In particular in the latest batch of updates, Google Places content has been given much greater prominence, and is now (in many cases) taking up a significant section of the “above the fold” part of the page – monopolising much of the area previously allocated to organic results.  Organic search results are now give less prominence at the bottom of the page – and usually below the fold.

At the moment, many of the Place Pages being listed in Google SERPs are still of questionable value, and it is still relatively easy to create a brand new Place Page and have it ranking at the top of the SERPs.

In our opinion there is still a lot of work for Google to do with Google Places results in order to ensure that users get the best possible search results.
I believe that Google needs to get smarter about the algorithm they use to determine Place Pages rankings, and anticipate  that they will continue to tweak and adjust how Place Pages are integrated in the Google search results, but whatever happens, it is clear that having a Google Places listing for your business is now more important than ever before.

WebConsulting SEO specialise in Local Search Optimisation, so if you would like to find out more about Local Search  or find out how you can go about raising the profile of your own website for local search queries, please contact us.

Hotpot, is designed to make local search results for places on Google more personal, relevant and trustworthy and also includes a new social element – allowing you to share your reviews and ratings with friends.

There are three main elements to Hotpot:

• Google Places – There are currently more than 50 million places listed around the world.
• Places you like – When you rate places you like, Google may suggest other related places you may like as well. Hotpot will try to recommend other local places which are similar.
• Places your friends like – Share ratings with your friends and see the places they’ve recommended.

Combining these three elements could make the hard task of choosing where to go much easier; all you need is to rate places and add your friends.

Hotpot is also closely integrated with Google Places, with hotpot ratings showing up as reviews on Place Pages. A new “Best Ever” ribbon is starting to show up on some Reviews, and Google Places has also recently added the ability to add this simpler, quick Hotpot like star rating to businesses that show in the Related Places area of the Place page.

To make the most of Local Search and maximise the opportunity for your Places page appearing in search results, why not encourage your friends and clients to rate your business/service.

A Google account is required to use Hotpot, but this is easy to setup and is free.  You can set a Places nickname when you start using Hotpot , so you control how you post your ratings. That way, only your friends will be able to see your real name.

The SSAA study highlights a dramatic increase in opportunities for Self Storage Operators to use the internet to market and promote their business online – to increase enquiries and actually make online sales.

What do  Self Storage customers want Online?

The SSAA asked both Potential and Existing storers to indicate what features they would like to see on a self storage facility’s website. Some of the most requested functionality include…

(figures represent the percentage of respondents indicating a feature was desirable)

With the steady increase in eCommerce over the last 5-10 years, web users are not only becoming more confident with using the web for online sales and enquiries – they are actually expecting theses services to be available. It is very possible that facilities not offering these types of services could be missing out on sales and losing market share to those that do.

Self Storage Website Features

Relatively few Self Storage websites are currently offering details of current listing availability and prices.  The primary reason that Storage Operators tend not to include this type of information seems to be the effort associated with keeping this data up to date. An obvious (and relatively simple) solution is to integrate the website with the the facilities management software – then no extra effort is required to keep unit availability and storage price information on the website current.

The most widely used storage management software within Australia is Storman.  Storman’s range of self storage software already has modules that integrate with the operators website, automatically updating  space availability and allowing customers to view their account status, pay a storage invoice , or book (reserve) a space and pay a deposit – all from the operators own website.

Marketing your Self Storage website

Providing a website that offers the types of online services that customers are looking for is a great start – but unless they are able to find the website in the first place, it is of little real value.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) describes a process for improving the visibility of a website – making it easier for the website to be via web searches. Activities designed to improve a sites rankings in the search results, Increase traffic, and maximise online sales and enquiries, are just as important as having a website in the first place.

The two most important elements that are required for good rankings are:

• Good Quality, Unique, Keyword Rich Content – The content on your Self Storage website should describe the services you offer, using the “language” that your customers are likely to search for, and be informative as well as useful to your customers (and potential customers).
• Links to your site – Third party sites that link to you (especially if they are in the Storage niche) are critical to achieve good rankings. You should strive to get links from Industry sites (such as Self Storage Associations, like the SSAA), Business Directories, Industry related Listing services (such as SpaceOut), and possibly even your competitors.

Feel free to contact us here at WebConsulting if you’d like to find out more about Search Engine Optimisation or would like some assistance with the development of a Search Engine Optimisation strategy for your Self Storage website.  We specialise in SEO services, and have a great deal of experience working with Self Storage operators and within the Australian self storage market.

Local Search for Self Storage

The nature of the self storage industry almost guarantees that people looking for storage space, will mostly be looking in a specific area. So when they are searching online they will most likely include a locality in their search query (e.g.  “Self Storage Bathurst”, or “Self Storage Prices Sydney”, or very often even specific queries like “Space for Rent Footscray”).

Again, registering a space listing with online services like SpaceOut (which has a very strong “local” focus) is a good way to improve your visibility for local search queries. Also, forming alliances, and cross-linking with other storage facility websites in other localities (who are not your direct competitors) can also be a very effective mechanism to help raise your own local search profile.

Offering the types of online services that your existing and potential customers are asking for (and may soon be demanding) and ensuring that you are doing whatever you can to maximise the exposure of your website, are critical steps to make sure that your business not only survives, but thrives in the increasingly competitive future online.

Google says:

“your use of Rich Snippets can help people find the web pages you’ve created that may reference a specific place or location”

Whether creating a website for your own business, an article on a newly opened restaurant, or a guide to the best places in town, the use of Rich Snippets can help associate your site with the search results for that particular place. Although Google is not guaranteeing that your site will be shown in search results, this is another factor which helps Google understand your site – and seems likely to have a positive impact on Google Places (and 7 pack) Listings for Local search queries.

Structured Markup

Rich Snippet data is implemented through the use of Structured Markup, and according to Google :

“By using structured markup  to describe a business or organization mentioned on your page, you not only improve the Web by making it easier to recognize references to specific places but also help Google surface your site in local search results. “

Google supports a variety of structured markup formats (e.g. Microdata, Microformats or RDFa) which allow you to label each piece of text to identify that it represents a certain type of data (e.g. a business name, an address, or a review rating). This is done by adding HTML tags that help computers understand the data. These tags don’t affect the appearance of your pages, but Google and any other services that look at the HTML can use the tags for a more precise understanding of the items referenced on the page.

Structured markup a little bit technical but most people with basic HTML skills should be able to implement it without too much trouble.  Google Maps provide some tips for using Rich Snippets for Local Search

If you’d like advice or assistance with implementing rich snippets on your site – please feel free to get in touch with us.

1. Get more exposure for your business (via a relatively new Google tool)
2. Google allows you to offer coupons to visitors of your map listing. These coupons are touted as a way to “reward loyal customers and attract new ones”.  (Currently this feture is not available in all countries)
3. Once your address is fully verified you have full control over your listing. You can add or delete non-address information as you like.
4. You can add all of your business locations from a single account.
5. All that your client or prospective client has to do to find your office is click on a link on your website and, they are taken to an accurate road map with directions.
6. Google has recently started to provide “local” search results whether or not locality information is included in the search query.

Heres How :

Here is the process for you to get your site added to Google Maps.

Step 1: Add Your Business
Visit Google Local’s “Add/Edit Your Business” page. There you will be asked to enter your Google account login and password (or you can quickly create one) before entering the submission area. Once in, you need to provide standard business address and contact information, a 200-character description of your business, the forms of payment you accept from consumers and your operating hours.

Step 2: Choose a Category
Next you will be asked to provide a category that best describes your business. You can enter a phrase here and Google will try to find a related category to make this process simpler for you. You have the option to appear in up to 5 separate categories.

Step 3: Preview and Select Verification Method
Your business listing along with a proof of your business’s mapped location is shown for your approval. Here you can make any necessary final tweaks to your listing. After that, you have to choose which verification method that Google will use to confirm your address.

Step 4: Verify
Follow the instructions provided to you by either the postcard or the phone and your listing will be active within 6 weeks.

Adding Your Google Maps Listing

The simplest option for using you listing is to link directly to it from your website. Start by visiting http://maps.google.com and type in your business name into the search window. If your listing is active, it should come up within the results. Click on this listing and you will see your location appear on the map along with your company’s information balloon. Click the title within the balloon and your detailed Google Maps page will appear. Now you can simply copy the URL in your browser and paste that into your website so that your users can find your location.