Google dropped a bombshell in April when they formally announced: Google Becomes More Local. If you do business locally, this is the possibly the best search engine marketing opportunity ever. It’s free, it’s at the top of the search page, and it’s so new your competitors have no clue about it.

Suppose you search for something locally like [Dry Cleaning], [Mexican Food] or [Advertising Agency]. Google will read your IP address and match it to a broad geographical region. The results return in the form of a mini-map with 10 business listings close to you—the “10 Pack”.

The anatomy of a 10 pack

Typical Google 10 pack layout

1. The mini map shows map markers of the 10 pack’s locations. Clicking on this map will send you to a larger view on Google Maps.

2. Your location is determined by your computer’s IP address. You can also change your location for more accurate results.

3. Each business listing features a linked title, web address, phone number and “More” link.

Crack open the 10 pack and enjoy

Working your way into the 10 pack is surprisingly easy, but you must have reasonable expectations. Look at the city on your street address and realize that is where you will see your listing. You may make the best New York pizza in the world, but if your joint is in Jersey city—fuggedaboutit. With that in mind, here are the basics:

Claim your listing

It’s freakishly easy, yet only a tiny percentage of businesses have claimed their listing. Their loss is your gain. Claiming your business gives you full control over your listing and Google respects the information because it is coming from the business owner.

Coordinate your information

Make sure that the address on your website, geo meta tags and google local all match. Since Google now reads micro formats, extra points may be given for putting your address in an hcard. Remember, the match is not exact if your website reads “First Street” but Google has “1st St.”

Craft a winning title

There isn’t too much you can do to add flair to your 10 pack listing. Your business title is pretty much it, so make the most of it. This snippet is your billboard, advertisement and business name all-in-one.

The title field accepts 80 characters, and the 10 pack will show about the first 60 - 65 of those. Usually 5-7 words will fit in the 10 pack and can get your message across. Google will bold-face keywords that were searched for, so stick with your most popular keywords for best result.

A good title has:

• Your business name
• Location keywords
• Service or product names
• Prices or hours if they apply
• A simple eye catching character like “|” or “~”

Good title: Steaming Bean ~ Seattle Coffee Bean Roaster & Cafe

A bad title has:

• Useless words like “the” or “inc”
• Airport codes instead of city names
• Gimmick words
• Spammy characters
• URL or phone number (google already gives you these)

Bad Title: !**! AAA Locksmith llc the best in sea-tac (555)563-2232 !**!

Complete your listing

Your local business listing hosts gobs of information about your business. Give your customers accurate information and rank higher by filling up your listing with helpful info.

Updateable items:

• Categories
• Hours
• Payment Options
• Special Information
• Photos and videos