Prospect Genius

Do you know how Google works? Probably not. But to get the most out of Google, local businesses need to have a basic understanding of how this search engine operates—and how it can help or hurt you. There’s no need to go into the complicated algorithms, but learning about the four different parts of Google can help you understand how search results for your business can impact your company’s success.

The 4 Parts of Google

As you may or may not already be aware, there are three different ways to advertise with Google. Every search results page has a different section that corresponds with each of these three different advertising methods:

1. Sponsored Links (highlighted at the top of the page as well as included in a sidebar)

• You pay for each click and bid for position

2. Organic Results (typically listed below the sponsored links)

• Google decides which pages are most relevant

3. Maps Results (listed beside a map of the area)

• Organic results with a geographic component

As you can see, each type of advertising puts you in a distinct place on the search results page. What is less apparent, especially to those of us who aren’t particularly tech savvy, is that each section of the search results page is controlled by a separate department at Google. Each department even uses its own rules to determine ranking, legitimacy, and more!

That means, achieving a great rank in one section of the search results doesn’t affect any other section. You can be number one in the sponsored results but that won’t impact where you rank in the organic results or maps section. Your ranking in one section will not have any bearing on your ranking in any other section.

You Said 4, But I Only See 3

That’s true! While there are only three advertising departments at Google, there is a fourth department that can have a major bearing on all the different advertising departments: The fourth arm of Google is its Webspam Department. Although each advertising department operates independently, the Webspam Department can affect multiple parts of the search results page at the same time! Anytime the Webspam Department identifies someone doing anything outside of Google’s guidelines, it can dramatically impact your ranking in all three forms of advertising (organic, maps, and sponsored).

That means even though you have to work your way to the top of each of the three sections of the search results page independently, the Webspam Department can penalize you in all three simultaneously—putting all your hard work, and even time and money, down the drain. At Prospect Genius, the most common scenario we’ve seen is with companies that engage in “map spamming.” Some of our customers have done this in the past, only to get burned across all of the search results sections: not only do they get penalized in the maps results, they can also receive a -40 penalty that pushes their rankings to page 5 and beyond in the organic search results!

I’ve Never Heard of Map Spamming. What Is It?

Google’s guidelines can be found online, but the major issues we’ve seen include:

• Adding a listing for your business address and then creating additional listings using your home address and even relatives’ and friends’ addresses
• Stuffing keywords into your business name (e.g. “John’s Plumbing Heating Cooling Electrical Services”)

If you use either of these practices, and Google’s Webspam Department finds out, your map listing will be penalized. But they also have the power to penalize your organic listing and even charge you more per click in the sponsored results, effectively punishing you across the board. And because these penalties are assigned to YOU not your advertising company, simply switching to a new marketing company won’t do you any good. Eventually, Google will discover it’s you again and you’ll be right back where you started!

The Bottom Line

At Prospect Genius, we ourselves adhere to Google’s guidelines, and we try to ensure that all of our clients are doing the same. Why: simply because it’s the best policy for YOUR long-term success. Playing by the rules does pay off in the end!

If you have more questions about how Prospect Genius works to provide you with effective online advertising for local businesses, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an e-mail or give us a call to learn more about SEO and your company.

At Prospect Genius, we work with hundreds of small businesses and have a front-row view of their advertising and deal-closing techniques. That puts us in the pretty unique position of being able to see what actually works and what isn’t terribly effective… I thought it might be helpful to share some tips and tricks that may help you close more business deals, allowing you to learn from the experiences of other local companies just like yours. Keep reading to find out how simple steps can help your company get ahead!
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
As a business owner, you may already know that adding pictures and images to your advertising can be quite helpful, but did you realize that the types of photos you use can make a huge difference? While photos of products are better than nothing, using images that include you and your staff are actually more effective. That’s because when a potential customer can see a picture of the person who will be performing services in their home, they are subconsciously put at ease and feel more secure in calling the business to set up an appointment. And if the staff members in your photo are smiling, even better! Smiling, happy employees convey to your customers that you’re a friendly, happy, wonderful company to do business with. Using photos of smiling professionals in your advertising, particularly online, can help you convert more potential customers into satisfied, paying clients.
Customer Reviews
But just because you have some great “people pictures” on your website doesn’t mean you’ll automatically end up with more business. Another important aspect of any small business’s Internet presence is customer reviews. Having a number of great reviews on your website can work magic; not having any reviews can actually break the deal for a customer who’s wavering about calling. The simple truth is that when customers search for a plumber, electrician, appliance repair shop, etc., they want to see that other people in the area have previously used your company and have good things to say. Positive reviews make your company look more professional, reputable, and appealing to potential customers.
However, we all know that it can be hard to get clients to fill out reviews for you, even if they were fully satisfied. The PG team has seen a few tricks that can help you collect the reviews you need, though. Try:

• Offering incentives. Providing a small incentive, such as $5 off or a 5% discount on their next service call, can encourage a customer to take a minute or two to send you an e-mail or fill out a review form.
• Printing postcards. Postcards with prepaid postage are another great way to get the reviews to come flooding in. Have postcards printed with your address and space for a customer review and then have all of your technicians leave a card at every job site. That makes it super easy for clients to give you a review–if you do part of the work, they’re far more likely to meet you halfway!

Making sure you make the best impression on potential customers with smiling photos and positive customer reviews can go a long way when you’re trying to attract new business to your company and close deals. Take advantage of these easy steps to help your local business get ahead!
And if you’re interested in learning more about local online advertising and how Prospect Genius can help you, just give us a call today or visit our website for additional information.