Most searches on Google with a clear regional modifier such as "Victoria BC" will show a different type of search engine result that includes local business names and phone numbers. Many people don't realize that this information is not provided by the Yellow Pages but is actually a free service offered by Google. This short article will introduce you to what you might be missing or not leveraging well enough for your local business.

Every business with a walk-in location is welcome to add its business to Google Plus Local which is Google's answer to a free and open resource for all businesses to advertise their place of business, hours of operation, service/products provided and much more. What many don't realize is that Google Plus Local does not require the business to have a website. In fact, the system will in essence, create an online presence for your business with little effort at all if it isn't already there. That's right, you may have a presence on Google Plus Local and you didn't even know it.

You see, Google's mission is to make all information accessible and easy to find so it uses reputable resources to find out what businesses are in a specific area and their related information. It then uses that information to create very basic profiles which will allow the businesses to be found in its local search results whether the business owner has approved it or not. If your business is found in Google Plus Local already then part of your work was done for you and you just need to claim your listing.

Whether you created your listing because it wasn't there or you found an active listing you will always have to claim it. The claim service often involves receiving a phone call to your listed phone number or snail mail to your listed address. In my experience the phone option is rarely available in Canada and you will have to wait for Google to send you a post card to prove you are who you say you are; they send a code you will need to enter into your profile.

So you have to wait while Google sends some snail mail. No problem! There is nothing stopping you from improving your profile by including as much information as humanely possible where Google has requested it. That's right; don't hold back because Google Plus Local is yet another ranking battleground where you have the opportunity to get ahead of the competition. The best part about this battleground is it already targets your markets for you because Google is trying to serve mobile users (Google knows the locale they are in) and local-based searches with highly relevant results; this is how Google ensures searchers continue to use its search engine. The key is you want your profile to appear more credible and relevant than your competition.

Google considers a great many factors when determining how a local profile should rank. That said these two factors are where you should start:

1)Reviews: no matter what business you have you need to ask your clients to review your business on your Google Plus Local Profile but not just there. There are other trusted review sources such as Yelp.ca, TripAdvisor, UrbanSpoon, ProfileCanada.com, etc. which allow reviews and after securing at least 5 reviews on your Google profile you may want to change your focus. By having positive reviews and more of them you will increase the necessary credibility with Google.

2)Categories: in your local listing you will need to outline what category(s) best fit your business offering. This can be tough but it will be important to get this right because it plays a significant role on where & how well your listing is found.

As I mentioned, there are many other factors which have an impact on your local search visibility; however, if you start with these two you will be far more visible than you were before.

Google is the biggest game in town and its interest in becoming the authority on credible and useful local search results is unmatched. The sooner you get your site properly situated and marketed on Google the more visibility and ultimately business you are sure to receive.

If you are too busy to take on another project then contact us for help. We will setup your account properly and help you get your local search visibility off the ground. This is a one-time fee. No ongoing support fees are necessary and we have made it very affordable starting at just $500 for up to 2 locations. Either that or we can just offer consultation to teach your in-house person to do it for you for as little as $125.  

We are here to help and to build your trust in our marketing support services. Either way we wish you great results and prosperous sales!   

For more information contact: Ross Dunn CEO/Founder StepForth Web Marketing Inc
 

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