Google local business listing - opportunity and error
Google does most things well, but its local business listings could be better.
You've probably found recently, when doing a search, that a map & local listings will appear above the usual listings. A lot of businesses have registered, and from a Search Engine Optimisation point of view, I recommend doing so for any business with an actual address - for certain searches, you can usurp well-established businesses who have a traditional page 1 Google ranking.
But it isn't all good news. Google doesn't wait for you to register your business - their systems pull data from online listings like Yell and Thomson Local. This causes problems - locations are sometimes wrong, phone numbers often incorrect.
This week I was asked to help a large local hospital - Google has started showing a map listing at the top of search results, and the phone number shown is for A&E, rather than the general reception. This means everyone's calling A&E, the switchboard is swamped and urgent calls can't get through.
A quick look at Google maps' help forums shows that many hospitals, and businesses, are having this kind of problem. And Google doesn't seem to be doing much to sort any of it out - many cries for help on the help forums go unanswered.
So what can you do?
If your business isn't listed yet - be proactive, create a Google account and create your own listing in Google's Local Business Center.
If your business is listed, but not by you - see if it says "unverified listing". If it does, you're in luck. Create a Google account and go to the Local Business Center, where you can claim the unverified listing and update the details.
Both of these require you to prove you're the business being listed. You get three options - by post, by phone or by SMS. My advice - don't go for By Post, as many people don't receive anything. Many big organisations have difficulty getting the postcard Google send to the right person. SMS is easiest, but this will mean your mobile is shown on the listing.
So go for the automated "by phone" option. Find a quiet time for inward coming calls on your main line, and activate the "call now" feature. With your listing verified, you're free to put in all the details you want.
If the listing isn't claimable, but the details are wrong - try searching other online directories to find where Google is getting the data from. The hospital I helped was incorrectly listed online at ThomsonLocal.
As the organisational challenge of getting Google to physically alter the listing is huge, we also approached ThomsonLocal to update their listing. So, either Google will make the change, or the data it pulls from will update - either way, we're making progress.
In the meantime, some simple changes to the Title element of the homepage gives more prominence to the main reception phone number, to mitigate the problems of the errant map listing.
You've probably found recently, when doing a search, that a map & local listings will appear above the usual listings. A lot of businesses have registered, and from a Search Engine Optimisation point of view, I recommend doing so for any business with an actual address - for certain searches, you can usurp well-established businesses who have a traditional page 1 Google ranking.
But it isn't all good news. Google doesn't wait for you to register your business - their systems pull data from online listings like Yell and Thomson Local. This causes problems - locations are sometimes wrong, phone numbers often incorrect.
This week I was asked to help a large local hospital - Google has started showing a map listing at the top of search results, and the phone number shown is for A&E, rather than the general reception. This means everyone's calling A&E, the switchboard is swamped and urgent calls can't get through.
A quick look at Google maps' help forums shows that many hospitals, and businesses, are having this kind of problem. And Google doesn't seem to be doing much to sort any of it out - many cries for help on the help forums go unanswered.
So what can you do?
If your business isn't listed yet - be proactive, create a Google account and create your own listing in Google's Local Business Center.
If your business is listed, but not by you - see if it says "unverified listing". If it does, you're in luck. Create a Google account and go to the Local Business Center, where you can claim the unverified listing and update the details.
Both of these require you to prove you're the business being listed. You get three options - by post, by phone or by SMS. My advice - don't go for By Post, as many people don't receive anything. Many big organisations have difficulty getting the postcard Google send to the right person. SMS is easiest, but this will mean your mobile is shown on the listing.
So go for the automated "by phone" option. Find a quiet time for inward coming calls on your main line, and activate the "call now" feature. With your listing verified, you're free to put in all the details you want.
If the listing isn't claimable, but the details are wrong - try searching other online directories to find where Google is getting the data from. The hospital I helped was incorrectly listed online at ThomsonLocal.
As the organisational challenge of getting Google to physically alter the listing is huge, we also approached ThomsonLocal to update their listing. So, either Google will make the change, or the data it pulls from will update - either way, we're making progress.
In the meantime, some simple changes to the Title element of the homepage gives more prominence to the main reception phone number, to mitigate the problems of the errant map listing.
posted by WillsonWebDesign at
21:03
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