Local Search – What it is and why it’s important for SEO

Google Places is the tool that allows businesses to list and manage their business details that appear in Google’s search results and is linked to Google Maps.

Being listed with Google Places is a key SEO opportunity, particularly if your business has a local angle and your customers are likely to search using local terms e.g. city/county name, then the free listing can help.

Google is bringing in some changes to the way the Google Places Dashboard. At the time of writing this article, the new Dashboard is only available to new users of Google Places but current users are in the process of being migrated over. The new Dashboard will fall in line with the current Google style and design across it’s products and include improved features, such as easier editing, integration with your Google+ Page (if you have one) and insights to help track your performance on Google.

It’s worth pointing out that if you use Google+ as a social media tool you can also access your Google Places account through the ‘Local’ tab within your Google+ account

Setting up Google Places is relatively easy to do.

1. If you don’t already have one, you need to set up a free Google Account. The easiest one to set up is Gmail. You can then sign into Google Places using your free Gmail account.
2. Complete your business details on the Places online form, bearing in mind that you must have a physical address and be a business that operates with face-to-face interactions with customers. Include keywords in your company description so that Google will automatically allocate your listing to appropriate search terms.
3. Once your listing is completed, you’ll need to verify that you are the business manager, either by phone or waiting for a postcard to arrive with a verification PIN; this normally takes two weeks.

Once set up, you can add information that will help your SEO results

1. Make sure you listing is complete, accurate and that you choose the most appropriate categories and key words to describe your business
2. Get links and mentions in high ranking local directories
3. Optimise the local information on your own website
4. Ask customers and contacts for reviews on your Google Place listing. Having reviews will help your Google Places listing.

Google provides plenty of advice if you’re not already listed in Google Places.  The sooner you set up your listing, the sooner your website will be found

 

Google Penguin updates – What do they mean for you?

There has been a lot of talk about a new algorithm update from Google. So what is it and what does it mean for you and your website?

Google did in fact roll out a Penguin 2 update last month. This was a major update and according to Google it has affected 2.3% of English & US queries. Does not sound a lot but that is an enormous amount of websites and many have seen their rankings plummet.

Google’s main aim here is anti-spam! Their targets were those websites with unnatural and manipulated inbound links. Back links have long been a major element in SEO but as a result many black hat techniques have been used to manipulate ranking results. Some SEO agencies were therefore creating hundreds of low value, low quality back links that had absolutely no value to the reader. This included directory sites and link farms whose very reason for being was to provide a back links for optimisation purposes.

Many companies have been caught out in this update simply because they employed an SEO agency promising great results for a very low price. The result was wholesale purchase of low quality links that will have flagged the Google spiders.

So what of the future? SEO will continue to evolve but the current key is quality. Take care to publish impeccable content both on your site and others. This content must be unique and informative, the sort of content that will encourage natural back linking and sharing.

When it comes to back links web masters should take the time to identify low value spammy links and have them removed. Be meticulous about this and then submit a re-consideration request to Google via your Google Webmaster Tools.

Then go on to build nothing but high quality back links that do not overuse keyword anchor text. As a general rule only 50% of anchor text links coming back to your site should be keyword specific. Focus the remainder on building your brand. Guest blogging is by far the best vehicle for this.

Maintaining social media activity is essential as keyword and brand mentions are monitored by Google. Aim to get your content discussed, liked and shared on the popular social media channels. This in itself will generate quality back links and hopefully will keep readers coming back for more.

Google will never stand still, so learn, adapt and stay alert for the future.