By Alex Minchin

What do I need to know?

• 1 in 5 Google searches have local intent• 1 in 3 mobile searches have local intent• Local listings have positional advantage• People like to buy locally!

What is Local SEO?

A look at the top...

What’s important?

• Business Name• Address• Phone Number• Domain Name• Links• Citations• Reviews

• Directory Listings• Testimonials• Geo-tagging• Social• Check-In Services• Proximity

Consistency of Business Name, Address, and Phone Number is crucial to Local Search success.

5 Things you can do tostart optimising for Local SEO

1. Decide upon your keywords

• Do your chosen keywords bring up a Places result when searched for?

• Is there traffic volume?• Who are your competitors?• Is it a realistic target?

2. Research your competitorsPos. Who? Total

BacklinksNo. of Google

ReviewsNo. of 3rd

Party ReviewsNo. of

Citations1. Jamie Oliver 190,953 53 173 1780

2. Brasserie Blanc 2653 15 59 7570

3. Quod Brasserie 135 21 99 260

4. Edamame 55 21 62 2050

5. Cherwell Boathouse 141 19 45 5030

6. Shanghai 30’s 21 16 85 548

7. The Living Room 1280 10 55 604

3. Optimise your profile(s)

Note down your Google Places profile details so that you have a structure to follow for all other profiles.

• Business Name, Address, Tel.• Photos - any will do!• Videos - create free videos easily

at animoto.com, Microsoft Movie Maker or iMovie.

• Categories/Tags – your chosen keywords

• Consistent Description

4. Search for citations

Searching for your competitors’ phone number and business name will bring up a list of their citations.

5. Ask for reviews

• Existing customers• New customers (during the ‘honeymoon period’)• Suppliers• Partners

To summarise

• Choose your keywords wisely• Fill in your profile(s) as much as you can• Keep all business details consistent• Acquire citations and links (Biz name + Tel.)• Ask for reviews!

http://www.zestdigital.co