Learn basics of being found on local Google

Do you get phone calls from people who say they work for Google? Do they want you to start an Adwords campaign and/or update your business listing? Beware. These callers are likely not from Google!

They pretend to be from the dominant search engine in order to sell related services they offer. Why do people fall for the scam?

Think about it. Would Google really ever call you? Google makes $44 billion a year in Adwords revenue. They don’t need to dial for dollars. They’ve got lots of those already!

Hang up on them. You can easily create your own map listing via the Google My Business portal. Here’s how.

Google realizes that more and more searches are being done on smartphones. They want to be the local directory on that device. Smart Google! How do you ensure your business comes up on that essential and ubiquitous directory?

Local search results appear in two different areas on Google. First, there are the default web result pages. There, for a local search query, Google will “interrupt” the website listings with a squat, pinpointed map. Then there’s the place that that little map came from. It is the more complete Maps section of Google.

You can improve your listing on both of these maps by optimizing your profile in “Google My Business.” That’s where you go to claim and then optimize your Google Maps profile. Note: You are only eligible if your business operation has a physical address, or if your business serves customers in a local area.

The first step is to verify your business. Fill out the verification form and ask Google to either call you back or send a postcard with your five-digit verification code.  When you have received it, enter the code into your profile. Go on to optimize your listing.

Enter complete and accurate info about your business. Include location, contact information, business description, hours of operation, your URL, payment types accepted, and more.

Pick the best category for your business from their list. Pick the broadest, most applicable one. Then think of the other four category options as subsets of the main one.

Keyword your business’ description. If one of your keyword phrases is “gelato,” make sure you get that keyword in there.

You may add any number of photographs to showcase your business. The algorithm simply tallies who has posted the most for position preference.

Did you know? You can hire a Google-affiliated photographer to take an array of shots of your physical location. The cost is relatively low and you can keep the professional shots afterwards.

How high will you rank on the Google Map? Here are some criteria:

Your name, address and phone number must appear consistently across the Internet. Your website is foundational here. If you spell out “street” on the address footer there, enter it the exact same way on Google My Business.

Where are you located relative to the center of the town? If you want to be listed in Fort Collins but you are based in Windsor, that’s a fail.

Encourage customers to review your business on your Maps listing. Don’t tell them how to rate you; Google frowns on that. Just to give their honest opinion. Having several business reviews will help boost your Maps ranking.

This focused refining of your Maps profile on Google My Business will help your local listings come up on customers’ smartphones. Smart!

Laurie Macomber, owner of Fort Collins-based Blue Skies Marketing, can be reached at 970-689-3000.

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