Google Maps information is now frequently showing up at the top of the Google search results page for user searches that include place name keywords. This post explains how to get your business into these Google search results.
Ever do a search on Google and get images, news, YouTube videos or maps at the top of the results? This is thanks to Google Universal Search. The pictures to the left (click to enlarge) show examples of these results.
If you’re a small business owner with a bricks and mortar location, here’s how to get your site into the Google Maps results for searches that include local keywords.
Go to Google Maps Local Business Center and enter your business information (name, address, website, etc.) into the form. Then you will be able to upload photos, videos, select categories, tell customers your payment options, business hours, and more.
How does Google make sure that your location information is accurate? Google will actually mail you out a postcard containing your PIN: your listing will not be activated until you log in again and enter your PIN.
One of the most exciting new features (see the second thumbnail) is the way Google indexes reviews of your business from many different websites. Soon we’ll be talking about social media and ways to turn your most loyal customers into evangelists for your small business.
Did you find this tutorial helpful? Make sure to add our RSS to your reader so you don’t miss future posts.
Have you added your business to Google Local Business Center? Please comment below to let me know the results.
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Every small business owner is an expert. The secret to attracting visitors to your website and building their trust in you is to share your expertise generously online.
What’s your area of expertise? Hotel and restaurant owners know their region’s tourist attractions inside out. Real estate agents have lots of information about relocating to their communities. Printing company owners may be experts on wedding invitations or brochure design. Exterminators know all about preventing and dealing with pest infestations. Professionals like lawyers, accountants, veterinarians, health practitioners and dentists all have answers to people’s questions.
Remember, to be an expert, you do not have to know more than anyone else knows about your topic — you only have to know more than 95% of the general population.
Positioning yourself as an expert is a gradual process, and you must resist the temptation to flog your products and services; instead, take the time to build your credibility. Become a trusted expert and the sales will follow!
Here are five starting steps to leverage your expertise into more visitors to your small business website.
Find out what people want to know.
When your customers, friends, family and neighbors ask your advice, what questions do they ask you? Start brainstorming a list of questions and topics to write about. People type all sorts of questions into search engines too. Do a little keyword research at Google Adwords and WordTracker to find more questions and to find out which questions are the most popular. Come up with a list of five to ten popular questions to get you started.
Add information pages to your website.
Add an information or FAQ section to your business website. For best search engine results, use a separate HTML page to write about each separate topic or question. (I’m going to be talking about how to optimize your site’s pages for search engines next week, so make sure you add our RSS feed to your feed reader or sign up for email updates.)
Start a blog.
Blogs are the single biggest bang for your buck in terms of generating visitors from search engines and links from other sites. If you have the time to write something fresh and on topic at least once a week, blogging is the best way to share your expertise on a topic and build relationships with your customers and potential customers.
How do you get a blog? The best option is to have a web developer integrate a blog as part of your small business website. If you don’t have the budget for this, go to WordPress.com or Blogger.com and sign up for a free hosted blog.
Once you are blogging, take some time to participate in the blogging community by reading related blogs and making informative, focused comments. You’ll be able to get a link to your blog from your comments, which will invite people interested in what you say to come take a look.
Participate on forums.
When people are interested in a topic and have questions, they frequently turn to online communities called forums or bulletin boards. These forums provide a place where people can register to post questions and comments related to their interests. There are forums on every topic: diets, beauty, legal issues, hobbies, travel, you name it. Search Google and identify the most popular forums related to your business.
Forums each develop their own formal and informal rules and guidelines about participants’ behavior. Take the time to read and get to know the tone and rules of the forum before you jump in and participate. You may be allowed to post your business site URL in your signature — check the forum rules and if this is permitted, do it. Take time to post good insights and advice instead of just pushing your products and services; gradually you will become a respected and trusted authority.
Add our RSS to your reader or sign up for free email updates to make sure you don’t miss my follow-up posts on search engine optimization. I’ll show you how to turn the inbound links you will generate by sharing your expertise into higher search engine rankings.
Do you have more ideas about how to share your expertise with people who are looking for information and solutions? Please post in the comments!
Photo credit: Mai Le
Small Business SEO How-To: Keyword Phrases
June 10th, 2008
Welcome to SEO Tuesdays. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of creating a website that enjoys good search engine rankings for the search queries your potential customers are likely to use when searching for products or services your business provides.
Getting good search engine rankings for your site is a longterm project that never really ends, but the results of good SEO are worth it. Statistics suggest that 85% of people who use Google click only on the “organic” search results and completely ignore the paid search listings. Therefore, SEO is worth a significant chunk of your online marketing time and/or budget.
To successfully improve your site’s search engine rankings, you need to understand the four basic steps of good SEO:
- Identifying keyword phrases
- Optimizing your website
- Developing inbound links
- Tracking your results
Today we’re going to cover the basics of identifying keyword phrases to target in your search engine optimization efforts. When people who are looking for your products or services go to Google, what do they type? You need to identify the phrases your customers are likely to be using to search so that you can begin to optimize your site to improve search engine rankings for those phrases. In SEO terms, these are called keyword phrases.
Brainstorm for a few minutes and will have a list of phrases to start you out. Keep these tips in mind:
- Think Laterally: If you sell aboveground pools, in addition to all the pool-related keyword phrases, what about phrases like summer fun, backyard improvements, etc.?
- Go Local: If you have a bricks and mortar location and you primarily serve a limited geographic area, include geographic keywords in your phrases. You have a much better chance of building a good ranking on “Bangor bed and breakfast” than on just “bed and breakfast” and people who are searching for “Bangor bed and breakfast” are ready to make a booking.
- Use Tools: Use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and the free keyword suggestion tool from Wordtracker to find new keyword phrases and get an understanding of the search volume for each phrase.
- Prioritize: Choose no more than a dozen of the best phrases on which to focus your SEO efforts to start. The best phrases will be very specific to your products, services, and possibly geographic area and have a reasonable search volume. Beware of picking phrases that are too general, because while more people may be searching using these phrases, there will be far more competition from other sites for top rankings.
Now what? Put this list in a safe place — you’ll be referring to it over and over again as you optimize your website.
Next week I’ll show you how to start putting these keyword phrases to use in your SEO efforts. We will cover website optimization, followed by inbound links and analytics. Be sure to subscribe if you’re interested in learning more about SEO for small business sites.
Have you been working on search engine optimization for your small business website? Please comment and share your thoughts and results!
Photo credit: cambodia4kidsorg