8 Tips to Tailor Your Blog Content for Local Search. Local Discovery in the Multiplatform Era. Best Local SEO and Local-Search-Related Articles of 2012. One year ago I published a list of the best local SEO and local SEM articles of 2011.
Ever since, one of my dreams has been to turn this into a regular practice. And here we are – in the beginning of 2013, and I managed to compile a list of the best local-search-related pieces of the past year. The list consists of approximately 200 articles divided into 8 categories (clicking on the category name will take you to the corresponding part of the list): Nine More Expert Guides to Local SEO.
August 19, 2013 Local search rankings are vital to businesses that rely on drawing customers from within a radius of a few miles.
Although there is some dispute over the exact figures, at least a quarter and possibly closer to half of all searches have local intent. Webinar: The SMB Guide to Choosing a Business Listing Partner. ]In this session, David Mihm, Director of Local Search Strategy at Moz brings data and insights to a discussion with Deepak Thakral, VP of Ad Platforms at YP.
Business listings providers as well as SMBs won’t want to miss this free session. Key takeaways will include: •Understanding how using a breadth of channels for business listings is essential for strong local search ROI. •The important role mobile plays in business listings results. •How and why outsourcing a business listings strategy and implementation to a partner is not just efficient — but far more effective in driving new business.
Logo Optimization: A Local SEO Stealth Tactic. When local businesses look to beef up their SEO game, they’re often looking for some clever technical trick.
But, one of the simplest and most elegant local SEO tactics is to optimize the site’s logo. Since many businesses are unaware of it, employing it will amount to a “stealth” tactic, giving an advantage over competitors. I’ve written a number of times about SEO for images, and many sites and blogs do image SEO to one degree or another. The logo is one of the most important images associated with a website and with a company, so it should be the most consistently optimized image on websites — yet when I review local business websites, I commonly find the code around logos to be completely lacking basic attention. If your local business website’s logo is not optimized, it could represent a considerable lost opportunity and potential.
The main way this helps is through conveying anchor text for logos linked on every page of a site, all linked to the site’s homepage. Local merchants. After Google Panda, Standout Content is Essential. Post Penguin 2.0 Local SEO Strategies for Small Business. It is now official that Google has launched Penguin 2.0 on May 22.
Penguin 2.0 is a much “deeper” algorithmic update with increased focus on flushing out sites that were benefited from link spam. It also promises that more sites will be positively impacted by this than by its predecessor, which was launched in 2012. That update kept the websites with unnatural links in check. Penguin 2.0 is especially focusing on backlink patterns, anchor text uses and manipulative link building tactics which can misguide the end users. Local Search Marketing by NGS Marketing. Fake reviews are the plague of Google Places.
The search company is reportedly working on improving their anti-spam algorithm, but the status quo (according to my small-scale research) is that over 50% of the reviews are either fake, or not left by the customers themselves (which is against the terms of service). This percentage may go to over 90% when talking about service-based businesses, and specifically locksmiths, garage door repair, towing, taxis, movers, plumbers, electricians, painters, HVAC engineers, to which we could add bail bonds, personal injury attorneys, escort services, and limousine services. It could be hard for the regular user to know this and to recognize the fake feedback. The New Keyword Tool From Google AdWords. Last month, Google quietly began rolling out the AdWords Keyword Planner to select AdWords accounts last month.
In typical AdWords fashion, one of the biggest overhauls of the Google Keyword Tool ever went almost unnoticed! This new keyword tool combines elements of two existing keyword tools, the Google Keyword Tool and the AdWords Traffic Estimator, adding a more structured and integrated workflow as well as all sorts of new bells and whistles. If you’ve ever used the Google Keyword Tool and/or AdWords Traffic Estimator in the past, take note here – the new Keyword Planner will most certainly replace both tools in the near future, and your workflow will undoubtedly change as a result.
What’s A Keyword Planner, Anyway? It differs from the existing Google Keyword Tool and AdWords Traffic Estimator tools in that the old tools were more general purpose, unstructured tools. The Keyword Planner has a “wizard” type interface. Why Call Tracking Numbers in Local SEO Make Me Angry. May 13th, 2013 by Will Scott Don’t make me angry.
At a recent event I found myself ranting – yes, really, ranting and I understand there’s video – about what I think is a very big deal for SMBs and those who market for them. Conversational Marketing Benefits Local SEO. I began working for a particular type of traditional business industry recently, and I noticed that a great many of the small businesses operating within it were still proceeding as though it were pre-Internet days.
They did promotions as though they were a one-way transmission instead of a dialogue. Unfortunately, that’s not the only industry where this mindset persists. In order to achieve better sales, attract more potential customers, and, yes, improve your search engine rankings, you need to incorporate “Conversational Marketing” as a primary tactic. The Cluetrain Manifesto came out in 1999, after the commercialization of the Internet had been active long enough to identify a number of commonalities and trends. Business Consumer Interaction Unfortunately, many traditional industries have been very slow to realize that the days of one-way-only promotional messages are pretty well over. Hyperlocal Social News On Patch. Over the past few years, as print advertising sales have plummeted alongside circulation numbers, local newspapers have faced a somewhat treacherous path to survival.
Many have ended up forced to choose between consolidating with national outfits or relegating themselves to online-only publications. Local newspapers of long and storied pedigree have shied away from daily publication, closed altogether, or been acquired by large digital media companies. In the process, news about smaller, local areas may get lost in the digital shuffle for page views.
How To Create Your Local SEO Roadmap Through Research, Benchmarking & Tracking. During the regular online training sessions which I deliver to our customers, I inevitably get asked the same question. Actually this question comes in a few guises. What should I focus on more – citations or links? Are reviews an important factor for local ranking?
How many citations should I build for my client? How do I know the best categories for my client to be listed in? But, they are all asking the same basic question: What do I need to focus on to improve my client’s rankings? Unfortunately, I don’t have a silver-bullet answer because there isn’t one. What I do say to them is that all successful and efficient SEO campaigns start with detailed Research and Benchmarking. Research and benchmarking gives you a clear understanding of each client’s SEO situation and how they compare to their competitors. New LocalBusiness types – Schema.org news. Relocation, Relocation, Relocation - A "New" Local Ranking Tactic? Google’s marketshare and success at fighting spam in rankings continues to create pressure in the local search ecosystem as businesses vie to rank higher than one another in various markets.
Some businesses are now resorting to relocating under the assumption that this will give them an advantage in rankings. Will it? Laying the Groundwork for a Local SEO Campaign. Google’s Local Offerings Have Gotten Too Complicated. It says something about Google’s local products that consultants and bloggers like Mike Blumenthal and Linda Buquet are known specifically for their skill in keeping track of the name changes, the shifts in direction, the feature rollouts and rollbacks, and the exception cases and frustrations that have become a fact of life for local businesses trying to use the search giant’s services.
The much-publicized shift from Google Places to Google+ Local that took place back in May (and still has not finished rolling out) is just one milestone in a complicated history. Remember Google Hotpot, to take just one example of a once-promising service which fell by the wayside before many had even heard of it? The Local Business Reviews Ecosystem. In the offline world it’s hard to figure out exactly how your business gets a certain reputation, or exactly how “word gets around.” But online this is something you can actually figure out pretty well. How? By knowing which online review sites are the most influential and “contagious.” (Not “viral” – that’s an overused, exaggerated term.) There are two kinds of online local-business reviews: ones that have “legs” and ones that don’t.
Many IYP (“internet yellow pages”) sites share reviews with other sites. A Guide To Geocoding Images For Local SEO. One way to kick up your local search optimization game is through beefing up the local signal through images. There are a few techniques for doing this — read on for details. Incorporating images as part of your overall content mix is a good idea for search optimization in and of itself. Images can provide additional opportunities for keyword signals on a page, and they represent good opportunities for ranking in search results under Universal Search. But, if they’re also associated with places properly, they can convey additional location signals, helping a business and/or its website to be considered even more relevant for local searches. The Definitive Guide to Local SEO.
The Complete Guide to Link Building with Local Events. Whether you’re a small local business or an international company, hosting local events is a great way to build your brand, both offline and online. Site audit: How can a local limousine service get found in dozens of cities? How can it stand out in the crowd? (And once found, how can it stand out in the crowd?) This site audit freely given to Jen Jaciw in appreciation for your generous support of Team in Training and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and Kat & Mouse’s ride around Lake Tahoe in support of the cause. Thank you Jen! Local SEO Best Practices for Ranking in Google +Local. Contributors. Can Local Businesses Jump On The Pinterest Train? It’s the ‘new’ social network everyone is talking about – and if you’re a local business owner, it could be a strong addition to your online marketing strategy.
For the past few years, marketers have stressed the need for local businesses to leverage social networks like Facebook and Twitter to drive engagement with existing and potential customers. Now Pinterest, the visual scrapbook network that allows users to “pin” images and video they want to share from across the web, is becoming part of the conversation for a number of reasons: Unprecedented user growth. Harness The Power Of Twitter For Local Marketing. The Twitter social networking and micro-blogging service was launched only two years ago, but it’s rocketing up in usage numbers quickly, and it seems likely to turn red-hot. Big List of Local SEO’s To Follow On Google+ Some Thoughts - Nifty Marketing.
I think it is safe to say that Google+ has become the 10,000+ pound Elephant in the room. With Google’s SPYW launching ( Search, Plus Your World ) we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg of how Google will be forcing encouraging the use of Google+. How To Use Pinterest For Local SEO. Linkbait Ideas For Small Business Owners link-baiting – Search Engine People Blog. 5 "Local" Search Engines You Should Be Targeting But Aren't. We usually hyperfocus on Google Place search and Maps results, since they have such large market share. Are Yellow Pages Toast? Four Years Later We Review Ad Value. In 2007, I took some heat for pointing out that Google Trends showed declining searches for “yellow pages” while theorizing that this indicated reducing consumer interest in print and online YP sites. Understand and Rock the Google Venice Update.
Local Ranking Factors - Google Places Optimization. Latest Google Search Revamp Brings Opportunities For Local Businesses. Interview with Local Marketing Experts Jake Puhl & Adam Zilko. Google: 62 Percent Of V-Day Restaurant Searches Were Mobile. Spice Up Local SEO with Pinterest – Backlinks, Citations and More - Google Places Optimization and Local SEO Blog. Get oodles of reviews with this FREE review tool. Local Search Commandments. How to Get More Customers with Local Search Marketing: 10 Optimization Tips by Vertical Measures. Local Links For Local People - How Siri is Changing Local Search.
Technolog - Search engines beat social media for local business info: study. Bruce Clay on Local Search in 2012. Kathy Long on Listorious. Everything You Need to Know to Dominate Local Search. 9 Ways To Depersonalize Your Search Results. Part 4: Where customers can find you online. Hint: Google Places. Part 1: How are people looking for local businesses? Will yours get found? New Place Search Shows Google's Commitment To Local. Created by Camtasia Studio 7. Amenities – Local Search – Now Available for iPad on the App Store. How Users Search For Local Businesses + 5 Tips To Optimize Local Listings. 12 Tips For Using Press Releases In Local Online Marketing. Local SEO Packages. Local SEO - The Ultimate List of Local SEO'ers.
Local Search: Fish Where The Other Fishermen Aren't. Deploying Google Places SEO for Multiple Locations and One Website. How To Rank Nationally With Local Links. 4 Simple Ways to Optimize Your Website for Local Search. Google Local Gallops Away From Feudalism, Offers Fixes. Local Content Definition: What Makes Material Of Local Signficance?
Local SEO Checklist for New Sites - Whiteboard Friday. 10 Local Search Tools I Simply Can’t Live Without. Nifty Marketing. Conversion SEO: 4 Tips to Get Your Cash Register KachingingBruce Clay Blog. Social Goes Local: Tips for Local RankingsBruce Clay Blog. Optimizing Your Business Listing for Local Search Supremacy. Local SEO with Mike Ramsey ━ SEM Synergy ExtrasBruce Clay Blog. SMX West 2011: Local Search Tactics SessionBruce Clay Blog. Local Search, SEO Tactics & Tips. Local Search Tips and Bunnies – SEM Synergy ExtrasBruce Clay Blog. SMX East 2011: Hard Core Local SEO TacticsBruce Clay Blog.