First thing to get clear on is that Google has no 800 number to call or Google Places Optimization email to email and get help and no they don’t care that your business is the biggest or the best. Google Places is a separate algorithm from the traditional organic section and inclusion in GP won’t be impacted by how much money you spend on adwords. There is a lot of misinformation about GP on the Internet because of Google’s lack of support so be skeptical about anything you read, including this article.
Now let’s dive into the core areas to help you optimize you Google Places Listing.
Business Name: Only use your legal business name as it appears on a business license or articles of incorporation. Do Not use keywords or geographic terms in the name of your business as at some point you will get flagged for review and possible suspension. I know that some of you are already breaking this rule and still have a live listing but when I get to the Citation Site topic you will see the problem.
Categories: You have up to five categories you can use to tell Google what it is you do. Before you begin to go crazy with keywords you think are important you need to first confirm that GP listings appear in Google search results for those keywords. An advanced technique is to actually do keyword research and uncover the keywords with actual search volume. Also, you will need to accept one category that Google automatically recommends for your listing.
Images & Video: One of the biggest mistakes we see business owners make is they don’t take advantage of this area. Be sure to load 10 images and at least 1-3 videos to ensure the listing is 100% complete. It also helps to name the images and videos with the same keywords you are targeting in the Category section.
Citation Site Links: Citation sites are directories like yp.com, citysearch or angieslist. It’s not so much the link to your website that is important here (although having the link to your site CAN help with traditional SEO)but the ability for Google to find the EXACT same business information that is on your GP. If you always keep in mind that Google ranking is more about what other sites say about your business rather than what you say, the steps you take for optimization will have more impact.
