Local / Maps Placement SEO

Loveland - Fort Collins

Google and the other search engines have been trying to make their results more and more relevant to their users’ searches over the years, and one of the features that they added a while back was Google Local, a business directory of sorts that lists businesses next to a map when someone Googles a search like "dentist Loveland". Here is an example:

Google Local results have become very important as people have become accustomed to seeing them in the results. A listing in the local results is never a replacement for a listing in the main, organic listings, but it offers another avenue of exposure for the business's website. Ideally, you want your website to be listed in the pay-per-click listings, the Local/Maps listings, and in the organic listings. With those three hooks in the water, you're sure to get more traffic than if you just had a listing in one of those places.

Optimizing for Google Local is similar in some aspects to optimizing your website for the main search engine results. If I'm a Loveland SEO company for instance, I want to include "Loveland SEO" in my keywords in my Google Local listing. And similarly to how links are important to a website's listings, "citations" are important to getting your Google Local listing prominently placed on the first page. A citation is an instance of your business's name and contact information on other websites. I will try to get as many listings for you on local business directories as you can, and pursue citations wherever you can get a link to your website. Local business citations are more valuable because Google perceives them as more relevant to local users.

I will also bug you to add things to your local profile, chiefly testimonials. These aren't things that you can add on your own, but you can ask your patients/clients/customers to go to your Google Local profile and give you an endorsement. The more positive endorsements that you have, the better your Local listing will show up.

For help in setting up your Google Local profile, please give me a call or shoot me an email today.