Local Search Review & Training 1) Review of Search Landscape 2) Introduction to Local Search 3) Local Search Citations & Links 4) Review Management 5) Claim Google Places Listing 6) Optimize Google Places Listing 7) Business Example 8) Submitting Directory Listings 9) Coupons & Specials 10) Google Earth 11) On-page Local Search Requirements 12) Facebook Place Page 13) Tracking (Clicks & Calls)

1. Local Search Review & Training Created by MoniquePouget (monique@thunderseo.com) and Max Thomas (max@thunderseo.com)

2. Search Landscape AdWords(Pay Per Click PPC) Map Results(Organic Search) Natural Listings (Organic Search)

3. What is Local Search? The use of specialized Internet searchengines that allow users to submit geographically constrained searches against a structured database of local business listings. Someone uses a search engine to find products or services in their area Typical local search queries include not only information about "what" the site visitor is searching for, but also "where" information, such as an address, city name, postal code or geographic coordinates like latitude & longitude. E.g.: Hong Kong Hotels, Auto Repair Omaha, Cleaning Services near 92116

4. Ohh, Local Search. Links, right? Wrong! Google’s Local algorithm (the one that populates maps.google.com & helps populate the 7-pack, 3-pack, & Authoritative OneBox) counts links differently than its standard organic algorithm. It also seems to present a much more accurate picture of the kinds of “links” that it values than does the organic.

5. Local Search is Everywhere!

6. Citations vs. Links: What’s the Difference? In the Local algorithm, links can still bring direct traffic from the people who click on them. These “links” aren’t always links; sometimes they’re just an address& phone number associated with a particular business =“citation” In the Local algorithm, these references validate that business exists at a particular location, and in that sense, they make a business more relevant for a particular search.

7. So how does this affect my Link-Building Strategy? Local data must be submitted w/ third-party information providers like InfoUSA, SuperPages, and InsiderPagesthat Google& Yahoo draw on to populate & confirm their own databases. Google actively “spiders” smaller sites both in keyword AND geographical niches. These range anywhere from knock-off YellowPages to the homepage of your grandma’s knitting circle.

8. Important! When submitting to local directories, think of these listings as your “digital thumbprint” across the World Wide Web. In order to rank well locally, the information submitted MUST be identical across all platforms. Use the same Business Name, Phone Number, Address, Categories and Website EVERYWHERE. Google references government & business records so make sure to use same name in all instances.

9. A Local Search Example Searched for “Crating Companies 90405” Notice: Number of Local Results: 7 Number of Reviews for Each Business Local Phone Number Business Proximity to City Center URL

10. A Local Search Example Notice the Local Address & Phone Number, Categories, Photos, and Details Local Phone & Address must correlate with information on website

11. A Local Search Example Notice Local Directories like Kudzu & Superpages Notice Industry Directories like movingcompanies.com Local Search is combination of both types of directory citations

12. A Local Search Example Compare “More About this Place” Links to Google.com Links Notice difference b/t Maps.Google & Google Search Engines count Links differently

13. A Local Search Example Reviews are important Notice that the # of reviews doesn’t necessarily matter as much as the QUALITY of reviews and their sources.

14. A Local Search Example Google indexes reviews from different sources Varies by industry In shipping, we’re seeing maps.google.com, local.yahoo.com and citysearch

15. Review Management Respond to both positive and negative reviews proactively. “Thank You” makes a good impression and goes a long way. Don’t ignore negative reviews – prospects look at reviews & owner responses when evaluating a company.

16. Review Management Always respond Be polite Don’t be defensive (no matter what the reviewer wrote) Offer an incentive to “come back” if appropriate

17. Google Places Listing Search for your business name in Google This shows: Does listing already exist Is it claimed by another entity Are there multiple listings for your business (e.g., double listings claimed by business, third-party service providers, other agents, etc.) Goal is to have one “dominant” listing that includes all reviews, citations, company info., etc.

18. Navis SF Example

19. Navis SF Example Why are there two is it’s the same business? Different business names Different phone numbers

20. Navis SF Example What’s the difference in Google rankings?

21. Navis SF Example How do the listings differ?

22. Claim Listing in Google Places If already exists, log in to Google account & claim. If doesn’t exist, log in to Google account, go to Google Places & add new listing.

23. Optimize Google Place Listing Consistent business name, phone & address Avoid adding keywords to name Add as much information as possible (e.g., video’s, photo’s, etc.) Location selection Select categories carefully 5 total 1st is Google forced; 2-5 keyword driven Make sure keywords create map results Do not add city or location names to business name or categories

24. What if listing is rejected? It happens…go to Google Places Help Forum.

25. Follow Google Places Quality Guidelines Ownership Only business owners or authorized representatives may verify their business listings on Google. Business Name Represent your business exactly as it appears in the offline world. The name on Google 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. Do not include phone numbers or URLs in the business name. http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/answer.py?answer=107528

26. Physical Location Do not create listings at locations where the business does not physically exist. PO Boxes do not count as physical locations. 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. Businesses with special services, such as law firms and doctors, should not create multiple listings to cover all of their specialties. The precise address for the business must be provided in place of broad city names or cross-streets. A property for rent is not considered a place of business. Please create one listing for the central office that processes the rentals. If you'd like, you can add your real estate properties to Google Maps so that they are available on our Real Estate layer. Follow Google Places Quality Guidelines http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/answer.py?answer=107528

27. URL & Phone Provide a phone number that connects to your individual business location as directly as possible. For example, you should provide an individual location phone number in place of a call center. Provide one URL that best identifies your individual business location. Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or 'refer' users to other landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business. Custom Attributes & Description Use the description and custom attribute fields to include additional information about your listing. This type of content should never appear in your business's title, address or category fields. Follow Google Places Quality Guidelines http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/answer.py?answer=107528

28. Best Practices Use standard capitalization & punctuation, unless your business name or address in the real world contains unusual capitalization & punctuation. 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. Follow Google Places Quality Guidelines http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/answer.py?answer=107528

29. Checklist: Your Listings

30. Checklist: Your Listings

31. Claiming / Verifying Listings Google, Yelp & Bing require phone/mail verifications. Google phone will not work with phone tree If phone won’t work, select usps postcard Sometimes Google offers only usps postcard Yelp phone will not work with phone tree Yelp listing can exist without being verified but business won’t “own” listing which means no ability to respond to reviews, be alerted about them, offer discounts/promotions and/or advertiser.

32. Coupons & Specials Google Places Yelp

33. Google Earth Add KML file to server & Webmaster Tools to build authority with Google Maps..

34. On-page Requirements

35. On-page Example

36. Facebook Place Page

37. Google Place Page vs. URL

38. Tracking – Google Places

39. Tracking - Analytics Traffic Sources Keywords

40. Tracking - Analytics Conversions Call Tracking (Marchex/VoiceStar)

41. Link Building Tools Yahoo Site Explorer Go to yahoo.com and type “site:http://www.yoururl.com” to find links pointing to yoururl.com or any site. SEOmoz’s Open Site Explorer http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/ Compare backlinks from multiple URL’s and find competitive links Requires PRO membership for full access.

42. SEO & Local Search Resources SEOmoz: #1 SEO Agency in USA http://www.seomoz.org/blog http://www.seomoz.org/tools (requires Pro) David Mihm: Local SEO Expert http://www.davidmihm.com/blog/ http://searchengineland.com/author/david-mihm/ Mike Blumenthal: Understanding Google Maps & Local Search http://blumenthals.com/blog/

43. Thank You!!! Max Thomas max@thunderseo.com @thundermax www.ThunderSEO.com