Top 10 Local SEO Factors 2014 Moz Survey Results

For discussion at the Melbourne SEO Meeup. Available at: http://petermeadit.com/top-10-local-

seo-factors @petermeadit

Website Structure for crawlers

Page hierarchy flatMain pages clear in the menuUse internal linking for importance sitemap.xml robots.txtSchema so all can understandhttp://schema.org/LocalBusiness

Create great content

Lots of content Describe your ServicesAnd your ProductsDiscuss locations serviced

Relevant local search termsWhat local keyword searchesResearch, investigate locally Place keywords on pages Don't overuse keywordsGoogle slap for keyword overuse Make sure reads naturally

Keep Content Fresh!

Add new content every weekImproves crawl rate Great for social sharing Email notify customersPicked up by RSS feeds Encourages links from bloggers

Contact Us Data

Make contact details obviousClick to call Phone at top right Use a contact formAddress on every pageLink to Google mapFirst Contact is a prime directive...

Submit to Local Sites

Local directories National directoriesBusiness listingsYelp, Truelocal, etc.Use aggregators to submitUBL: https://www.ubl.org

Google My BusinessClaim/Create your listing Previously called Places. Referred to as MapsAccuracy is importantPostcards can get lost

Accurate NAP information

Important: NAP (Name Address Phone) Accurate across all citationsOld info looks bad and hurtsUpdate every directoryToo many? Aggregator service?

Use Social

Get: TwitterGoogle+ Facebook pageFoursquare for ‘check-ins’Other relevant social

Share and share alike

Use Social sharing icons Ask them to follow Share all blog posts Promote special offers Give good reason to shareWhat’s in it for them?

Get Reviewed

Google Reviews pack a punchHelps Local SEOCustomer trust levelsPut a review system in placeCustomers love giving reviews Be brave ask for honest reviews People love good service

Local SEO Plugin from Yoast

Functionality includes:Uses schemaInsert Google MapsInsert address(es) Opening hours Store locator https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/local-seo/

Best Local Citations Sites

www.truelocal.com.auwww.startlocal.com.au www.yelp.com.auDaniel Law has a good list:http://www.bigvisionseo.com.au/free-australian-local-citations

Top 10 Moz Local SEO Factors 2014Survey in four parts:1. General Ranking Factors 2. Specific Ranking Factors3. Factors Most Affected by Pigeon4. Negative Ranking FactorsMore details:

http://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors Let’s Look at the top 10...

Top 10 Localized Organic Factors1 City, State in Landing Page Title2 Domain Authority of Website3 Page Authority of Landing Page URL4 Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain5 Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Landing Page URL6 Physical Address in City of Search7 Quality/Authority of Structured Citations8 Product / Service Keyword in Website URL9 Click-Through Rate from Search Results10 City, State in Landing Page H1/H2 Tags

Top 10 Pack/Carousel Factors1 Physical Address in City of Search2 Proper Category Associations3 Consistency of Structured Citations4 Quality/Authority of Structured Citations5 HTML NAP Matching My Business Page NAP6 Product / Service Keyword in Business Title7 Domain Authority of Website8 Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance)9 Individually Owner-verified My Business Page10 Proximity of Address to Centroid

Top 10 Difference-Making Factors in Competitive Markets

1 Domain Authority of Website2 Consistency of Structured Citations3 Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain4 Quality/Authority of Structured Citations5 Proper Category Associations6 Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Landing Page URL7 City, State in Landing Page Title8 Physical Address in City of Search9 Quantity of Native Google Maps Reviews (w/text)10 Quality/Authority of Unstructured Citations (Newspaper Articles, Blog Posts)

Top 10 Negative Ranking Factors1 Listing detected at false business location2 Incorrect business category3 Mis-match NAP / Tracking Phone Numbers Across Data Ecosystem4 Mis-match NAP / Tracking Phone Number on My Business Landing Page5 Mis-match Address on My Business Landing Page6 Presence of malware on site7 Keyword stuffing in business name8 Reports of Violations on your My Business page9 Presence of Multiple My Business Pages with Same Phone Number10 Absence of Crawlable NAP on Location Landing Page

10 Factors That Have Increased in Importance Since Pigeon

1 Domain Authority of Website2 Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance)3 Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain4 Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Landing Page URL5 Physical Address in City of Search6 Quantity of Reviews by Authority Reviewers (e.g.Yelp Elite, Multiple Maps Reviewers, etc)7 Quality/Authority of Structured Citations8 City, State in Landing Page Title9 Click-Through Rate from Search Results10 Page Authority of Landing Page URL

10 Factors That Have Decreased in Importance Since Pigeon1 Proximity of Address to Centroid2 Physical Address in City of Search3 Individually Owner-verified My Business Page4 Quantity of Structured Citations (IYPs, Data Aggregators)5 Proximity of Address to Centroid of Other Businesses in Industry6 Location Keyword in Business Title or Title Modifier7 Quality/Authority of Structured Citations8 Quantity of Native Google Maps Reviews (w/text)9 Geographic Keyword in Website URL10 Proper Category Associations

Next ?? Resources● https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/local-seo/ ● http://searchengineland.com/the-building-blocks-of-

good-local-seo-137825● http://petermeadit.com/local-seo-factors ● http://schema.org/LocalBusiness● http://moz.com/blog/local-search-ranking-factors-2014● https://www.google.com.au/business/● http://www.meetup.com/melbourne-seo