Google Local Listings to Drive Business

If you have not taken advantage of Google Local; here’s how to improve your results on Google Maps You can also use these tactics on Yahoo!, MSN Bing, Ask, or any local directory.

Free Google Maps Listing. List your business in Google Maps by going to Google’s Local Business Center, where you’ll find information for creating your free listing. You need a Google account to log into the business center. It’s important to have accurate business information in your business profile, so get it together ahead of time and then follow these steps:

• Sign up for a Google Local Business Center account.
• First, check to see if you already have a listing.
• If you find your listing, check it carefully for accuracy and edit if necessary.
• If you’re not listed, enter your company name, address, phone/FAX numbers, toll-free number, contact personnel, email address, website URL, hours of operation, and any other information requested.
• If possible, use keywords in your business name title.
• Submit a listing for every location where you do business.
• It’s helpful to mention your city and location nicknames on your web pages.
• Add a footer to all your pages, listing your street address and phone number.
• You can create coupons and display photos or videos.
• Edit your listing periodically to update your information.
• You can access Google’s data to learn where your customers come from and what they search for to find you.
• Google activates your profile with a phone call or postcard, which is necessary for verification.
• Your business profile appears in Google Maps as a local listing and can also come up for local search queries in Google’s general search index.
• Google Maps Advertising. You can display local business ads by using the Google AdWords local match options for Google Maps

Google Enhanced listings: Once you establish your free business listing, you can enhance it with features from the Google AdWords advertising network. You can create Local Business Ads through your AdWords account. These ads serve a dual purpose because they appear as regular text ads on Google.com and other sites participating in the Google advertising network. And they appear as enhanced listings in Google Maps.

Local Business Ads: These ads are based on the physical location of your business, so it’s important for the address in your Google AdWords account to match your address in the Local Business Center. Your location determines whether or not the text version of your ad appears in Google.com listings. That’s because searchers indicate location in their local search queries; therefore, if your business is in that location, your ad will appear.

Logo Image: The text of your ad on Google Maps is also accompanied by a small logo image of your choosing. The ad appears on the left side of the screen, and also as a balloon marker showing your business location on the map display to the right. If you wish, the marker can be an uploaded custom icon rather than the usual red-letter balloon provided by Google Maps. This can help your ad stand out from the crowd.

Coupons: Google allows you to create coupons that your customers can print out and redeem at your offline location, which is an easy way to create more business.