Formic Media Seminar Series: Social Media Fundamentals
Local SEO for Small Business: Formic Media Seminar Series
1. Local SEO for Small BusinessFormic Media Seminar Presented by: Anna Hutson Account Executive anna@formicmedia.com Formic Media, Inc. www.formicmedia.com/seminars
2. Co-Sponsored By: Mike Rasmussen 503.937.1111 | 503.789.2593 Michael.Rasmussen@BankOfTheWest.com
3. What is Local SEO Optimizing Locations based on Local Intent
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5. Local Search has its own set of ranking factorsTraditional, Organic Search
11. IP address targeting20% of all Google searches are related to a location – 1.28 BILLION per month
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13. These cover all types of places, ranging from businesses like tailors, restaurants, and optometrists to locations like dog parks, transit stations, and baseball fields.
14. More than 4 million business listings on Google claimed by business owners (using the Local Business Center, now Google Places)
15. Nearly 2 million listings have been claimed in the United States
16. Place Pages are viewed millions of times each day40% of ALL online searches have local intent!
56. Evaluate resources, find a qualified professional to get things done if resources are spread to thin.YOU! Your Competitor Your Competitor Your Competitor Your Competitor Your Competitor Your Competitor
Local search often not differentiated between organic SEOWhen talking about optimizing your website for local search results geo-modified search queries different from ranking in local searchTonight, we will uncover what makes Local SEO different, why it’s so important, nuances for rankingEnd result – take home pointers to jumpstart your biz efforts in local search the details that can help determine if local search is worth hiring professionals
Two separate ranking algorithms for organic SEO vs. local SEODon’t need a website to rank in local searchThis of top 3 SEs have local listing centers but it’s not just about local listingsQuestion for audience: claimed local listings before?
A conglomeration of websites makes up the local search landscapeIt’s a comprehensive, fragmented space peeps looking for business info in a variety of places some places feed each otherLocal search derived from directories originally although market share is moving more and more towards major SE local listings at the center is Google MapsTo be in Google Maps, must have place page
In addition to local listings, local search is comprised of other messages/advertising with local intentPPC ads can be highly targeted, highly efficient for capturing the local customerSame with FB
Let’s start with arguably the most important local search place to be the 7 packThe 7 pack pushes the organic rankings down – some below the fold.The Google 7 pack is currently the most coveted real estate in Local Search. This is what searchers see. This is what your clients and customers see.So how do you get there?
Google’s goal – return most relevant useful resultsUnderstanding local intentUnderstanding where you are, based on IP addressUnderstanding your search history
Between June 2008 and 2009 local market share on Google maps increased significantly – up 11%When classifying local intent, important to include offline advertising happens not only online, but offline too.
Talked about the importance of local search now we’ll talk about how to do local search.
These are the things that local experts generally agree can hurt your rankingsIn Google Maps:Multiple Local Business Listings with different infoNot using a complete street addressNot using a local phone numberDiffering signals from trusted sources of informationAll of this adds up to LOCATION CONFUSION, which seems to be the biggest enemy of ranking well in Maps.
Enter business informationSubmit for verification via phone or postcard enter PIN
As part of the profile completion process…similar to organic SEO
Citations help validate that your listing is accurate these are mentions and articles, content about a biz…adds relevancy.Similar to how inbound links count as votes in organic search…Local social media sites, foursquare, loopt, gowalla etc.
Casts a wider netAlso good for organic SEO links/votes to websiteA tedious, daunting task
A great service for ensuring biz info is distributed far and wide and accurately is to use UBLFormic works closely with UBL as a partner to help our clients become listed, efficiently and accurately.Paid service
Now you’ve submitted…what’s next…management.Track progress, stay up to date, find areas to improve – have all the info in one place.