Power Your Google Local Results with These Seven Tips

Add as much information you can to your listing. Include videos, photos, hours, contact information, URL, etc.

Many operators of office business centers overlook one key component of marketing their business: Google’s local results. Local results typically are displayed in Google’s results pages when a user types in something like “office space Los Angeles”. The results will display a map with listings beside it.
It’s important to be in those top ten results, but how do you get in them? Well, it’s even less clear than standard search engine optimization, but there are some things you can do to ensure you are going to have a chance at being included:

1. Follow standard SEO practices. If your site doesn’t perform well with standard results pages, it’s hard to perform well in local rankings.
2. Add your business to Google’s Local Business Center and be sure to verify it.
3. Add as much information you can to your listing. Include videos, photos, hours, contact information, URL, etc. Provide descriptions & specialty information and anything else you deem appropriate.
4. Use an industry keyword (executive suites, office space, virtual offices, etc.) in your business name and descriptions where appropriate.  Don’t overdo it.
5. Conform your address on all internet sources. Make sure your address at the local business center is the same as on your website and on other listings like yellowpages.com. It needs to be exactly the same. For example, “348 E Main St” should not vary to “348 East Main Street, Suite 200” from site to site.
6. Request your clients to add reviews of your business on Google. Don’t provide spam reviews from made up accounts -- ask real clients to provide real reviews, and do it consistently. It’s better to get 2 reviews per month over the course of the year, rather than 40 at one time.
7. Choose the right categories: Commercial Real Estate Agency, Office Space Rental Agency and Executive Suites Rental Agency are good ones to choose.

Follow these 7 steps and you’ll surely be on your way to Google Local success.

Mike Sullivan is Executive Director of ALLIANCE Impact Marketing where he helps Office Business Center operators get more customers. He practices his marketing techniques on his Office Business Center website, aBetterOffice.