Google's search algorithm incorporates many factors when determining rankings. Local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. These factors are combined to help find the best match for your search. For example, Google algorithms might decide that a business that's farther away from your location is more likely to have what you're looking for than a business that's closer and therefore rank it higher in local results. For these reasons, it is important to provide Google with as much relevant information about your business as possible. Below are the most critical components considered by Google in its search results.
We Will Analyze Your Google My Business Profile for these Important Criteria
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone Number. NAP is critical for businesses wishing to rank well in the local organic search results because search engines like Google take the data into account when determining which companies to show for geo-targeted searches.
The main reason to consider claiming your own Google My Business listing isn’t just because someone else may claim it but rather to gain the benefits of having your listing under your control. Claiming your GMB profile is extremely important and is actually the first step towards getting all the benefits Google has to offer to businesses like yours.
When you set up a new business in Google My Business, Google My Business makes you set a category for your business. There are over 3969 Google My Business categories as of 2021. Make sure you have selected the relevant and the most appropriate category for your business. Download a spreadsheet here.
It might seem like a trivial thing, but updating your business hours on Google can make all the difference to you. But if your business information is not updated, you’ve got a lot to lose: search engines aren’t going to be able to provide your customers with your business hours when they search for it; it will affect your overall local SEO; you’re very likely to lose your customers to your competitors.
Your business will look best on Google if you add category-specific photos. These photos spotlight features of your business that your customers use when making purchasing decisions. Photos you add can also help differentiate your business on Google.
Your listing is a great place to showcase the photos that capture your business. Businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for driving directions to their location from users on Google, and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t have photos. Make sure you use high-resolution photos or you will dilute all the benefits mentioned above.
Adding 360° images (virtual tours) to your Google My Business listing is a valuable opportunity to encourage interaction and engagement with current and potential customers.
Your business description is a summary – of up to a certain number of characters – that appears when a user searches for your local business or checks out your listing on Google, via a desktop computer or mobile device. It’s usually displayed alongside or underneath your online reviews and ratings on Google, as well as your business review snippets.
In addition to your company’s phone number, address, business hours, it is also important to add the type of payments accepted by your business.
According to a study by Brightlocal, 91% of people surveyed trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and 86% of customers read online reviews for local businesses. The best thing you can do to get more search engine traffic from Google and also attract more visitors is to get reviews on your Google My Business profile.
Adding structured data, also known as schema markup, to your site is one of the more technical things you can do to give your website a significant SEO boost and increase your rankings.
Did you know you can add a custom FAQ to your GMB listing? By adding this often-overlooked Q&A feature, you can promote your business effectively and stay ahead of the competition.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been a law for almost 30 years and has been spurring a new wave of digital-era lawsuits.
ADA lawsuits have increased in the past few years, and they’ll likely continue to do so. According to UsableNet’s 2019 ADA Website and App Accessibility Lawsuit Report, federally-filed ADA suits were occurring at the rate of one suit for every working hour.
It’s essential to be proactive, ensuring that your site is ADA compliant even if you haven’t received any complaints yet. Go through your site, and check for these commonly-broken ADA regulations:
- Use alt text for all images so screen readers can easily navigate a site
- Ensure that users can navigate a site without a keyboard if needed
- Include closed captions and/or transcripts on all video and audio content