What local businesses need to know about local search.

1. Local Search What Local Businesses Need to Know About Local Search presented by seOverflow

2. What We’ll Cover What Local Search Is On Page Optimization for Local Search Off Site Optimization for Local Search Local Platforms-Where You Need to Be PPCs for Local Businesses

3. What Is Local Search? presented by seOverflow

4. Local Search Is… Local Search is any search made with the goal of finding something in a specific geographic area. This is known as searching withlocal intent.

5. How Is Local Intent Determined? The searcher uses geographic modifiers. The searcher has personalization settings on. The Searcher uses a “local” place. The Search Engine interprets local intent from the search phrase.

6. The 3, 8 or 10 Pack

7. Where Are Your Customers? Neighborhood? City? Nearby cities? Region? State?

8. Where Are Your Customers? The broader your geographical reach, the more time and money you need to be successful. Generally, the narrower your reach, the easier it will be to compete online. Why? There is usually less competition and it is usually less savvy about internet marketing.

9. Local Search Challenges Rank well in Universal Search Rank well in the Local 10 Pack Rank well in Local Search Engines Be in the Internet Yellow Pages Be on Local/Social web sites Be in vertical directories for your industry and location

10. On Page Optimization for Local Making Your Website Work in Local Search presented by seOverflow

11. On Page Optimization Build relevance and trust in your location+keywords. Do all the usual things when optimizing - title, description, h tags, content, good internal linking, etc – but with a geographicslant.

12. Place your full street address and local phone number on all pages of your website. Optimize your Contact or About page for your business name and location. Use the hcardmicroformat to make your location unmistakable to the Search Engines. Where Are You?

13. If your business name doesn’t make it very clear where you are and what you do, then use a tagline to communicate that information to both humans and Search Engine spiders. TIP: Give Your Biz a Tagline

14. What’s Wrong With This?

15. Create a separate page for each location Use local info on each of these pages Link internally to location pages, using the right link text Use other terms on the page that will help the Search Engines understand where you are: street intersections, highway exits, what’s nearby, nicknames for neighborhoods, etc. TIP: For Multiple Locations:

16. Off Site Optimization For Local What Else Helps Your Business Rank? presented by seOverflow

17. Use the same name, address and phone number everywhere online and offline. Go to the sources of business data and standardize there. Use a local database directory - check out UniversalBusinessListing.org and GetListed.org Standardization Builds Trust

18. Create free profiles on: Google Maps www.google.com/local/add Yahoo Local http://listings.local.yahoo.com/ Bing Local https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx If you never do anything else, do this! Create Local Business Listings

19. Anatomy of a SERP Pay Per Click Pay Per Click Local Ten Pack Organic

20. A Google Maps Listing

21. Google Maps Dashboard

22. Use your main keyword phrase and complementary terms in your profile descriptions Grab the long tail by including: Your products and services The brands you carry The locations you serve Anything else important in your niche Optimize Your Biz Listings

23. Choose – or create – the right categories Give your listing attributes Optimize Your Biz Listings

24. Citations, aka web references, are web pages that cite or mention your business or web site. They do not have to contain a link! Create Citations

25. Citations are important in building Google’s trust in the information it has about you. Citations can drive targeted traffic to your business. Citations are easier to get than links – many are free. Keep Creating Citations!

26. Reviews and Local Search The Impact of Reviews on Local Search presented by seOverflow

27. “Online reviews are second only to personal advice from a friend as the driver of purchase decisions; user reviews are more influential than third-party reviews. ("Web users and web community," Rubicon Consulting, Inc. October 2008)” “81% of online holiday shoppers read online customer reviews (Nielson Online, December 2008)” “86% of consumers read online business reviews before making purchasing decisions; 90% of whom say they trust these reviews. (Kudzu.com survey of 600 users, December 2008)” “The Trust in Advertising survey of 26,000+ found that Consumer Recommendations are the most credible form of advertising. ("Social Media Marketing: The Right Strategy for Tough Economic Times" Awareness, 2008)” Statistics from BazaarVoice.com See more at http://www.bazaarvoice.com/industryStats.html The Impact of Reviews

28. Ratings and reviews enter into the algorithm on some sites-like Yahoo!Local The more reviews, the better. Highly rated items can rise to the top on some sites and poorly rated ones are rarely seen. Users can sort their results by ratings on some sites, creating their own personalized rankings. Reviews Influence Rankings

29. ONLY FROM HAPPY CUSTOMERS! Have a plan in place. Use surveys and follow-up emails. “Bribe” people to submit reviews. Send reviewers to a variety of web sites. TIP: Ask for Reviews

30. Link Building Strategies For Finding and Acquiring Powerful Local Links

31. The right incoming links can help with location trust. Look for links from local authority sites. Look for links from sites that rank for what you want to rank for. Use existing relationships to get local links. Tip: Get Local Links

32. Pay Per Click Basics Successful Local PPC Campaign Components

33. How PPC is Used Pay Per Click (PPC) is not just used for an organic traffic alternative. Other uses include: Branding and Reputation Management Keyword research Expanded search engine presence (would you rather show up once or twice?)

34. Organic vs Paid Search

35. PPC FAQ Does PPC work? It can. More likely If managed professionally. How much will it cost per click How do I know that I am not a victim of click fraud? You don’t unless you use expensive and sometimes inaccurate analysis tools Why shouldn’t I just run PPC myself? Most do-it-yourselfer’s waste more money trying it themselves than they would have paid a pro. The search engine’s goal is to get you to spend as much as possible.

36. Google Adwords Most advanced Most traffic Yahoo Search Marketing A little less complex Usually cheaper clicks than Adwords Microsoft adCenter Mostly low quality content ads Popular PPC Programs

38. An geo target ads to show only to people in the places you choose. TIP: For Local PPCs

39. Optimized! http://www.marybowling.com Local Search Column at ClickZhttp://www.clickz.com/3630485 Local Search News seOverview Local Search Audit seOverflow Blog Email: mary@seOverflow.com Local Search Resources