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Universal Search

Tips for Optimizing for Universal Search: Maps & Local

written by Michael Gray Dec 10, 2008

Last week we took a look at some tips for universal search optimization for video, in this post we’ll be looking at tips for optimizing for local search.

Universal search for maps is activated when you search for a product or service, for a specific geographic region by state, city, or zip code. You can see an example below for the term [Dentists Los Angeles].
As an Internet marketer the advantage is getting in one of the ten listings next to the map, as they often place the universal result above the standard links. Here are some tips that can help you get included and improve your position.

Place your full address on your pages – Make sure the address is complete with business name, street address, city, state and zip code. Make sure it’s either all on one line or shown like an address on an envelope. Make sure it’s in text format and not a graphic.

Register Your Business – Make sure you register your business with the Google Local Business Center. They offer voice and postcard verification, postcard verification takes longer but I’ve always had better results using it.

Don’t Use Multiple Addresses or Phone Numbers – Try to keep only one phone number on each page, if you have multiple locations create individual pages for one. You may need to adjust the footer so it doesn’t cause multiple addresses to display on those pages.

Maximize Your Internal Anchor Text – Try to use the keywords that you want to rank for as the internal anchor text for your page (ie Carpet Cleaner San Francisco). If you use something like “our location”, “contact us” or “visit us” in your common navigation, you may want to use a nofollow tag and put keyword rich anchor text in a different part of the page.

Use Geographic Keywords in Your Title Tag – On the page that has your location, make sure the page title has your geographic information. Instead of “Our Location – Joe’s Limousine Service” try “Joe’s Limousine Service Serving San Francisco California 94103”.

Get Local Relevant Links – Try to obtain a few locally relevant links from Chamber’s of Commerce, and local business groups like Kiwanis or Lions Club. Local organizations like Knights of Columbus or Veterans of Foreign Wars, are other sources, as are religious institutions like churches or synagogues. Don’t forget your local library or school. A charitable contribution or sponsorship goes a long way when you try and get the attention of those types of organizations.

Use Reviews – Once you have a verified profile, ask some of your better customers or business partners if they wouldn’t mind filling out a review for you. Don’t ask them to lie or be overly complimentary. An honest lukewarm review is much more valuable than, reviews which are too positive and look fake.

Tips for Optimizing for Universal Search: Maps & Local was last modified: December 5th, 2008 by Michael Gray
local searchSEOUniversal Search
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Michael Gray

Michael Gray has been involved in developing and marketing websites since 1998. He currently is the president of his own consulting firm, where he publishes his own sites and work with clients on improving their search engine optimization and social media strategies. He is a frequent speaker and can be seen regularly at Pubcon, Search Marketing Expo, Search Engine Strategies, and Affiliate Summit conferences throughout the year. Below is a collection of articles he has written. You can connect with Michael on his Twitter, Facebook or Google+ profile.

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4 comments

Using Social Media for Reputation Management Jan 5, 2009 at 3:50 am

[…] Local and Map Listings: If you are doing reputation management for your business and you have a physical address, map listings can help you secure another spot. Be sure to claim your business in Google Local Business Center and follow any local search optimization techniques. […]

Reply
DavidW Jan 6, 2009 at 3:53 am

I’ll add what may seem like a simple tip, but it’s crucial and often gets missed, do your keyword research. Not all terms turn up local search results. For example, seo portland oregon turns up no local results in Google even though the first 10 organic listings are all seo firms. On the other hand, search engine optimization portland oregon turns up 10 local listings. This plays a role in how you setup your listing that’s crucial to your local listing success.

Reply
DavidW Jan 6, 2009 at 3:53 am

I’ll add what may seem like a simple tip, but it’s crucial and often gets missed, do your keyword research. Not all terms turn up local search results. For example, seo portland oregon turns up no local results in Google even though the first 10 organic listings are all seo firms. On the other hand, search engine optimization portland oregon turns up 10 local listings. This plays a role in how you setup your listing that’s crucial to your local listing success.

Reply
ericafiller02 Mar 13, 2010 at 11:02 am

Well, the two excellent Local Search panels at SMX West, put together … In the first panel, “Up Close with Google Maps & Local,” I … some excellent tips to optimize

Reply

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