Using a couple sites as a case study, we look at the onsite SEO factors that contribute to top performance in search engines. Microformatting, URLs, NAP, duplicate content, calls to actions, and much more covered.
Unraveling the Mystery of the Hinterkaifeck Murders.pptx
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly in Onsite Local Search Optimization
1. Onsite Local Search
Optimization Best Practices
Adam Dorfman, SIM Partners, @phixed
Image: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly
5. @phixed
NAP Information and
Formatting
The Good
• Local phone number (no 800#s!)
• Crawlable phone and address
• Hours of operation included
• Easy to find on the homepage
The Bad
• Spread out and not collected together
The Ugly
• Business name inside an image
More Info: http://www.bluecorona.com/faq/what-does-nap-stand-for-and-does-it-help-local-seo
6. @phixed
Domain Name, Site Hierarchy, & URL
Optimization
The Good
• Domain name = Business Name
• Keyword rich domain name
• Flat site hierarchy
• “-” as word seperators
• Logical sub-page names
The Bad
• Inconsistent capitalization
More Information
• http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2013/05/29/
how-to-name-your-local-landing-pages/
• https://yoast.com/site-structure-seo/
• http://moz.com/blog/15-seo-best-practices-for-
structuring-urls
7. @phixed
Indexation / Duplicate Content / Redirects
The Good
• Fully indexed
• Minimal internal duplicate
content
The Bad
• Some content sourced
externally
• No canonical tags
The Ugly
• 302 Redirects exist
More Information
• http://moz.com/learn/seo/duplicate-content
• http://moz.com/learn/seo/redirection
8. @phixed
Faster page load times lead to increased engagement and
conversions and may improve organic ranking.
Page Speed
https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
9. @phixed
The Good
• Prioritized visible content
• Reduced server response time
• Avoided redirects
The Bad
• Not minifying JavaScript
• Not minifying CSS and HTML
The Ugly
• Not compressing resources
• Not leveraging browsing caching
Page Speed
10. @phixed
Internal Site Links
The Good
• Crawlable links with good
anchor text exist within
primary navigation
The Bad
• Few in body content
The Ugly
• None in body content on
homepage
More Info
• http://moz.com/learn/seo/internal-
link
• http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/
6307/bid/31388/How-to-Use-
Internal-Linking-to-Improve-Your-
Website-s-SEO.aspx
11. @phixed
Robots.txt / Sitemap.xml
The Good
• Robots.txt exists and isn’t
preventing indexing
• Sitemap.xml file exists
The Bad
• Sitemap.xml is outdated
and missing indexed
URLs
More Info
• http://www.rimmkaufman.com/blog/
robots-txt-best-practices-for-
seo/03072012/
• http://googlewebmastercentral.blog
spot.com/2014/10/best-practices-
for-xml-sitemaps-rssatom.html
12. @phixed
Header Optimization
The Good
• Title tag, meta
descriptions exist
The Bad
• Title/Metas Not unique
from one another
• Internal page title tags not
geo-specific
The Interesting
• Call tracking overlay JS
discovered (Gold Star!)
More Info
• http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/
how-to/2067564/how-to-use-html-
meta-tags
19. @phixed
Mobile Experience
The Good
• Mobile experience exists
• Responsive design
The Bad
• Mobile oriented calls to action
missing or hidden
• Slow loading, unoptimized
More Info
• http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231832
• https://developers.google.com/webmasters/m
obile-sites/
25. @phixed
The Good
• Markup for auto repair
• Markup for offer
The Bad
• Review aggregate markup incomplete
The Ugly
• No schema around the NAP
• No schema around the hours of operation
Schema Microdata
28. @phixed
Schema for SMBs
Organization
Person
Postal Address
Business Type
Product
Coupons
Reviews
Breadcrumbs
Photos
Videos
Events
Map
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-to-use-schema-
markup-for-local-seo/60245/
http://moz.com/ugc/getting-the-most-out-of-schemaorg-
microformats
http://searchengineland.com/13-semantic-markup-tips-for-2013-
a-local-seo-checklist-143708
33. @phixed
Using Twitter Cards allows webmasters to attach photos and
videos to tweets in order to drive traffic and revenue to their sites
More Info
https://dev.twitter.com/cards/overview
http://searchengineland.com/use-twitter-cards-for-branding-local-seo-166388
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/03/20/the-definitive-guide-to-using-twitter-cards/
Microformatting: Twitter Cards
34. @phixed
Using Twitter Cards allows webmasters to attach photos and
videos to tweets in order to drive traffic and revenue to their sites
More Info
https://dev.twitter.com/cards/overview
http://searchengineland.com/use-twitter-cards-for-branding-local-seo-166388
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/03/20/the-definitive-guide-to-using-twitter-cards/
Microformatting: Twitter Cards
UGLY
40. @phixed
Media Types
The Good
• Video from YouTube
channel embedded on
homepage
The Bad
• Video is generic
• No markup on video
The Ugly
• No unique photos (all
stock)
More Info
• https://support.google.com/webma
sters/answer/2413309?hl=en
• http://www.wix.com/blog/2014/07/o
ptimize-images-for-websites/
41. @phixed
Page Types
The Good
• The right pages exist on
the site
The Bad
• Content is generic and not
unique
The Ugly
• “Blog” page is from a
Twitter feed for
@cars4badcredit
More Info
• http://www.localvisibilitysystem.co
m/2014/01/09/21-pages-a-small-
local-business-site-needs-for-tip-
top-local-visibility/
42. @phixed
Reviews
The Good
• Lots of positive reviews
• Schema implemented
properly
• Controlling reputation in
SERPs
The Bad
• Filtered and pulled without
attribution or links from 3rd
party sources
43. @phixed
Call To Actions The Good
• Four solid call to actions
exist (Coupons, Appt,
Directions, Phone)
• Prominent call to actions
on homepage
• Coupons have near-future
expiration dates
The Ugly
• Call tracking number
indexed by Google
More Info
• http://searchengineland.com/10
-simple-things-smb-websites-
need-to-fix-before-seo-88585