Handout from a local SEO and google+ optimization presentation I gave in Sonoma.

1. Introduction to Local SEO and Recent Trends in Search
Presented at Sonoma County Tourism Bureau: March 15th, 2013
www.sercius.com
What is Personalized Search?
Top Personalized Search Variables
Users searching history
Users IP address location
Users content sharing/commenting habits
Users online contacts and their shared content and interactions
Users email (gmail) conversations
Users social interactions, primarily on Google+
Tourism Applications
1. If you can get your guests to network with you online, your content will become more
visible to their networks. Specifically, Google+ circle connections will become very
prominent. Your existing, loyal guests can be one of your most powerful online sales
tools.
Kimberly Ercius ‫ ا‬kimberly@sercius.com ‫ ا 2707-978 )015( ا‬www.sercius.com

2. 2. The best targets for these types of interactions are:
Local guests who are likely to be interested in the content you share
online
Frequent, loyal guests who spend a lot of time interacting with you are likely to be
interested in updates
Guests who are motivated by specials and packages
Local SEO
Kimberly Ercius ‫ ا‬kimberly@sercius.com ‫ ا 2707-978 )015( ا‬www.sercius.com

3. What's Different from the old Google Places?
Reviews can not be anonymous anymore. They have to be tied to a real identity.
Results are tailored to you based on your circles, your reviews, and your location
There is a greater emphasis on images. Now, images are tiled along the top of the page,
as opposed to the one thumbnail in the old Places layout.
Based on your circles and online network, your friends reviews will be more prominently
highlighted in your search results
Businesses can respond to all reviews on their local page.
The 5 star rating system is gone, and has been completely replaced by the Zagat scoring
system.
There are two different kinds of pages that a business can have on Google+:
1. A Google+ local page similar to the former Place Pages
2. Google+ business page that has more of the social features
But, you can merge these into one page.
Getting Started
Verify your listing (phone or postcard)
Wait for verification, which can take up to two weeks.
Resource:
http://support.google.com/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1713911
Google Online Support:
http://support.google.com/places/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1386120&page=ts.cs
Google Phone Support:
http://support.google.com/places/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1399021&page=ts.cs
Kimberly Ercius ‫ ا‬kimberly@sercius.com ‫ ا 2707-978 )015( ا‬www.sercius.com

4. Optimize the Profile
Fill in as much information as possible on the About page
Add photos and videos
Add information about any additional sites that your business manages.
This is a great opportunity to add links to your social channels.
Promote the Listing and Maintain Consistent Citations
Tool: www.getlisted.org
Can you just update your Google+ page? No, Google pulls from hundreds of other
sources
Where do you start? Start with the major sources first.
Verify that your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) is correct and consistent.
Organize Your Contacts
Organize your contacts into circles
Segment circles in a similar way to email marketing
Share targeted content with your circles
Look at Ripples to see Influencers
Kimberly Ercius ‫ ا‬kimberly@sercius.com ‫ ا 2707-978 )015( ا‬www.sercius.com

5. Reviews
Ask for them at the point of sale
Follow up email marketing
Create a page on your website about leaving reviews, and point to your Google+ and
Yelp pages
On-Page SEO
Optimize on-page SEO elements including the title tag, meta description, alt tags, heading tags,
etc.
Keyword Research Tool: adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Kimberly Ercius ‫ ا‬kimberly@sercius.com ‫ ا 2707-978 )015( ا‬www.sercius.com

6. What is Authorship?
Authorship
Opportunity for sites to create valuable content and get visibility
Search is becoming more social. Credibility is tied to an individual, not just a company.
Links shared on Google+ are crawled and indexed very quickly
Resource: plus.google.com/authorship
Test: http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
Knowledge Graph
What is the knowledge graph? Announced in May, the knowledge graph provides users
with semantic search driven results.
Ensure that you are providing useful content about the top attractions/ demand
generators.
Look at freebase.com to verify that information about your business is accurate
When content is available in a structured format then the probability of it being visible in
the Knowledge Graph and in the SERP’s increases.
Content expressed as microdata makes it even easier for it to be understood by the
search engines.
When this clear, structured content gets shared by authority sites (think social!), it gains
more credibility and traction.
Kimberly Ercius ‫ ا‬kimberly@sercius.com ‫ ا 2707-978 )015( ا‬www.sercius.com