SEO Blog

It might sound painfully simple, but signing up for Google Maps (as well as the Bing and Yahoo equivalents) can be hugely beneficial for your site. Not only will you gain a valuable link back to your site, but you can also ensure that you appear at the top of the SERPs for related searches in your surrounding area.

Local search is a very large part of SEO, particularly now with the mobilisation of the Internet. People aren’t just searching for products and services from sites all over the world these days, they want something local, they want a site that they can visit in person. Google Maps will play a huge part in ensuring that you are able to meet these requirements.

Whenever you search for a service or a business, search engines tend to provide a list within a box at the head of the page. Accompanying this list is a large map with the individual businesses highlighted. When you’re logged into the search engine or have previously defined your area, these results will be targeted for that particular location. Similarly, if you include a location phrase within the search string - i.e. roofing specialists Portsmouth - you should achieve a similar result.

The thing is, getting yourself within this listing is incredibly easy. So much so that there really is no excuse for not doing this for your website or business. At this point I think it is worth pointing out that you don’t actually need a site to get listed, you can have your contact details appear, along with an image if you should so wish, without bothering with the hassle of a site.

Anyway, to sign up for Google Maps visit the Google Local Business centre and follow the instructions. For Bing, visit their Local Listing Center and do likewise. Alternatively, for Yahoo, just go to their Local Features section and get signed up there.

By signing up to each of these you can give your business a real local presence. You will add strength to your site through the link authority passed on by these major search engines and will of course add to the local search strength. It’s quick, it’s free and it is easy to do, there really are no excuses (apart from if you are a secretive sort without any kind of base).

Another benefit of being listed locally can be found in the realms of mobile search. Here is probably the greatest new opportunity of recent times for marketers, with people able to access the Internet to look for goods and services wherever they are in the world. If you can appear within these results, you’ve got yourself a highly targeted visitor in your immediate vicinity.