Google creates business pages for known local businesses in Google My Business. If your business isn’t showing up in local searches, then you may need to update your information on Google My Business. Recently, Google came out with information about how they rank businesses for local searches, and ways to improve your chances that your business will rank in that search. They identifies 5 Key Tasks that every business should complete to improve their rankings. Keep reading to learn more about what your company can do to rank higher on local business searches.
5 Key Tasks
1) Enter complete data about your business, and keep information up-to-date. Since local results try to match relevant businesses to the search, it is more likely for your company to match the search if all your business information is entered into Google My Business. Make sure that it lists your address, phone number, hours, and what type of business you do. For example if you want your company to show up in results for a local bakery, then make sure that your Google My Business listing shows that you are a local bakery.
2) Verify the locations of your business. Go through the steps to verify your business locations so that they show up in searches and on Google Maps. If there is already a page created for your business verify that the information is correct. Create a Google My Business page for your business if one does not already exist.
3) Keep your business hours accurate and up-to-date. Be sure to note any changes for holidays or special events. Make sure that you have the correct hours listed so that people can have confidence that your business will be open if they take the time to visit.
4) Manage reviews about your business by responding to them. Interacting with your customers shows that you care about their feedback. Respond to comments, and encourage customers to leave reviews. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely new customers will try your services.
5) Add current photos. Photos do a wonderful job showing what your company does. Pictures of products demonstrate that customers have found what they are looking for and are more likely to actually visit your business in person.
How Google Determines Rankings
Google takes into consideration three main factors to determine the local rankings. Using relevance, distance, and prominence helps match the search criteria to the most likely businesses.
- Relevance. This means how well your business matches to what the person is searching for. For example, if a person is searching for a sport equipment store, the results will display businesses that sell sports equipment. Make sure your Google My Business listing accurately shows what your business does, so that it shows up in searches looking for businesses like yours.
- Distance. Businesses closer to where the person is searching will show higher on the ranking. Make sure your listing shows where you are located so that searches in your area will bring up your company.
- Prominence. This is how well known a business is. For example, more popular or famous locations will rank higher in the results. Google also takes into consideration like links, articles, and directories. Positive reviews will improve your ranking as well as SEO best practices that improve your web results. By improving your presence on the web, you will also improve your local search rankings.
Taking a few minutes to update your Google My Business listing can make a big difference in your local rankings. Make a plan to update your information regularly, and make it easy for happy customers to leave a review.
We offer services to handle this for those that would prefer a more optimized approach. Email us today and we’ll put a plan together for you.
