Every business operates in a very competitive marketplace. This is especially true for small businesses that vie for a piece of the digital pie and want to gain the attention of a wider audience. Creating a solid presence in the online space is about ensuring that all of your business related information is easily accessible to local customers that are looking for the products and services you offer. Here are a few crucial must-dos for your Google My Business account:
1. Business Listing
Getting ranked higher in Google Places boils down to Google verifying whether or not your business is real. It determines this by how often your business address, name, and phone number is listed on the internet. It is similar to how backlinks act for SEO. The more you have the better your ranking will be. Submitting your business to local or national business directories is the easiest method to get listed.
2. NAP Consistency on Local Directories
Make it a point to maintain consistency in your NAP (Name Address Phone Number) information on all local directories. It is also important to make sure that the information is updated. If the NAP on various directories is different, it will confuse Google website crawlers which will impact your rankings. Hire the help of professionals that will provide citations report services and will ensure that all information is updated regularly.
3. Website NAP
It is important to maintain consistency in your NAP information. List your business information on your website. Many companies provide these details in the header or footer of the website, however, it is also fine to list everything on the contact page, just as long as it’s easily found.
4. Embed Your Google Map
It is good to have your Google Places listing embedded on the contact page. This way Google can make sure that you are located at the place that you have listed as your address. This is an easy process that you can complete yourself or hire a professional to handle the task for you.
5. Encourage Customer Reviews
Google favors websites with 20 or more online reviews. This means that the more reviews your website has the higher your ranking. Encourage customers who have used your products, to write reviews for your business. This provides the searcher, with the most relevant results when looking for businesses.
6. Evaluate Your Rankings
If you have made all of the changes mentioned above and still feel that your rankings aren’t as high as you want them to be, you need to focus on getting more business citations. Check where your competitors are ranking higher than you. Determine whether your business shows up on those directories and if it doesn’t, ensure you post your details there.
While there are a number of things you can do to improve your Google rankings, it is a good idea to enlist the help of digital marketing professionals to handle these tasks to ensure all of your bases are covered, and done correctly. You can contact Your Social Strategy via our online form with any questions you may have. We’re here to help.