EQUTE — So your search engine rankings are number one, your paid ads have been tweaked to perfection and the traffic is rolling in — now what?

The guys over at Fathom SEO have some good tips about local search that most people don’t immediately think of — their Google maps ranking.

There are several tips to get the most out of your free Google business listing, and as mobile mapping becomes more prevalent, map rankings will become more and more important.

First, create a niche for yourself, think about what your customers are going to search for like you would with search. If it’s a liquor store for example, think about how your business really is different from competitors. Make yourself a category called “create your own six pack,” “wine experts” or “imported beer.”
Second, give map searchers a reason to come. If they’re just looking for a six pack of beer, they’re going to choose the closest liquor store. But if you give them a coupon right through the map, they’re more likely to go the extra few blocks.

The guys at Fathom SEO said it was a great place to show off too. Put up your great BBB rating or local media best-of award.

Put up videos and pictures, let your customers take a virtual your of your store. Replace those videos periodically detailing your new deals or specialties. Got a new wine that nobody has heard of? Make a video and tell your prospective customers all about it.

Encourage customers to write reviews, the more real reviews you have the better it looks and it will help you stand out even more from your neighbors.

Make sure all your contact information is correct, it sounds like a no-brainer, but a transposed number is easy to miss and could cost you a visit. Check your links and make sure everything is user friendly.

Check the analytics for maximum results. You’ve likely already done plenty of local keyword research (or should have) but maps are a little different. Use the dashboard of your Google business listing and the insights data map to check where people are getting their directions from. If your local store is between a big fishing spot or stadium, see where the people are coming from. If they are already driving by, why not show them your coupon and get them coming in.

With more people searching for businesses through Google maps alone, it’s high time to work on your listing and bring more people in.

EQUTE — Google finally allows mobile marketers to see mobile search volumes with the beta Google Keyword Tool.

AccuraCast discusses the new turn of events, but thus far, the results are quite minute.

A quick review of the mobile search volumes shows that even in popular mobile search categories such as local information and gaming, the volume of mobile searches is a mere fraction — as low as 0.3% — 0.6% of traditional Web searches for the same 1-word keyword queries.

So it’s not quite a groundbreaking change, at least not yet. As more people turn to their smart phones as a viable search option, however, this data could be instrumental for marketers looking to tweak their campaigns toward mobile users. In the future, these numbers could show how mobile users vary in searches, especially when using different input methods like speak to search.

EQUTE — An adviser to the European Union’s top court says Google does not infringe on trade marks by selling trademarked keywords.

Several brands have been in a legal battle with the search and advertising giant because their official ads were forced to compete with any rabble with a higher bid than them.

Louis Vuitton, for example, was fighting to boot manufactures of knockoff designer goods using their brand name out of search advertising.

“Advocate General Poiares Maduro considers that Google has not infringed trade mark rights by allowing advertisers to buy keywords corresponding to registered trademarks,” the European Court of Justice said in a statement.

Though the court has yet to make the ruling, the court’s decisions typically fall in line with their court advisers.

Google’s lawyers said the likely ruling came because consumers are smart enough to know the difference between real and fake ads.

“We believe that selecting a keyword to trigger the display of an ad does not amount to trademark infringement, and that consumers benefit from seeing more relevant information,” said Google lawyer Harjinder Obhi wrote in a statement. “Consumers are smart and are not confused when they see a variety of ads displayed in response to their search queries.”

The decision also hinges on the fact that Google doesn’t directly make money from the trademarked name.

Google argued that they make money by Internet users clicking on the keyword, and the decision to click or not belongs to the user.

The decision could end a seven-year fight — Google is appealing a unfavorable decision brought against it by a French court in 2006.

Google’s trademark policy varies across the world. In some countries, mainly in Europe, Google blocks names from being chosen as keywords once it’s received proof that they are protected trademarks — not so in the U.S.

The decision could mean that blocking trademarked keywords could soon end around the world.