SEO Google local listings

[wearehappymedia]

Hello

We've recently started a campaign for a local business, and now the domain authority and the number of links to the site are equal if not more to all local major competitors (bar one) and organic rankings for relevant terms are increasing well...

However we still do not appear in the google local listings, despite having a verified location business account - fully set up and active and linked to the website.

Does anyone have any advice for increasing local rankings?

Thanks in advance kind mozzers

[RyanScollon]

Hey Radi,

Sure! Send over the details and I will take a look.

[wearehappymedia]

Hi Ryan,

Hope you are well. Thanks for your swift response to this question last month. I have checked the things you mentioned and thought maybe time will help, however a month and a half later, I still have the same issue. Could I msg you the details?

Thanks!

[MiriamEllis]

How kind of you to say that, Sarah. It's my pleasure to lend a hand!

[Mutatio_Digital]

Thanks so much Miriam, your posts are always so informative and helpful. This is all really clear now and I know what needs doing. Thank you again.

[MiriamEllis]

Thank you, Sarah!

So, reviews are sentiments left by a third party who has done business with your company. In other words, I eat at your restaurant and then I go to Google, Yelp or some other review platform to leave a review of my dining experience. Google-based reviews are considered to have the most impact on Google pack rankings, but perhaps not the most impact on conversions. In the U.S., for example, Yelp profiles are often particularly influential, if they have great reviews or really bad ones. Reviews can also exist on a company's own website, using a review app of some kind that allows customers to review a product or service. Think Amazon.com.

If you are being outranked in the local packs by a competitor, reviews are one thing to evaluate as they are one of the signals (though only one) which can cause a competitor to outrank you.

Citations are partial or complete mentions of your business NAP+W (name, address, phone + website) on any third party platform, whether that's a business directory, a blog, a news site or what have you. Any time your partial or complete NAP+W is mentioned anywhere on the web (except your own website), that is a citation. It's a vital part of Local SEO to be sure that all citations feature consistent data (NAP+W is identical across the board). Like reviews, the number, consistency and authority of your citations are believed to impact local pack rankings. So, if a competitor has more citations, better consistency, or citations on more authoritative sites than you do, it can contribute to them outranking you. So, again, this is something to evaluate in doing competitive analysis.

Hope this helps clarify, and you might like to check out our free Local Learning Center for more definitions of the elements of a Local Search Marketing campaign: <cite class="_Rm">https://moz.com/learn/local</cite>

[Mutatio_Digital]

Hi Miriam,

As always, very useful and informative response. Can you explain what you mean by

3. Review inequalities

4. Citation volume inequalities or citation newness

What, in business do you consider to be a Citation and what a Review - I am asking from a UK market and finding it difficult to differentiate between the two.

Many thanks

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Radi!

Your question is an important one, but without being able to look at the actual business, the community will have to provide general answers rather than specific ones. It's perfectly fine if you can't share your client's info - but it will limit the specificity of the feedback you'll receive here.

Local ranking issues generally stem from one or more of the following:

1. Guideline violations

2. NAP consistency problems

3. Review inequalities

4. Poor organic strength

5. Newness

6. Citation volume inequalities or citation newness

7. A history of past issues with the business or its account (past violations)

8. Geographic limitations (user as centroid, distance from industry centroid, etc.)

There can be other things, but these are the big ones. A look at the 2015 Local Search Ranking Factors survey is going to be the best place to start considering the many, many factors that contribute to rank:https://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors

It sounds from your description like the business and/or your campaign are new. It's important to understand that age does matter, and that it takes time for things like citation building to go into effect. So, if you're doing the right things (building consistent citations, earning slow but steady reviews, building great content on the website, etc.) then it may just be a matter of time before you see this pay off. It's really important to set client expectations properly regarding this. But, at the same time, it's also vital to be sure that there are no guideline violations, duplicates or a past history of problems, so that you are squaring away those things that can hinder the good efforts you are currently making.

Hope this helps!

[1akal]

Hi,

You should try Reviews. Say your customers or user to give review on Business listing results and another places where site listed.

[RyanScollon]

Hey Radi,

There could be several issues but without taking a closer look with the business details, I can't give you exact reasons why.

The most common issue tends to be NAP (Name, Address & Phone Number) consistency. You need to make sure all the details on directories etc are all the same. I would also advise you check the category of the Google+ page as this can play a key part in the local rankings.

To help push local rankings even further, I would advise you get links from local companies or from website relevant to the local area. Feel free to share the business name and address and I'd be happy to help out.