Any tips for optimising for Local Search/Google Places
-
I have a client that used to come up on Google Places consistently for some very competitive keywords - when they ranked quite low for them through their normal website - places would see them above all the organic results in normally number 2 position - whereas they would rank between 16 - 26 normally
We have optimised the site and have 'A' grade keywords for the ones we are interested in google placing for and just recently we are out of it all together, even though we have improved their optimisation for that word with SEO
Someone said that their phone number on the website had to match perfectly with google places and so does their address. Is this true? Is there anything else that will help them keep their position in places ? ie. setting up a Google + page etc.,
Any advise would be appreciated
thanks
-
Hi Maria, I see you've started 2 threads here with the same question. I've responded to the version of your question, here: http://www.seomoz.org/q/optimising-for-local-search#post-149218
-
Hi Bede,
thanks for your informative reply - I have checked all the points above and do have a number of issues of concern
1. The competition has received more reviews lately
2. There are duplicate listing as they are an accommodation provider and they are listed on booking agencies - so their name comes up for these booking agency ads on maps.google.com - but not with their address or phone number details and I assume the same would be for their competitors also so I don't think this is the major contributor.
however I am worried as the business name of my client - includes the city they are in and one of the major keywords - their name is Vintages Margaret River - their website is www.vintagesmargaretriver.com.au and they are competing for the keywords - accommodation Margaret River and Margaret River accommodation - what would you recommend? Any thoughts?
thanks
Maria
-
Hi Maria, There are a number of factors that influence ranking, but it sounds like there was a ranking drop recently afte r you made some changes. How soon after you made changes to the site to did the drop occur, and what changes did you make to the site? I ask because, since the end of 2010 rankings in local search are generally a combination of the SEO/authority of the site itself and the optimization/citations/reviews of the listing. If you changed something on the site, it could impact local rankings, too. For the phone number and address, it should match, but unless you are seeing duplicate listings, or you changed it significantly, then it's unlikely that this is the problem. If Google is not creating duplicate listings, then it's likely it will recognize the information. To cover these things, I would check to make sure that: - There are no duplicate listings suddenly appearing - search for phone number+business name, address, business name+city, and any other combinations you can come up with. Do this on maps.google.com as well as google.com. If you want to be really thorough, check http://www.google.com/mapmaker as well. - Their places listing is still active (e.g. no "needs attention" etc.) - That you can access their listing by clicking on it. I know this sounds odd, but sometimes there's an error that says "we do not support this location" which needs to be dealt with. I believe this is becoming less and less common. - The client hasn't suddenly lost reviews - No one attempted to merge a Google+ page with the local listing without your knowledge If all of the above is working correctly, and you've made no major changes to the site that could cause issues, I would check out what the competition is doing. Do any of them suddenly have more reviews? Is someone cheating and putting the business category or city in their business name? These things might cause a rankings drop by bumping you down. If that's not happening, then it's time to start checking things off against the following post: http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml Some of these things you can influence, some of them you can't. Assuming that your listing has the right categories, and a good description, the two main things you should focus on are building citations and building decent reviews. Hopefully this helps! Bede
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Can Google crawl this type of content?
Dear all, I have already asked few questions like that but its some different. it is videos portal. All videos are on server side like on JWS server. when page is loaded after that my video is loaded on loading time dynamically. But Google is unable to read all content of my videos. I have done all the things in sitemap as well. Can Google fetch the video content which is pure dynamic? Please have a look my issue. than only static few pages are coming in Google and two three videos. Please help me anyone regard this. Please guys...........
Image & Video Optimization | | docbeans0 -
Once you start fixing Local citations with correct NAP, is it normal for your rankings to plunge at first?
I strongly believe that I have received the most solid Local advice I could from these forums and have started (in just a few days) to make the needed corrections. At the same time I'm somewhat excited and optimistic that it will be a long journey but that it's a learning process. About 5 days ago, I set my website up with "City landing pages" and I started plundering through google, fixing and claiming and correcting as many citations as I could with correct NAP. The journey still continues today as I just got my Bing Local card in the mail and verified. I went to check my rankings on Google Maps, just to see if anything had changed and sure enough it had. My listing had been holding strong at page 10 (which drives me nuts) and now after 5 days of solid work its on page 18. I have to assume that because I'm stirring the dust perhaps Google is confused and maybe in a month or so things might start moving the other way? Thoughts?
Image & Video Optimization | | jonnyholt0 -
Updating address in Google Places
My client has moved address to a location in the same city. Will updating his Google Places page lead to a drop in rankings? If so, what is the best way to resolve it?
Image & Video Optimization | | neooptic0 -
Google local listings question
im working with gutter installation company, and we're ranking for all the top keywords in google. the only thing that we're not ranking for is for the map results, for the keyword "gutter ma" since we're located in Springfield ma, i thing Google considers certain areas from Boston, because its more center of Massachusetts, What can i do to improve my rankings in maps for this keyword, because i know it wont work with PO box since i need to confirm an address? Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | vladraush990 -
Looking for provider for Local Submissions and Feed management
I'm looking for a recommendation of a provider that can completely manage the submissions to Google, infoUSA, Localeze, and Axciom for a business with ~300 locations. Anyone have a good recommendation?
Image & Video Optimization | | DotCar0 -
Google Images in Normal Search
If you search for the term, "Crappie". Listed 4th is a row of images. These kinds of images always seem to grab my attention above the actual search results-- or at least they do for a moment. These images seem to be in order of google images rankings. I may try to take a swing at ranking for these images. Is there anything else I should know before I start? I can't seem to find any guidance on the topic. Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | terran0 -
Can you get in trouble/get results by sub-dividing one physical address into suites for local search?
We have a client in our area that offers a multitude of home services -- plumbing, HVAC repair, landscaping, etc. -- out of one physical location. It makes it difficult for them to rank highly for all of their services in local search since many of the competitors that rank highly only offer one of the services that they do. They have come to me asking if they could create a Google place page for each service by making imaginary suites for their main address. So, for example, plumbing would be located at 100 Main Street, Suite A; and HVAC repair would be located at 100 Main St., Suite B; etc.? Seems like this is either a great idea or could get you into some Google trouble. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | monkeeboy0 -
Is it a bad idea to include a single keyword phrase at the end of the business name in Google Places?
I'm concerned about this for local SEO and citation purposes. It's not spammy and it flows well, and it sounds like a logical extension of our name, but I'm concerned that it will make it harder for Google to pick up our citations. Any thoughts?
Image & Video Optimization | | greghard0