Beat Your Local Competitors With Optimized Business Listings
For a local business, the competition for online visibility in your local market is more fierce than ever. You can stand out from the pack though if you focus on the details with your business listings, specifically with 2 key components: Identities & Attributes (see below):
Google Version 3 API Update
One of the most significant developments from Google’s Version 3 API update is that Google gave businesses the ability to add a deeper layer of location information, or attributes. The ability to add attributes is important. Attributes form one half of your location data asset. The other half consists of a more foundational layer of data known as identities. It’s up to you to unleash that asset properly so that people can find you throughout the digital world when they conduct local searches.
Why Identities Matter
As noted in the graphic above, identities consist of foundational data: your business name, address, phone number, primary business category, and website address. When your attributes are accurate, you send a signal to search engines when people conduct near me searches: I exist. Here’s where to find me. If you don’t get your identities right, you might as well send consumers to your competitors.
Why Attributes Matter
As noted above, attributes consist of a deeper layer of descriptive information such as product offerings, business specialties, services a business provides, payment methods accepted, hours of operation, and unique offerings within the business category. Attributes assist in discovery search — when the searcher doesn’t have the name of a particular business in mind. The search for “Chicago Cosmetic Dentist” is an example of a discovery search.
To Sum It Up
In a highly competitive online landscape you need to make sure your business has a complete, consistent and accurate business listing profile, with both fully optimized identities and attributes, on all listings across the web. By doing this, you’ll get a leg up on your competition in your local market and will be on your way to online success!
Have questions? Looking for a great system for your business listings? Contact us now!