptive as possible, but be cautious when using any local terminology. You don’t want to add any keywords to your business name as this can get your listing flagged. Instead focus on using keywords in your description and categories where it makes sense.
Define Your Categories
When you create your Google Places listing, you will need to select up to five categories that fit your business. For example two of Ecreative categories are web design and internet marketing, which clearly shows any one that views our listing that we offer those services. Categories don’t just show potential clients what it is you do, they also show Google what your business does. These categories will be one of the factors that Google uses to decide what searches your listing shows up for. At least one of these categories will need to be from Google’s pre-made list, but the other 4 can be created by you. One thing to keep in mind is to avoid using any local keywords in the categories; this is against best practices and could result in your listing getting flagged.
Citations & NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
One of the biggest factors in determining how your local listing will rank is its citations. A citation is any mention of your name, address, and phone number (NAP) as it appears on a website. It is important to have a consistent NAP across all your listings, including your website. Having the NAP in the footer across all your pages is a great way of keeping your information consistent and present. There are many methods of getting citations. A few easy sites to get listings are online
yellow pages and sites such as
Map Quest. For a list of some other citation sources, check out
this article. Following these basic Google Places fundamentals will help you get the most from your search presence.
