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 Searchwhen 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 / @seoverflowhttp://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

reviewDirect link to reviews on other websites

Google Knows Where You Are

Local Search Ranking Tips

Local Search Ranking Factors

@belasco / @seoverflowhttp://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml

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• mike@seoverflow.com

• 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.”

Places Listing Guidelines

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.”

Places Listing Guidelines

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.

Places Listing Guidelines

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.”

Places Listing Guidelines