First Page Google Rank For Local Business – Is It Important And Is It Possible?

First Page Google Rankings Still Rule

A first page Google rank has long been considered the holy grail of internet marketing. With today’s ubiquitous social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and gazillions of others, there are many ways to drive traffic to your website. However, nothing beats having a first page Google rank; it is simply the most coveted internet real estate on the planet!

So why is it so important to get first page Google exposure? Being on page one of the Google search results is important because it allows your prospects to find you instead of the other way around. There could be hundreds or even thousands of people searching locally for your particular type of business. If you are not getting first page Google exposure, guess who is? That’s right your competitors are getting that business!

Is It Still Possible To Get First Page Google Exposure?

Getting on the first page of Google has not been an easy task for several years. There are simply so many competing pages all trying to climb to the top. If the term that you want to be listed for, a.k.a your keyword phrase, has millions of competing pages then it is going to be really, really difficult if not impossible. If you are competing against a large, well established corporation with thousands of backlinks and tons of content, then just do yourself a favor and find a less competitive keyword.

However, there’s good news if you are a local business. Since people include the city or town plus the business category when performing a search, this greatly reduces the number of competing pages. For instance, if you were looking for a photographer and you type the word “photography” into the Google search bar you will see that this term has over 100 million competing pages found in the results. Also, the first site most likely has nothing to do with a photographer in your area. Now if you add your city or town plus the type of photography such as “Jacksonville portrait photography” or “Savannah wedding photography” you will find much less competition and much more specific results.

How To Get First Page Google Presence

The tried and true methods of article marketing, video marketing, and backlinking all work very well and should remain part of your overall strategy. Google loves high quality, fresh content and rewards those who provide it with higher search engine results placement. While these methods work, they also require work. This is why my favorite way to get first page Google exposure is to get on Google maps with a Google Places page.

Get On Google Maps “7 Pack” And Get On The First Page Of Google

In most instances, Google will display a map on the first page of results that shows the top 7 local listings in a given area. While there are usually many businesses displayed on the map, as indicated by all the little red dots, only 7 are displayed on the first page of search results. So how can you get your site listed there? Well, that’s the tricky part. You need a thorough understanding of Google’s guidelines and you need to make sure that your business appears to be 100% legitimate. It’s very important that any mention of your business anywhere on the web is consistent. You don’t want to confuse Google.

Do It Yourself Or Hire A Professional

There are many factors to consider when creating your Google Places page. To ensure you achieve the highest results, you might want to hire a professional to do this task for you. You may be wondering why you would want to hire someone when Google Places is currently a free service. Well technically the internet is also free and you probably already know how difficult it is to get listed on the first page. You can get on the first page of Google the old fashioned way or the fast way. The choice is up to you, but either way, first page Google exposure puts your message in front of your potential customers and that’s a good thing!

Debby Wier is an internet marketing specialist who focuses on small business online marketing. She is passionate about helping small businesses get more customers by helping them get first page Google exposure.

You can visit her site at http://www.FirstPageGoogleRank.com or watch the First Page Google Status video at http://www.youtube.com/user/FirstPageGooglology1#p/u/0/JZU93T55mrQ

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