Recently Google made some changes to how it presents Google Places listings (previously called Google Local) making it much easier for a local business to get a 1st page search result on Google. This change was actually made in the US some months ago but now we’re seeing it here in Australia. This change has also given some, let’s call them sneaky, website companies a nice little gold prospect to mine and the pick axes and shovels are out and they are filling up their wheel barrows as quickly as they can.
Google Places are those businesses (with or without a website) that have a pushpin in the Google map when you search for a local business on Google. The map and listing used to appear within the search results with a link to that businesses Google Place listing. Now Google has combined the listing with a result for the businesse’s website. What this does is make it much easier to get a link on the first page of Google.
There are companies out there offering Google Places optimisation anywhere from $120 to $330 so before you sign on the dotted line you should know:
- Getting a Google Places listing is FREE and you can optimise it yourself. Find out how at the Google Place help for business owners.
- There are only seven Google Places results on the first page of Google so in a competitive market you will only see the top results.
- You can enter up to 5 categories that your business falls into and therefore you will technically only appear for those terms. Google also recommends only choosing two “representative” categories is best.
To add some competition to the market, e-CBD are offering Google Places optimisation for the low price of $120. Remember, this is something you can do yourself but if you don’t have the time or aren’t very sure about what you need to do we’d love to help you out.
Now, if you really want to see your website gathering useful traffic, you should look at a long term SEO strategy. We have SEO packages starting from $225 per month with a minimum 6 month commitment and a guarantee of 1st page rankings on Google for a selection of the keywords we target*. We also include Google Places optimisation as a part of our SEO packages.
If you would like an SEO quote for your website or want to find out more about how SEO can help your business’ online visibility contact us.
Contact Information
e-CBD Pty Ltd
31 Charlton St, Southport 4215
Ph: 07 5531 3810
Website: www.e-cbd.com
*After 12 months – Our packages are generally 12 months but we want to make quality SEO affordable for all businesses. Conditions also apply and it is at our discretion as to who we offer 6 month packages.