Ranking higher in Local Search Results

Since Google started including local entries in natural results for location-specific search queries, local search optimisation has been gaining more attention. And with Google allotting more spaces to its Map-packs, pushing the traditional results below the fold, getting listed in the local search space is becoming crucial.

I always thought location was the only factor deciding the ranking of the map listing; the better optimised the map is to the location keyword, the higher are its chances to rank on top. However, according to the latest edition of David Mihm’s Local Search Ranking Factors, there are more points to take into consideration. The most positive ones are summarised below:-

1. Claiming places page/local listing
2. Associating Google Place page with proper categories
3. Use of product or service keyword in title and description of local listing
4. Use of product or service keyword in description of local listing
5. Using local area codes or numbers
6. KML File and Geo-Sitemap (the Geo-Sitemap/KML protocol is a standard enabling to identify the physical location of the business in a standard file format.)
7. hCard Microformat (standardized protocol for displaying contact information. Google and Yahoo have both announced their support for this format.)
8. Customer Reviews (although they were once considered an important aspect, this factor is now largely supposed to be diluted, as per the recent ranking research)

More local submissions:

Apart from the above mentioned, submitting to as many local search engines or directories as you can will add more value to the listing as it builds trust for Google. It is also recommended that you submit the website to local search engines such as Yahoo!Local, CitySearch, Yell or SuperPages. Google has a Local Business Center, as well as data providers such as InfoUSA, which are just as helpful in pulling up the site rankings locally.

Spying competitors:

It is good practice to keep an eye on who is appearing on top in the listings and look into which directories they have submitted and what tactics they are using to inform future programmes of work.

Things to avoid:

Among the factors that can have negative impact are using 800# or multiple phone numbers across listings, using non-local area code, listing PO Box on a website without a physical address, multiple listings with same phone number and/or address, over-loading geo-targeted keywords into non-related categories or fields and a high percentage of bad reviews.

The Future:

Inclusion of local search in universal listings must have massively uplifted the number of local searches conducted recently.

Also, with Twitter joining the race and introducing Twitter Places (which lets you tag tweets with specific places as well as creating new Twitter Places), the local search is undergoing a major shift. People might rely more on a Twitter Place page for the most updated snapshot of a local business (complete with the latest tweets), rather than a Google Place Page — many of which often show reviews that are months or years old.

Google has been trying to integrate its business and maps data with real-time context via Google Buzz on Maps, but after its poorly executed launch, Buzz has fundamentally failed to capture people’s interest. Google must now try even harder to innovate if it is to prevent the inception of a Twitter-dominated local search landscape.