Apr
How Google Places Uses Directory Listings to Determine Rankings
How Google Places Uses Directory Listings
Google Places has positioned itself to become the trusted resource for local business listings. Google’s decision to give more weight to the Places listings in regular organic searches has boosted the prominence of those listings, meaning that businesses need to pay a little more attention to whether they have claimed their listing and how they can optimize their page for search. Companies that formerly relied on third-party directory listings should give serious consideration to their listing strategy in order to receive the most traffic.
How Third Party Directories Play a Role in Google Places
Before the big switch that began including Google Places listings in regular organic search results, third party directories were the best way to make sure your local listing could be found quickly and easily. The listings were considered authoritative and often ranked high in the SERPs. After the switch, the rules have changed. Google has given much more weight to Google Places listings, meaning that if you claim your page with Google Places, that page will be given more authority than a third party directory listing because you’ve created it yourself. However, third party directories still feed information to Google Places for businesses that have not claimed their Places page.
What This Means for Businesses
Since third party directories carry less weight than officially claimed Google Places pages, your first priority should be to claim your page and keep it updated. That will be Google’s first source of information about your company. You’ll also need to keep your regular website updated and maintained since your search ranking could be affected by the attention you’ve given to SEO there. Keep in mind, however, that Google does scrape third party directories and that they especially look for listings with reviews. Third party references to your business or website can lend greater credibility to your Places page, increasing your chance of being ranked highly. Other factors that increase Places rankings include review quality and quantity, links, and citations.
Google’s algorithm switch is proving to be a game changer for many local businesses. In order to remain visible, you’ll now need to register for and update a Google Places page as well as keep your third-party directory listings updated. The more trusted sources you have supplying the information, the more credible you’ll be and the higher you’ll be ranked in the organic search results.
Related articles
- The Ultimate List: 50 Local Business Directories (hubspot.com)
Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.Related posts:
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Rankings are important because it determines how your listings are doing. It reflects how well you’ve all work hard and how you are maintaining or improving your performance.
I can understand google decision however there are only 10 places on the 1st page so what about the rest of the businesses? It will be better if google gives preference to local directory which may have all the local businesses listed?
Ranking is the most important, and google know what they need to do to check out website. That’s complicated.
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This looks like a great resource.I’m very interesting to read your blog. Thanks for posting this.
Great source. Nice post.thanks
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interesting information on the rankings, I liked it
I’m helping a friend of mine get an online presence with their small and local business. I had never paid much attention to Google Places but I’m going to register with them now. Looks like you have good blog posts on here, I’ll be bookmarking to take another look in future. Thanks
They show even less local results on mobile devices, which means you have to work even harder to be seen. I agree though.
great article,thanks you!
Justin, you are most certain correct in saying that we should claim our pages and keep them updated. Actually started doing this when I read this article, forgot all about it.
Happy to see your
blog as it is just what I?ve looking for and excited to read all the posts.
I wonder if there are ways to get to the top of Google local listing aside from keeping the company’s website maintained and updated. There are some rumors about the reviews written for the company’s services but I think it doesn’t weigh that much.
Google places definitely shook up the world of SEO. It basically wiped out localized SEO for web pages. Now google places are the only thing that matters for local listings since they are featured prominently on top.
It almost seems wrong sometimes that google can raise a finger and wipe out an entire sector of industry. Although to be honest it is probably showing a far more relevant result now.
Thanks for the explanation Justin. I always put off, creating a Google places page, but reading your post, I am convinced it would be helpful to take a moment and create a page. Thanks.
Glad to hear it. Good luck!
It is no doubt why Google is the most trusted resource for local business listings. Thank you for the informative post.
Two thumbs up for this post, pretty useful tips on directory listings to determine rankings thanks!! Have agood day….
Hi Justin,
Great post. Yep it’s true that directory listings help a lot..especially if your site is listed in truelocal, yellowpages and so on.
I wanted to reinforce and add a couple things.
The most common reason businesses get banned in Google Places is for adding extra keywords and/or city to the business name. PLUS this messes up your citations, because they need to be an EXACT match and now you’ve changed your business name.
2nd most common mistake is adding city to categories. Don’t do it.
I also wanted to remind everyone that regular SEO factors carry the most weight right now, with the new Google Local MERGED algo that started showing up Oct 27th. When I broke the story about my discovery of the new merged layout on Mike Blumenthal’s blog way back in July, I didn’t realize the entire algo and local search game would be changing.
Since then I’ve done lots of reverse engineering of the algo and here is my take on things. The OLD Google Places algo used 50 ranking factors that most people know by now. NAP consistency, reviews, citations, location and many of the things we cover in David Mihm’s Local Ranking Factors (which is the industry bible for local.)
However the new MERGED (blended 0-Pack) algo is much more reliant on your web site and traditional organic SEO factors. PLUS it takes having certain local hooks to tie it all together or the merged listing won’t happen.
So reviews and citations don’t carry as much weight with the new MERGED algo as they did prior to Oct. 27th. (As of today, subject to change on G’s whims.
)
NOTE: You still need to optimize the site and Place page however, because there are 2 algos at play. Many keywords still pull the old 7 pack style layout and when you see that format the OLD algo is at play which is weighted more toward # of citations and reviews. A little hard to explain without pics. I’m doing a big post today with screen shots that illustrates how the new merged algo works.
Interesting – I had no idea that so much went into a Google Places page! Looks like I need to keep up with mine a little more.
Informative topic on rankings. Great work!!
never thought how directory listings would affect ranking. Thanks for explaining.
You have clearly explained how does Google places uses directory listings to determine rankings. And I agree that the changes in algorithm of Google have change the game in SEO. SEO became more complicated and challenging.
Noel Addison@Web Design Ventura´s last [type] ..5 Things to Look for in a Web Dev Company
Hi Justin,
Thanks for the great info. I had no idea to be honest how local placing works. I’m helping a friend with their local small business and will be signing them up to google places shortly.
Am I correct in presuming that if you were just marketing your website, as your site gets credibility, you local placing listing could improve too?
There are some tie-ins, but really these two things are different. You need to market each separately, but understand how they play together.
Can you list down directories that are useful for Google place listings?
wow, im amazed at how google places can make a difference in the rankings. Thank you for laying out in a very self explanatory post. well done.
sheila @ best local business directories´s last [type] ..The Best Practice Local SEO for Your Business in 2012