subject: Top Insights On Google Places Ranking [print this page] Because Google Places is such a new addition to Google search, there's still not a huge amount known about it as to how exactly the algorithm works but here's what I do know. The address obviously is important because Google wants to make sure that it is serving up the business that's relevant in that particular area. That's what Google Places ranking is all about. So it will depend on where your business is located and the IP address, where you're located when you run that search. Also the address plus the service areas is important. You can set 15k out of Melbourne CBD for example.
You want to make sure that the data that you enter into Google Places matches all of the other data you have out on the web about you as well. Make sure that Yellow Pages listings, Yelp listings, if you're on TripAdvisor if you're a motel or a hotel or something like that, make sure that the information that is outside on the web elsewhere, matches your Google Places listing. If it's not, go out and see if you can update it because they've come out and said that is one of the things.
Getting reviews, obviously I think reviews must play a part. The more reviews you can get, good positive reviews obviously that shows that it is a more relevant business and that's what Google wants to display.
I think the other thing as well, if you show Google that you're actively managing your Google local listing or your Google Places listing. If I was Google and I knew that the user was actively managing it, I'd think, yes, that's probably someone who I'd want to put up higher because it's a more educated business who's working on it. So you can jump in there and you can add posts and you can add coupons as well.
We used to talk about why blogs ranked so well. One of the early theories as to why blogs ranked so well, is because there is regular content being added and it's fresh. Google likes fresh content, that is the idea. So that being the case, how do we add fresh content to our listing to gain Google Places ranking? We add reviews and comments and those types of things.
The other thing that we're testing, and this is just because we've got the budget and the ability to test, is we're testing now what happens when you start driving links to your specific Google Places page. Just like you'd build up a mini authority site, how about we try and build up our local listing as a mini authority by dragging or shooting links back to that site as well.
Just at the end of the listing, Google associates other websites with your listing, so you can see more about this Google Places ranking. What it's going to be looking for, is any data across the web that is referencing that particular business. So it's not pulling your competitors in. I know the MHS, Melbourne High Old Boys' Association, Jonathan, the dentist we worked on for example, is an old boy. So they've picked up and said, oh, there's a link here. So that's why there is that particular listing but it's supposed to be relative to your business.
