How you appear in Search Results is the next most important "thing" after position. Google now offers lots of ways that you can control your appearance on line. One of the key "things" which dictates your appearance on a location specific basis is your Local Places Listed, whilst for Pages displayed in listing the good old fashioned metadata still rules the roost. The below images shows a typical search result for a well organised company. Scroll down for more, or you can open the below image as a PDF to view on parallel monitor or tiled windows.
A certain amount of the information contained within the side panel is automatically generated by Google with no input required from you. "Popular Times" for example is entirely automatic.
Google will pull these from your Google Maps Business Listing, so make sure you put your company logo on here as a minimum. Other pictures also help, suggest a minimum of 3, try to avoid stock photos.
If you are lucky enough to have received reviews via Google Maps then they will show here. Google Reviews are a very good thing to have. Many people focus on Facebook Reviews. . . . but who ranks your site?
You have no Control Over Sitelinks, these are generated by Google. However the Page Titles and Descriptions shown in the site links are very much under your control. So it is important to make sure these work. Don't make them too long, don't make them too short. Use accurate page titles without trying to stuff key words in to them. Page titles should inform the reader, and allow them to quickly select your page as the best page for their needs.
It is very, very easy to spend �1000 / $2000 a month of Google Advertising. Why not give Zap SEO that budget instead and we will provide you with a lasting SEO boost, rather than a sticking plaster paid advertising campaign.
Although we would tend to avoid social media, owing to the benefits of self management on this platform, we would advise a basic presence as a minimum.
Again from Google Local Businesses Listing . . . or from Structured Data or Rich Snippets.
Other pages that describe your company may crop up just beneath your listing. Some of these can be better than others.
Make sure they are good! They are impossible to remove. But 5 orange stars looks good next to any Web Listing.