Google’s local search plays a crucial part in its success, and as a business owner or marketer, you may be wondering how you can get your own local search results to perform better. You may have heard of Google Places, which is Google’s local search and maps product. If not, here’s a quick overview.
What are Google Places?
Google Places is a place-finding tool that relies on a Wi-Fi connection. You can use Places to search for businesses and obtain their information if you have a Google account. You can then click on the information on a small map to be brought to that location.
To be ranked highly in your area, you must provide the best information about your business. This includes having a professional-looking website, carrying out quality marketing activity, and having a social media account where you can engage with customers. Additionally, you need to ensure that the information you provide is correct and up-to-date.
How Do I Get My Businesses To Show Up On Google Maps?
In the Google Places dashboard, you can click on the menu button in the top-left corner to see your Google maps coverage. Then, you can use the slider to adjust the density of regional results (such as restaurants, parks, or museums) and global results (such as traffic alerts or school information).
Once you have the map area filled with listings that you want to appear in your area, you can click on the menu button to see the settings for your area. From here, you can adjust the distance that your listings can appear from the center of the map and decide if you want to allow search engines to find and list your places with the keywords you provide.
How Do I Get My Businesses To Show Up On the Local Search Results Page?
To get your business to appear on the local search results page, you need to set up your account with Google, obtain a business listing, and then run a campaign to get people to visit your location. To set up your business account with Google, you will need to provide a valid business email address, a phone number, a name for the business, and an address for your location (for example, 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA). After you have set up your account with Google, you can begin adding your business to the map.
The next step is to choose a business category that closely relates to your business. For example, if you are a coffee shop, you may want to choose the category Beverages, Accommodation & Food Services. This will allow you to target a local audience.
Once you have added your business to the map, you can begin running a campaign.
What Should I Be Careful Of When Optimizing My Map For Local Search?
There are four main things that you need to be careful of when optimizing your map for local search:
1. The address of your business
Ensure that your business address is correct and has the proper zoning for commercial use. Additionally, if you decide to have the address of your business listed in the URL, make sure that the address is functional and accessible. For example, if you are optimizing for local search in Chicago and your business address is 123 Main Street, make sure that the phone numbers for the business are correct and that people can find it easily.
2. Phone number of your business
The phone number of your business is critical for establishing a connection with your customers. You can either purchase a vanity phone number or update your NAPTR record. If you decide to purchase a vanity number, ensure that the number is easily recognizable and consistent across all your media platforms (such as your website and social media).
3. Quality of your website content
A well-written, quality website is essential for gaining credibility with potential customers. People do not usually trust advertisements, so your website is your opportunity to establish trust. When someone is searching for a business within your vicinity, they will first land on your website. Thus, you need to ensure that your site’s information is accurate and trustworthy. You can use tools such as the Free Website Analysis Tool to establish where your visitors are coming from, how long they stay on your site, and what keywords they use to find your site.
4. Keyword Analysis
After you have optimized your website for organic traffic, you can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner to find the most relevant keywords.
You can also use the Keyword Planner to search for competitors’ keywords and find the ones they use to attract customers. This will give you an idea of what to include in your content to increase your local search performance.
How Do I Get My Businesses To Show Up On The Global Search Results Page?
To get your business to appear on the global search results page, you can set up your account with Google, obtain a business listing, and then run a campaign to get people to visit your location. To set up your business account with Google, you will need to provide a valid business email address, a phone number, a name for the business (such as Acme Coffee Roasters), and an address for your location (for example, 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA). After you have set up your account with Google, you can begin adding your business to the map.
The next step is to choose a business category that closely relates to your business. For example, if you are a coffee shop, you may want to choose the category Beverages, Accommodation & Food Services. This will allow you to target a global audience.
Once you have added your business to the map, you can begin running a campaign.
Keywords and Phrases Used By Customers
To determine which keywords and phrases to optimize for, you need to analyze the unstructured data (keywords and phrases without any defining schema) that customers use when searching for your product or service. You can do this with Keywords and Phrase Analytics, a free tool from Google that helps you discover the keywords and phrases people are using to find your product when they search online. With Keywords and Phrase Analytics, you can pull in a wide range of data such as keyword and phrase popularity, organic and paid search click-through rates, and the average position of searched results on SERPs (search engine results pages).
One of the benefits of using Keywords and Phrase Analytics is that you can discover the trends and patterns that emerge across all your product types and industries. You can then determine the keywords and phrases you should target for each.
Step 1: Create a Campaign
You need to create a campaign to optimize your product for Google Local Search. A campaign is a collection of keywords and phrases you want to target. When someone uses these keywords and phrases to search for your product or service, your ads appear near the top of the results page.
To create your campaign, visit the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard and select the +New Campaign option at the top of the page. You can also find this option on the dashboard’s left-hand side. A pop-up will appear with a list of suggested keywords and phrases.
You don’t need to use all these keywords and phrases, and you can add your ideas to the list. When you’re happy with the list, click Create Campaign.
Step 2: Set your daily budget
The next step is to set your daily budget. You should set a budget for each day you run your AdSense account or for each weekly payment you make to Google to pay for ads. Setting a daily budget lets you track how well your campaigns are performing and either adjust them if they’re not performing well or cancels them if they’re not profitable.
You can use the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard to track the daily performance of your campaign with the Keyword Performance Scorecard. This scorecard allows you to track the keyword performance of your chosen keywords and phrases (with an option to add more), as well as the associated ads and landing pages that drive the most traffic. You can use this data to determine which keywords deliver the best results and adjust or cancel your campaign if needed.
Step 3: Measure the performance of your keywords and phrases
Now that you have a campaign with suitable keywords, you need to measure its performance. To do this, visit the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard and click View Reports at the top of the page. You can also find this option on the dashboard’s left-hand side.
You’ll see a graph displaying the performance of your chosen keywords and phrases. This is measured in terms of the Keyword Performance Score (KWPS). The higher the KWPS, the better. However, don’t use Keywords and Phrase Analytics to calculate KWPS. Instead, use a secondary tool solely for this purpose.
Each keyword and phrase has a separate KWPS score that you can access individually by clicking on its name in the key metrics area at the top of the report. You can add, edit, or delete keywords and phrases at any time via the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard.
As you continue to use Keywords and Phrase Analytics to monitor your campaign’s performance, you’ll notice that some keywords stand out above others in terms of performance. These are the ones you should be focusing on. Once you have a few, you can add them to your back-end business dictionary (a listing of keywords and phrases used by your customers) for future reference.
Step 4: Set your required ad settings
Now that you know the keywords and phrases you’ll be using to target your audience, you need to set your required ad settings. These are the Ad settings that can be configured when you create or edit an ad for a particular campaign. You can set the position of your ads on the search results page (above or below the organic results), the pricing for your ad, and the language in which the ads will be delivered. Most advertisers set these requirements when they’re creating their ads.
To set your required ads settings, return to the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard, and then click Edit at the top of the page. You’ll see a dropdown menu with your required settings. Choose a location (above or below the organic results), decide whether you want your ads to be shown on desktop or mobile devices, and select your currency (US dollars or British pounds). Finally, you can choose between English and Hindi (for India-specific searches) as the language in which your ad will be delivered. Once you’ve set your required settings, click Save at the top of the page to save them for later use.
Step 5: Create your first ad
To create your first ad, you need to visit the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard, and then click +New Ad option at the top of the page or its equivalent on the left-hand side. You’ll then be asked to choose a campaign to which you’ll be linking your ad. Choose your preferred campaign, and then click Create Ad.
An ad entitles you to track the performance of keywords you choose. To track the performance of your ad, you need to click View Reports at the top of the page or on the left-hand side. This will display a graph of keyword performances and the associated landing pages. You can use this data to determine the performance of your ad and either cancel it if it isn’t performing well or add it to your back-end business dictionary if it is.
Step 6: Continue creating ads
Now that you have a few ads, you can create more. Just remember that creating an ad takes time, so don’t rush the process. To create your next ad, visit the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard, and then click +New Ad option at the top of the page or its equivalent on the left-hand side. Select a different campaign, and then click Create Ad.
There are several steps involved in creating an ad, so take your time and ensure that each step is performed correctly. Once you’ve created an ad, you can use it to track the performance of your keywords and phrases. To do this, visit the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard, and then click View Reports at the top of the page or on the left-hand side.
Step 7: Use the Keyword Performance Scorecard to monitor the performance of your keywords
To monitor the performance of your keywords, return to the Keywords and Phrase Analytics dashboard, and then click View Reports at the top of the page or on the left-hand side. This will display a graph showing the performance of your chosen keywords and phrases so far. It also allows you to track keywords’ performances individually, as well as the associated ads and landing pages that drive the most traffic. You can use this data to determine which keywords are delivering the best results and to adjust or cancel your campaign if needed.
Are you wondering how to get your business listed on Google Maps? You can start by setting up your account with Google today!
