Local Search - SES London 2011

Local Search Lisa Myers CEO, Verve Search

1 in 5 search queries have local intent..

97% of consumers use the web to shop locally

Local is the fastest growing trend in search...

20% of all the Google search queries are related to Local Search

Google Places
- the local giant

Chhhhhchanges
Local Business Centre re-launched as Google Places with new features (Apr 2010)
Location of Google maps in Web search moved to right hand side and local listings pushing organic down (Nov 2010)
Prelaunch of Google Hotpot (Nov 2010)

DA FOLD!!!

Clucking Bell it’s pushed the organic below the fold!!!

location , relevance , and prominence

#1 Location
Looks at where your business is based & your proximity to the
location in the search query
#2 Relevance
Internal factors such as business name, associated categories + external data
#3 Prominence
External factors; Data citations, reviews, occurrences of business
in UGC (i.e MyMaps)

Top 3 Local Search Ranking Factors
Category Association
Use at least 1 suggested default categories
Spammy custom categories can result in penalties and dropped rankings
Citations (in particular from Major Data Providers)
Most powerful off-page factor is web citations
Ensure you are placed within Local directories
Customer Reviews
Very important although impact can be dependent on industry.
Quantity vs Quality still unanswered
Important for conversions

Reduced Impact Factors
Keywords in Business Title. Not as powerful signal as before
Location Keywords in Categories. Major factor early 2010 but can now actually damage ranking.
Location Keyword in Place’s description, overuse can lead to penalties.

Emerging Ranking Factors
Coupons, adding this can give a slight boost
Reviews. The more the merrier, quantity rather than quality. BUT Google said to be creating algo for sentiment analysis
Volume of UCG such as videos, images etc

citations { the most important and long withstanding ranking factor in local }

Consistency Keep your business name, address, telephone number the same to increase trust Major Datacentres Some “mentions” are worth more from some sites than others Local Directories Source local directories and make sure you are listed there Citation Competitor Analysis Go to their Places page, underneath the reviews click the link “more from around the web” this outlines their existing citations. Citations

reviews { getting your customers on side }

Reviews – Issues & Evolution
Gaming Reviews
Incidents of reviews being manipulated and “gamed” by competitors
Review Velocity
How consistently is your business accumulating new review –an emerging factor?
Raw Number of Reviews vs. Sentiment
Various Instances where quantity over quality win. Rodriguez-gate meant Google
had to develop algorithmic solution to problem

tracking { it ain’t easy }

Ways of Tracking Local
Utilising Filters in Analytics
Implementing 301 Redirects

Tracking Using Filters
Custom Filters in Google Analytics
(Only tracks visitors that click through to place page before visiting website)
New filter ->
Filter name ‘Maps’
Filter Type -> Custom Filter
Checked : include
Filter Field: Referral
Filter Pattern: ‘maps.google.’
case sensitive : no

Tracking Using 301redirects
Using 301 Redirects tracks all visitors but is a little
more difficult to set up.
Set up a vanity URL e.g. www.example.com/widget-location
Implement a 301 redirect from that page to a page which includes “utm tracking code”
E.g. http://www.example.com/widget-location /?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=local_business_listing&utm_campaign=london
More info how to do this:
http://www.vervesearch.com/blog/seo/how-to-track-your-google-local-listing/

new features { get that pad out }

Purchasing Place Tags
Yellow markers that allow businesses to promote important aspects
Sponsored link to view offers, photos, or other select features
$25 flat monthly fee

Google Hot Pot
A ratings tool and recommendation engine for Google Places
Integrated into normal Google searches (within Places vertical) see reviews and ratings from your friends alongside the familiar aggregated data providers and review sites.

facebook “going” places.....

Facebook Places
1. Need a SmartPhone with Geo Location enabled on the Facebook APP
2. Add your business
3. Go to the Place page from Facebook.com
4. Click the link that says “Is this Place Page your business

tools...

Top 3 Local Tools
#1 Local Citation Finder
http://www.whitespark.ca/local-citation-finder
#2 Local Competitor Analysis
http://www.localsearchtoolkit.com
#3 44 Local Link building queries for Citation prospecting
http://ontolo.com/blog/44-local-link-building-queries-citation-prospecting-and-opportunity-analysis

Top 10 UK Citation Sites http://www.localdatacompany.com/ http://www.marketlocation.com/ http://search.infoserve.com/index.asp http://www.qype.co.uk/ http://www.yell.com http://www.brownbook.net/ http://www.thomsonlocal.com/ http://www.touchlocal.com/ http://www.ufindus.com/ http://www.smilelocal.com/

Local Search Resources
http://blumenthals.com/blog/
www.davidmihm.com/
http://www.martijnbeijk.com/
http://www.vervesearch.com

@LisaDMyers Thank You! Email: [email_address] Web: www.vervesearch.com www.seo-chicks.com

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Local Search - SES London 2011

by Lisa Myers on Feb 24, 2011

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Local Search - SES London 2011 — Presentation Transcript