Start ranking higher on Google.

Are you an Orange County based business looking to increase your ranking on Google to get more customers?  Here’s 8 quick tips to getting found and ranking higher on Google in Orange County.

Tip #1 – Claim Your local Google Business Listing

The most important thing you can do to get your business found on Google is to claim your local business listing.  Go to www.google.com/business/ to claim and create your Google Business listing.  It’s fairly easy to do and will allow your business to easily be found by customers searching for your type of services.

Having your Google business will also place you on Google Maps so people can find you from there as well.

It’s also very important to make sure that your business name, address, phone number and hours are all the same across all directories and also your website.  If there are any differences in your business name or info, Google will rank you lower out of lack of congruency in your data.

Tip #2 – Pick Photos And A Logo That Will Attract Clicks

People are more likely to click on business listings that look professional, clean and attractive.  Making sure that your company logo is attractive and up-to-date is very important to drive more click traffic to your website.

People will also be judging your listing based on what photos you and your other customers have uploaded to your Google Business placement.  Make sure that the photos you post are bright, interesting, and represent your business services well.  If you don’t think your photos are interesting then your audience won’t either, you may even consider hiring a photographer to create your listing photo content.

Tip #3 – Run Paid Advertising To Target Orange County Consumers

Running paid advertising on Google Adwords during popular hours of the day can be a great way to bring in more customer traffic to your Orange County business.  When you run Adwords ads, you will be placed on the first page at the top or bottom so that you can be easily found by those searching for specific keywords that you have set.

Adwords charges per click or impression and is a great way to get traffic from Google if your ranking isn’t naturally that high.  If you don’t have any previous experience with Google Adwords we recommend that you consult an ad professional about how to target your audience and manage your budget correctly so you don’t spend a lot of money without good results.

Tip #4 – Encourage Customer Reviews And Check-ins

Always encourage your customers to leave reviews for your business and if you have a physical business location, encourage people to check-in at your location.  The more reviews you have on your Google Business listing the higher you will rank.  Having lots of reviews shows Google what people think about your business and shows that people are willing to engage online.

More reviews is also valuable so that new potential customers can find out more about how people like your business.  Don’t be afraid of a negative review here and there, just focus on getting positive reviews and always respond to each review to stay connected and engaged with your customers.

Tip #5 – Invite Customers To Engage By Uploading Photos To Your Listing

When your customers upload photos to your listing it’s good for your ranking because it shows Google that people are interested in your service or product.  Also other potential customers can see great photos of your business to get a better idea of who you are.

You can even offer discounts to your customers if they leave reviews and upload photos.

Tip #6 – Build Your Citations To Boost SEO & Ranking

Use businesses like Yext to build your business citations aka. your local directory listings.  There are countless local directories that offer business listings that you can place your business on.  Using a service like Yext can help you manage all those listings and also saves you a lot of time creating each individual listing.

Having your business listed on all the available directories is great for your Google ranking and will help your business get more clicks online.

Tip #7 – Hire A Google Certified Photographer

Hiring a local Google Certified Photographer to come and do a 360 degree photo of your location and other photography shots of your team and services can really boost your SEO ranking on Google but will also give your audience a great way to view your business form your online listing.

Seeing professional photos of a business before they make contact can make them feel more comfortable because they can see who they are working with.

Tip #8 – Post Interesting Content To Your Google Business Listing

Post interesting content at least once per week to your Google Business listing.  You can post latest offers, promotions, and basically anything you want to share with the general public about your business.

This is a great way to show the Google and the public that you are actively engaging and it will create more views to you Google Business listing.

If you are looking for help creating or optimizing your local business directories, contact us!