Blackwood Industries is in the right place at the right time again.  A little more than a month ago, Google introduced a significant change in its search engine algorithms - the rules that affect if and where your website shows up when people search for your service or product online. If you want your website to remain visible to local searchers, here’s what you need to know.

Local searches have assumed increasing importance with Google, which has worked hard on improving its ability to predict your location and offer up results even without the use of a city name or location in your query.

This change in the way Google displays search engine results is called Places search. Launched November 27, Google has combined the map-based Google Local (places) listings with the organic (natural) results.

The idea is to make it easier to find local information by “clustering” the results — presenting a more comprehensive view of a business by pulling together information from multiple websites and data sources.

Before that date, when you searched for example “San Diego, CA Bumper Repair” you’d see a couple of sponsored links (ads) at the top and perhaps on the right side of the page. Then there was a large map with seven local bumper repair companies listed to the right of it, followed by the natural (organic) search results.

This was great for a lot of small businesses whose sites didn’t rank high in the organic results — or who didn’t have a website at all — because there was still a chance to get on the first page of Google. You could set up your free Google Local page, and you might be one of the “lucky seven” whose information showed up next to the map.

Now the map with the local business listings has been pushed to the right side of the screen above the sponsored links. Businesses no longer are listed to the right of it.

Moving the map to the right has allowed the organic results to move up. And now if a business that’s listed in the organic results has a Google Places account set up, its listing has been enhanced with photos, reviews and contact information pulled from Google Places.

Finally, on the left side of the page, there is a search option called “Places.” If you click on that, only the Google Places page results show up. So you still can rank high by just having the Google Places page set up for your business — but the only people who see those results will be the ones who know to click on the Places link.

WHAT PLACES SEARCH MEANS

Understandably, this has caused quite a commotion among search engine experts — all of whom are trying to figure out what this change means to their clients. As best I can summarize, these are the implications for you:

  • If you do business locally, you need to pay more attention to Google’s local priorities, such as Google Places.
  • Traditional search engine strategies that help a website rank high anyway (good on-site SEO, backlinks) assume more importance. If you were relying on your Places page (local map listing) to get search engine visibility and didn’t have a website, you’re probably in trouble.
  • Adwords Ads — at least the top ones — are easier to see, making them more important. Google seems to be making an effort to get small business owners to advertise using Adwords, which means it will get more competitive (i.e. costly).
  • You might get less website traffic because popular information such as addresses and phone numbers are easier to find in the search engine results. (A significant percentage of people who visit your website are just looking for contact info.)
  • Reviews are more important, not only from Google but from third-party sites such as Yelp, CitySearch and InsiderPages.
  • Directory-type sites, such as ServiceMagic and SuperPages, are less prominently ranked — although reviews from them might be more prominently displayed.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Because there’s no longer a distinction between natural and local search results (Google says there are no longer two separate algorithms), you have to make sure both aspects of your online presence are managed well. It will be very hard for any business to rank well for local search without a well-optimized website and a claimed, optimized Google Places page, too.

  • Set up or claim your Google pages/local account at http://bit.ly/gooclaim. Fill out your listing as completely as possible, including images. Add as many categories as you can (five as of now).
  • Start asking people to leave reviews on your Google Places page. Figure out how to get people to leave reviews on third-party sites, too.
  • Get listed in as many third-party directory sites as possible, making sure all registrations are consistent as far as name, street address, contact information, etc.
  • If you don’t have a website, get one, especially if you were one of those business owners who relied on a listing next to the map. If your website doesn’t rank, work on that. Google Places doesn’t replace a website.

Right now, although Places search is new, there’s a lot of volatility in the results, but the signals are pretty clear. Google is making “local” a priority.

If your prospects are in a particular local area such as San Diego and if an online presence is part of your marketing plan, you need to develop your local search strategy to keep up. For your best chance at getting website traffic from local searchers, your site needs to rank well in the search engines and have a well-optimized local “Places” listing.

 Real People- Working for People- On Time- All the Time.

Blackwood Industries can and will put your business on the map. We welcome you to meet with Michael Luevano for your complimentary consultation.