Internet-Experts-Live

Google changed the Shortcut to Local Customers

By Karl in SEO

Local SEO

Google changed it’s shortcut to the top of the natural search results: Until now you could get a listing on top of Google’s natural search results by setting up a free Google Local Business Listing (Google Places) and by optimizing it. This listing also had pretty good conversion rates since Google kindly put its Google map next to your local listing.

To get a top listing for certain keywords and a good number of potential customers to your website was pretty straight forward, until now:

When Google introduced Place Search, Google’s new kind of search result that organizes information around geographical locations, Google separated the actual listings from the Google map: the listings get spread out throughout the listings on the first page and the Google map appears in the top of the left sidebar above the Google (PPC) ads.

What does this mean for you?

Will it now become easier or more difficult to get a local listing onto Google’s first search results page?

Will it now become more difficult or easier to get any natural listing at all in the top ten on Google’s first page?

Here are some indicators of what Google’s latest change could mean for anyone who wants to get a local listing on Google’s first page:

If you do any local SEO for small business owner’s, make sure that you check their rankings now.

Until now, when you entered something like ‘Plumber Miami’, you’d always get a map on top wit the businesses listed in the so-called 7pack. (Google Places)

Not anymore, the map moved to the right and the 7pack is gone, it’s now spread over the whole first page.

Google merged the Google Places listings with the business’s websites.

This is a game changer.

You can’t manipulate map results that easily anymore and SEO is playing a major role now when it comes to local search and Google Places.

That’s great news in my opinion. I’ve been following all my clients’ rankings in the last couple of days, they all rank even better now because I never offered local optimization without SEO.

Also, if you’re into local search, make sure that you find out more about Google Boost, a new service that Google is testing to make money from local small business owners.

Plus keep any eye on Google’s changes to the local listings, since they probably will change again, soon.

Have your or your client’s local listings been affected?

Discuss by leaving a comment below.