Local Online Advertising. Add Your Business Today!
You might have noticed that when you search Google for a product or service, and you include a specific city in your local search, near the top of the results you sometimes see a map and up to ten (10) local business listings (name, web address, phone number, reviews, etc.). These listings are local results and Google gives the following explanation for how they are ranked: “All Google search results are based primarily on relevance, and Google Maps listings are no different. Google Maps ranks business listings based on their relevance to the search terms entered, along with geographic distance (where indicated) and other factors.”
Of the many useful tools Google offers free of charge, Google Maps and Google Local Business Center can extend local marketing strategies without taking a dime from your budget. These free listings are, if set up correctly, quick and efficient passports to establishing – or further expanding – your company’s presence in the search engine stratosphere.
These tools are essentially modern phonebooks, and with millions of people conducting daily searches on Google, companies can ill-afford to not be listed in these modern-day yellow pages. And launching your account requires only an easy five-minute procedure that will subtract hours of stress from your business marketing duties. If you do business locally, check to make sure your business is in Google Local. If it’s not, take time now to add it.
Step one: Fill out location and contact information, then add your company’s URL and a brief description of your offered products and/or services. For help on composing your description, see our recent article on search engine writing tips.
Step two: Select up to five relevant business categories that relate to your company (i.e. Internet Marketing Service, Web Designer, Advertising Agency). Fill in your business days and hours, as well as payment options. Then upload any company photos or videos, submit and that’s it!
It should be noted that the categories you select can hold immense weight in how Google lists your company in the Local Business Center, even more so than your title and description. Thus you will want to pay close attention to how and where Google places your listing once posted (which generally takes several weeks to appear.)
Frustration from misplaced, or at least undesired placement, is well documented. If you find your company isn’t listed for a targeted phrase (SEO Firm Des Moines), it may be necessary for you to edit your categories (another several week waiting period must be endured before Google acknowledges the changes). Companies that have difficulty deciding which categories best reflect their products or services might elect to leave the categories blank, in which case Google is forced to use your titles and company description to define your company. (Note that not all searches produce local results.)
The photo and video uploading features provide another opportunity to connect with searchers. You can upload as many as 10 photos, which might include products, images of your building, or even in-house company photos. Uploading videos provides another medium for any video recorded commercials or company videos you have available.
One more benefit of the Local Business Center is generating coupons, which customers can print off for use at one of your business locations. Unfortunately, this is one element of your LBC listing that cannot be modified online, as Google is dedicated to protecting every online listing (you wouldn’t want a competitor offering free products from your store, would you?) Therefore, you can develop your coupons by either calling Google’s toll-free number, or electing to fill out the postcard Google sends to your company – this can take 2-4 weeks.
