Local Search Ranking Factors - OMS Denver 2011

Local Search Ranking Factors OMS Denver 2011 @belasco / @seoverflow

Agenda
What Is Local Search and Why Is It Important?
Optimizing Your Website For Local
Optimizing Your Place Page
Off Place Page and Off Site Local Search Optimization (Citations, Reviews, Data Confusion)

What is Local Search?

Local Search is any search made with the goal of finding something in a specific geographic area.
This is known as searching with local intent .
What Exactly is Local Search?

Essentially, anything that you would traditionally look for in the print Yellow Pages becomes a Local Search when it is conducted online.
What Exactly is Local Search?

70% Percentage of people who go online FIRST when looking for local business information
73%
Percentage of online activity is related to local content (Google - May, 2007)
Why is Local Search So Important?

ROBO – Research online, buy offline
82% of local searchers follow up offline via an in-store visit, phone call or purchase (TMP / comScore)
90% of online commercial searches result in offline bricks and mortar purchases (proprietary research / comScore)
66% of Americans use online local search, like Google local search to locate local businesses (TMP / comScore)
54% of Americans have substituted the internet and local search for phone books (comScore networks)
43% of search engine users are seeking a local merchant to buy something offline.
http://www.thelocalone.com/why.htm
Why is Local Search So Important?

Have You Noticed Something Different?

Old Google Vs. New Google

Blended Vs Pure Google Results @belasco / @seoverflow http://www.davidmihm.com/blended-vs-pure-local-search.shtml

Anatomy Of A Blended Result @belasco / @seoverflow Link To Website (website title tag or biz name) Address and Phone Number Website Title Tag, Meta Description or Google Places Description Star rating and link to Place Page Link To Place Page Map Marker in alpha order. Snippet from a review Direct link to reviews on other websites

Google Knows Where You Are

Local Search Ranking Tips

Local Search Ranking Factors @belasco / @seoverflow http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml

Optimize Your Website For Local Now More Important Than Ever

All ‘traditional’ SEO best practices
Include business name, address, and phone number on every page (footer) is fine.
Include Business Keyword Location | Business Name in the title tag of your homepage
Create a page for each physical location
Optimize Your Website For Local

Encode your business name, address and phone number in Schema.org format (http://www.schema.org/LocalBusiness)
Encode reviews, testimonials and ratings in Schema.org Review Format (http://www.schema.org/Review)
Create and upload a GeoSitemap (http://www.mygeoposition.com/)
Embed Geo Metatags in the head of your HTML code ( www.mygeoposition.com/ )
Embed a Google Map of your location on your contact page
Advanced On-page Local SEO

Get powerful, authoritative, local (if possible) links to your website
Check your competitors links using www.opensitexplorer.org
Sponsor local events and organizations
Get listed in all local directory websites
Start a PR campaign for press coverage
Link Building For Local @belasco / @seoverflow

Optimizing Your Google Places Listing

Get a Google Maps Listing

Use your main keyword phrase and complementary terms in your profile descriptions
Grab the long tail by including:
Your products and services
The brands you carry
The locations you serve
Anything else important in your niche
Optimize Your Places Listing

Complete Your Listing @belasco / @seoverflow

Upload Photos and Videos @belasco / @seoverflow

Hi
HINT: Use LocalSearchToolKit.com
Choose The Right Categories @belasco / @seoverflow

Create Coupons (Offers) @belasco / @seoverflow

Use Additional Details to specify keyword rich content about your business
Optimize Your Places Listing

Reasonable Expectations
It’s unreasonable to think you should rank in Local Search for places where you are not located. (Refer to the new guidelines.)
If you want to rank for places where you are not located, but where you do business, it’s best to concentrate on optimizing your website for those terms.
Consider PPC ads for additional locations.
Multiple Locations

Citations

Citations are cites or mentions of your business on web pages.
They do not have to contain a link.
They do not have to contain location information.
Citations from trusted local sources have more impact than others.
Citations

Get citations from the right sources
There’s increased agreement on the importance of citations.
The right sources probably vary by industry.
There are some standard, trusted sources that are probably good for everyone, like Superpages, BBB and Yelp.
Citations from hyper local sources may be gaining in influence.
Citations

Competitors Citations @belasco / @seoverflow

Uncover new sources for citations by:
Looking at the citations your competitors have and seeing if you can get them in the same places.
Looking at the citations businesses like yours in other areas have.
Look at the citations of businesses related to yours.
HINT: USE LOCALSEARCHTOOLKIT.COM
Citations

Reviews

Google thinks reviews are exactly what people looking for a local business want to see.
Get Reviews

Google pulls reviews from all across the web
Niches have different trusted review srcs.
The More Reviews, the Better!

Uncover new sources for reviews by:
Looking at the reviews your competitors have and seeing if you can get them in the same places.
Looking at the reviews businesses like yours in other areas have.
Look at the reviews of businesses related to yours.
HINT: USE LOCALSEARCHTOOLKIT.COM
Another HINT: Get Keywords used in your reviews
Reviews

Subtly Encourage Reviews

Eliminate Data Confusion

Data Confusion in regards to local search simply means there are inconsistencies with the core business data (name, address, phone number NAP) online.
Data Confusion is the primary reason most of the clients who call us do not rank well in Local Search results
Data Confusion is the most overlooked local search ranking factor
Don’t Forget Your NAP

Careless submissions and data entry
Moving business location
Changing phone numbers
Promoting non-existent locations
Read more here:
http://www.seoverflow.com/local-seo/typical-causes-of-data-confusion-in-local-search/
What Causes Data Confusion?

7-pack results for ‘San Francisco Bakeries’
Analysis Of A 7 Pack

How?:
Search for your biz name
Search for your biz address
Search for your biz phone number
Look at your citations in Maps
Don’t forget to search for things which are not obvious such as an extra phone number or old address
Check for Data Confusion

Make sure to standardize information everywhere:
Use the same name, address and phone numbers everywhere online and offline
Go to the sources of business data and standardize information there.
Check for location trust and correct discrepancies wherever you find them.
Standardization Builds Trust

Speaker Contact Info
[email_address]
303-905-1504 ext 1
@belasco
Linkedin.com/in/miketheinternetguy
Mike Belasco
Speaker Photo

Business Listing Quality
“ Business Listings in Local Business Center must have correct information about physical, local businesses, as they appear in the real world . Google reserves the right to suspend access to Local Business Center or to other Google Services to individuals or businesses violating these guidelines.”
http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=107528
Places Listing Guidelines

Business Name Spam
“ Represent your business exactly as it appears in the offline world. The name on Google Maps should match the business name, as should the address, phone number and website. Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of your business into the business name.”

Physical Location Spam
“ Do not create listings at locations where the business does not physically exist.
PO Boxes do not count as physical locations.
The precise address for the business must be provided in place of broad city names or cross-streets.”

Multiple Location Spam
“ Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multiple accounts.
Businesses that operate in a service area as opposed to a single location should not create a listing for every city they service.
Service area businesses should create one listing for the central office of the business only.

Best Practices
“ Use a shared, business email account, if multiple users will be updating your business listing.
If possible, use an email account with a domain that matches your business URL. For example, if your business website is www.giraffetoys.com, a matching email address would be you@giraffetoys.com.”

http://www.seoverflow.com	118
http://www.localbizbits.com	47
http://fetch.checkdog.com	27
http://feeds.feedburner.com	15
url_unknown	3
http://www.hanrss.com	1
http://seoverflow.wpengine.com	1

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