expertSEM

There are so many factors that can boost rankings in map listings and the success of each can be debated over and over again, but one tactic everyone agrees on is the value of web citations. Only second to physical location in ranking probability, a web citation can have a huge impact on how well a business ranks in the 10 pack. This can be considered the link building of the local maps world and requires a similar constant effort.

A web citation or reference is simply any source containing relevant information about the business being searched. Google looks at these links completely differently in local than in organic SEO. All that is really needed for a local web citation is an address and business name that matches what Google decides is relevant. Having web references provides an extra level of trust to Google by showing them that your business is well represented across other major channels. So where should you start?

The first step is to research the 10 pack landscape in your industry using relevant keywords. Do you rank well? Are your competitors ranking ahead of you? Once you have identified your current positioning it would be best to dig deeper into the profile of the top ranked business. By selecting the ‘Web Pages’ tab within a business profile you can see what web citations that particular business has.

In this particular example, Google is bringing in data from Yahoo, Angie’s List and Getfave.com. All of those channels offer the option to upload information about your business and should be done similar to claiming your business in Google. By simply adding your business info to those channels you are increasing your businesses chance of generating a new web citation. This was just an example as there are several more sites that Google favors which I will be reviewing in a later blog. Stay tuned.