The AgentMapIt Blog

As you can see from previous posts in this series about local web search and Google Local Business Center (GLBC), “citations” are important to your ability to rank in Google local search.

In fact “citations” along with inbound links are generally considered the second most important ranking factor after the actual content of your GLBC listing. Some local search specialists consider citations and links the most important factor – outweighing even the contents of your actual GLBC listing.

A “citation” is not the same as a link. It is a “web reference’ found on some site other than your own which contains information about your business. According to David Mihm , a citation “always contains your business address and/or phone number.”

The most important places to get citations are major directories such as

– Online Yellow Pages
– SuperPages
– Local.com
and many others, as well as well recognized local directories and websites specific to your local area.

To find out which directories and sites Google considers important for citations, do a local search for the keyword you want to rank in (for example, “Kitchener Real Estate” and then look at the current “more info” tab of your highest ranking competitors to get an idea of what resources are referring to them.

Having a consistent business description (address, phone number, website, email address, description) is important. An effective way to spread your standard business listing information to a large number of online directories is to use the submission service available from Universal Business Listings ($30)

Here are some additional sources on information on the topic of Local Business Search. Most of these are blog posts written by local search SEO specialists. Try not to get bogged down in the technical details.

The bottom line, generally, is to make your Google Local Business Center listing as detailed and as “optimized” as possible. Inbound links and citations (reviews) are next in importance.

David Mihm’s Local Search Ranking Factors – May, 2009

Anatomy of a Local Search Listing – Chris Silver Smith

How to Launch that Small Business Website” – Lisa Barone

10 Likely Elements of Google’s Local Search Algorithm – Matt McGee

Local vs. Traditional SEO: Why Citation Is the New Link – David Mihm

Local Landing Page Best Practices

Google local ranking factors – Andy Corp

Google local Ranking Excel file – Andy Corp

Google wants to become the source for local business information, and one of the services they offer in order to entice local business owners to sign up for various services is Google Local Business Center (Google LBC). You know those Google maps that come up when you search for local services in Google Maps. You’re not going to be on that map unless you register with Google LBC.

In order to take advantage of Google LBC you need to first get listed with them specifically. This is not the same as having your website indexed. You actually have to register your business with Google LBC.

Here’s how you claim your listing at Google Local Business Center:

Once you have claimed your business you will need to go in and edit your listing. This is where you will need to make your profile stand out to the search engines. The most important thing is to be as detailed as possible, and be sure to use the keywords and categories you want to be found for.

1. Write a good description about yourself or your company using the keywords you want to rank for. You have 200 characters to work with.

2. Fill in all the contact information such as address, email and phone numbers.

3. Fill in all the categories. If you are a realtor, fill in Realtor, Real Estate, Realtor, Realty for starters.

4. Add appropriate photos. The more the better (they give you 10).

5. Add a link to a Youtube video if you have one (or as many as 5).

6. Add testimonials (reviews) if you have any.

Optimize your listing for local keywords, and optimize your site as well and Google will be glad to send you more targeted traffic.

If you are an AgentMapIt Gold member, as of July 15 you will have access to a new program called AgentMapIt Feedback. If you are already a Gold Member you can get started using Feedback by going to the Feedback Members Area and creating your listing agent profile. You’ll find a step-by-step description of how the program works.

How Feedback Works
Getting Feedback from people who have visited and toured your listing properties is often difficult and frustrating. Yet this is valuable information that can help you do your job more effectively and show your vendors how their property is being received.

AgentMapIt Feedback is an automated Showing Manager and Feedback System that solves the feedback problem. It helps you book and record showing dates, automatically collects feedback from prospective buyers, and enters that feedback into a feedback log attached to each listing. This gives you a summary of all showings for each of your listings as well as a convenient feedback summary accessible only by you and your vendor.

How Feedback can help you…
You need AgentMapIt Feedback because it makes collecting feedback so much easier. Here is what this system can do for you…

* Books and verifies showings of all your listings
* Keeps track of individual showings
* Gives you a record of showing agent contact information
* Automatically collects feedback from showing agents
* Keeps a convenient log of feedback for each listing
* Lets your sellers see the feedback summary

If you are already a Gold Member you can get started using Feedback by going to the Feedback Members Area and creating your listing agent profile. You’ll find a step-by-step description of how the program works.

Getting traffic from the search engines has always been the rationale for spending time, energy and money on search engine optimization.

But if you have a website promoting local services (such as a local real estate site) it is difficult to compete with search engine optimization experts who have built sites targeting your most important keywords. These “experts” have no interest in serving your market with useful information. What they want is to gain local ranking so Google will send searchers to click on their pay per click ads.

It’s a free world, so people can do whatever they want with their websites. But it’s too bad Google has to reward website owners who play the game this way.

Is Google really changing things?

Recently, Google has indicated they intend to change the rules. For instance, according to this post about changes in Google rankings, we will soon see more emphasis placed on the quality of a site’s traffic, and the use of rich content such as video. We will also begin to see the gradual introduction of personalized search results based on user patterns and interests.

This is good because it could potentially reduce the influence of bogus SEO tactics, and give local websites a better chance at higher rankings based on the quality of their content and their efforts at generating legitimate traffic from sources other than the search engines themselves.

In other words, if a local site owner can tap into the local market and drum up more “natural” traffic from sources other than the search engines, that will actually enhance that site’s rankings in the SEs.

So, for example, if you own a limousine service in New Jersey, Google will give your site more credit (and better rankings) if it contains content that actually attracts traffic. Google will know where your traffic comes from because if you are serious about impressing Google you will have enrolled in a tracking service such as Google Analytics.

That means relying less on the search engines as a primary means of attracting traffic, and more on things like email marketing, social networking, blogging, videos, article writing, and whatever else you can think of as a way of getting attention from your primary target market.

Incidentally, that is exactly why we have developed the Blog and Mail program: to go directly after the people who have the most obvious interest in what you have to offer: your contacts, prospects, former customers – the people looking for the kind of information and services you provide.