How To Rank In The Top 3 of Google

| SEO

How To Rank In The Top 3 of Google

 

With Google having reduced the number of listing on their local search from 7 to 3, ranking highly within Google is now harder than ever. Many estate agents will have found themselves no longer on page one of Google and may suffer a significant dip in their website traffic because of this change.

However if you have managed to retain your positioning within the local search then you can expect to receive more calls and leads for your business.

So how can you get back to the top of Google? Here are 5 tips to help you improve your relevance for a local business and get back onto the maps listings:

1) Verify your business listing

This may be obvious but it is a crucial one. Even if you’ve never created one, it is likely you still have a Google+ Business page as Google created thousand automatically several years ago based upon data that was already on the internet. However if you are a new business then you will have to create your own.

Make sure each of your offices has a verified Google+ business page.

2) Pick the right category

If you aren’t ranking then you should check that your business is registered under the right category. You can see what category your business is listed under by searching for your business in Google. On the right hand side underneath your company name you will see your primary business category.

If this category doesn’t correctly represent your business (e.g. either ‘Estate Agent’ or ‘Letting Agent’) then you should change this immediately.

3) The correct Name, Address, Phone Citation (NAP)

Ensure the name, address and phone number of your business is registered correctly. This is crucial for Google as it allows them to be able to identify you correctly and determine whether your business can be trusted and is relevant to your local area.

4) NAP correctly listed in all other business directories

Once you have your NAP listed correctly on your Google Business listing, you will then have to ensure it is consistent across all other directories and your website.

If your business has been around for quite a few years then you are likely to be listed on a lot of different business directories. Companies don’t tend to maintain and update these directory listings and if you have changed address or telephone number over the years then the information on these directories are likely to be wrong.

Inconsistent citations across the web will be harmful and may be the reason you aren’t ranking for local search.

There are literally hundreds of potential directories you could be listed on and if the NAPs aren’t the same across all of them then Google may see this as being a little fishy and penalise you because of it.

Having a large number of consistent NAP citations in authoritative business directories is a positive signal to Google as it helps prove you are a trusted company within the area.

5) Positive reviews

Getting people to leave reviews may not be easy but it is significantly important in terms of local search.

Google aims to deliver their users with the best and most relevant businesses that match the search criteria, and user generated content (reviews) helps Google determine that.

You need to stand out in the local search results and the only way to do that is through positive reviews. We aren’t talking about 1 or 2 reviews either; you must have as many 5 star reviews as possible, or at least more than your competitions.

Reviews reflect the quality of the service you are providing to your audience and the more you have the better you will appear in both your audiences’ eyes and Googles.

Reviews are crucial to local search so you should be asking all your customers to leave you feedback on your Google+ Business page. 

Luke Stanley