Quick 3 minutes video on how the ranking of local listings work when users/visitors search on Google and Google Maps.
3 things are super important:
- distance,
- relevance
- prominence
Make sure you have the correct company information like address and phone number and add rich details like photos or hours of operations.
TAGS
Google tags is a flat fee program to help local businesses stand out with a yellow marker that highlights key content but NO impact on search rankings !
BOOST
Boost is an AD that can appear besides the search results improving the chances of being found for your main keywords (products/services).
HOTPOT
Google just introduced a new recommendation engine called Hotpot. It’s based on ratings from the community and it can positively (or negatively) affect the rankings of local businesses.
You must be signed into your Google account and have HotPot enables to see it working.
Here’s a handy Google Places Guide
Oh so these can be all acquired at Google? Hmmm, I might just try these out one of these days.