Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Local SEO with Google+


Google recently pulled back the curtain to announce its plans to covert all existing Google Places pages into Google+ Local pages. Taking Google’s cue, Sujan Patel, in his Search Engine Journal article, shed light on how the shift will impact local SEO best practices.

In a nutshell, Google’s news means that any former Google Places page, which is a directory-style listing that featuresbasic business info, photos and reviewsand typically hasn’t been included in the traditional SERPs, will be revamped to a Google+ Local page that is tied to the Google+ social network.

In the past, Google provided two options for promoting your law firm—a Google Places page or a Google+ page. Since Google’s move impacts only Google Places, it will now be possible to have a Google+ Local page and a Google+ page.

There is currently no way to combine these two accounts. However, there’s a silver lining. Google has stated that there will be integration options in the future.

For a preview of how the merged pages will be formatted, Google unveiled “early release” pages. Check out Delfina Restaurant and Chicago Music Exchange as examples.

Now, when it comes to the ways that Google+ Local pages will affect SEO, Patel highlights some key factors:


“ Google Places pages have become Google+ Local pages.
·         A “Local” tab has been added to Google+ to provide users with personalized and social recommendations for specific Google+ Local pages.
·         Zagat review data has replaced Google’s old five-star system, and the site’s former pay wall has been eliminated.
·         Google+ Local pages are being integrated to Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Mobile. “

Patel says these changes have “subtle impacts” on local SEO. For starters, the new Google+ Local pages will be indexed. The older Google Places pages are not. Therefore,law firms can increase presence in the natural blended SERPs by creating new Google+ pages.

Secondly, this transition will likely ride on the future functionality and success of the Google+ network. “In terms of SEO, social signals tracked on future Google+ Local pages could be relayed to traditional search users vial local annotations in the SERPs, as well as featured recommendation positions within Google+ Local internet searches,” Patel says.

Although many of the perks for local businesses are currently available only on Google+ pages, they will also be available on Google+ Local pages after the full integration rolls out.

Patel reveals that, surprisingly, the transition to Google+ Local pages does not appear to have a significant impact on the organization of the natural SERPs. “In nearly all cases documented so far, the order of the results listings displayed in the traditional SERPs appears to closely mimic the organization of pages within former ‘Places’ SERPs,” Patel explains.

So what does this mean to you and your law firm? Well, if you already have a Google Places page, you should keep up with the maintenance of this page in the “Google Places for Business” dashboard. If you have an existing Google+ account, you should also keep this page updated until Google allows you to merge this into the Google+ Local page.

Meanwhile, if you decide to create a new Google+ page, be sure to use the same email address as your Google Places page, so that future integration will be seamless.

If you haven’t yet set up a Google Places page, you still have time to do so. You can visit www.google.com/places and click “Get started now.” Enter your business phone number to begin the process.

Just remember to apply SEO best practices. For example, use a phone number in your Google+ Local listing that includes your city’s area code, since proximity has a big impact on the local ranking algorithms. Minimize keyword usage in your business title. Use your “Contact” or Location page in the “Website” field and incorporate target keywords for “Description” and “Category” fields. Finally, upload as many pictures as possible to make your account inviting and appealing to new and returning visitors.

After completing these steps, create a separate Google + Page under the “Local Business or Place” category. Build a strong presence by building out a personal Google+ profile, form connections through Google+ circles, post updates and encourage customer reviews. You can also email your newsletter subscribers with Gmail accounts and ask them to “+1” your Google+ properties.

With these actions in place, your law firm will be ready to take advantage of more SEO benefits once Google rolls out further integration options in the future.

Please comment below if you have any questions. For more information, please contact me or visit my website http://www.legalnichpros.com

Michael Waddington
President, Legal Niche Pros, LLC
Attorney at Law
Licensed in GA, SC, PA, & NJ 
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