SEO: Google Places

photo credit: Sean MacEntee

The first blog in this series on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) covered just some of the reasons why SEO is important for any small locally owned business.  Some of the best things in life are free and one of the best things you can do to help people find you if you are a brick and mortar store is Google Places.  I still run across a lot of brick and mortars that still haven’t found Google Places, and those that have not all take full advantage.

Like a lot of things concerning the internet it’s not just about doing it, it’s how you do it.  It’s about taking advantage of all the possibilities that Google Places allows.  This is the first place to begin any improvement in your search rankings.  While this procedure does nothing really as far as SEO goes, it does and will improve your search visibility.

So if you’re currently using Google Places are you taking advantage of multiple keyword listings?  Google Places allows for multiple listings, souse them.  You’d be surprised at the terms that some people use in searching.  Have you ever looked at the terms used to find you in Google Analytics.

Google Places will give you great searchability, when someone Google’s you specifically.  It

photo credit: Frederick Md Publicity

is not the end all of what you can or should do to make your business more search friendly.  It is something that any of your competitors can do for free as well.  Looking at executing proper SEO techniques to create a competitive advantage is still needed.

With statistics showing that the number one company listed on a search page gets 38% of the hits, 63% of the hits go to the top 3 businesses, and 80% don’t go past the first page, how important is your search ranking to you.