Local Business Show-Offs Prove Value in Maps Listings

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engines

Google posted their top 13 favorite local business listing success stories recently. These lucky 13 were pulled from local business submissions across the nation, and selected for outstanding success brought to the business from being listed on Google’s Maps tool. Several businesses spoke of ringing phones and increased sales simply because customers could locate their listing easily.

Although business owners didn’t get too specific when it came to disclosing their winning formula, it goes to say that best practices were adhered to consistently among the top 13. If you aren’t seeing any traction from your local listing or  you’re wondering how to best work your local listing profile, here are NetSearch Direct’s top 5 picks:

1) Add Flair! Utilize the personalization that Google offers for your business listing. Got a logo? Add it. Have some pics of your location? Upload them to your listing too. Take advantage of this free way to set yourself apart from your competition.

2) It’s in the Details. The “Additional Details” portion of the local listing is a prime spot for the little extras that makes your business special. If you make appointments after normal business hours, are willing to travel, or have ample parking be suer to let potential customers know.

3) Maximize your Categories. If you can narrow your business into just one or two categories, by all means go ahead. But if you can step back and look at your business from a potential customer’s viewpoint, we encourage you to try out different category keywords and see what comes up. The more buckets your business can fit into, the more it will be served in searches.

4) Pay Attention. Make sure that you have your business name, street address, and other business information all spelled out with proper capitalization. Typos are no way to make that winning first impression. And with that first impression, paint as much of your business story as you can – list your hours of operation, website, contact email address, forms of payment, even languages spoken. The key is to pay attention to all of the fields that you can populate and be sure that this information is added typo-free.

5) VERIFY Your Listing! We have seen so many business owners forget to take this crucial last step in the listing process. Failure to verify your listing means that your listing will just sit in limbo and can’t be optimized or edited. Take the extra time to grab a verification call from Google or request a letter to be sent, and follow-up with that PIN number.

NetSearch Direct has been listing, managing, and optimizing listings for our clients for months now, and we have quite a few success stories of our own to share. Check out our blog soon for some of our own local business show-offs!

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Tags: google local business center, google local listings, local listing success, local maps success, optimize a local listing, optimize local maps listing

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