Tag Archives: local seo strategies

This is an archive of all the posts on the Local Splash Blog that deal with specific strategies for local SEO

Google+ Launches Business, Brand and Places Pages

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, Search Engine News, SEO News, , , , ,

Google is now officially allowing businesses, brands and other organizations to join the Google+ social network. Initially, Google+ was only open to people; Google deleted any accounts that tried to use a personal account for their company. Companies and brands are now welcome on Google+, which will open up a whole new world of social media marketing tactics to explore.

Create Your Page

Business owners can now use the Create a Page tool, found on their Google+ homepage to create a page for their company. Like Facebook, you must create a business page by using a personal account. The owner of that personal account then becomes the sole administrator of the page. Unlike Facebook, Google+ only allows one person to be the administrator of a page. However, this is expected to change in the coming weeks. If you have a social media manager for your company, be sure this is the person who creates the Google+ company page.

Once you click the Create a Page button, you will be prompted to choose between the following categories:

• Local Business or Place
• Product or Brand
• Company, Institution or Organization
• Arts, Entertainment or Sports
• Other

Determine which category your business best fits in and create your page.

GooglePlusCreateAPage

Local Business Pages

Local Business Pages are different than the other pages on Google+. These pages are meant to allow followers to connect easily with the physical location of that business. Local business pages include a map to show people where to find the business location as well as the address, phone number and hours of operation. Even if you’ve already claimed your local business on Google Places, you still need to add your business to Google+. The two are completely separate applications: Google+ is a social network meant to engage and build relationships with fans whereas Google Places should be used to help potential customers find your business location when searching on Google.

Using Google+ as a Page

Once your page is created, you’ll have the ability to choose whether you want to act as yourself or your business page. When you’re acting as your page you’re able to do many of the same things you can do using a personal account, such as share photos, videos and links, conduct hangouts, etc. One restriction put on pages is that you cannot follow someone as a page until that person adds you to one of their circles. Here are some more things to pay attention to as a page on Google+

• Like Facebook, on Google+ it’s okay to create multiple pages on one personal account.
• Pages show the +1 count on their page. This shows all the people who have +1’d the entire site.
• Google will be launching a new badge for brands to share online (on their site, blog, etc.) to encourage people to add them to circles and +1 their business.
• If someone searches for your business using the Google search bar with a + symbol before the business name (i.e. +local splash) they can be taken directly to the Google+ page where they can follow the business.

Google+ for business is still very new and many of the kinks are still being worked out. Some features are expected to be added, enhanced or even possibly removed in the next coming weeks so be sure to pay attention to this growing social network.

5 Local SEO Tips You Should Know

Last Updated On March 14th, 2024Local Maps SEO, Local Search Techniques, Local SEO, , , ,

localseoIf you’re a local business owner trying to make a name for yourself online, local search engine optimization (SEO) is what’s going to help you do it. Want people to find your business in the search results instead of your competitors? Here are 5 quick local SEO tips that you can use to help make that happen.

1. Complete your Google Place page. Claiming your business’s Google Places page then completely filling out all the information, including all five videos, all 10 photos, business hours, payment options, contact information, etc. will drastically improve your search rankings.

2. Make sure you have a physical address in the city you want to be found for. Businesses that are physically located in the city searched for have the best chance of ranking for keywords in their city. Chances of ranking well in surrounding areas decrease significantly unless you have a Google Adwords pay-per-click advertising campaign.

3. Submit your business to local directories. The more local directories your business is found in, the more chances you have to be found on page one of Google, Yahoo! and Bing search engines. Make sure your business appears in directories like Yelp, Facebook, Merchant Circle and more.

4. Encourage your customers to write reviews. Google takes into account how many reviews your business receives and whether or not they are positive. Gaining many positive reviews will boost your search engine ranking significantly.

5. Keep your business information consistent. Even so much as having your street address written using “St.” in one directory and “Street” in another can hurt your rankings. Search engines like to see clear, consistent information, which means inconsistent business information can hurt your rankings drastically. When submitting your business to directories or claiming your business, make sure you are always using the same format to write your business name, address and phone number to avoid this.

Need help with your local SEO campaign? Get some help from the local SEO experts at Local Splash. Check out our services today.

How to Get Customer Reviews

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Organic SEO, , , ,

Many businesses run into problems when trying to gain customer reviews. It’s difficult to get a lot of people to take the time to write a positive review when reviews are often only fueled by a negative experience. However, review sites like Yelp have encouraged people to write reviews (both positive and negative) to help the social community better understand a business location. Great reviews can not only help entice new customers to your location, they can also boost your search engine ranking. But how do you go about getting them? Here are 5 tips to help you do just that.

1. Email a follow up: Offer something like a percentage off your product or a small gift if your customer provides an email address. Once you have their email, you can send them a follow up email thanking them for stopping by your business location and asking them to write a review. Provide a link to your business on the review site of your choice to make it even easier for them.

2. Add reviews to your website: Letting people write reviews directly on your site simplifies the process, which means they’re more likely to do it. Allowing people to write reviews directly on your site will also help your product pages rank higher because you’ll always have fresh, unique content on them.

3. Give the people what they want: One key to getting more reviews is to actually listen to the reviews you receive. If people are constantly asking for a change in your product or service, make sure to give it to them. Once others see that your business actually values their customers’ opinions, they’ll be more likely to write a review of their own.

4. Window clings and receipts: Print a little blurb on each receipt you print asking your customer to write a review on Google or the other review site of your choice. Have a window cling or sticker made and put it somewhere people will see, like on the door of your establishment. The more you bring people’s attention to writing a review, the more likely they’ll be to do it.

5. Give away free samples. The more people trying out your product, the more people you’ll have talking about it. Also, when you’re asking people to do something, free stuff usually helps motivate them to do it.

Reviews can be extremely powerful and can often determine whether a potential customer chooses you over your competitor. However in order to get reviews, you must first make sure your business is listed in local business directories/review sites. Local Splash can make sure your business is listed and claimed. Find out more information about our directory submission services here.