Google’s Missing Persons Report & 3 Tips To Keep Businesses Off It - Urgent Care 2.0
(PRWEB) March 31, 2014 -- It’s not a secret that when people are looking for a local product or service most of them begin their search on Google. With that said, it’s understood that having a top position in the rankings on Google for such keywords are extremely important to those local businesses. For “local searches” Google adds another tool to help find matching results with a local address, “Google Maps”. Over the last several years Rob Stone from Urgent Care 2.0 has found that the majority of website traffic for his local customers has primarily come from their listing in the Google Maps section. He found that potential customers are very interested with the content found in Google Maps. From the quick snippets of information they are able to find a website, address, phone number, reviews and much more about a particular business. This comes in very handy when trying to compare business and find the best overall value.
Too often though, key businesses are missing from Google Maps search results. Some don’t even have a listing on Google Maps and others have a listing, but have done nothing to become more visible by searchers. There are some businesses that can even be searched directly by name and their listing won’t pull up in Google Maps. That is what Rob calls being on “Google’s Missing Persons Report”.
Here are 3 tips to keep off of “Google’s Missing Persons Report”.
1. Create A Business Listing On Google Maps – In order to show up on Google Maps there has to be a listing to show. A listing can be created for free by going directly to Google and setting one up. This area is also referred to as Google Places. This step alone will not ensure a top spot in the search results. There are other metrics for grading relevancy that Google uses for results placement, but this is the place to start.
2. Proving Local Relevancy Through Citations – Local search engine optimization in this area is different from traditional Search engine Optimization (SEO). Each area has a different set of rules to follow to prove relevancy. They are similar and some overlap, but one of the major areas for Local SEO is citations. A citation is a directory listing site with a listing for a business that matches a listing on Google. The areas that need to be exact are: Business Name, Address and Phone number. Google will look for that businesses listing and give credit for how many is found with matching content. The more the better. The best way to check a businesses listings is by using Urgent Care 2.0′s business listing checker. This tool will review consistency with the business listing on the top 50 directory sites in the United States.
3. Proving Local Relevancy Through Reviews and Activity – After a listing is created it is important for it to have consistent activity. One key way of creating activity it through customer reviews. Not only will this get activity it will also influence other potential customers in making a buying decision both good and bad. Other ways of creating activity is by levering enhanced content and promotional tools. Google and many other listing sites have the ability to create extra content that can be updated over time. Some of them offer coupons or promo codes that can be used by the searcher. This not only creates activity, but it also can influence a potential buyer.
Success in Local SEO is next to impossible without properly executing these 3 key tips. Many Urgent Care Clinics are shocked at the results of an initial business scan. Many errors are found. After the corrections are made and consistent activity applied for about 3 – 6 months Urgent Care 2.0 has seen many clients successful in being found by people looking to Google to find a local urgent care clinic. This is one of the many marketing areas that has made Urgent Care 2.0 a staple in urgent care marketing. To get a free consultation on how Urgent Care 2.0 can help your clinic Click Here.
Read the full article on Urgent Care 2.0's website - http://www.urgentcare2point0.com/googles-missing-persons-report/
Rob Stone, Urgent Care 2.0, http://www.UrgentCare2Point0.com, +1 (855) 883-0096, [email protected]
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