Google Announces Google Places
Written by Nathaniel Deal
Google has announced that it would be changing the name of the "Local Business Center" to "Google Places".
The change came about when Google realized that people were searching the web for places in the real world and not businesses.
The new "Google Places" directory also comes with a great deal of Google changes. In fact these changes are changing my life as we speak.
Google plans to add new features to simplify business interaction with its potential customers.
Here are some of the new features:
1. Service Areas: A business will be able to show which service areas they provide services to on a geographical map. And if you run a business without a storefront or office location, you will have the option to make your address private.
2. Highlighted Ads - For $25 month Google will give a business the option to have their listing highlighted to stand out above the competition. This option is already available to Austin, Atlanta and Washington and will available to other major cities very soon.
3. Request A Photo Shoot - Businesses in select cities can request Google to come to their storefront and take a photo for the directory. How cool is that?
4. QR Codes - If you haven't heard about QR codes than you should get more info on them, because they will soon be a major player in commercial branding across the world. QR codes are the funny little square bar-codes that you see on your products at home. You can scan these codes with your smart phone to see more info about products online. Now Google will allow you to advertise your business in one tiny square box. QR codes can be printed on your business cards or other printed advertisements and your customer can scan it and go directly to a mobile version of your Google Place page for directions, store info, photos, etc.
These new additions to Google Places will be crucial to any business that wants to stay ahead of the competition, so be on the lookout.
How To Rank Higher In Local Directories
Written by Nathaniel Deal
I've had a lot of success with getting my local clients into the top 3 of the Google, Yahoo & Bing Local Business results. After several months of testing I've come up with a list of Top SEO factors that will get a site listed high within these results.
Some of the major factors are:
1) Submitting the local business to three major local business directories Google, Yahoo & Bing. After-wards you have to verify your local listings with a phone call to the registered business.
Important - When you submit the business to make sure you include your targeted keywords into the category section. But omit any geographical data like city or state.
2) The stores phone number and address should be placed on your site as much as possible. The repetition and location of your phone number will boost your position a lot. Your phone number should be located in the header and should have a special formatting such as a header tag or a bold. You can also list the address in header if possible.
3) Store policies, fAQ's and customer service pages. Real businesses should have these things on their pages and search engines use this information to determine validity. The more offline info you put on your site the higher your LBR "Local Business Ranking" is.
Actually, there are lots of factors that effect your ranking in local directory results. And I'm in the middle of writing an E-Book to show my proven methods of getting a local site into the top 3.
So stay Tuned!
How To Find Local Business Directories
Written by Nathaniel Deal
Local business directories are a great way for you to spread the word about your services and products.
In order to get the most out of your business on the internet you must be in as many places as possible.
Always remember your customers are looking for you in all sorts of directories, search engines and social media sites.
So here's how you do it.
Do a Google search about your business' main product or service and include your city and state. I.E. Car Wash Atlanta, GA.
This will show you 3 things.
One, your position on Google for a major keyword. Are you on the first page? Are you in the local results beside the Google Map? Are you on the 1st page of the organic listings?
Two, the competition in that city. Your competition can reveal a lot of important information to help your online business, but this is another topic.
And three, the local directories that contain relevant categories for your business. Filter through the 1st 5 pages of the search engine results to identify potential directories.
You will see directories from Superpages, Yahoo Local, City Search, Manta etc. These are global directories and most of them are Free!
So take advantage by clicking on the links and submitting your business. If you find your business is already included in a directory, claim it and enter as much infomation about your business as possible.
Pay attention to the regional specific directories. Because these are super important. Local residents and search engines visit these sites daily to find your business information.
If you are asked to pay a yearly fee to join, do it. I wouldn't pay more than 25 bucks, and the return on investment should take care of the fees.
Recap: Find local directories, submit or claim your business, enter as much information as possible. Don't get lazy on this, your hard work will pay off in the end.
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