Adding your website to Google Local/Maps/Places

Asking how can I add to Google Local? Learn how to list your business at Google Maps!

If you have a business with a location, you more than likely service a specific regional area. Having your website appear in Google search engine results is great, but how can you get a secret SECOND inclusion and appear TWICE? Add your business to Google Local – also known as Google Places.

Step 1:

You will need a Google Account. They are free and quick to set up, and you should be ashamed if you don’t have one already. If you have a Gmail account, you can use that to log in. If not, get one at http://www.google.com/accounts

Step 2:

Log in to your account, then navigate to Google Places. Google Places is the portal which allows you add your own free listing to Google Maps (and Google Local). It’s entirely free, BUT- it requires verification, so don’t try to spam it.

Step 3:

To verify the listing, there are two options dependent on how you filled out the business listing information in Step 2. The first option is to receive an automated phone call from Google to the number specified in the listing. The second option is to receive a postcard from Google (I usually go this route- because postcards are awesome). The phone or postcard will contain a several digit pin number, usually between 5 and 7 digits. To verify the pin number, navigate back to Google Places and login as you did when you originally created the listing. It will then display your Google Maps business listing and present you with a textbox to enter your pin. Type it in and submit!

Other tips:

1. Be as descriptive as you can in your business listing. Remember, this is read by users- not so much search engines. If you want to convert, make it enticing and what visitors and customers want to see.
2. Fill out as much of the listing form as you can. From hours of operation, to payment methods accepted, your visitors will want to know this information before they move onto your competitor who has taken the extra two minutes to enter it in.
3. Fake reviews can go a long way. After you have verified your listing, make yourself sound better. It may not exactly be ethical, but people DO read reviews.

What else are you doing when you submit your business to Google Local/Maps/Places? Let us know in the comments!

How to write effective title tags for SEO

So you’re working on your on-page optimization and after all your keyword research and competition analysis, you’ve found yourself with a short list of keywords you want to target. Backlink Betty is hard at work at the desk next to you, hammering away and building links to your website. Now all you have to do is tidy up your HTML Title Tags.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind to make your Title Tags awesome

1. Keep the number of characters in under 65. When your site is displaying in search engines, it’s best that your page title doesn’t get truncated and finish with “…”. Out of the restraints from Google/Yahoo/Bing, the magic number of 65 letters is the smallest – so by catering to the tightest restrictions, we can make sure we’re visible everywhere.
2. Try not to repeat words. If your website was selling Widget items, a spammy title would be “Widget Books – Widget DVDs – Widget Pants”. We could clean this up to maintain the same keyphrases but look much better to a visitor by writing it as “Widgets – Books, DVDs, Pants”. The less annoying text is to read, the better your click-through rate will be. The quality of our revised title tag is much higher than the former.
3. Place your main keywords at the beginning of your title tag. Quite simply, like in the previous example, it will be more effective for search engines and better for your users.
4. Be enticing! Use words like “Discount” or “Free Shipping” where applicable. Once you make it to the first page of a result page, make people want to visit your site more than others!
5. Use your site name at the end of your title tag. Once users find your site, make sure they can easily come back. Placing your name in title adds to the recall value and helps your brand awareness. You already have the visitor- don’t lose them!

How have you written your title tags? Let us know in the comments.

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