[Local SEO Tip] Spoonfeed Google Your Business Info

Local SEO Tip: How to Spoonfeed Google

Your Correct Business Information 

The simple days of static Google Places business pages are long gone.  They have been replaced by dynamic, social, and ever changing Google+ Local business pages.  Not only did Google overhaul the look and feel of their business pages, but they also changed the administrator dashboard and the algorithm that ranks all the pages.  In other words, just about everything has changed since the original Local SEO Formula!

With that said, the fundamentals have remained the same.  You must have accurate, consistent data across the internet if you want to rank high in the local results.

 

Why is Accurate & Consistent Data Important?

One of the most important ranking factors in local SEO is accurate and consistent data.  More specifically, I’m talking about business information like your name, address, and phone number.  This is often referred to as your NAP for short (Name, Address, Phone).

If you think about this from Google’s perspective, then it makes perfect sense. Google’s mission is to provide the best possible results for any given search.  In the case of local results, that means showing searchers reliable local business information.  If Google’s results were full of inaccurate business names, addresses, and phone numbers, then that’s a big problem.  Searchers would eventually lose faith in Google and turn to Yahoo, Bing, or another business directory like Yelp.  Ultimately, that would mean lost revenue for Google.

To mitigate that risk, Google scours the internet to confirm business information is accurate.  If they find your business name, address, and phone listed consistently across many websites, then there’s a pretty good chance that info is correct.  On the other hand, if Google finds inconsistent information, then they are less likely to display your business high in the results.

Makes sense right?

How to Spoonfeed Your Data to Google

Up until recently Google was on their own to find your accurate business name, address, and phone number on your website.  There are some obvious places to look like your contact page, but in some cases (like businesses with multiple offices) it’s not always easy for Google to determine the most authoritative Name, Address and Phone number for your business.

Plus, who wants to leave it up to a 3rd party? Shouldn’t the business provide this information first hand?

Well you’ll be happy to know you can do just that… Now you can spoonfeed Google this information.

Introducing Schema.org.  Before you click that link and get lost in a world of tech jargon, I’ll give you another handy tool called the Schema Creator.  Click that link and simply complete the form to generate the code your webmaster should add to your website.  It’s basically just HTML code that tells Google exactly what you want to use for your name and address.  Unfortunately that tool doesn’t include your phone number so you need to do a little hacking.

Feel free to copy our code below and then replace the information with your own.  Or ask your webmaster to view the source code on our Contact Page and she’ll be able to easily copy the code.

<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Organization”> 
<a itemprop=”url” href=”http://www.mainstreetroi.com”> 
<div itemprop=”name”>Main Street ROI</div> </a> 
<div itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”> 
<span itemprop=”streetAddress”>116 West 23rd Street, Suite #500</span> 
<span itemprop=”addressLocality”>New York</span>, 
<span itemprop=”addressRegion”>NY</span> <span itemprop=”postalCode”>10011</span> 
Phone: <span itemprop=”telephone”>(646) 470-3753</span> 
<span itemprop=”addressCountry”>United States</span></div>

Once the code is added to your website, then you’ll want to verify it’s set up properly using Google’s Data Verification Tool.  Simply copy/paste your website into that tool and Google will tell you if they have the correct information or if there are any errors.

Data vs. Emotion: How to Avoid Bad Marketing Decisions

 

In the past, when you published an update on your Facebook business page, it would reach a large percentage of all of your fans, but those days are long gone.  Now businesses are forced to pay for that same distribution that was once free.

 

In response to Facebook's changes, Eat24 is threatening to jump ship and close down their Facebook fan page at 11:59 PM tonight.  What do you think, is that a smart move?  When things change, do you think it's best to pack your bags and move elsewhere?

 

How you answer that question, reveals a lot about you and how you approach business and marketing.  In this article, I'll explain why change is actually a good thing for your business, and how to avoid making a big mistake like Eat24 is on schedule to make tonight.

 

Change Equals Opportunity

Here's the reality with digital marketing: things change fast!

 

Google constantly updates their search algorithm and the layout of their search results.  Ad networks, tactics, and formats are constantly evolving.  New devices like smartphones and wearables are now forcing change in nearly every digital marketing tactic.  And a hot new social media platform is bound to pop up any minute now.

 

Change is often scary, so most people avoid it at all costs.  But in business and marketing, change equals opportunity!  Every time Google shakes up the search results, you have an opportunity to overtake your competitors.  If you're one of the first businesses to try a new ad format like YouTube's TrueView ads, then you'll reap the benefits of low cost, targeted traffic before your competitors.  Or, in the case of Eat24, if you realize Facebook is now a highly targeted ad platform, and you change your tactics accordingly, then you'll think twice about deactivating your account.

 

It's all about perspective.  Sure, it was a heck of lot better to get free exposure via Facebook than it is to pay for it now.  But doesn't that also mean it's now harder for other businesses to reach your prospects and customers?  When Facebook changed their platform, they gave some businesses a real competitive advantage.

 

Use Data (Not Emotion) to Guide Your Marketing Decisions [Tweet this]

I'll admit, I have no idea if Eat24 is getting any return on their Facebook marketing.  I didn't even know who they were before I stumbled on their shared article.  So I guess their PR stunt worked to some extent.

 

But based on their article, they are making their decision to leave for all the wrong reasons.  I hear similar complaints all the time from business owners regarding Google algorithm updates, Yelp hiding reviews, and rising AdWords costs.  It's OK to get frustrated, but don't let emotion guide a big marketing decision.  Instead, let the data do the talking.

 

Google Analytics allows you to track all of your marketing channels so you can evaluate the return on investment from your campaigns.   Once you're tracking your campaigns, then you can make an informed decision.  For example, Eat24 should be able to see how much traffic is coming from Facebook, and more importantly how much is converting to sales.  Based on that data, it'll be clear if they can afford to invest in Facebook ads to continue that channel.

 

If it's profitable, then it doesn't make sense to shut it off.  As I'm sure you've heard, and as my wife repeatedly reminds me, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." :)