Google Places - local business search
Google is moving much more to local based search results and is now blending Local Business Places (previously Maps)search results with Natural search results and the distinction is now blurred but no business should miss out on perhaps the most effective measure they can take to become visible on local searches.
The best single SEO step for a business - Google Places for Business
You may have noticed Google is including some extra search results within their listings. One of these is the Google Places listing and is intended to provide a list of local businesses relevant to your search.
When it first appeared in 2010 it looked like this - with a map on the left and up to seven short listings next to it then natural listings carried on below. It was quite obvious what you were looking at...
But things have quickly changed. Now it is much less obvious as the Places listings look much more like a Natural listing and are mixed in with them.
The map has been moved to right hand side which floats down as users scroll down.
The Places results use a format similar to the Natural listings including Title and Snippet from the company's website plus Contact information from the Places listing.
This represents the shift towards search results going more local with richer and informative presentation.
Google Maps is part of Google Local Business Centre Search and is completely free to all business owners. It is separate from your website but now relates to your website implying that you should have a good Places listing and an optimised website to get the best out of local searches.
A good Places listing is probably the quickest, easiest and most effective (SEO) step you can take to get your business to appear in local business searches.
Search for "google places for business" and sign up (or if you already have a google account you find access to it in there), fill in as many details as you can - there will be a verification so google knows you are the business owner (the fastest option is an immediate automated phone call to the business phone number that will provide you with a PIN number to input while you are completing the entry - so you have to do it, not your web designer). Once completed your entry should start appearing the next day.
Posted 1 December 2010
Regards
Michael Spencer,
michael@epsilis.co.uk
Epsilis - Web Designers and Search Engine Optimisation Specialists
47 Farthing Drive
Letchworth Garden City
Hertfordshire (Herts)
SG6 2TR
UK
Articles on various aspect of search engine optimisation: -
Making the most of SEO using your website CMS system - Is your Website or Webshop Content Management System Search Engine Friendly? Do you know how to make the most of using it for search engine optimisation or is that something you think is being done automatically for you by the software? If you are just updating your web site and are not thinking about SEO you are missing out on opportunities to get better search rankings for your website.
Google Places - local business search - Google is moving much more to local based search results and is now blending Local Business Places (previously Maps)search results with Natural search results and the distinction is now blurred but no business should miss out on perhaps the most effective measure they can take to become visible on local searches.
Google releases updated version of their SEO starter guide - Google provides general guidance for site owners on getting the best rankings for their websites - they do not give away any of their secrets and most of what they say is not a surprise. However this new Google Search Engine Optimisation Starter Guide provides a very nice guide to best practices for increasing the effectiveness of your web site with people and search engines.
Tips to Help Search Engine Ranking For New Websites - Google's algorithms are designed to prevent new websites from surging straight to the top of the engine rankings. This is commonly referred to as "sandboxing". So what can new site owners do to minimise this problem?
SEO for Ecommerce Websites and Web Shops - Search Engine Optimisation for ecommerce sites is always a challenge. It is likely that your ecommerce content management software may not be helping much and your other main problem is probably that you are selling the same products as a bunch of other online shops.
Standing out in the Crowd - Optimising website content - Everyone is interested in Search Engine Optimisation for their website these days. It is therefore becoming much harder to get sites to the top of the rankings. So how do you get your website on to page 1 of Google?
Is SEO all Smoke and Mirrors?... You hear so many tales of bad experiences with SEO and so many companies pestering you regularly offering Search Engine Optimisation of one sort or another and - how do you tell who you can trust?
Search Rankings and Google Tools - Google provides a number of useful tools to help you get better search rankings. You should know about these if you are interested in marketing your website more effectively.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Marketing (SEM) Glossary - commonly used phrases explained.
Good or Bad Search Engine Optimisation - How to tell the good from the bad SEO? Offers and promises that seem "to good to be true". The problem for most site owners is that they just do not know what are valid SEO techniques and what are not, so I will try to explain how to spot the good from the bad when you see it.
SEO and Web Page Design.... an overview of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and relevance to Web Page Design
Beginners guide to Search Engine Optimisation - If you want to know a little more about the basic techniques of ethical search engine optimisation
Link Popularity and Link Building Suggestions - Some search engines use Link Popularity as a significant ranking tool so obtaining good quality relevant links to your website can give your site a boost in the search engines