You know local search is important, and you’re smart enough that you’re able to follow the instructions and set up a local business listing just fine on your own.  But is “just fine” good enough?  How do you set it up in the most effective way possible?  It’s an important question, because as is the case with so many business tools online, there’s the fast/easy way to do it, and then there’s the correct/effective way.  The two are very different, and they produce very different results.  For what it’s worth, my strong professional opinion is that if you’re going to do the job at all, you should take the time to do it right.

Here are seven things you can do in the next hour or two to get your local search listing showing better on Google (or Yahoo; much of the terminology I’ll use here will refer specifically to Google Places (previously called Google’s Local Business Center) specifically, but the principles apply to Yahoo’s Local Advertising program as well):

1) Create a unique listing for each business location.

This only applies to companies that have a number of stores, branches, etc.  But it’s important enough to mention here,… Read More