search influence university - how to boost your local search rankings
TRANSCRIPT
Confidential, Property of Search Influence, LLC © 2016
HOW TO BOOST YOUR LOCAL SEARCH RANKINGS Paula Keller French
Director of Account Management
Workshop by
Search Influence90 full and part-time employees120 contract writersGoogle AdWords & Analytics Certified StaffGoogle Certified Partner
ABOUT SEARCH INFLUENCE
Reputation2011 Inc. 500 honoreeSEL Columnists, SMX, LocalU, Pubcon, mozcon, Searchfest and moreTwo decades in online mediaBest Places to Work, 2014 & 2016
Local Search Results
Organic Search Results
Paid Search Results
UNDERSTANDING THE SEARCH RESULTS
“Natural”
“Maps”or
“Snack Pack”
Google AdWords or “PPC”
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Confidential, Property of Search Influence, LLC © 2016
WHAT’S CHANGED?· Full address is no longer displayed· No more links to the business’ Google+ page· Business hours are now easily seen
BEFORE
AFTER
Confidential, Property of Search Influence, LLC © 2016
STAY COMPETITIVE IN THE NEW 3 PACK
· Feed Google info about your business via Google My Business· Input ALL the info you can
· Optimize your website’s on-page content for local search
· Optimize your website’s off-site signals for local search
· Earn local reviews on Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc.· Earn links through offline marketing
· Google My Business 101· Page Type Differentiation· Best Practices & Guidelines
· Claiming and Verifying Google My Business Pages· Requesting Admin Access
GMB 101: A CRASH COURSE
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN PAGE TYPES WITH THE NEW GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
Local (Storefront/Service Area)
vs.
Brand
vs.
Personal
· If verified, has a “checkmark” on main business page
· ALWAYS has an address on the About page
· NEVER displays an email address
· Has a corresponding Maps listing
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LOCAL PAGE
If a Service Area Business does not serve its customers at its physical location, its address will not appear in Google Maps.
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS BRAND PAGE
· Will never have a checkmark next to name
· May have an address· May have an email
address
· Does not integrate with Google Maps
· Differences in the About section· Personal terminology: Education,
Employment, Home, Lives in, Gender, etc.
· No Verified checkmark on main page
· You cannot “claim” a personal page
· Does not have any integration with Google Maps
PERSONAL GOOGLE PLUS PAGES
IMPORTANT LOCAL LISTING SOURCES
INDIVIDUAL SITES· Bing· Yelp· Facebook· Apple Maps· Foursquare· YP· Superpages
DATA DISTRIBUTORS· Acxiom· Factual· Localeze
INDUSTRY SPECIFIC
Source: https://www.brightlocal.com/2014/08/14/5-visual-stats-power-of-online-reviews/
WHY DO REVIEWS MATTER?
· Unique content is being added to the site regularly
SEO BENEFITS
· Online reviews on sites like Google+ and Yelp help with local rankings
· Eye-catching Rich Snippets in SERPs
WHAT TO DO· Provide a section to leave reviews on your site· Request reviews from your customers!
· Email marketing (newsletters, offers, post-purchase, post-visit, and confirmations)
· In office signage· Business cards with URLs
· Publish fake reviews under a false profile· Duplicate of review content· Reward customers for leaving a review
WHAT NOT TO DO
TAKEAWAYS● Any business that gets, some or all of its
clients locally need Local SEO
● Update local listings - Consistency is key!
● Claim your Google My Business page
● Gain more local reviews
● Optimize your website for locally specific content + NAP reinforcement