What Are The Benefits of Obtaining a Google Maps Listing?
Whilst search engines are incredibly intuitive, they still need a (not so little) nudge in the right direction. All of the major engines constantly work towards improving their technology to ensure that they generate the best and most accurate results for each search. However, there is a limit to how search engines can operate and this is where Google Maps steps in to help guide the search engines to your website.
It is important to note though that the correct practices must be implemented because whilst the right SEO can net you countless visitors, the wrong moves work against your website ensuring that your site becomes buried deep in the search results where visibility is minimal.
Local SEO Services We Offer
By placing an emphasis on the most beneficial areas of SEO, our local SEO marketing techniques can often take less time to produce effective results, therefore quickly helping to increase the levels of traffic to your website.
Footprint Digital’s expertise in all aspects of SEO offers the chance to receive a swift and effective ROI.
- Top of the Google’s Listings with Footprint Digital Local SEO – Footprint Digital and our team of SEO experts possess all of the skills needed to get your business to the top of Google’s natural listings and to appear on Google Maps & Places. These are vital if you want people locally to easily find your small business.
- Achieving Fast Results – Google’s PPC (Pay Per Click) platform, Adwords, offers the most effective method of quickly attracting business on the internet. We will get your PPC Marketing up and running for you and have customers finding your business and services in the shortest possible period of time.
- Social Media Interactions With Customers – Social Media for business is the fastest growing method of opening lines of communication between a small business and its customers. By allowing you to offer updates, receive feedback and get in on what your customers want – all a very low cost – social media platforms are quickly becoming one of the primary advertising methods for businesses throughout the UK.
The benefits of having your business listed on Google Local include:
- Google Maps listings typically appear at the top of the search results pages. Therefore they are very likely to be the first thing that people see.
- Accessing Google Maps listings on a mobile phone or smart device will offer customers an easy way to either call your business or get directions to your location.
- The easy access to the impartial ratings left by current and previous customers can go a long way towards giving new customers confidence in your products and services.
- Potential customers visiting your listing are very likely to be local to your business, therefore giving you a definite advantage over businesses based further afield.
How Can We Help?
We will do this by completing the following steps:
- Making sure that all of the information listed on your account is accurate, relevant and verified.
- Add images to your listing
- Make sure there are no duplicate listings which could prove harmful in the future.
- Submit a number of citations which will help to confirm your listing’s details in Google’s eyes.
- We would actively seek to encourage customer reviews. For example, if you have an e-mail database for current and past customers, we will contact them on your behalf with links to your listing and a guide for the best and quickest way to leave a review.
- Keep your listing up to date.
Setting Up Your Google My Business Listing
To set up your Google My Business listing:
- Sign in to Google and go to https://www.google.com/business/
- Then locate or create a listing for your business. Sometimes other factors or inputs have led to an impromptu assumption listing about your business. Make sure you claim and correct it if that happened.
- Fill out all of the information to the best of your ability.
- Make sure to select the correct category and to add a contact.
- Verify your account. This can be done with Google via phone, email, or traditional mail.
- Add quality photos.
- Double-check all of your information.
For more information regarding Google Maps/Local listings, please visit https://www.google.com/business/.
Tired Of Ads Following You Around The Internet? Find Out To Turn Them Off!
Have you ever looked at a product on a website only to have it continuously follow you around as you browse other websites? So have we! Whilst this can be helpful on occasion, it can also feel a little intrusive and something that we believe the option to opt-out from these is important.
Fortunately, whilst it can be a little tricky, Google does offer a number of options to help significantly reduce the number of websites that can follow you around the internet.
For more on this, check out Google’s official guide below.
You can opt-out of personalised ads in your Ads Settings. Your opt-outs will apply across both Google ads services (ex: Search ads) and the 2+ million websites and apps that partner with Google to show ads.
Instructions
Ads Settings lets you opt-out of seeing personalised ads when you’re:
- Signed in to your Google Account (“Ads Personalisation”)
- Signed out of your Google Account and browsing the websites and apps that partner with Google to show ads (“Ads Personalisation Across the Web”)
- Signed out of your Google Account and using Google Search (“Ads Personalisation on Google Search”)
Opt-out of Ads Personalisation
- Go to Ads Settings
- Click or tap the slider next to “Ads Personalisation”
- Click or tap TURN OFF
This opt-out will work across all of your signed-in devices when we recognise you as being signed-in.
Opt-out of Ads Personalisation Across the Web
- Go to Ads Settings
- Click or tap the slider next to “Ads Personalisation Across the Web”
- Click or tap TURN OFF
Opt-out of Ads Personalisation on Google Search
- Go to Ads Settings
- Click or tap the slider next to “Ads Personalisation on Google Search”
- Click or tap TURN OFF
If you want to turn off Google ads personalisation for your browser (whether or not you’re signed in), you can install a browser plugin. Learn how
What opting out doesn’t do
There are some things that opting out doesn’t do. Here are some of the most common scenarios and what you can do to address them.
Ads are essential to fund many websites. When you opt out, you’ll still see ads by Google – they just won’t be based on topics that you like, your visits to advertisers’ websites or demographics. Instead, they’ll be based on factors such as the content of the page or your general location.
Here are some other things that you can do to control the ads that you see:
- See fewer ads online and support the websites you visit with Google Contributor
- Turn off ads personalisation for the Google ads you see when you’re signed out and those from 100+ other online ad networks through AdChoices
Opting out doesn’t stop personalised ads that aren’t served by Google. So, when you browse the internet and see a website, video or app that uses advertising services by other companies, you may still see personalised ads.
To opt-out of seeing personalised ads on other ad networks, you can use a cross-industry opt-out tool or control that works for your browser or device. Find out more
Do you use a few different browsers on your computer? Even if you’ve opted out of personalised ads by Google on one browser (such as Chrome), you may still see personalised ads by Google on your other browsers (such as Internet Explorer and Safari). The same applies if you use multiple computers or devices. That’s because two of the three Ads Settings controls (“Ads Personalisation on Google Search” and “Ads Personalisation Across the Web”) only work for the browser or device that you’re using. You’ll need to opt-out of those two settings on the other browsers and devices that you use, too.
To avoid multiple opt-outs, you can sign in to your Google Account to opt-out of “Ads Personalisation”. This opt-out will work across all devices and browsers where we know that you’re signed in to your Google Account.
Do you delete or clear your browser’s cache and cookies? If you’ve cleared your cookies after opting out you may have undone your opt-out for that browser. You may need to opt-out of seeing personalised ads again on your browser. You can also install an extension like Protect My Choices.
Google uses cookies for many different purposes, including personalising ads and identifying your Ads Settings. If your browser is set to block cookies, you may see some hiccups in your experience with Google services, including with Ads Settings.
To serve ads in services where cookie technology may not be available (e.g. in mobile apps), Google may use other identifiers that perform similar functions to cookies. To opt-out of personalised ads in mobile apps:
Android
- Open the Google settings app on your device (called Google Settings or Settings, depending on your device)
- Scroll down and tap Google
- Tap Ads
- Switch on Opt out of interest-based ads or Opt out of Ads Personalisation
iOS
Devices with iOS use Apple’s Advertising Identifier. To find out more about limiting ad tracking using this identifier, visit the Settings app on your device.
Is The Security Of Online Browsing About To Increase?
One of the key features of Apple’s recently announced update to the macOS is the ability to block trackers from collecting user data when using their browser, Safari.
Here’s a screenshot from a press release Apple published yesterday taken from the Search Engine Journal:
As you can see, the new version of Safari blocks other popular trackers such as DoubleClick, Amazon, and Optimizely.
Apple is really pushing the new levels of privacy offered by Safari as one of the primary selling points of the new browser.
“Privacy has always been built into Safari, and a new Privacy Report delivers added visibility into how Safari protects browsing activity across the web.
Users can choose when and which websites a Safari extension can work with, and tools like data breach password monitoring never reveal your password information — not even to Apple.”
What Does This Mean For Business Owners?
If you receive a significant proportion of your site traffic through Safari, this could be an issue when it comes to using Google Analytics as the user data will no longer be able to be tracked.
Whilst the number of users who use Safari as their regular browser sits at approximately 9.4% this could be worse. However, this figure increases to a 24.4% market share worldwide when mobile usage is factored in. Therefore if this new update is rolled out to mobile/smart devices as well, significant gaps in tracking can be expected.
We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks and months and will keep you updated with all of the latest news.
Further Information
If you’d like to speak to us regarding how we can help you to use social media or a website to grow your company, give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
