If you want to get the maximum out of your local SEO efforts, you need to know how to optimise your Google My Business (GMB) listing. It is a very critical aspect that makes a strong impact on your local SEO campaign. When it comes to ranking different marketing channels in terms of their relevance for local businesses, most digital marketing experts gives the maximum importance to two factors, namely, creating an appealing website and effective Google My Business management.

Three factors play the most important role in determining local results, namely distance, relevance and prominence. Reliable and experienced SEO agencies blend these three aspects to help Google discover the right match for user searches. Without considering these vital aspects, you cannot use Google My Business for local SEO.

Distance refers to how far all potential search results are from the location terms utilised in searches. If Google finds that a particular user has not mentioned a location in his/her search, it will make an assumption on distance depending on the current information at its disposal.

Relevance is the compatibility between a local Business Profile and a user search. You need to furnish in-depth business information to assist Google in knowing more about your business. It uses this information when it comes to matching a business profile to relevant searches.

Prominence is the factor that takes the reputation aspect into consideration. That is to say, Google checks the popularity of a business. In local search results, well-known brands always get more prominence. Local search rankings rely heavily on Google review count and review score. So, you need consistent reviews and ratings to take your local ranking to the next level.

Ranking high in local search results is extremely critical to driving potential customers in your area to your site. If you are a local business owner, you need to give maximum importance to Google My Business for local SEO. In fact; it is more important than other forms of marketing, including directory advertisement, content marketing and social media.

It is also necessary to focus on GMB local citations while optimising your local business. Citations are an extremely critical ranking factor for local searches. Citations work as virtual references to a business and contain the name, address, phone number and website address. Generally speaking, citations refer to a group of individual business listings on different websites. The majority of the citations are pretty similar to online business directories. However, you can also find different types of citations.

It is not a difficult task to get started with GMB. First of all, you must create an account and claim your business. When you submit all relevant details, a real-life postcard will be sent to your address. That is how Google confirms that you own the business listed. Sometimes, verification is done by using an email or a phone call for certain types of businesses. You can check the verification status on a special page by Google.

After checking the verification status, you can submit all other necessary details. Your profile clearly shows how your listing is performing. GMB listing provides insightful information, including the number of impressions, clicks and subscribers over a specified period. With the help of all these details, you can assess how Google and your customers are looking at your business.

You need to make sure that your profile is accurate. Your Google My Business management has to compliment your onsite and off-site optimisation efforts to generate outstanding results consistently. To reach on top of the local search engine result pages, you should have a properly optimised website and well-designed localised content. Many people don’t know how to optimise for Google local 3-pack listing. This is where the importance of hiring an experienced local SEO expert comes in.

How To Optimise Your Google My Business Listing To Improve Local SEO

How to optimise your GMB listing to improve your local optimisation? If you want to make your GMB account a success, you need to have a well-designed Google My Business Management strategy. It is necessary to keep everything you add compatible with the information provided on your website. Confusing and wrong information damages your listings and makes a negative impact on your rankings. It is a very vital thing to remember while using Google My Business for local SEO.

Accomplished SEO experts assess your needs and develop a customized strategy that works for your business. Claiming your listing with the real name of your business, skilled local SEO professionals make your site search-engine friendly and optimize for the Google 3-pack listing. They also choose a precise category and help you offer maximum data to make your profile 100% complete.

Other important aspects you need to focus on include keeping the latest phone number and address, checking the opening times, reviewing images, creating citations and maintaining high compatibility between your site and business listing. The key is to keep all details up to date. Offering top-quality Google My Business Management solutions, renowned SEO experts help you achieve a higher ranking on local Google listing.

As mentioned above, the core components of a local citation are N.A.P + W (name, address, phone number and website address). Accomplished SEO experts also advise their clients to focus on other important elements including, business categories, hours of operation, business descriptions, images, videos, driving directions, geo-coordinates, payment forms accepted, taglines, owner responses, reviews, email addresses, social media links, attributes and fax numbers.

You need to realize that local citations positively or negatively impact both search engines and visitors. The key is to find top-quality, popular local citation sources to improve your local rankings. Processional expertise is needed to create the maximum number of relevant, credible and localised citations. Experienced SEO professionals help you list your site on trusted online directories. The quantity and accuracy of your listings and the quality of the online directories make a strong impact on how Google perceives your online visibility.

It is always to start with the online directories that are highly relevant to your industry. You can come across several reliable online lists of top priority citations based on business category. With the help of advanced citation management tools, you can make your efforts result-oriented. When it comes to choosing these tools, you need to look for some important things. The first thing you need to check is whether the management tool lets you choose industry-specific directories. Some of the tools offer you the freedom to select particular directories while some others pick directories for you. If you want more freedom and flexibility, you can choose the former.

Another important consideration should be the citation setup methods offered by different tools. The best options available on the market today come with a direct API to the directories and aggregators. Other important features you need to look for include duplicate detection and suppression efficiency, tracking accuracy, and compatibility with other tracking tools. Last but not the least; the price must be a top consideration. If you don’t have adequate knowledge about these aspects, you must seek the help of an experienced SEO agency.

You need to bear in mind a few important aspects while making efforts to optimize local citations. NAP+W consistency is the most important thing. It is necessary to keep a consistent name, address, phone numbers and website address across all listings. SEO experts always add your top keywords while writing descriptions to improve the local rankings. Other vital factors include linking directly to the location page, focusing on secondary targeted keywords, optimize the image file name and alt text and making the best use of good user reviews.

Tracking and measuring the value of citations are extremely critical. Citation status tracking can be done using different tools, especially with the ones that have open APIs with directories. If you hire the expertise of an experienced SEO agency, you can measure the track citation performance using the most advanced and reliable tools.

What are the things your prospective customers will see while making searches for your products/services using related keywords? Google ads are the first thing they will come across. Then, Google 3-pack listing and finally the organic results are visible for searchers. When you create a Google My Business profile, you are improving your chances of getting found on the top 3 local results, Google Maps and local finder. This method of approach translates to improved business exposure and fast generation of leads.

Local SEO is an ongoing process. You cannot relax after creating an account, claiming your business and submitting all relevant details. Things always keep changing in the local SEO world. Your GMB profile and citation efforts need to be monitored vigilantly. Experienced local SEO experts make the necessary changes based on the newly emerging situations to make your optimisation efforts highly successful.

Are you searching for a trusted, skilled and experienced Local SEO Agency? Look no further than Ronnoco Digital. We offer the most advanced and reliable Google My Business management solutions to take your site performance to the next level. Our highly competent and knowledgeable professionals also focus on local citations to increase your local search visibility unprecedentedly.