Walk Score?

What's a Walk Score?!? It shows real estate Buyers a green neighborhood with walking distances for business locations, provided the neighborhood is in a congested area.

Location, Location, Location – That was always the phrase used in business and especially Real Estate. It is now becoming the same for the Internet.

We have always stressed how important it is to be sure your business address and all pertinent information is listed with the various search engine mapping systems. Well, that has just become vital to your success on the Internet. The Google/Yahoo/Bing mapping systems are now featuring your Internet location more than ever.

An Internet company called “Walk Score” is now using this vital information to help people determine how “green” a neighborhood is while they are researching real estate locations. The idea behind it is the higher the score, the less you need your car to travel the neighborhood.

To see an actual example, click here to go to a website set up for a Realtor in N.J. – SNJRealEstate. The link will take you to a typical listing of a house, but it will also illustrate the mapping system called “Walk Score.” Notice all the different schools and businesses shown. If you were located in that particular “neighborhood” – would yours be shown??

So – what does this have to do with your business and its location? Honestly, everything!

The Google/Bing/Yahoo mapping systems are using that same business internet location on their basic search engine results for websites. If you’ve noticed how search engine results are being displayed lately, many times the first page will illustrate businesses that are also properly “mapped” within their huge data banks of information.

Here’s an easy test. Search for a popular common thing in a metropolitan area. Go to Google and select “pizza” in your area (not the name of the restaurant), for example, Google “Pizza, St George, Utah” and look at the results. It will be pictures/mapping of all the pizza restaurants in that area. With the advent of smartphones and people driving everywhere – just imagine how much business the pizza shop doesn’t get if they are NOT in those search results.

The Internet of today is very all encompassing!

If you haven’t taken the time to be sure your business location and mapping is “up-to-date” and actually done, you are missing an opportunity for business. It really doesn’t matter what your business is – if you have a website and a business location – why keep it a secret? The Internet is incredibly economical to be properly indexed, mapped, found and displayed.

Verify your business is really there! Go to your favorite web search engine and put in the type of business you are (NOT your business name) and its general location. See if you show up on their mapping results. You can also go to a Google Map search and do the same again – type general description of your business and general location.

Example would be “RV Parks, Quartzsite, AZ.” Make sure any results that are for your business lead people to your exact website – not to a “Yelp, Yellowpages, Facebook, etc.”

Just as important – is your business website actually on the first page or two?? That’s an entirely different problem, but all related to the Internet and your future in your business.

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