And it’s a very important thing if you want to rank at the local level.

Before we give you the secret, let’s take a look at a couple images. Here’s the first – it’s a search for “Denton, TX personal injury attorney:”

And now look at the second one, a search for “Dallas, TX personal injury attorney:”

What’s the big secret?

In this case, these lawyers have law offices very close to the center of the cities they want to serve.

And guess what, if you go and Google their names, those ones clustered toward the city center rank the best!

But you have to take a few small steps to get this to happen. The first thing you have to do is claim your Google Places Listing. Google acts like a Yellow Pages for the internet and keeps information on every business. Once your claim your listing, you have the right to all the information about your business.

And that’s a huge ranking signal to Google! It’s so much easier to rank if you claim your Google Places Listing.

But…and this is a big but…you must have a physical office close to the center of the area you want to rank for locally.

Google doesn’t want virtual offices!

For example, if you have an office in Flower Mound, but want to rank in “Dallas,” it’s going to be almost impossible to do. But if you open a branch office in Dallas, it’s much easier.

Besides Better Search Rankings, There’s Other Benefits Too!

You can also add pictures to enhance the appeal of your listing. When people actually land on it, they’re much more likely to give you a call.

But that’s not the end. When you claim your Google Places listing, you also:

• Make it easy for people to review your business (good reviews make more sales come in)
• Have a huge advantage over other businesses that don’t claim theirs
• Get a few high-quality links to your website
• Allow your customers to get driving directions to your business

To claim your listing, you just go to http://www.google.com/places/

But even though this sounds simple, you should have a SEO pro do this!

Why?

Because Google’s very picky about how you enter your information. A letter you forget to capitalize could cause you a huge drop in rankings (no joke). For example, entering the name “Mcdonald” instead of “McDonald” doesn’t sound like a big deal.

But to Google, that indicates 2 different business names! So anywhere else where your business name appears “McDonald” wouldn’t count as a link or citation (important for rankings) for your website.

Does Your SEO Know This?

You’ll often find different opinions on what to do to rank in local search. Some are true, and others – not so much.

But even “pro SEOs” make this mistake and cost you lots of time and money.

So at the end of the day, even though SEO isn’t always complex, it does require a high attention to detail.

Make sure the SEO company you use or hire pays meticulous attention to detail!