Now that we understand the foundation of local SEO, we can take a deeper look into one of the most important themes in SEO: search engine appearance. For your business to get in front of the right search audience at the right time, you need to understand the key elements that make up search engine appearance — Knowledge Graph and Google Maps — and the factors that contribute to it, namely Google My Business (GMB) and social links.

Important Elements of Search Engine Appearance

Knowledge Graph

For those that don’t know what the Google Knowledge Graph is, it is the systematic way Google puts together pertinent information about your business, like open hours, physical address, and phone number, to provide accurate results for queries relevant to your business.

The benefit of the Knowledge Graph is the opportunity to get leads directly from the search engine results page (SERP), like phone calls and driving directions. Much of the information in the Knowledge Graph is pulled from your GMB listings, making it all the more important to keep those listings updated.

Google Maps

If you want your business to be found online by the right people, it needs to be correctly displayed on Google Maps. Not only does this help potential customers find you in the most literal sense, there is also the growing importance of proximity of address to the point of search. If your address is wrong, you could be missing out on customers or attracting the wrong leads.

Google My Business

The best way to control the information contained in the Google Knowledge Graph, is to continuously update and maintain your GMB listings. Once a listing is verified, you have full control over your NAP (name, address, and phone number) and the photos displayed — which can have a HUGE impact on click-through rate. You will also have the ability to respond to reviews and get access to insights that can help you better understand trends in the Knowledge Graph and Maps.

Social Media Links

If you think social media isn’t important to your business, think again. Facebook is essentially the Better Business Bureau of the internet. Social links in your Knowledge Graph increase interactions and make your business seem more trustworthy.

Reviews

Savvy internet users read online reviews before making any purchase decision. According to the 2016 Local Consumer Review Survey:

  • 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation
  • 90% of consumers read less than 10 reviews before forming an opinion about a business
  • 54% of people will visit a website after reading positive reviews

The takeaway? If you’re not managing your reviews, you could be hurting your reputation and losing out on leads.

How G5 Can Help

As your trusted marketing partner and SEO expert, our team can help you manage these contributing factors so the information displayed on your Knowledge Graph and in Google Maps is always up-to-date. In addition to maintaining your GMB listing and submitting edits to Google Maps to ensure your pin is the right spot, we also offer the G5 Reputation Manager™. This tool help protect your brand by taking ownership of online reviews so you can proactively manage the conversation.

Make the most of your search engine appearance with G5 SEO and Strategy services.