How to Get Your Business to Show Up On Google First

Google uses 3 main ranking factors for local SEO:

In this post, I will discover how to get your business to show up on google first?

Relevance: Relevance refers to how well the business listing matches what Google thinks the user is looking for. It is the 1st step to overcome for a listing to be included in the returned local results.

Relevance includes both geo-relevance and topical-relevance. For example, if you run a DIY business in Lancaster, you’d want to make sure that Google relates your business to keywords such as “DIY Supplies Lancaster”.

Prominence: This describes how well-known or prominent a business can be. This is based on information we have about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories).

Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and we try to reflect this online as well. For example, famous museums, landmark hotels, or well-known store brands that are familiar to many people are also likely to be more prominent in search results.

Distance: How close the user is to the location of your business. This is determined by the search term if it contains a location. If not, then Google will consider the last known location of the user, and with mobile technology and GPS is not difficult.

But do not forget about Google’s EAT (expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) that plays into Relevance and Prominence.

How Do You Get Your Business to Show Up First on Google

According to Google, relevance pretty much means “how well a listing matches what someone is searching for”. This can of course be influenced by a bunch of different factors, including keyword usage, how specific the user’s request is, and whether or not the business owners filled out the correct information when he or she registered for GMB. Read more on How to Get Your Business to Show Up On Google First?

Google is pretty transparent when it comes to business relevance, stating that “businesses with complete and accurate information are easier to match with the right searches” so one way to improve local SEO would be simply to make sure that all of the correct information is filled out.

The second factor when it comes to local SEO is the distance, This one should be pretty self-explanatory; what is the point of showing a business that is perfect for what the user is looking for if it’s a 200 mile-drive? Unfortunately, there’s not much that a business owner can do to improve his business’ relevance here except for making sure that -again the business’ info is as accurate as possible. Read more on How to Get Your Business to Show Up On Google First?

How Do You Get Your Business to Show Up First on Google

The third and final factor behind Google’s magic is prominence; this is where a company can really get ahead of the competition in local search. There are many steps a business can take to increase its prominence, including adding images, reviews, signage, and external links. The help of an SEO Expert can really make or break a business’ marketing strategy. Read more on How to Get Your Business to Show Up On Google First?

Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories). Google review count and score are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business's local ranking.

Other than that, some good practices when it comes to GMB and Local SEO include: