Local search is growing in popularity and Google is showing its support by including more and more local style features in the SERPs. Consumers tend to be drawn to local listings, so you definitely want your business to have a presence in this area. Of course, having a rich, optimized Google Places page is a necessity and should be the first place your start to build up you presence in local searches.

However, the algorithm for standard searches and Google Places or local search are not the same thing – the main difference being the importance of “citations.” A citation is any place where your company information is listed consistently, which helps search engines find and identify your business. Citations are to local search what links are to organic search. Similarly, to increase your presence in local search, you need to increase the citations you have. You also need to make sure they are consistent. For example, if you have “Street” in your address on your Google Places page, make sure it’s “Street”, not “St.”, across all your citations as well.

So what are the best ways to increase your number of citations? Social media, directories and aggregators are good places to start.

Social media elements are becoming very strong ranking factors that consistently appear in search results. Naturally, having complete and consistent information across all of your company’s social media sites – like Foursquare, Facebook, Google+, and others – will go a long way in helping your local search rankings.

Aggregators and directories are not just places to get more citations; they also provide an additional way for people to find your company. There are many of these types of sites you can establish profiles for. Some standard ones to start with include Yelp, City Search, Yellow Pages, and Angie’s List. On top of that, consider setting up a presence on local directories as well. Your city’s chamber of commerce is a good start. You can also search for “your city + your industry” to bring up even more local directories or aggregators.

These types of sites aren’t the only places you can increase your citations, but they make a great start. You should be able to build more citations as you build links and create content for your site – so keep at it!

As location based services are becoming more popular with searchers through the use of map searches and mobile devices, it is important that all businesses have some presence.  The first place that you should turn to is Google.  Google Local has recently been replaced with Google Places.  You may have seen the map that appears in Google that includes local businesses related to your search query.  These results are coming from Google Places.

To get started, open http://maps.google.com/ and search for your company. 

Once you locate your business, click on the “more info” link to open the Place page.  Here you will be able to claim your listing if you have not already done so.

 
Once you go through the claiming process, edit the information to make sure it is up to date.  Choose the most appropriate categories, or create them if they don’t already exist.  You will now have the ability to view statistics about how people are utilizing your Google Places page.  Some of the items you will be able to view include:

• Impressions (how many times users saw this business listing)
• Actions (clicks for more information, driving directions, clicks to your website)
• Top search queries
• Where driving direction requests came from

Another great feature that you will receive is a QR code.  A QR code is a graphic code that can be read and interpreted by Smartphone cameras with the right application installed.

You can place this QR code on business cards, store locations and in other print collateral.  When the QR code is read by a phone, it will give a mobile version of the page, which is easier to read.  Below is an example of what the Google Places page for MoreVisibilty looks like after being read with a QR Code:

Setting up your Google Places account is the first step to success in the local search landscape. 

In today’s world people are using search engines to perform research on businesses before they step foot in the door.

Google has enhanced its Local Business Center platform into “Google Places.” Google has noticed that people want to better connect with public pages so they have changed some of the features of their local listings. These new features allow business owners to manage their own pages and enhance their business listing.

The more complete your Google local profile is, the more potential it has to rank organically. The key is to populate fields with the best “straight forward” description of your company. Personally I have found that I feel more comfortable visiting a business with a few of the fields listed such as, store hours, pictures, and the website listing. This provides a sturdy framework for a good first impression of the business.

Available Listing Categories

• Business Hours
• Photos (Up to 10 photos)
• Videos (Up to 5 YouTube videos)
• Coupons
• Customer Reviews
• Specialties or certifications
• Forms of payment accepted
• Website

Enhanced Listings Introduced by Google Places

• Service Areas – You have the option to make your address private if you do not have a storefront, office location, or you travel to “serve” an area.
• A new, simple way to advertise – For a fee of $25 per month, businesses can have their listing stand out on Google.com and Google maps, using “Tags” in their listings to enhance the terms they would like their business to show up. This feature is currently only available in select cities.
• Business photo shoots – In addition to uploading photos, Google is now offering a “photo shoot” in select cities and countries. For more information please see Google’s Business Photos page.
• Customized QR Codes – Businesses can now download a unique square “bar code” and place it at their business. These bar codes can be scanned by supported phones, such as iPhones, and it will take the user directly to the mobile website of the establishment.
• Favorite Places – This is a new program where Google has sought out and researched the most searches performed on Google.com and Google maps for a business. They have sent out window decals with a unique QR Code. Google’s blog has more information about these QR Codes.
• Real-time updates –These can be used for businesses to post promotions, sales or other special events.

One out of five searches performed on Google are related to locations. Keeping that in mind, you want to put your best foot forward and create a positive first impression for your prospective customers. There are other popular and free tools used for local searches that you should use to your advantage.

Business Listing Sites:
InfoUsa.com
Superpages.com
Yellowpages.com
Local.com
TrueLocal.com
Switchboard.com
Infospace.com
InsiderPages.com
Yelp.com
Local.yahoo.com