Google Local Carousel – How to Get Your Business Listed?

Rate this post
Google’s local carousel is the new local search for Google. It is still in the testing process in US and if it becomes a success then it’s set to replace the traditional local listings. The local carousel displays the local business listings in a horizontal form with options to view all of the local business listings by scrolling the carousel sideways. This was a necessary move by Google due to the increasing number of local buisness listings. The increase in the number of local businesses and the hunger to list each one of them on Google was forcing Google to display 7-8 local listings in a single SERP. This was pushing down other search results. To stop this from happening, Google came with the idea of Carousel which worked the same way as Google local listings and also allowed the remaining search results related to the main business to be displayed on SERP.

What’s New in Local Carousel?

When we search for a local query like “cafes near los angeles ca”, Google displays the following local results in a carousel.

Local carousel gets displayed when we search for the query “Cafes near Los Angeles Ca”

As per the image displayed above, the local listings are displayed in a horizontal carousel with an option to scroll the remaining results. The remaining results for the main query are displayed on the main SERP. This provides an advantage to other websites to show up in the search results instead of the local listings covering the whole area of SERP.

When we click on any one listing displayed in the carousel, the query automatically changes to the clicked business name. A search for the main business query displays search results related to the business name and also displays the contact information, directions and reviews on the right hand side of the search results. You can see an example given on the image shared below:-

Business listing as seen after clicking on the carousel for the business name “Urth Caffe”

How to Get Your Business Listed?

There is no guarantee for listing your business on local carousel. It solely depends on algorithms whether they pick up the listing of your business to be displayed in the carousel. However, there are a few steps which you can take in order to maximize the chances of entering the local carousel.

1- Have a Google Plus business listing with complete and accurate business information.
2- Ask your customers to add reviews in it. The more positive reviews your business receives, the better your score will become. Better score can help your business get listed faster.
3- List and update your business on the local web directories and review sites.
4- Add photos and videos in your business listing.
5- Increase citations and link your business listing wherever you can.

Also See:- 

How to do Local Seo?
Local Search Ranking Factors
WhiteSpark Local Citation Finder
Free Seo Tools
Rank Watch
Local Seo and Citations
Location Relevance System for Local Seo
Free Business Local Listings