Increase Brand Visibility with Google Local Business Center

February 19, 2010 by Jennifer Bourn | 4 Comments

Local search engine results

Bourn Creative’s network of contacts, partners, affiliates, and clients extends throughout the United States and around the world, and thanks to today’s internet technology we are able to serve clients that we have never actually met in person.

With that said, we still conduct a large portion of our business services with clients that live within 2 hours of our office. Our website also receives the highest volume of traffic from cities within the same radius.

That means local search and search engine optimization for local search results is important to online business success.

It is also proof that entrepreneurs and small business owners still want to work with businesses that they know, like, and trust.

Proximity to your business location can be a big factor when a potential client is making the decision of whether or not to hire you. In fact, some businesses still rely 100 percent on local business to sell their products and services.

Google has a great resource for local business listings, and it’s free! Check out the Google Local Business Center at www.google.com/lbc.

In the Google Local Business Center, you can watch a quick video, and in about ten minutes create a free Google Account (or use the one you already have) and a local business listing page for your business.

Your local business listing includes your address, phone number, website, and business hours, along with a 200 character description and up to ten photos. A Google Local Business Center also gives you a marker for your business on Google Maps. This is another free way to get your site and business information in front of as many people as possible.

So, if your business relies on local customers and local search results, or is global like Bourn Creative, a Google Local Business Center listing is quick and easy way to help increase the traffic to your website, improve your search results listings, and make the phone ring.

A BONUS QUICK TIP!

Check out Getlisted.org and see how your business is listed at Google, Yahoo, and other top local search engines. Getlisted.org exists to help small businesses claim and enhance their listings at major search engines. You can also check and see if you’re not taking advantage of free opportunities to promote your business online and drive traffic back to your website!

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    About the Authors: Jennifer and Brian Bourn owners of Bourn Creative, a Sacramento web design company, help established businesses build beautiful, feature-rich, custom WordPress websites and blogs, design powerful, personal brands, and help their clients learn to leverage their website and blog to attract more clients than they ever thought possible.


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    Feedback and Comments:

    1. Terry Allison

      Feb 19, 2010 at 12:32

      Hi Jennifer,

      I have used Google’s Local Business Center for my local real estate business with some success. Strangely it seems I get more phone calls than emails which is quite alright.

      I plan to add another listing relative to my other business as I am targeting local businesses.

      Thanks again for great content.

      Terry

      Reply

    2. Melih Oztalay

      Feb 21, 2010 at 08:22

      Hi Jennifer,

      I agree with you about Google’s Local Business Listing as a marketing tool for the local business. Afterall the Internet has finally created a way to reach the local consumer through web searches and mobile searches alike.

      What I am most concerned about are small and local businesses having to contend with multiple websites when it comes to their local listing. What I’m really talking about are “time resources”.

      Afterall, there are over 60 websites in four different categories specifically geared towards local listings. How can a local or small business have the time resources to cover this space.

      Even if you made a conscious decision to not manage all 60, there are well more than Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask. The space goes to Local.com (they went public), Yelp, Merchant Circle, and many others.

      Consumers will be the ones deciding which of these local listing websites they will go and post their experience through consumer reviews. This adds to the burden that no one single local listing website will do the trick.

      I also have an argument about “getting listed” is not the real services needed. The local business still has to claim, update and maintain their local listing at multiple local listing websites.

      “Getting listed” is an admirable starting point, but it will not address the long term need of the local business and their local marketing efforts.

      Something we recently read at KillerStartUps are companies that are offering a low cost service to update then manage these listings for companies. You can read about this at KillerStartUps here:

      http://www.killerstartups.com/Search/smartfindslocallisting-com-be-found-online

      It is a changing world and the local business will benefit. There will be some adjustment to this space needed.

      Good information from your post and hopefully varying opinions help give perspective.

      Reply

      • Jennifer Bourn

        Feb 22, 2010 at 11:19

        Melih – I think when it comes to multiple websites for “local” search, there are a lot that aren’t really necessary, and there are some big ones that tend to get ignored. The trick for the small business owner and entrepreneur who are doing it themselves is to do what they can manage. Focus on just a few and really get your profile dialed in … then expand to create a few more. Thos who try to tackle every site out there that is applicable to local search will more than likely get overwhelmed and quit.

        GetListed is a great start for those who haven’t yet created or completed their profile on the main search sites. I advise my clients to start with a few and perfect their profiles. Then, use those profiles as a guide for content etc. when creating additional profiles.

        Reply

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      Mar 02, 2010 at 02:08

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