Soar With Local Search Engine Optimization

Make-It-Fly: Entrepreneurs Embracing Change Fall 2009

Conference

presented by 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 solution providers to offer customized, innovative SEO services to their clients.

• We are a Google Adwords Qualified Company, Yahoo Search Marketing Ambassadors, and SEMPO members.

Who Is seOverflow?

• What is Local Search/Local SEO• Why Local SEO is important• Challenges for Local Businesses

Later… Tactics For Local Search Optimization

• On-Page Optimization • Off-Page Optimization

– Reviews– Citations– Links

• Local SEO For $100 or less!

We’ll Talk About…

• Local Search is any search made with the goal of finding something in a specific geographic area.

• This is known as searching with local intent.

Local Search Is…

• The searcher uses geographic modifiers.

• The searcher has personalization settings on.

• The Search Engine interprets local intent from the search phrase.

How Is Local Intent Determined?

• 73% of activity online is in one way or another “related to local content”

• For every one dollar U.S. consumers spend online, another five or six are going to offline purchases that are influenced by online research

• 97% of Internet users in the U.S. gather shopping information online, and of those consumers 51% explicitly characterize their behavior as “Shop Online, Purchase Offline”

• 70% of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses.

Why Local SEO Is Important

Why Local Search Is Important

Why Local Search Is Important

1.The Google Local Business Center (LBC)

2.Third-Party Data Providers

3.Web Crawling

Where does Google’s Local data come from?

• Neighborhood?• City?• Nearby cities?• Region?• State?

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.

Where Are Your Customers?

Local Business Challenges

Universal Search

Secondary Local Search Engines

Local 10 pack - GoogleLocal 3 Pack – Yahoo!

Major Local Search Engines

Local/Social SitesInternet Yellow Pages

Local Directories IndustryDirectories

Niche Search Engines

Local Directories

Niche Search Engines

Internet Yellow Pages

Local/Social Sites

On Page Optimization for Local

Making Your Website Work in Local Search

presented by seOverflow

On Page Optimization

• Build relevance and trust in your location+keywords.

• Do all the “usual” things when optimizing site - title, description, h tags, content, good internal linking, etc – but with a geographic slant.

• 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 hcard microformat to make your location unmistakable to the Search Engines.

Where Are You?

• 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

• Create a separate page for each location• Use local info on each of these pages• Link internally to location pages, using

the location names in 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:

Off Site Optimization For Local

presented by seOverflow

What Else Helps Your Business Rank?

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

A Google Maps Listing

Google Maps Dashboard

• 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

• 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

• Choose – or create – the right categories

• Give your listing attributes

Optimize Your Biz Listings

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

• 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!

“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

• 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

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.• If a customer has a Gmail address ask

them to leave review on Google. Same for Yahoo.

TIP: Ask for Reviews

• 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

• Optimize site with geographic slant• Include business name and contact information in HTML (hCard

microformat) on own website• Claim Listing at Google Maps w/Business URL• Claim Listing at Yahoo Local w/Business URL• Claim Listing at BOTW Local• Claim Listing at Live Search• Submit to Universal Business Listing - $30• Submit to Localeze• Submit to infoUSA• Claim additional portal listings• Link to additional portal listings from own website

ALMOST ALL OF THIS IS FREE AND AVAILABLE TODAY!!!

Local Search For $30 or Less

• http://www.slideshare.net/heinivanbergen/smx-london-2008-local-search-blended-results-presentation

• David Mihm – “Local Search on a Dime” SES San Jose 2009

Sources

• 40+ Page custom SEO audit– Identify SEO Opportunities– Avoid SEO Pitfalls– Learn How to Make Your Site More Powerful– Analyze Your Competition

• http://www.seOverflow.com/seoverviewLocal• COUPON CODE (use at checkout)

– $200 off until 9/15 (MIF200)– $100 off until 9/30 (MIF100)

Quick Plug: seOverview