My, my. After I just told my Local Search class they need a well-optimized website to get better results in Google Places, look what I find –  and in 7th place to boot.

There’s something new on the block in Google Places

It’s not real obvious and if Google wants to make a splash with it, they need to hire a better usability designer, but it is there just the same and could possibly make an impact on your bottom line if you are a local business hoping to capitalize on your 1st place position in the 7 pack.

(In case “7 pack” leaves you scratching your head in wonderment, that refers to those listings with the red pin for local search queries.)

Watch out Yelp! Here comes Thumbtack! YEOW!

Getting listed in local directories is a must for all local businesses if you want a good place in Google Places, but here’s one that gives you more than just a listing. Thumbtack actually vets and verifies your listing which adds credibility to your business. AND it personally connects you with customers requesting your services through their site.

I’m impressed!

This week’s winner of our Free Friday SEO audit that we give away on our Facebook page, is System Savvy Consulting, a professional organizer for businesses and homes.
As I looked over the site, I saw many of the same things missing that I see each week in other local business websites, so I decided to address the 7 essential elements that are necessary for all local business to incorporate into their websites if they have any hope of making it into Google’s 7 pak that comes up on the first page. (The 7 pak are the 7 local listings that Google gives preferential treatment to for local searches. They are identified with the red pin.)

“Free SEO Friday” audit for Going Green Promos

Hopefully in Magda’s marketing seminar SEO site audit in Part 1 you can see what goes on in the mind of an SEO and how they dev1elop a keyword strategy. It’s not easy and takes a lot of thought, not to mention trial and error over time. Let’s move on to Going Green Promos now and see what an up-and-coming distributorship of promotional products needs to do compete nationally. Some of what Ted needs was already covered in Part 1, so be sure to read that first if you haven’t already.

“Free SEO Friday” audit for Marketing Plan Seminar

How can a local marketing consultant optimize her site to attract more customers and students for her marketing class? This is what I told her.

Normally on FREE SEO Friday at Kat & Mouse’s Facebook Page we do one free site audit, but today I’ve chosen two: Marketing Plan Retreats and Going Green Promos. (Notice how the winners also get an SEO-powerful, inbound link! 🙂

Why two? And why these two that seem so unrelated?