Business Page Title

[Mike Pedersen]

On the MOZ local rankings page, I read where Mary Bowling said...

"Location Keyword in Business Title or Title Modifier "

So if I have a dentist in Phoenix AZ for example is it okay to not use their registered business name and instead use...

Phoenix Dentist

...for their business page title?

I always thought the google business page title had to be their official business name.

Mike

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hi Mike,

Yes, the Google+ Local page needs to have the actual business name, no keywords.

Can you post a link to the article that you read by Mary? It might be older, from when descriptors were allowed. Or Mary might be referring to title tags on a website.

 

[Mike Pedersen]

That's what I thought, but interesting when you research SEO companies.

Many of them have some form of the term SEO in their google business page title and you look at their business name and it does not have SEO in it.

And they are ranking very high in the maps.

Mike

 

[Colan Nielsen]

That's what I thought, but interesting when you research SEO companies.

Many of them have some form of the term SEO in their google business page title and you look at their business name and it does not have SEO in it.

And they are ranking very high in the maps.

Mike

Adding keywords to the GMB business name does positively impact ranking, it always has. It's just a matter of how big of a risk taker you and/or your clients are.

 

[Dustybones]

That's the frustrating part for us "White Hat" professionals. We work so hard to do things correctly and Google continues to show spammy pages. Hopefully all this Google Maps shakeup will start to clean things up, but it also takes people like us to remind Google that something is shady. Collectively speaking up will have more an impact, but it's still an uphill battle.

Also, Google is constantly changing. What is a recommendation one day, like modifiers in the GMB page, is incorrect soon after. My best advise is to always refer to this forum to get the latest. Linda and other Pros were recommending that we don't use the modifiers. Sure enough, Google changed its tune. Again. Best advice... Don't react to quickly when Google comes out with the latest and greatest. Site back, do some research, sip on some coffee and make a more thoughtful move.

As for Phoenix. I monitor that town for orthodontists and it is one of the most volatile cities I track. You have to be careful about going crazy on SEO. They regularly hit keywords like "Orthodontist Phoenix, or "Dentist Phoenix" Spread it out and take advantage of other keyword phrases that are less popular. A bit here and there can go a long way.

 

[Linda Buquet]

On the MOZ local rankings page, I read where Mary Bowling said...

"Location Keyword in Business Title or Title Modifier "

So if I have a dentist in Phoenix AZ for example is it okay to not use their registered business name and instead use...

Phoenix Dentist

...for their business page title?

I always thought the google business page title had to be their official business name.

Mike

No here is what Mary is talking about re the Moz ranking factors.

If you read more closely what it's saying is that if the business name legitimately and always has had KW or City in it, that's a ranking factor. It isn't saying you should add words to the name or change name or saying it's OK to. Just says if the official name already has KW or City it gives those businesses and advantage with the algo.

For instance as we speak, I'm on hold trying to get appt with Radiologist. Company is officially named San Diego Imaging. So they will likely rank high for San Diego Radiologist. But you can't just change a name to add KW and city. That would be a fake name and spam.

Like Justin said, a few months ago Google changed that guideline for a few months and said you could add ONE descriptor. So either KW or city. But I advised not to because I did not think that guideline would stick. And sure enough a few months later they reverted back to NO descriptor.

If you read the current guidelines, it's spelled out much more clearly now what is allowed and what is not.