Promoting your Business with Google
| Local business results for counselor near Eugene, OR | |
 |
Direction Service Counseling Center www.directionservice.org - (541) 344-7303 - More Looking Glass Counseling Program www.lookingglass.us - (541) 484-4428 - More PeaceHealth Medical Group www.peacehealth.org - (541) 687-6096 - 1 review Marc Zola, LMFT & LPC www.eugenetherapy.com - (541) 543-3262 - More Fleischman Matthew Phd www.attentionlearning.com - (541) 343-9221 - More Center For Community Counseling www.ccceugene.org - (541) 344-0620 - More Cornerstone Counseling maps.google.com - (541) 686-8899 - 2 reviews More results near Eugene, OR |
One of the more difficult concepts to come to terms with for local businesses in recent times has been the addition of Google's Local Business Results, often referred to as the Google 10 Pack. This seemingly innocent feature has business owners confused and frustrated more often than not.
Too often, much of the advice that comes in the way of local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) guidance is simply a collection of best guesses, anecdotal advice and other specifics based on a limited sampling of observations. We're advised to implement unqualified solutions such as, "Add a coupon" or "Upload as many photos as possible" to increase our chances at a better listing. Ultimately, these recommendations fall short and leave both business owners and SEO implementers even more confused and frustrated than before.
If you follow the advice contained within this document and are patient and don't fanatically change your listing information every other day, your listing will end up performing well. It might even make the top ten. If you expect to have magical, instant results, are on a deadline and can't even wait the 2-3 weeks for Google's business verification postcard to arrive, then this guide is not for you. They even arrive without postage due. How can you beat a free service that does all that?
Timeline for Implementation
All too frequently, we're on the lookout for a "quick fix" when it comes to implementing SEO. We get impatient when Google doesn't notify us about the status of the next expected PageRank export, or when they don't update their information on us on the same day (or even the same hour) as we make our changes. The catch is, we're not just working with Google when it comes to Local Directory Submissions.
Some of the players in the information game include InfoUSA, SuperPages, Kudzu, Yelp and a host of various and other companies that make it their business to share their data on us. Google likes these players, and considers them of paramount importance in providing accurate and realistic location-based data. Yet these are the players that don't necessarily update their information on us on a regular basis. Waiting two to three months to have your information pushed out to Google is not an uncommon experience.
And then there's the Google Places, formerly know as the Google Local Business Center.
| Local business results for physical therapy near Eugene, OR | |
 |
Sacred Heart Medical Center www.shmc.org - (541) 686-7300 - 8 reviews Downtown Physical Therapy www.downtownac.com - (541) 484-4011 - 7 reviews Bodywise Physical Therapy Inc www.becomebodywise.net - (541) 484-0693 - 1 review Gateway Physical Therapy www.therapeuticassociates.com - (541) 484-9632 - More Therapeutic Associates www.courtsportseugene.com - (541) 687-2255 - 5 reviews Physical Therapy Services maps.google.com - (541) 345-7532 - 1 review Pelvic Wellness Center www.pelvicwellnesscenter.com - (541) 515-6215 - More More results near Eugene, OR |
Don't Get Impatient
Anyone with enough time under their belt who has tried to wrestle with the mythical forces of nature at work in the LBC can attest to this. The perception, while actually inaccurate, is that the interface is clumsy and the program is more buggy than the early versions of Microsoft Windows. In reality, the LBC is an interface to merely one facet of information that makes up Google's collective pool of location-based data. While we'll delve into the specifics further on in this document, the gist of the matter is that location based information moves at a different pace than the standard information Google provides. Think glacier instead of dolphin in terms of speed. If we get impatient and make too many changes to our information too quickly, we'll merely make things worse. And as you might expect, local businesses live and die by accurate information.
Don't Get Lazy
In The Consultant's Manual, Thomas Greenbaum describes the dilemma that happens when businesses approach advertising and promotion as, "… there is a feeling that once a brochure has been developed, the marketing job is over." While written before the popular dawn of the Internet, Greenbaum was right on the mark. If we're not careful, the same fate will befall us if we become complacent. SEO is an on-going practice that should be reviewed on a regular basis.
Adding or Editing a Business
This is where most of the magic tends to happen. If you haven't yet been there, go ahead and take a look around the Local Business Center. Set up a Google Account if you need one, and start filling out a new entry. We'll highlight some of the more important parts to consider using a fictitious entry, "Al's Bee & Cactus Emporium".Company/Organization
Obviously, you need a business name. What's critical is to be consistent and to avoid plugging keywords into your business name, something that Google strongly dislikes and will penalize you for if discovered or reported by another person. Remember, business names are not web page titles. They should accurately reflect the name that you operate your business under. This is a little like the honor principal; Google trusts you to be honest, however they won't hesitate to ban your listing if discovered. No need for bad karma to accumulate, so let's choose something useful. While it's true that keywords in a business title are of significant benefit, this is an issue that should be taken care of before you choose a business name to legally operate under.- Good business name: Al's Bee & Cactus Emporium
- "Spammy" business name: All your buzzing and prickling needs - Al's Bee & Cactus Emporium
Street Address
You need a street address. If you work or operate in a suite, make sure to list that as well, especially if other people of the same business type work in your building. What if you don't have a physical location, or operate out of your home? For now, service locations are not a part of the LBC, so you'll need to adopt a PO Box or UPS Mail Drop box. Regardless of your situation, the most important and often overlooked issue when dealing with a business is that of one's business address versus your map address (geographic proximity). Two businesses can have different business addresses yet share the same map address. Often, this is the case with PO Boxes and UPS Mail Drops and, potentially, with office suites located in the same building. Historically, this has occasionally caused unexpected merges with other businesses when they share other details in addition to an address, such as a business category. Unfortunately, for now the best solution for anyone without a physical address is to use a PO Box or UPS Mail Drop.The other issue to be aware of is that of prior use. If you operate another business out of the same address, you're going to risk having your information merged, especially if they are of the same business category. This will become less of an issue over time, but for now it's best to avoid it. If the address you plan to use has already been used with one of your other businesses, you're better off securing a virtual mailing address.
- Good: You have a physical address with no suites, building number or other dividing measures.
- OK: Your office is in a suite, or uses a PO Box.
- Questionable: You own three unrelated companies using the same PO Box number.
- Problematic: The prior PO Box owner works in the same business category that you do, and they are still active.
Zip Code
At this point, people start debating the issues over using five or nine digit zip codes. Your best course of action is to use one format for your zip code and stick with it. Since some online directories don't use nine digits for the zip codes, it may be smart to just use the five digit approach. It's still amazing how many people have a hard time not using nine digits because it's not the "correct" way to do it, though.Main Phone
Choose one, and only one, phone number for your business. If you have more than one phone number for your business, you can add them as well with one caveat: Be aware that you will likely have little control over which phone number will be listed as your "main" number, especially if other online directory data is merged with your LBC entry down the road. Also, the issue of prior use also applies to phone numbers the same as it does to addresses (see above). Many "experts" advise against using an 800 phone number on the basis that these numbers are used for non-local access and may therefore affect your listing. Without actual proof, we're skeptical of such claims. Choose a single phone number to use and be consistent.- Good: Your business number is 541-555-1111.
- Possibly Good: Your business number is 800-555-1111.
- Bad: Your business number is 541-555-1111, except on Sundays when it's 541-555-1112, and you want to list an alternate number but don't want it to show up as the main number in any listing.
Business Description
You'll be allowed to use up to 200 characters to accurately describe your business. You should be succinct, descriptive and accurate. While you can use keywords in the description, simply stuffing keywords into the description without any sentence structure is considered bad form and may get your listing penalized or suspended. The business description is the most important part of your business listing and should receive the majority of the focus of your planning time. I.e., if it takes you less than five minutes to come up with it and you don't do any competitor research, you may be disappointed with the results.- Good Description: "Selling bees, cactus and other buzzing plants…"
- Bad Description: "At Al's Emporium, we feel that customer service is our most important …"
Categories
Google will ask you to identify yourself as operating out of one or more business categories. Don't go overboard on this as it will only frustrate those searching for businesses; worse yet, it may factor in to your ranking. Google is noticeably silent on this issue, however it makes sense: Would you rather believe in a business that listed itself in three categories, or thirteen? Google's goal is to improve the Googley user experience, so when guessing as to unknown ranking factors, think in terms of the benefit to the searcher.- Good Categories: Bee Shop, Cactus Shop, Cactus & Bees.
- Bad Categories: Unrelated categories that have nothing to do with the goal of the business.
Hours of Operation, Payment Options, Photos, et al.
Be honest, and be consistent. There's nothing magical about these categories if you follow this rule.Additional Details
This is a good place to put category or keyword related information as long as it is useful and relevant.Validating Your Business
Google will want to validate that you are a legitimate business. You'll be given the option to do this by phone, post card, or in some instances SMS. If you've made a lot of changes to your listing, or are altering your information that may have previously existed in their database before, your choices will be limited.Here's the main issue: We're an impatient species. We want results now, and right away. The reality is that this is a free service, offered by Google, that operates the best that it can given the resources available to it in this area. Over time, improvements will be made and people will be upset over something else that's new.
If you can't validate by phone or SMS for some reason, and the post card method is your only option… then the postcard method is your only option. Read this a few times in case it hasn't sunk in yet. No sense of entitlement or enraged attitude will convince Google that a magical fourth option should exist. We might sound hard nosed about this, but the fact remains that these are the available options. If not being listed in Google's 10 Pack for several weeks will make or break your business, then you've got bigger issues at hand to deal with. Panic isn't pretty, and contributes to the Google Maps Admins' sense of aloofness. Frankly, we don't blame them.
Post-Validation
You've either used the phone method or received your postcard, and are now successfully validated. Congratulations!The main question likely to be on your mind now is:
How Do I Rank in the Top 10 Local Listings?
If you've jumped ahead to this paragraph or find yourself suddenly salivating uncontrollably, you're going to have a hard time ranking well no matter what (Sidenote: Chances are you own one or more "Registry Cleaners" for your operating system, too. But we digress). We hate to alter your paradigm, but this is strictly a numbers game. There are more of "them" than there are of "you". Your best bet is to expand your business website using standard SEO techniques, submit your information to other online directories, and be patient.
Map data is some of the slowest moving information on the planet. It's the nature of the beast. Over time, it will get better. For now, though, keep a level head and follow through with your marketing efforts. Superpages.com. InfoUSA. Yelp. You get the idea. Keep the ball rolling, and you will be pleasantly (although not immediately) surprised.
More Information
We provide free Google business listing services for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. If your business is not yet listed on Google's Places/Map system, you can fill out the following form. We'll follow up with you by phone and establish your business listing with Google. This is a free service we provide in the hopes to help promote small businesses during the current economy. The only requirement? You must be registered to do business in the United States and have fewer than 25 employees.
