Part 1 of setting up Google Places/optimizing for Google local search is to make sure the Name, Address, and Phone Number you use are consistent in as many places as possible. Below is a table of quick links which will take you directly to some of the sites considered most important for covering the vast majority of the web. Check each of the sites for consistency against your main Google Places listing, and if you don’t have a listing on some of these sites, now is the time to create one!
With each site, simply click on the link and follow the instructions to add your business listing to their site (including your consistent Name, Address, and Phone Number). In many cases, these sites will ask you to first check and see if you have a listing on their site already, and if so, to correct it.
IMPORTANT: You can do only a few of these or ALL of them. It is your choice. The more you do, the more notice (and LOCAL love) you will get from Google. Once you have completed this step, make sure that you have signed up profiles in Yahoo, Google + Local and other social media profiles ALL of which link to your site(s).
QUICK TIP: To speed this process, use AUTOFILL or AUTOCOMPLETE in your browsers!
This process of adding your business listing to these sites can take some time to work through, but it will be WELL worth it!
Here are the basic places you need to be listed:
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Then do more LOCAL Optimization with these:
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The Next Level: Do these:
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And more sites to add. These are next:
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Awesome.
Whether you got them all or just a few, you’ve gotten started. The truth is that there are more and they change and we will be adding / changing them as needed. If you only managed a few, remember to come back and add as you have time, because more is better!! If you got them all, come back to this page periodically, as we will be adding more sites as time goes by.
Great tips Eric. I recently moved companies so I need to go back through all of these to correct them. Seeing wayyy too many local results in the SERPs right now.
Eric – Terrific tips on improving local SEO and complimenting website SEO. Like Ben I am seeing more and more local results in SERPs for terms that previously didn’t show mapping results.
Excellent specific/detailed advice, Eric. Thanks for lighting a fire!