Web Site Design Tips to Improve Your Google Rankings
What Are Citations?
The dictionary defines a citation as a quotation or reference from a book, paper or author, especially scholarly work. From Google’s perspective a citation is any mention of your web site on another web site. Citations are nothing to do with links to your web site, they are simply a mention of your company’s name, phone number and address (or NAP).
How Do Citations Help My Ranking?
When Google sees your NAP on another web site that it trusts, that citation confirms to Google that your company is who you say you are.
Let’s say your NAP details appear on www.finda.co.nz, www.dmoz.org, your local chamber of commerce web site and five other local directories that Google trusts. Those listings are very hard to fake. And if all the listings have exactly the same details for your NAP, well that’s virtually impossible to fake.
As far as Google is concerned, the more citations you have from sources that they trust, the more they trust your web site.
And what does Google do to the web sites they trust the most? You got it, page 1.
Of course citations are only one part of the ranking equation, but if you promote the name, phone number and address of your business on the web then you need citations if you want rankings.
Citations and Local Rankings
For keywords related to a service or local business (e.g. “Plumber Wellington” or “Porirua Cafe”), Google usually shows a map next to the search results.
While citations are an important source of trust and an important component of the ranking algorithm for keywords that do not include a map next to the search results, they are critical if you want to get to the top of a map based search result.
To get a top ranking for a local keyword you need a well optimised Google Maps / Places / My Business page (or who know what they will rename it to next month). AND you need as many accuract citations as you can get from sources that Google trust. The more the better.
How To Get Citations
Local directories are the simplest place to start. Finda.co.nz, dmoz.org, yellow.co.nz, nzs.com and the list goes on and on and on. Search Google for a competitor and you’ll usually find a good list.
Or you can contact your web design professional. Somebody with an existing process who can make the problem go away.
We have monthly citation building packages from $140 per month that ensure your local rankings improve constantly.
Reviews – The Local Bonus
You may have noticed that some search results show 1-5 star ratings next to them now. These come from reviews people place on your local Google page.
The thing is, Google like reviews. They don’t actually care if you have good or bad reviews (your prospects do, but Google don’t), they just want to see people engaging with you. Because if people are engaged with you enough to leave a review then Google figures your business is popular. And Google wants to put the most popular businesses at the top of the search results.
So guess what? Get reviews and your rankings go up!
Ask about Anyware’s review invitation process if you want to make aquiring reviews easy.
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