Jan 9, 2014 | google business photos, google for lawyers, google trusted independent photographer, google trusted photographer
You are busy taking amazing care of your clients, but do you know where the next one is coming from? In 2014 local search is more important than ever and competition is fierce.
When your prospective clients search for your specialty in a specific area, Google will show them a pack of local map results in your search results page. Yes, this means that you should care about Google +Local!
For example let’s search for a personal injury lawyer in Vancouver, Washington. In the page below you can see that there are three types of results. First the Paid Ads at the top and side. Second, there are a few ‘organic’ results in the middle. Third, the Local Map Results, and finally there are more organic results below the pack of map results (not show here, but trust me, they are there).
Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page
As you can see, there are not many ‘local’ firms in the organic results. There is not much real estate for organic results, and there is some serious competition for that space. If you want a good chance of being found for your specialty in that local area your best bet is to be in the Local Map Pack. The importance of having a correct and optimized Google Places/+Local profile cannot be overemphasized. If you don’t already have a Google Places for Business account do it now! It is free, takes five minutes, and puts you in control of your listing. Without it you don’t stand to fare well in search results.
Part of having a well optimized Google listing is having amazing images. The office space that you worked so hard to build out should be featured prominently on your Search, Maps, Mobile, and +Local profile. You can also embed the tour and images on your web site (example here!). The one-time fee for unlimited use makes the See Inside tour an outstanding value.
Your prospective clients want to know about you, your staff, and your space. Share with them online for the best chance to meet them in person.
Thanks for your time! Please call or use the contact widget below to talk to me about your project.
Resources:
Top 20 Local Search Ranking Factors: An Illustrated Guide
http://moz.com/blog/top-20-local-search-ranking-factors-an-illustrated-guide
Google+: Should Lawyers Care?
Lawyernomics http://lawyernomics.avvo.com/legal-marketing-2/google-should-lawyers-care.html#ixzz2pwHYN6uM
Jan 8, 2014 | google business photos, google trusted independent photographer, google trusted photographer
The turn of the new year is a great time to check all your online profiles to make sure that they are correct and optimized. You work hard to take care of your clients, but do you know where the next one is coming from? When you are updating your professional online profiles here are a few things to think about: How do clients find you and what makes them pick you over the competition? Do you have a complete picture and plan for your online image? Are you keeping up on with Houzz, Avo, Active Rain, Linked IN, Facebook, Google Places, +Local, and Maps? Are you blogging regularly? All of these profiles contribute to Google’s sophisticated ranking in search results.
You absolutely must have the correct information in your Google Places for Business/+Local listings; if your information is not up to date or accurate on these listings you risk not being found by your potential customers.
In 2013 and continuing to 2014, you may find that your connections on Facebook are on the wane. Communities that you built are now not seeing much of your content and this may be a great time to focus on other channels. Just another reason to make sure that the rest of your professional online profiles have all of your current and up to date information.
Soundview360.com can optimize and verify your Google listings as well as help with content. Photos and virtual tours attract the right clients to your business. Call or email today to schedule a no obligation consultation.
Nov 30, 2013 | google business photos, google trusted independent photographer, google trusted photographer
You might be wondering where the Google See Inside tour shows up in the world. When your tour is published you will see on Places/+Local, Search (when the keywords are your business name and city), Maps, Mobile Search, and Mobile Maps. Keep in mind that Google can change the layout of their pages at any time, but Soundview360 will always work with you to get the most from your tour!
Google ‘See Inside’ tour info card showing showing the tour link below the map.
‘See Inside’ tour showing in Mobile Maps.
‘See Inside’ tour showing on the business’s +Local/Places page.
‘See Inside’ tour showing in Desktop Maps.
Oct 10, 2013 | google business photos, google trusted independent photographer, google trusted photographer
Wow, the Google Business Photos team has been busy! There are new videos for Google Business Photos in English, Italian, Spanish, and French! They were all done in Europe, but they look great!
En Espanol:
En Frances:
And of course in English:
