Local Search Class Notes & Resources

Following is a very brief summary and resources for the Local Search class held in Santa Cruz, CA on June 14, 2011. This class was designed for local businesses serving local clientele that needed to improve their online visiblity in the search engines. Business leaders learned how to optimize their Google Place page and their website, as well as how to dev1elop other signals that Google needs when it’s trying to decide how to rank you.

If your website is not #1 in Google, you need this class.  If your community would like Kat & Mouse to deliver this presentation to your Chamber, Meetup or other group, please drop us a line or give us a call at (408) 694-3706.

Where you need to be online

1. Google Places
2. Yahoo Local
3. Bing Local
4. Website
5. Social Media
6. Everywhere you can!!

3 criteria you must meet to rank high in Google Places

1. Proximity
2. Popularity (or prominence)
3. Relevance

How do you achieve those? (in order of importance)

1. Physical address in city of search
2. Manually owner-verified Place Page
3. Proper category associations
4. Volume of traditional structured citations (YPs, data aggregators)
5. Crawlable address matching Place Page address
6. PageRank / Authority of website homepage
7. Quality of inbound links to website
8. Crawlable phone number matching phone number in Place page (800 numbers not allowed)
9. Local area code on Place Page
10. City, State in Places landing page title

See http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml for more details. Also http://outspokenmedia.com/internet-marketing-conferences/hardcore-local-seo-tactics/ and http://www.aimclearblog.com/2011/06/08/so-where-are-you-actionable-local-seo-tactics-from-smx-advanced/

Download Workbook

https://katandmouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/LocalSearch%20Class%20Workbook.xlsx

Before you set up your Place page…

1. Begin with Keyword Research
   1. Use Google’s free keyword research tool (Google that to find it.)
      1. Google Keyword Suggestion Tool
      2. WordTracker (sign up for free 30 day trial)
      3. Keyword Spy (limited free use)
2. Create NAP
   1. Check online to see that it’s consistent throughout web
3. Create Categories (4 custom)
   1. Check competitors
   2. Use high volume, high conversion keywords like hotel with free wi-fi, pet friendly hotel, cool coffee shop

Use Local Search Toolkit for preliminary research.

Create and Claim Places

1. Google Places
2. Yahoo Local
3. Bing Business Portal

Acquire Citations

• 10 unorthodox ideas for local citations
• Perform competitive analysis using Citation Finder AND LocalSearchtoolkit.com
• Citation prospecting:
  
  http://ontolo.com/blog/44-local-link-building-queries-citation-prospecting-and-opportunity-analysis

Submit to Directories

Check your site at http://getlisted.org/

Enter your site MANUALLY in these directories:

• http://www.ubl.org – $49
• http://webapp.localeze.com/bizreg/add.aspx
• http://local.botw.org/helpcenter/jumpstartproduct.aspx
• http://expressupdateusa.com/home.aspx
• https://my.superpages.com/spweb/products/business-listing
• https://selfenroll.citysearch.com/
• http://list.infousa.com/dbupdate.htm
• http://www.yellowpages.com/sp/advertise/
• http://www.insiderpages.com/advertiser/find_business
• http://www.openlist.com/update/
• http://www.yelp.com/

To find more directories, query:

• Location directory
• Location business directory
• “list of location sites”
• Location websites
• Location sites
• “location sites”
• “location websites”
• “favorite links” location
• “recommended link” location

Must do for all Santa Cruz businesses:
Wiki Travel – http://wikitravel.org/en/Santa_Cruz_%28California%29

Acquire Reviews

• Sign up at thumbtack.com
• http://www.brightlocal.com/seo-tools/
• Use QR Codes on invoices, receipts, menus, etc.

Be diligent about asking for these. Try to get them in a variety of places: Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.

Optimize Website

1. Title tag
2. H1 tag
3. Crawlable location info throughout, on every page
4. Create GeoSitemap http://www.geositemapgenerator.com/
5. Add rich snippets
   1. Hcard Creator – http://microformats.org/code/hcard/creator
   2. Schema.org for rich snippets and microdata

There is an endless supply of how-to SEO information online. You can also LIKE and follow Kat & Mouse on Facebook where I give out free tips, follow my blog, or sign up for my Webworx Santa Cruz SEO class.

Acquire Backlinks

• http://www.searchenginejournal.com/bazza%E2%80%99s-28-link-building-suggestions-2/25526/
• query link:competitor-url to get competitors backlinks, do this in Yahoo and Google
• Write remarkable content then announce it 
  • Post it to Facebook
  • Tweet it
  • Socially bookmark it
  • Ask for links
  • Add sharethis.com to your website so others can share it for you

Social Media

1. Get in the big three: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
2. Build relationships, authority, trust, and credibility
3. Go where your customers are
4. Acquire followers who will recommend you and help spread the word
5. Monitor your reputation and respond
6. Sign up for local checkin services like Foursquare, Gowalla and others.
7. Get your Facebook local place page.

Other resources

1. Geotag images at Panoramio
2. Use onlywire.com to social bookmark your webpages/blog post
3. Great article on link building ideas
4. Another great link building article
5. Guest blog at myblogguest.com (great way to get backlinks)

Don’t stop now!

Do everything you were taught in class and you’ll most likely climb to the top, but don’t stop there. Your competitors are learning this too and there is only room for 10 on that first page!

To stay ahead you must:

1. Continue to add remarkable and valuable content to your website. This is key! Don’t be ho hum. Monitor your industry online to see what your customers are hungering for!
2. Continue to study your web analytics, then adjust and optimize your website as needed.
3. Continue to optimize your Google Place page.
4. Go mobile! Get a mobile website and take advantage of mobile marketing opportunities.
5. Get very active in social media. Develop clout and credibility. Google is watching you.
6. Give a shout out in social media, email, direct messaging, etc. to get the word out on your product, services and new web content to get the links and the visitors/customers streaming in.
7. And don’t forget traditional marketing! Take out an ad in the free local papers, put an ad in the online newspapers, etc.

Overwhemed with too much to do?

Kat & Mouse can help if you can’t do it yourself.

We have a variety of packages available to fit almost any budget. With ongoing monthly support and maintenance, we’ll continue working on all your online initiatives – including SEO, content dev1elopment (either we do it ourselves or suggest to you what you need to write to create a buzz), web dev1elopment, mobile marketing, video marketing, and social media marketing – to see that you climb to the top and stay there!

Call us today to find out more.
(408) 694-3706