Paula Keller presented on how to survive and thrive in local search at DFWSEM's annual State of Search conference on November 18, 2013. 3 key steps to local search success... - Get your Google+ Local situation straight - Dig deep on your citations / local listings - On-site optimization through proper landing pages

1. Scalable Solutions Powered by Experts
@paulalmkeller

2. SURVIVING & THRIVING
IN LOCAL SEARCH
The challenge of the local digital market
Location, Consistency, Customers
@paulalmkeller

3. 3 “EASY” STEPS
1. Straighten up your Google+ situation
2. Dig deep on citations
3. On-site local optimization
@searchinfluence

4. ABOUT ME
PAULA KELLER
• Louisiana State University Marketing
graduate
• Search Influence Director of Account
Management
• Lead 18 account managers
• 5+ years experience in traditional/online
marketing
• Google Analytics, Google AdWords + Bing
Ads certified
@paulalmkeller

5. ABOUT SEARCH INFLUENCE
Helping customers successfully market online
since 2006. We work with 300+ clients, directly
and as a white-label provider to major national
media companies
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Search Influence
56+ full-time employees
25+ contract writers
25 white-label partners
220+ white-label clients
120+ direct clients
@paulalmkeller
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Reputation
2011 Inc. 500 honoree
2012 & 2013 Inc. 5000 honoree
Recognized leader in search and
social for local business
Over a decade in online media

6. AS SEEN IN:
@paulalmkeller

7. 70% of U.S.
households now use
the Internet when
shopping locally.
-ComScore
@paulalmkeller

8. LOCAL SEARCH IS MORE
IMPORTANT THAN EVER.
@paulalmkeller

9. WHAT IS LOCAL
SEARCH?
restaurants
pool builders dallas
hair salon frisco tx
concerts
dry cleaners richardson tx
best divorce attorney in dallas tx
grocery store arlington
restaurants
pharmacy near the village
emergency plumbers
dentists
@paulalmkeller

10. WHERE IS LOCAL
SEARCH?
PAID
Search
Results
ORGANIC
Search
Results
LOCAL
Search
Results
@paulalmkeller
ORGANIC
Search
Results

11. WHERE IS
LOCAL
SEARCH?
@paulalmkeller

12. WHERE IS
LOCAL
SEARCH?
@paulalmkeller

13. HOW DOES DALLAS FIND
LOCAL BUSINESSES?
Google Search
0%
9%
10%
41%
11%
Facebook
Search/Recomme
ndation
Local News
Website
Google Ads
14%
15%
@paulalmkeller
Facebook Ads
- WrightIMC 2013

14. “LOCAL” IS RELATIVE
@paulalmkeller

15. AUDIT BUSINESS INFORMATION
NAP First!
• Confirm name
• Multiple variations?
• Check Secretary of State
• Confirm address
• usps.com/zip4
• Confirm phone
• One per location
• Should be local
• Avoid call-tracking numbers
@searchinfluence

16. ESSENTIAL:
CONSISTENT
NAP
@paulalmkeller

17. THE ANATOMY OF NAP
What is a local citation?
NAP+W
Name
Address
Phone #
Website
@paulalmkeller

18. WHY IS A CONSISTENT NAP
ESSENTIAL?
Don’t confuse Google!
• Number of citations is important, but
consistency is MORE important
• Your NAP is your local search
fingerprint
• Your NAP should be in each of these
places:
• Google+ Local
• Website
• Social media pages
• Business directories – “citations”
@paulalmkeller

19. SOLIDIFY YOUR NAP
Audit Business Info First!
• Confirm Name
• Multiple variations? Check Secretary of State.
• Confirm Address
• usps.com/zip4
• Confirm Phone
• One per location
• Shoule be local (ex: 214, 469, 972 or approp. area code)
• Run away! from call-tracking numbers (in local)
@paulalmkeller

20. YOUR GOOGLE+ PAGE
Step 1.
Search places.google.com
@paulalmkeller

23. @paulalmkeller

24. @paulalmkeller

25. LINK YOUR +PAGE AND
YOUR WEBSITE
si.ly/gpublisher
@searchinfluence

26. BRANDED SEARCH WITH
PUBLISHER
No Recent Posts

27. BRANDED SEARCH WITHOUT
PUBLISHER
No Recent Posts

28. BRANDED SEARCH WITHOUT
PUBLISHER
Competitors

29. INCONSISTENCY &
DUPLICATION OF CITATIONS
@paulalmkeller

30. GET RID OF G+ DUPS
Option 1: Report a Problem
If done from biz G+ acct, changes take about 1 week
@paulalmkeller

31. GET RID OF G+ DUPS
Option 1: Report a Problem
@paulalmkeller

32. GET RID OF G+ DUPS
Option 2: Call Google Support
Instant Changes! Si.ly/callthegoogle

33. DIG DEEP ON CITATIONS
Step 2.
• Getlisted.org
• Google: “business name” +
“phone #”
• Whitespark Local Citation Finder
• Brightlocal Citation Tracker
• Organize citations so that you can
see NAP data errors
• Clean up duplicates/erroneous
citations
@paulalmkeller

34. GETLISTED.ORG
@paulalmkeller

35. GETLISTED.ORG
@paulalmkeller

36. Getting Started

37. Getting Started

38. GET PICKY WITH IT.
• One listing per location using
official NAP
• Firms with multiple practitioner: one
listing per practitioner also
• Complete data:
description, website, categori
es, photos, etc.
• If you find duplicates:
• Use report a problem/edit details
• Contact customer service
@paulalmkeller

39. GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE
Inconsistent and duplicate citations are BAD.
Check InfoGroup, Localeze & Acxiom for incorrect info.
• InfoGroup: http://expressupdateusa.com
• Localeze: http://webapp.localeze.com/directory/get-started.aspx
• Acxiom: http://mybusinesslistingmanger.com
@paulalmkeller

40. LOCAL TO
YOU
DIRECTORIES
http://www.thecityofdallas.com/
http://businessdirectory.bizjournals.com/dallas

41. INDUSTRY
DIRECTORIES
http://bit.ly/lawlistings
Courtesy of: Mike Ramsey, Nifty Marketing

42. ON-SITE LOCAL OPTIMIZATION
Step 3.
• Is NAP on website readable (in plain text, not in an image)?
• NAP should match Google+ Local page NAP
• Additional phone numbers should be non-crawlable
• NAP should be structured data, either Schema or hCard
• To create: schema.org
• To validate: www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
• NAP on homepage, in footer, and location page(s)!
@paulalmkeller

43. BUILD LOCATION PAGE(S)
• Factors to include in a local page:
• NAP in Schema or hCard
• Embedded Google map linking to your G+ page
• Hours
• Payment Types
• Photos
• Testimonials and reviews
• Meta description with address and phone included
• Locally optimized URL name structure
•
(eg: domain.com/falls-church-va)
@paulalmkeller

44. Improper or Non-Existent OnSite Local Optimization

45. SCHEMA & HCARD EXAMPLES
@paulalmkeller

46. VALIDATE YOUR SNIPPETS
www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
@paulalmkeller

47. MULTI-LOCATIONS
Location page for each location
• Create one location page per location
• Create one locations page that lists all
• If multiple addresses are on one page, MUST mark up in
schema
• Content on each must be unique
• Include location-specific details
• Staff names, neighborhood, parking tips
• Use site architecture to guide the engines
• Should live in /locations/ folder
• Name pages with city-st
• townsendla.com/locations/new-orleans-la
• townsendla.com/locations/lafayette-la
• townsendla.com/locations/baton-rouge-la
• townsendla.com/locations/covington-la
@paulalmkeller

48. FINAL
THOUGHTS:
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
• Claim Google+ Local listing
(Post content)
• Discover and update secondary listings
• Focus on correcting / enhancing
existing citations
• Seek out local to you and industry
directories
• Go straight to the source with data
feeds
• Build location page(s)
@paulalmkeller

49. THANK YOU!
Paula Keller
Pkeller@searchinfluence.com
searchinfluence.com/blog
twitter.com/Paulalmkeller
slideshare.com/searchinfluence

50. BONUS: GOOGLE+ AUTHORSHIP
DeLuca Plastic Surgery
Authorship installed
April 2012
• When comparing the six-month period prior to Authorship
with the six-month period after installation:
Google organic visits increased over 27% (+11,334 visits)
@searchinfluence