Local SEO Strategy and Critical Tactics

@dock29 | http://www.dock29.com/wctpa

presented by Chris Bernard

Google says…It’s all about

Great, Accurate content…

Agenda

• Before website development begins

• GMB done right

• Top secret GMB contact info

• Top Local SE Strategies / Tools / Techniques

Client Profile Interview

1 hour product interview with C-Suite/Directors/Chiefs (discuss the, who, what, when, where and why of the program). Achievement metrics identified.

Keyword Insight

Identify all the keywords to target. Test the keywords to identify the best words to target digitally (there will be a bucket of keywords that must be optimized no matter what the traffic counts – “must haves”)

Resource Mapping

Identify and align all the internal [CLIENT] for [division/area of focus] marketing and content development resources as well as partners and vendors

Comprehensive Competitive Analysis

shared for agreement, enhancement and modifications

Marketing Personas Created

SWOT Analysis

Positioning & Content Strategy Created

Now Ready to Start Website Development

Review current website analytics

Resource Alert!

Client Profile download: www.dock29.com/wctpa

Keyword insight process & excel: www.dock29.com/wctpa

Google My Business Done Right

Where to Start?

• Find all Your GMB Listings!

How Does a Listing End up on Google?

• Google creates listings based on data providers (Ex: ExpressUpdate, Acxiom)

• Google users through Google Maps or MapMaker

• Business owners/marketing companies via Google My Business

Business with Storefront

Business with No Storefront

Method 1: MapMaker Search• Google.com/MapMaker

• Search for the city the business is in.

• Search Variations of business name, phone #, website.

Method 2: MapMaker Select a Place

• Google.com/MapMaker

• Edit > Select a Place

• Click around the marker where the business in

• Right click the business name > Open link in new tab

Method 3: Maps Search

• Maps.Google.com

• Search for the city the business is in.

• Start typing business name

Method 4: Google Search• Google.com

• Search for site:plus.google.com + phone # + inurl:about

+ “review”

• Open each URL in new tab

Method 4: (Brand New Addition)

• Google.com

• Search for inurl:google.com/maps + phone #

• Open each URL in new tab

Why Both?• Unverified listings don’t have Plus.Google.com URLs

• I have only seen Google start indexing google.com/maps URLs in the last month

• If you’re on the plus page, click the map to get to Google Maps.

Compile Your List...

Resource Alert!

Google My Business Audit template download: www.dock29.com/wctpa

Finding CID #

From MapMaker

• Right click > View Page Source

• CTRL + F > “cid”:

• Long string of numbers after “cid”:"cid":"179740290298 085994","infoWindow":

From Maps

• Right click > View Page Source

• CTRL + F > ludocid

• The CID will be the string of numbers after “ludocid\\u003d and before #lrd+80026\\u0026ludocid\\u003d376285149384878007#lrd\\u00

CID URLs

• http://maps.google.com/maps?

cid=5264542582139250082

• http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=90&cid=5264542582139250082

Remember: If it’s an SAB listing, there won’t be a

MapMaker record so the MapMaker URL will bring up ablank screen.

….fix

From MapMaker

• See all the categories

• Check formatting of address

• See additional business names

From Maps

• See reviews

• See photos

CHECK ON MOBILE TOO!

Common Rules People Break

• Multiple listings for the same business. (unless you have multiple actual storefronts that customers visit)

• Keyword stuffing in the business name.

Common Reasons why Listings getSuspended

Soft Suspension = Listing Becomes Unverified

• URL is a redirect

• Business name contains keyword stuffing

• Multiple listings for the same business

Action: Create new Google account, re-verify the listing, stop breaking the rules

Common Reasons why Listings getSuspended

Hard Suspension = Listing No Longer Exists in Maps/Mapmaker

• Address is virtual

• Business doesn’t exist (pure spam/lead generating

company)

Action: http://searchengineland.com/top-9-reasons-google-

suspends-local-listings-247394

Fighting SPAM

InvestigatingAddress

• Does what’s listed match the website?

• Check Street View. Does it show a UPS store or a residential address? Is there any signage for the business?

• Search the address on Google to see who else is using it

• Call the phone number, see how they answer the phone.

• Say you’re calling to get directions.• Call from Gmail so they can’t call back

Investigating

Business Name

• Check what’s on signage (street view, drive there take pics)

• How do they answer the phone?

• Check the Secretary of State Website to see what their business license says

• NPPES is great for medical industry

Where to Report?

• Make Edits in Google Maps (email confirmation)

• MapMaker Forum (after 7 days).• Better for unverified listings

• Google My Business Forum• Better for verified listings

How to Edit• If listing is fake (address doesn’t

exist) or a verified duplicate > Places is Closed > Spam

• Unverified duplicate > Place is Closed > Duplicate

• Keyword Stuffing > submit edit to correct business name

Further Reading: http://www.joyannehawkins.com/ultimateguide-fighting-spam-google-maps/

Contacting GMB1. Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoogleMyBiz

2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/googlemybusiness

3. Forum: https://www.en.advertisercommunity.com/t5/Google-My-Business/ct-p/GMB#

4. Phone Support: https://support.google.com/business/contact/business_c2c_l?hl=en&rd=2#cft=5

✓ Faster (no repeating yourself, spelling out words on the

phone… etc)

✓ You get someone in the USA, not India

✓ Better & more accurate advice (PST TIME)

Practitioner Listings• Solo-practitioners are only allowed one

listing total• Allstate: Bob Smith• ABC Dental: Dr Bob Smith

• Public-facing professionals are allowed their own listing (ex: lawyers, doctors, realtors)

• Support staff should not have listings

• If a professional works out of more than 1 office, they can have 1 listing per location

Strategies to Use

• Find out which listing is currently ranking highest and make it the primary listing you try to get reviews on.

• Try to keep categories from overlapping as much as possible

• When categories do overlap (ex: 2 dentists), minimize the profile that ranks lowest.

• Removing the website is a great way to minimize

Example:

*Check which page Google currently ranks highest organically for that term

What About Ex-Employees?

• To fix it, contact Google My Business via Twitter Support or Facebook Support and asked them to mark the practitioner listing as moved to the practice listing.

The “Moved” Feature• Only GMB can do this.

• It takes the “old” address on Maps and 302’s it to the new location

• The “old” listing will completely vanish from Google

• Search and Google Maps, making it impossible for customers to accidentally see.

• Since the listing doesn’t show up anywhere, the “Permanently closed” message won’t show up anywhere, either.

• Reviews from the closed listing will transfer to the new listing (double-check to make sure that happens).

Wrong Hours

• The Tuesday’s confused Google

• Your Website is the Most Authoritative Citation!

• Read more: http://imprezziomarketing.com/seo-blog/seo/whythe-does-google-keep-updating-my-businesshours-a-case-study/

Top Local SE Strategies / Tools / Techniques

Here are the Top 10 Basics of Small Business SEO

1. Know your keywords and use them consistently in “e” anything and everything!

2. Implement URL rewrites

3. Use H1 Header Tags

4. Use 1-3 keywords at most per page, 2 of those should be very closely related.

5. Use keyword rich title and meta descriptions.

Here are the Top 10 Basics of Small Business SEO6. Bold your keywords in the body.

7. Use Hyperlinks with keywords in them.

8. Use alt & title tags for images.

9. Use the keyword in the copy 2 to 3 times consistently in the first 200-300 words.

10. Make no excuses

Resource Alert!

Top 10 Basics of Small Business SEO

www.dock29.com/wctpa

Plugins

• SEO• Yoast

• Structured Markup• Yoast Local

• https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-structuring-markup/

• Google Analytics (analytics)

• Google Tag Manager (analytics)

• Google Webmaster Tools (analytics)

• Raven / Moz (SEO optimizations)

• WebCEO or AWR (SEO rankings and optimizations)

• Screaming Frog (# pages, structure, SEO)

Resource Alert!

Presentation

www.dock29.com/wctpa

Chris BernardFounder & Chief Digital Officer

dock29 consultingwww.dock29.com | chris.bernard@dock29.com | 1-888-964-5429 | @dock29

Thank You

Connect & Request at: http://www.dock29.com/wctpa

Local SEO Strategy and Critical Tactics

Documents

Transcript of Local SEO Strategy and Critical Tactics

Local SEO Tactics

Seo tactics 2014

B2B Seo Tactics - Alex MacLennnan

Seo tactics to follow in 2016

Applying SEO & Startup Tactics to Book Marketing

Social SEO Tactics

SEO Tactics For a Rapidly Changing Webfiles.meetup.com/120818/excellira-seo-bostonphp-2011-07-13.pdf · seo tactics for a rapidly changing web excellira - qualified search targeting

Off-Page SEO Tactics

Local Search Ranking Tactics - More Than Just SEO

SEO 101 - Tips and Tactics for 2014

Seo tactics: tips & tricks

Simple SEO Techniques And Tactics

SEO Tactics & Metrics for the Long Tail By Stephan Spencer, …online.aoi.edu.au/documents/1305253650long_tail.pdf · By Stephan Spencer, Founder & President, Netconcepts. SEO Tactics

Advanced Professional SEO Tactics

3 SEO Tactics Google's Begging You To Use

Advanced SEO Tactics and Strategy

Penguin Friendly Drupal SEO Strategy and Tactics

4 SEO Tactics Brands Need to Stay Relevant

10 SEO Tactics To Accelerate Your Existing SEO Strategy

Integrated SEO: Combining Different SEO Strategies, Tactics, Techniques and Styles