Let’s face it, most people go to Google as their first stop for shopping for just about anything, and this especially applies to consumers looking to hire local service professionals. As a result, now small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often succeed or fail based on their ability to get found by customers online. With 98% of people using the Internet to search,1 over two-thirds of searches starting on Google through desktop and smartphones,2 and nearly all of those searchers choosing businesses from the first page of results, it is absolutely critical for an SMB to show up high in the Google listings. Even if you rank well, your competition is ranked right next to you, so it’s about getting found with the right information that is compelling enough to win you a customer.
For those without previous online marketing experience, getting found on Google can seem like a mysterious and overwhelming process. Don’t worry, we distilled the madness into simple steps and will share our favorite tools to make it less stressful.To ensure that businesses are legitimate, Google compares citation information from its own maps database to many Internet yellow pages directories and other websites which are known as ‘citation sites’. Each citation helps Google to verify the accuracy of business information such as Name, Address, and Phone number, commonly referred to as NAP.3 Your profile page listings on Yelp, Superpages, Citysearch, are all common examples of citations. Google also looks at other information such as hours of operation, your website link, business description, license information, etc.
Example case: Your real business name is Main Street Plumbing, and you are listed on 100 different Internet directories (Yelp, Citysearch, YellowPages, SuperPages, Merchant Circle, etc). Let’s assume for some reason some of these directories have your old business information, that originates from your old print yellow pages books or your website.If half of these directories have your business listed as Main St. Plumbing Inc., and in the other half you’re listed as Main Street Plumbing (notice the subtle spelling difference), this is a signal to Google that your business name is 50% reliable. If your competitor, John’s Plumbing, has their information 90% consistent, then Google has a strong signal that their information is more reliable. So in this above example, John’s Plumbing would be listed above you (all else being equal) because businesses that have more reliable and consistent information get higher rank in Google results.
Where should you start? Well, you could go to each site one by one to check the consistency of your business info, but luckily there are tools out there can help make this process much faster and smoother. Our favorite tool is Moz Local.
Source: https://moz.com/local
Next, go into each of the incomplete listings by clicking on the grey shaded bars. It will take you to the ‘Incomplete’ tab, where you can then click Update Listing or Create Listing. For example, if the first listing is for Citysearch.com, clicking on Update Listing will open up a new tab in your browser for the Citysearch website. Here you’ll be able to ‘claim your place page’ and add any additional information (i.e. name and address updates, business categories, pictures, offers, etc) on your business’ Citysearch profile page.
Repeat this step for each incomplete listing. It should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes per site, and will prove to be incredibly valuable for your business.
Source: https://moz.com/local
What type of information is good to add to your profile?
Example business description:
“ABC Roofing has 20 years of experience in roof repair serving the Los Angeles metro area. We specialize in metal, shingle, and tile roof repairs, with a focus on complete re-roofs. We also offer top-notch siding, gutter cleaning, and leak detection services. Our clients love us because of our straight-forward approach, high-quality services, fair pricing, and warranty on all our work. As a result, we have earned top ratings online and with the BBB. Call us today for a free consultation and estimate.”
1. When consumers land on your profile, you will stand out among competitors because you will have complete and better-looking information.
2. The more info you share about your business, with good descriptions and keywords, the more likely Google and other directories are to suggest your business to consumers during their searches. There is a good chance you could rank higher!
Tip: To save some time, open a Google Doc or Word file and save your exact business name, address, phone, pictures, business categories, and business description. When you claim your next profile page, you can refer back and copy/paste from your cheat sheet, and not have to retype the same information. Don’t forget to save your logins and passwords for each directory too.Source: https://moz.com/local
Using the Moz Tool, make sure your citation information (name, address, and phone) is consistent on your directory profiles everywhere.The Moz tool shows you where those duplicate listings are, and has a convenient ‘Fix Duplicate’ button. When you click it, it sends an email to the relevant directory and asks them to merge the listings.
If you’ve never done this for your business before, you may find you have to fix your profile on 10 or more sites. Do not lose faith or get demotivated. Instead, make a simple plan, and whatever you do, keep going. Try claiming and fixing 3 of your profiles each day for a week.
The good news is, most of your competitors will not know these strategies, and so something as simple as the tactics above could be the thing that gets you on the map and gets your phone ringing. If you’ve made it through each of the citation sites, and want more easy steps to grow your business, keep an eye out for our upcoming guides on getting reviews, optimizing your website to rank, and others.Disclaimer: Google is always changing the way it ranks businesses. This guide is based on best practices for ranking as of late 2014 / 2015, as recommended by leading local SEO experts. As these best practices change, we’ll update this guide.Sources