Paula Keller presented on how to survive and thrive in local search at DFWSEM's annual State of Search conference on November 18, 2013.
3 key steps to local search success...
- Get your Google+ Local situation straight
- Dig deep on your citations / local listings
- On-site optimization through proper landing pages
2. SURVIVING & THRIVING
IN LOCAL SEARCH
The challenge of the local digital market
Location, Consistency, Customers
@paulalmkeller
3. 3 “EASY” STEPS
1. Straighten up your Google+ situation
2. Dig deep on citations
3. On-site local optimization
@searchinfluence
4. ABOUT ME
PAULA KELLER
• Louisiana State University Marketing
graduate
• Search Influence Director of Account
Management
• Lead 18 account managers
• 5+ years experience in traditional/online
marketing
• Google Analytics, Google AdWords + Bing
Ads certified
@paulalmkeller
5. ABOUT SEARCH INFLUENCE
Helping customers successfully market online
since 2006. We work with 300+ clients, directly
and as a white-label provider to major national
media companies
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Search Influence
56+ full-time employees
25+ contract writers
25 white-label partners
220+ white-label clients
120+ direct clients
@paulalmkeller
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Reputation
2011 Inc. 500 honoree
2012 & 2013 Inc. 5000 honoree
Recognized leader in search and
social for local business
Over a decade in online media
9. WHAT IS LOCAL
SEARCH?
restaurants
pool builders dallas
hair salon frisco tx
concerts
dry cleaners richardson tx
best divorce attorney in dallas tx
grocery store arlington
restaurants
pharmacy near the village
emergency plumbers
dentists
@paulalmkeller
13. HOW DOES DALLAS FIND
LOCAL BUSINESSES?
Google Search
0%
9%
10%
41%
11%
Facebook
Search/Recomme
ndation
Local News
Website
Google Ads
14%
15%
@paulalmkeller
Facebook Ads
- WrightIMC 2013
15. AUDIT BUSINESS INFORMATION
NAP First!
• Confirm name
• Multiple variations?
• Check Secretary of State
• Confirm address
• usps.com/zip4
• Confirm phone
• One per location
• Should be local
• Avoid call-tracking numbers
@searchinfluence
17. THE ANATOMY OF NAP
What is a local citation?
NAP+W
Name
Address
Phone #
Website
@paulalmkeller
18. WHY IS A CONSISTENT NAP
ESSENTIAL?
Don’t confuse Google!
• Number of citations is important, but
consistency is MORE important
• Your NAP is your local search
fingerprint
• Your NAP should be in each of these
places:
• Google+ Local
• Website
• Social media pages
• Business directories – “citations”
@paulalmkeller
19. SOLIDIFY YOUR NAP
Audit Business Info First!
• Confirm Name
• Multiple variations? Check Secretary of State.
• Confirm Address
• usps.com/zip4
• Confirm Phone
• One per location
• Shoule be local (ex: 214, 469, 972 or approp. area code)
• Run away! from call-tracking numbers (in local)
@paulalmkeller
30. GET RID OF G+ DUPS
Option 1: Report a Problem
If done from biz G+ acct, changes take about 1 week
@paulalmkeller
31. GET RID OF G+ DUPS
Option 1: Report a Problem
@paulalmkeller
32. GET RID OF G+ DUPS
Option 2: Call Google Support
Instant Changes! Si.ly/callthegoogle
33. DIG DEEP ON CITATIONS
Step 2.
• Getlisted.org
• Google: “business name” +
“phone #”
• Whitespark Local Citation Finder
• Brightlocal Citation Tracker
• Organize citations so that you can
see NAP data errors
• Clean up duplicates/erroneous
citations
@paulalmkeller
38. GET PICKY WITH IT.
• One listing per location using
official NAP
• Firms with multiple practitioner: one
listing per practitioner also
• Complete data:
description, website, categori
es, photos, etc.
• If you find duplicates:
• Use report a problem/edit details
• Contact customer service
@paulalmkeller
39. GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE
Inconsistent and duplicate citations are BAD.
Check InfoGroup, Localeze & Acxiom for incorrect info.
• InfoGroup: http://expressupdateusa.com
• Localeze: http://webapp.localeze.com/directory/get-started.aspx
• Acxiom: http://mybusinesslistingmanger.com
@paulalmkeller
42. ON-SITE LOCAL OPTIMIZATION
Step 3.
• Is NAP on website readable (in plain text, not in an image)?
• NAP should match Google+ Local page NAP
• Additional phone numbers should be non-crawlable
• NAP should be structured data, either Schema or hCard
• To create: schema.org
• To validate: www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
• NAP on homepage, in footer, and location page(s)!
@paulalmkeller
43. BUILD LOCATION PAGE(S)
• Factors to include in a local page:
• NAP in Schema or hCard
• Embedded Google map linking to your G+ page
• Hours
• Payment Types
• Photos
• Testimonials and reviews
• Meta description with address and phone included
• Locally optimized URL name structure
•
(eg: domain.com/falls-church-va)
@paulalmkeller
47. MULTI-LOCATIONS
Location page for each location
• Create one location page per location
• Create one locations page that lists all
• If multiple addresses are on one page, MUST mark up in
schema
• Content on each must be unique
• Include location-specific details
• Staff names, neighborhood, parking tips
• Use site architecture to guide the engines
• Should live in /locations/ folder
• Name pages with city-st
• townsendla.com/locations/new-orleans-la
• townsendla.com/locations/lafayette-la
• townsendla.com/locations/baton-rouge-la
• townsendla.com/locations/covington-la
@paulalmkeller
48. FINAL
THOUGHTS:
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
• Claim Google+ Local listing
(Post content)
• Discover and update secondary listings
• Focus on correcting / enhancing
existing citations
• Seek out local to you and industry
directories
• Go straight to the source with data
feeds
• Build location page(s)
@paulalmkeller
50. BONUS: GOOGLE+ AUTHORSHIP
DeLuca Plastic Surgery
Authorship installed
April 2012
• When comparing the six-month period prior to Authorship
with the six-month period after installation:
Google organic visits increased over 27% (+11,334 visits)
@searchinfluence
Notas do Editor
Many small businesses or even SEO companies look for the magic bullet that’s going to bring them to the top of the local results, but the key to success in local is meticulous attention to the basics.
Wright IMC asked 100 residents of DFW Metroplex to take an online survey about their local searching habits.
Consistency is key. NAP is local Search fingerprint
Is there a good source for verifying Canadian addresses?
If you are an agency, I highly recommend calling them. We have found after working through this with hundreds and hundreds of clients… and when you get into big multi location businesses… those postcards disappear into a big black hole….
If your business has been around a while, if you have multiple principles or practitioners within your business, if you have been known by different or slight variations in your name over the years, you likely have some duplicate and inconsistent citations.
Consistency is key. NAP is local Search fingerprint
Consistency is key. NAP is local Search fingerprint
Consistency is key. NAP is local Search fingerprint
****If just 1 location, how should the page be named??