- Local search traffic and conversions are difficult to track due to limitations in analytics tools and data. - The document provides techniques for tracking local "pack" traffic in Google Analytics using custom URLs and segments. - It also discusses building a custom local report in GA and pimping the local GA dashboard with additional reports and data. - Other tracking techniques mentioned include using Google LBC reports, call tracking, and rank checking, as well as tracking offline and phone conversions.

1. Analytics For Local Search How and What To Track For Local Search presented by Mike Belasco @belasco

2. Who Is seOverflow? seOverflow is a search engine optimization and pay per click marketing company in Denver, CO. We specialize in offering solutions that enable web design companies, marketing consultants, and other SEO companies to offer high end SEO services to their clients. The only company with 2 Local Search Ranking Factors participants. We know Local!

3. Today’s Topics Status Of Tracking Local Search Track Traffic From The 7 Pack Pimp Google Analytics For Local Other Local Search Tracking Techniques Roll Your Own Call Tracking Service The Future Of Tracking Local

4. The Google 7 Pack

5. Pay Per Click Anatomy of a SERP Pay Per Click Pay Per Click Flat Rate Local Ads Local 7 Pack Universal Results

6. State Of Analytics For Local Search What Sucks And What Doesn’t Suck …. Ok it mostly sucks

7. Difficult to identify traffic from local ‘packs’ Search Engines telling you not to use tracking numbers Most true local conversions happen offline or on the phone Data in LBC Dashboard is incomplete (keywords are pre-washed) and not exportable Most local analytics solutions are hacks No great rank checkers for 7 pack Current Road Blocks

8. Track Local ‘Pack’ Traffic

9. 1. Use a 'local vanity' URL as your URL in your Google Local Business Center listing 2. Create a 'tracking' URL 3. Set up a redirect to 301 redirect your vanity URL to a real 'tracking' URL 4. Update your GA Snippet to allow # instead of ? to denote URL parameters (or use the canonical element) 5. Configure Advanced Segmentation in GA to view results Track Local ‘Pack’ Traffic

10. Create Campaign URL

11. redirect 301 /vanityurl http://www.yourdomain.com/#utm_source=google&utm_medium=localpack&utm_campaign=google-universal-local Redirect Vanity URL To Campaign URL

12. <script type=”text/javascript”>varpageTracker = _gat._getTracker(”UA-XXXXXXXX-X”);pageTracker._initData();pageTracker._setAllowAnchor(true); pageTracker._trackPageview();</script> OR <link rel="canonical" href="http://www.yourdomain.com"/> Eliminate Duplicate Content

13. GA: Create Advanced Segments 1. From the Dashboard, click on the Advanced Segments link in the left column 2. Choose Create a new customized segment at the upper right of the next page. 3. Using the Dimensions drop down menu on the left, click onTraffic Sourcesand you'll get a list of things by which you can filter the segment, includingSource, Medium and Campaign.

14. GA: Create Advanced Segments 5. Set up three ‘AND’ rules in this advanced segment. Rule #1 Source=Google Rule#2 Medium=localpack Rule #3 Campaign=google-universal-search

15. Create An Advanced Segment

16. Display Advanced Segment

17. Pimp Google Analytics For Local Search

18. Google Analytics for Local Search You can configure Google Analytics to quickly access and analyze important data regarding Local Search and to create reports about it. Then, use this data to refine your marketing to good prospects.

19. Tracking Local Visitors Create an advanced segment to quickly identify and analyze traffic coming from your target “location”

20. An Advanced Segment For A City

21. Display Advanced Segment

22. A Local Custom Report Create a custom report to quickly identify which cities/states your conversions are coming from

23. Our Custom Report will show conversions broken down by state/city. Custom Report For Conversions

24. Building The Custom Report

25. Pimp Your Local GA Dashboard

26. Add Your Reports And Other Data To Your Dashboard Pimp Your Dashboard

27. Other Ways To Track Local Search

28. Google LBC Reports What Google LBC reports: Impressions. Visits to website. Requests for more info on Local Listing page Requests for driving directions and where those requests originated. Keyword terms used by searchers who saw your listing (pre-washed).

29. Google LBC Tracking Data Local Search Conversions Are Not All About the Website

30. Google LBC Tracking Data Requests for driving directions-good indicator of conversion intent

31. Google LBC Tracking Data Show clients they are being found by their potential customers for terms they could never hope to rank for in Universal Search.

32. Google LBC Tracking Data Keep an eye on changes in what and how Google is reporting in the Maps Dashboard. These are clues to what is important to Google and what it thinks is important to Local searchers.

33. If you are selling a product add a ‘Buy In Store’ option. (use discount code) Add a ‘In Store Pick-up’ option Coupons In-store survey (simple as asking) Simple assumptions based on sales volume/local website traffic volume Ideas For Tracking Offline Conversions

34. THIS JUST IN: Decals for business windows with decals, which upon scanning lead directly to Google Place Pages Ideas For Tracking Offline Conversions

35. No great tools for local ‘pack’ rank checking (seen any?) Advanced Web Rankings tool will rank check on Google Maps You can kind of spoof location with Google Global Firefox extension and manually check rankings Rank Checking

36. Call Tracking What You Need To Know and How To Roll Your Own

38. Some don’t display ‘default’ number in code decreasing search engine trust

39. Google has warned not to use tracking numbers in profiles as ph. numbers can be used as ‘primary key’

41. Build the ‘back-end’ in 7 steps Build the ‘front-end’ in 3 steps. Only basic knowledge of web development is needed (eg how to edit file, basic HTML, and FTP). Roll Your Own Call Tracking

42. Back-end Step 1: Register for a free Twilio account. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

43. Back-end Step 2: Buy three phone numbers in your account (1 for each major SE) Roll Your Own Call Tracking

44. Back-end Step 3: Download our phone call tracking code zip file here. Once the file is downloaded open up calls/twiml.php, replace XXXXXXXXXX with the phone number where you would like Twilio to forward your calls. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

45. Back-end Step 4: Open calls/handler.php. Replace UA-XXXXXX-1 with your Google Analytics profile ID. Replace youremail@domain.com with the email address that is to get notices when a call is logged including a link to the recording of the call. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

46. Back-end Step 5: Upload twiml.php, handler.php, and Galavanize.php to a directory named ‘/calls’ on your website. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

47. Back-end Step 6: Go back to Twilio. Pick a number to use for Google visitors and click it in the table. Edit the description of the to be ‘Google’. Edit the URL to behttp://www.yourdomain.com/calls/twiml.php?callsource=Google Hit Save. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

48. Back-end Step 7: TEST! Make sure the phone numbers work, forward to your phone, send an email, hit your Google Analytics account, record the call, and finally send you an email. Call the number you assigned to Google. You can also check your email for an alert and your GA profile in a few hours. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

49. Front-end Step 1: Open displaynumbers.js. Enter your phone numbers as values for the appropriate variables Enter your ‘real’ or default phone number in the value for defaultNum. Enter a list of comma separated branded search terms for which you are not interested in tracking phone calls as the value for brandedTerms. Enter the name of the class used for the span or div containing your phone number on your HTML page. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

50. Roll Your Own Call Tracking

51. Front-end Step 2: Paste this JS code at the footer of your HTML page, and underneath the Google Analytics tracking code snippet. Make sure and update the path to where this file will be stored. <script type="text/javascript" src="your/path/to/displaynumbers.js"></script> <script language="javascript"> displayTextNumber(); </script> Roll Your Own Call Tracking

52. Step 3: Upload displaynumbers.js to your server. Also upload the HTML file you just edited to include the JS as well. THAT IS IT, CONGRATS! You now can track phone calls from your SEO efforts! Roll Your Own Call Tracking

53. The Future Of Tracking Local Search

54. Google Analytics now supports tracking for mobile websites and mobile applications on certain platforms (iPhone). Very primitive tracking, but much better than the alternative Requires server side scripting rather than JS to create page views, etc. New Developments In Mobile Tracking

55. Call tracking enabled for at least Google via Google Voice (they’ve done it before) A more seamless tie in of LBC report data in Google Analytics A good local ‘pack’ rank checking tool Agency LBC analytics tools to dig deep into a large amount of listings My Wish List