9. LOCAL & NEAR ME SEARCH GROWTH
#SearchCon @nickneels
• Google search interest in "near
me" has increased 34X since
2011
• 50% of consumers will visit a
store within one day of a local
search on their smartphone
• 18% of local smartphone
searches led to a purchase
within one day
10. LOCAL SEARCHES KEEP INCREASING
#SearchCon
•“near me” searches increased 35% since
2016
14. REVIEWS INFLUENCE CONSUMERS
#SearchCon @nickneels
• 85% of consumers trust online reviews
as much as personal
recommendations
• In 2017, 68% of US consumers said
that positive reviews made them more
likely to use a business
• Reading negative reviews makes 40%
of consumers not want to use a
local business
20. Hi-de-ho neighbor! I’m reminded of what the
Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi said:
“You cannot speak of the ocean to a well frog,
you cannot speak of ice to a summer insect.”
24. AT THE END OF THE DAY
#SearchCon @nickneels
The foundation of ranking well in local
search results begins with accurate and
optimized local business listings.
26. A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS
#SearchCon @nickneels
27. WHY DO LOCAL LISTINGS MATTER?
#SearchCon @nickneels
85-95% of
Local Listing
Traffic
83% of US
Mobile
Searches
1B Downloads
per Year
1.6B Monthly
Users
1.5B Monthly
Mobile Users
#1 App
(users)
5-15% of
Local Listing
Traffic
6% of US
Mobile
Searches
Default for
Windows
800M
Devices
Worldwide
3X iOS Usage
Over Google
Maps
5B Requests
per Week
Sources:
http://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news
/2015/tops-of-2015-digital.html
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile+tablet-
search_engine-US-monthly-201308-201408
http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/12/
07/apple-maps-once-a-laughingstock-now-
dominates-iphones/
37. KEEP YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND
#SearchCon @nickneels
•As consumer’s search habits continue to
fragment and new technologies are
released, new potential partners
immerge. Data ProvidersDirectories Review Sites WearablesSocial NetworksIn-Dash NavMaps & GPSSearch Engines Mobile Apps
Google Maps
Apple Maps
Facebook Places
TripAdvisor
CitySearch
Yellowpages
Superpages
AllMenus
Google Maps
Bing Maps
Apple Maps
Nokia/NAVTEQ
Facebook Places
Yelp
Google
Zagat
TomTom
Garmin
Toyota
Chrysler
Factual
Wolphram|Alpha
DMTI Spatial
LSSI
Facebook
Foursquare
Google+
Pinterest
Apple Watch
Android Wear
Google Glass
Pebble Time
Google
Bing
Facebook
Ask
38. RANK DIRECTORIES FOR BEGINNERS
#SearchCon @nickneels
•Big 4: Google,
Apple, Facebook,
Bing
•Manual searches
•Bridge the gap
with competitors
•Free v Paid
39. RANK DIRECTORIES FOR PROS
#SearchCon @nickneels
•“Site:” search for
size of directory
•Estimated site
traffic
•Domain authority
•National v Niche
citations/links
40. RANK DIRECTORIES FOR PROS
#SearchCon @nickneels
Google Site: Search Similar Web Search
site:http://www.pinterest.com/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://www.pinterest.com/
site:http://www.hipaaspace.com/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://www.hipaaspace.com/
site:http://www.dexknows.com/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://www.dexknows.com/
site:http://www.healthpocket.com/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://www.healthpocket.com/
site:http://big-map.net/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://big-map.net/
site:http://www.cudoctors.com/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://www.cudoctors.com/
site:http://www.findurgentcare.com/ https://www.similarweb.com/website/http://www.findurgentcare.com/
Domain Moz DA Site Size Site Traffic
http://www.pinterest.com/ 93 39,900,000 957,000,000
http://www.hipaaspace.com/ 87 5,710,000 645,000
http://www.dexknows.com/ 80 3,270,000 1,130,000
http://www.healthpocket.com/ 80 170,000 109,000
http://big-map.net/ 100 104,000 -
http://www.cudoctors.com/ 100 3,500 -
http://www.findurgentcare.com/ 94 1,040 -
57. TIME TO BUILD, TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
#SearchCon @nickneels
Domain Moz DA Site Size Site Traffic Notes
http://www.pinterest.com/ 93 39,900,000 957,000,000 N/A
http://www.hipaaspace.com/ 87 5,710,000 645,000 Built on 4/1, published 4/11
http://www.dexknows.com/ 80 3,270,000 1,130,000 Built on 3/1, email verified, published 3/2
http://www.healthpocket.com/ 80 170,000 109,000 $$$
http://big-map.net/ 100 104,000 -
http://www.cudoctors.com/ 100 3,500 -
http://www.findurgentcare.com/ 94 1,040 -
65. Universal Search: May 2007
Blend results of “vertical” search
search engines
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Mobile-First Index (Fall 2017)
AI and machine learning power voice search and
conversion opportunities. Location-level attributes are
required to be in consumer’s consideration set. Google will
crawl the web from a mobile browser rather than the
traditional desktop perspective.
Venice: Feb 2012
Localize organic results
Starting with the Pigeon update in mid-2014, followed by the famous
Mobilegeddon update in early 2015, Google’s algorithms have merged,
becoming a combination of the best ranking factors from local listings and
local websites.
To win in local search today, both local listing and traditional SEO ranking
factors must be targeted and monitored in unison.
Google’s Algorithm Merge
Local Carousel: June 2013
Promote local listings and
imagery to top of SERP
Hummingbird: Aug 2013
Increase the understanding of
meaning behind queries
Penguin: Apr 2012
De-rank sites with spammy
link profiles
Panda: Feb 2011
De-rank sites with low-
quality content
Possum: Sept 2016
Deliver diverse local results
based on searcher location.
Mobilegeddon: Apr 2015
Give mobile-friendly
pages a ranking boost
in mobile SERPs
RankBrain: Oct 2015
Deliver better results
based on relevance and
machine learning.
Snack Pack: Aug 2015
“Three-pack” local results
mirror desktop and mobile
Pigeon: July 2014
Provide high quality, relevant
local search results
72. AT THE END OF THE DAY
#SearchCon @nickneels
The foundation of
ranking well in local
search results
begins with accurate
and optimized local
business listings.
