There are hundreds of factors that determine the rank of your Google+ Local listing.
In fact, you can view many of them in extreme detail.
For now, let’s focus on several actionable items for multiple “optimization” categories. At the end, you will have a handful of ideas to implement.
Accuracy
- Is your listing 100% accurate?
- Does your listing have Name, Address, Phone (NAP) consistency?
Super Handy “NAP” Crash Course
NAP consistency is all the rage in local search these days, and with good reason.
Inconsistent NAP information throughout your listings and website usually spells trouble. Make sure you have a single Google+ Local listing per physical location and that its NAP information is uniform across the web.
- When optimizing your website, include consistent NAP on every page (ideally using schema.org LocalBusiness).
- Use the same business name, address and phone number throughout your site, Google+ Local and all local listings (Yelp, Bing, Yellow Pages, etc.).
- Tiny differences such as “Road” vs. “Rd.” aren’t deal breakers, but if your business is located in Suite 3, for example, make sure that is reflected across all references to your business. Don’t have some listings that say “1234 SEO Park” and some that say “1234 SEO Park Suite 3.” Be consistent.
- Lastly, unless you are able to implement them as images, avoid using tracking numbers!
Location
- Is your address in close proximity to the city searched?
- Does your listing use a local area code?
AWESOME TIP #1
To increase your odds of ranking well in your city, don’t use 800 numbers!
Relevance
- Is your listing filed under relevant categories?
- Does your listing contain keywords relevant to your product, service and location?
AWESOME TIP #2
Don’t stuff add keywords to your business name, address, or anywhere unnatural.
Image from Worth1000.
Completeness
- Has your listing been verified?
- Have you added a cover photo, profile photo, and filled out all details about your business?
- Have you uploaded quality photos of your business?
- Have you taken the time to fill out your hours of operation?
AWESOME TIP #3
Aim for at least 10 unique, relevant photos of your business.
Prominence
- Are you popular?
- Are you getting legitimate reviews?
- Do customers rave about your business, product and/or service?
AWESOME TIP #4
Take the time to learn how to get more Google+ Local reviews.
Other
There are a wide variety of other factors that also come into play. For example, consider these various on-page factors:
- Does your domain have authority?
- Does each location’s landing page have its city and state included in the title tag?
- Does each location’s landing page NAP match the NAP of its corresponding Google+ Local listing?
Off-site factors are many, but primarily focus on quantity, quality and authority of citations.
IMPORTANT READING MATERIAL
Resources
Want to take your Google+ Local listing to the next level?
Questions? Comments? Tips of your own? Leave them below!
Follow @jedkent