Google’s Local Business Center, Business “Citations” and Geotagging: Some Keys to Being Found Locally

I’m on a locally-focused marketing kick because I see so much potential.  So much small businesses have not done to use these free local online listings to boost their website results in search and draw in more customers.  (If you want to catch the local wave I’m on, see “Related Posts” below.)  Read on for a quick local checkup.

Local Search Listings, Especially Google’s Local Business Center

Do you have a local presence in key search engines?  Click here, type in your business name, and see how many have your local listing.  If you’re not listed in those 5 places, may I recommend that you stop reading this blog post and fill in those listings?  This site gives you the links you need to do it.

Because by far the most searches are on Google, their Local Business Directory is THE most important.  And Google may have already filled in your listing from public sources.  You should review and correct what they have, and add more details, photos, even videos related to your business.

Google is beefing up its offerings on the Local Business Center by offering a dashboard.  (See an example of nonprofit SCORE Chicago’s Dashboard in the image above.)  Beside the graphs, it shows you traffic stats, search categories under which your business was found, actions viewers took, and zips related to their driving directions.  In SCORE Chicago’s listing, I find these stats, among others:

900        Impressions  (How many times users saw our business listing as a local search result)
685        Actions  (How many times users showed interest in our business listing)
18           Clicks for more info on Maps
661         Clicks for driving directions
6             Clicks to our website

Learn more about local search listing profiles here:

Google’s Business Listing Quality Guidelines Google

A Look at Important Local Business Listing Attributes GetListed.org  (Excellent summary)

Video interview with David Mihm on Local Search Inclusion SEOmoz.com  (Good intro and an interesting discussion of the sources Google uses to autofill listings, plus how to correct them.)

Local Citations of Your Small Business

“Citations” to your business are one factor in ranking well in local search.  If you have created a listing in Google Local (of which Google Maps is a key part) and would like to see what other websites are “citing” yours, sign in to Google Maps .   Then click My Web Pages, shown with the big arrow in this graphic.

“Web Pages” Tab on SCORE Chicago’s Local Listing in Google

Under this Web Pages tab, you will see a list of pages from other websites.  These are your “citations” in Google local.   “Citations” are places where your business name and address are posted, but which may lack a hyperlink to your website.

For SCORE Chicago, only 3 of our 20 branches come up, along with 5 government and 3 library websites.  Also listed are two of SCORE Chicago’s blogs and our Facebook page (which comes up just after our website), plus one of our workshop listings (why only one?)  in Crain’s Chicago Business. There are two citations from prominent commercial websites.  I can see I need to review copy on branch and partner websites for consistency and better local search results.

Your press releases can become a valuable source of local citations.  Miriam Ellis, a local SEO expert, says  “If Google trusts the source of an online press release as a provider of local business data, and the business owner has made sure to include geographic modifiers like address and phone number in the news piece, Google may decide to use that item as a citation for the business.”

Here are more details on citations and their usage.

How Citations Help in Local Search Clickz

Geotagging for Small Business

Geotagging is another way that the search engines identify local content.  According to Ellis, “geotagging is a more specific process in which the code of a page includes geocoding formats like hCard.”

As a start, a small business owner can use Flickr for business by uploading and locating business-related photos on a map.   SCORE Chicago has added counseling addresses for SCORE Chicago’s counselors.  See this map of SCORE Chicago counseling locations on Flickr.

If you want to dig deeper into geotagging, check these links.

How to Geo Tag Your Blog ProBlogger

Add Yourself to GeoURL GeoURL

Basic Local Search Recommendations

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by details about local search.  Above all:

1.  Put your business name, address, zip and phone number in your home page, and maybe on a footer of every page.  Do this in text, NOT in a graphic.  Search engines and spiders cannot see text in a picture file (*.jpg, *.png, *.gif or Flash script.)

2.  Get listed in key search engines and flesh out your business profiles there.

3.  Then start on high-ranking directories and relevant review websites, as suggested in the links below.

4.   Check your citations in Google and figure out how to improve them.

5.   Consider geotagging options.

Comments?

Is your address, zip, phone on your home page in text that spiders can read?  What did you learn about your local listings when you typed your business name into GetListed.org?  What problems do you have with getting found locally?   Local SEO pros, did I get all this right?   Please leave me a comment.

Related Posts

46 Links on Local Online Marketing: Techniques to Promote Your Local Business

Getting Small Business Coverage in Local Online News Sites:  A Chicago Case Study

PR Submissions to Local News Websites for Visibility?  SEO Benefits?