May 23, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by Click Rain.

A common question we hear as a digital agency is “How can I get my company to show up first on Google?” Unfortunately, there is no straight-forward answer. Google’s algorithm has over 200 variables it considers when deciding how to rank websites and locations on a search results page. To add more complexity, the majority of variables are not publicly known. As marketing technology experts, Click Rain focuses on the known variables that have been proven to benefit businesses online.

Consistency

An important factor for local SEO, or search engine optimization, is NAP consistency. NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Take an inventory of your online properties; identify any inaccurate, incomplete or inconsistent information; and update. A great place to start is your website. Compare what is listed on your website against Google My Business and your Facebook page to ensure it’s consistent.

Let’s say your Google My Business listing includes the following information:

• Name: Marketing & More
• Address: 2019 S Marketing Ave.
• Phone: 605-506-5555

Find a standard, such as Ave. over Avenue, and make sure your Facebook page and other online entities match.

A “crawler” is a search engine program that scrapes web content. If it is crawling your website and finds inconsistent information, your business may be ranked lower than your competitors as a result.

Accuracy

Click Rain’s Digital State of the Midwest study published in 2018 revealed that device usage differs drastically at home compared to at work. While smartphones are our most frequently used devices at home, at work we tend to put them away in favor of desktop and laptop computers. However, 61 percent of millennials report using smartphones at work. Your audience exists on every device type, so ensure your online presence caters to all of them.

An example of a small step yielding a big impact rests in your hands, literally! Search for your company on your phone’s native maps app. Is the information accurate and complete? If not, there’s opportunity to make some updates. If you don’t have the Google Maps app on your phone, consider downloading it and following the same steps. Google Maps is one of the most popular navigation applications. In a recent survey, almost 70 percent of smartphone owners said they used Google Maps most frequently.

Completeness

If you have your name, address and phone number updated in your Google My Business listings, don’t stop there. Complete additional fields to provide the best customer experience possible.

Consider adding information for the following fields:

• Category: Select the primary category most relevant to your business. Add additional categories if applicable.
• Hours: Provide accurate business hours if you are a storefront location.
• Website: Connect your customers to your site.
• Description: Utilize the free real estate to provide a summary about your company.
• Questions & Answers: If there are common questions your business receives, get ahead of the game and add them to the Q&A section.
• Example question: Where are you located? Answer: We are tucked behind the Whole Foods on South Ave. You can find us next to a big red brick apartment complex.

These are just a few of the fields available. Depending on your industry, Google My Business offers additional features to enhance your customer’s experience. Create or log in to your existing listing to add information, view insights, reply to reviews and more.

Investing in the health of your local listings now will set up your business for future success. Overwhelmed and unsure where to start? The team members at Click Rain are experts at analyzing each of your locations and identifying opportunities based on accuracy and completeness of your listings.