Why is local important?

In late 2010, Google made a significant change to its search results. The majority of the organic listings were taken over by Google Places results. Google Places are business listings indicated by red markers which can take up to 60 - 70% of the search results.

Sites that Google sees as an authority on a subject (such as ServeNow.com and other industry sites) still rank very well, but Google is making it clear that if you want your business to compete online you need to have a places listing.

How do you get your business listed in Google places?

If your business does not currently exist in Google Places, creating an account it easy. However, the challenge comes when your company already exists. Google Places data has been seeded over the years by industry specific and other local directories.

Claiming a listing can require a coordinating a phone call or several weeks of waiting for a postcard to arrive. You’ll want to wait it out though, as you are much better off trying to claim this listing over submitting a new one

After you’ve gained control over your listing you need to optimize with images, videos, special offers and more.

Business Citations

While Google is the most important listing you should focus on when it come to local search - its not the only place you will want to list your business. In fact, your will want to list your business in as many places as possible. The more sites Google finds your business name, address and phone number on, the higher it will rank in Google places.

Best places to get citations for process servers:

• industry-specific sites
• local directories
• social media platforms
• online Yellow Page sites
• your own web site!

Do you have the time?
Setting up and maintaining these listings can be done by hand, but it can take hundreds of hours to create and maintain these accounts.

The Lawgical Local Solution

At Lawgical we’ve created a better way for you to rank in Google Places. We will set-up (or claim) and optimize your listings. Then we distribute them to a network of over 100 search engines, local directories, GPS and mobile platforms and social media outlets.

In addition, we will...

• provide you with ongoing tips on how you improve your rankings
• validate your contact data on a monthly basis with our distribution channel to assure your listings are accurate and updated

Sounds great! How much?
We do all this for a small, one-time set up fee and as little as $19.95 per month.

How long does it take?
Lawgical Local isn’t a solution that will drive traffic overnight. It takes time for our distribution network to pick up the data and also takes time for Google to find your business referenced on other site. Lawgical Local is, however, a cost-effective long-term product that will ultimately have a positive impact on your business. We do, however, offer an express version of this product to get things moving quicker.

Get started!

Let's get started on getting your business ranking in Google Places. Contact a ServeNow.com representative today. Contact us online or call (877) 737-8366.

About the Author
Trent Carlyle is the CTO and co-founder of Lawgical, the parent company of ServeNow. Trent works alongside the technology and marketing teams at Lawgical, developing products that help our clients grow their business and operate more efficiently. He has a passion for SEM (search engine marketing) and is very involved in the local search community in Denver.

Follow Trent on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn.