Marketing with Malina: Why Local Results Matter
Posted: January 04, 2019 Author: Editorial Team
Mike Malina is the Marketing Guru at ECP. Check the Meaningful Marketing blog topics for ideas from Mike’s desk on how to expand your lead potential through marketing.
Local Search Results REALLY Matter.
Here’s Why:
Your competition is definitely optimizing for local search. If you aren’t you are missing the boat. The stats prove that no matter what device people are using, they are looking for local services and Google serves this data up in a way that makes it easy for people to find them. People rely on Google Maps, Google My Business data, and the Google 3-pack to find what they need locally.
Did you know that there are specific things you can do to help your position in Google Local search results?
Moz.com is a well trusted resource for marketers for data and research related to marketing. They put together data regarding local search and what “signals” Google uses to rank you locally. You can look at the complete list here: https://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors. Let’s focus on some of the big ones:
- Google My Business – The number one factor for your local listing is your Google Business listing. It’s not just important to have one. It’s important to verify it and complete as much information as possible. It’s also very important that the information in your listing matches the information on your website. Make sure you don’t have a listing prior to creating one. Duplicates can be a bad thing, if you need help finding and claiming your listing let me know.
- Links – Inbound links from reliable sources are the number two factor for your local listings. This is another reason we write Featured Job Friday articles! We want to get you some inbound links, so send us your stories and photos.
- Reviews – It’s a love / hate relationship for most of us when it comes to reviews. Knowing what reviews you have out there and responding to them is key. It’s important to be aware of your online reputation. If you have a great client, ask them to write you a review and tell them exactly where to go on Google to make their life a little easier.
- Local listings (citations) – You want your information online to be consistent. By claiming local listings and making sure they all match the data on your website for your name, address, phone and url can really give you a boost. Listings can include Whitepages, Yellowpages, Yelp, the BBB and more.
Need help with your local search results? Give me a call at 866-327-0007.
