Are you in the "Top 10" Box for Google Local Search?Create an H Card
**Being in the Top 10 Box" Can help you compete with the big guys - Yahoo, yellow pages, national directories, etc. They can hog many of the listings for your area. But they can not go in the Top 10 Box because they are not physically located in your town. So if you can't squeeze onto the first page listings - go for the BOX!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For a competitive search term for local search, google often has a Top 10 box - above all the other results. You WANT to be in this box.
Three things help on this one. . 1. Put your contact info - phone number and physical location on most of your web pages. 2. Put an "H Card" on your blog or website. 3. Claim or Add your Business to Google Maps. (Separate Post.)
Put an H Card Micro format on your site or blog - this is just a coded business card which helps locate you more easily on the web.
An H Card is often on a blog or a feed (such as RSS feeds). The blog itself "phones home" it calls/pings the blog directories & search engines and says hey, I've been updated. I have contact info here.
You can also put your H Card on your web site on the about page, contact info page, social network profiles and so on. For these sites you will need to go to Pingerati and list your url where you info is located. Pingerati will then ping the world (search engines and so forth) to let them know where your info is located .
How the heck do you create this H card? Do it the easy way. Go to hCard Creator. and fill in the information. I would NOT include my email information as this will generate additional spam. It's your choice if you want to include your instant messenger screen names. I did fill in everything else and included my phone number as it is widely available anyway.
Then click "build it". Click your cursor anywhere in code box and hit Ctrl + A (This selects everything). Next click Ctrl + C (This copies everything in the box.) **do not include the "+" sign :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to add you H Card to Your Active Rain Blog...Click on Settings and paste the code into the Blog Description Box.
Now I have a H Card on the right hand side of my Active Rain blog. I have also cut and pasted it into the "about" page of my web site.
Your website will not automatically phone home (call the search engines). So got to Pingerati and type in the location of your new H Card on your website.
(Next will be adding your business to Google Maps.)
Eileen - This is interesting information. I hadn't heard of the "H Card" before. I have added my business to Google Maps previously. Thanks for the tip!
Eileen - Thanks for sharing. I have not heard of HCard but I am on the first page of Google. I put my info at the bottom of most of my blogs. I have to check the Google Local Business Map.
Eileen, I'm embarrassed to admit I've never heard of an h-card so thank you very much for the valuable information. I learn something new almost everyday on activerain.
Hi Tim & Pat; Being on the first page of google is always great! And AR certainly gives us a big boost. The top 10 box is not found for all search terms. In my area it is used for "Monterey Real Estate Agent" but not for "Monterey Real Estate".
Shane; Both the H Card & google maps help get you in the "top 10 box". The H Card has underlying code that you don't see - it tells the engines "HEY here is a geo location, an address". It's a kind of gps signal saying where you are located. It adds emphasis.
Hi Jason; You are ahead of the game since you have already added you biz to google maps. If you are not in the top 10 box though, try adding photos and a video to your listing.
Debbie you are quick! I am working on the google maps post now.
Joan; It's amazing how little things like this add up in the search engine wars.
Hi Rosalinda; You are also way ahead of the game. :)
I am adding a couple of paragraphs more explantion to the post. Also copied here:
**Being in the Top 10 Box" Can help you compete with the big guys - Yahoo, yellow pages, national directories, etc. They can hog many of the listings for your area. But they can not go in the Top 10 Box because they are not physically located in your town. So if you can't squeeze onto the first page listings - go for the BOX! or go for both.
Eileen - I am in the top ten results for most of the towns in my area. I am not certain how much it helps but you never know where someone will be looking. I guess once they see it in that list and then see me again 3 or 4 more times down below it can't hurt.
Shane; It is just a very special format (microformat) html code. It is to make it easier for machines/search engines to read. If anything is out of place it no longer works. The code is the info in the box created by H card creator. I did cut and past it into my own blog here on Active Rain. Email me or call if you have other questions.
Hi Margaret; thanks for stopping by.
Bob & Carolin; Sure glad we all can share here on AR! Makes it easier to keep up.
Hi Bill; YOU are way ahead of the game. Awesome when you can do it for multiple towns.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Are you in the "Top 10" Box for Google Local Search?
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Eileen, we don't have an image such as the one you show, but we are on the first page if that is what you mean thanks to Active Rain.