Local Listing Fundamentals

Getting Your Local Business Found Online

February 8, 2013Presented by:

Scott HendisonSearch Commander, Inc.

About Me

• I started marketing online in 1999, as the owner of a computer repair & software store

• I began full time SEO consulting in 2004 with Search Commander, Inc. and founded SEO Automatic, a set of end user & “white label“ Internet Marketing tools & WordPress plugins.

• In 2006, I co-founded SEMpdx, an educational non-profit group (SearchFest Feb 22nd)

What we‘ll cover

• Consistency & Your Business

• More important than Google

• Listing at Google

• Offers & Reviews

• Measuring Traffic

Consistent Information

Business Fact Sheet

• Before you go to the internet, put together a consistent message

• Establish all of your facts and create style and submission guidelines like the big brands do

• From logos to marketing messages, customers (and the search industry) value consistency.

Business Fact Sheet

• Getting everything into a single document means there will never be incomplete data.

• Include online images, descriptions, history, and key personel bios, profile links, etc.

• Everything you might need for your listings should be in one place.

Business Fact Sheet

• It all starts with your NAP – your Name, Address and Phone

• It should be identical everywhere at every data source on the web.

• You‘ll be amazed at the inconsistencies you can find from site to site

NAP - Name

• How are you registered? What do the bills say? Using a legal business name is important, and may be worth a $50 dba.

• Subtle differences matter – i.e. Tabby‘s Travel vs. Tabbys Travel, etc.

• NEVER EVER stuff a key phrase into your name, despite what you see from others.

NAP - Address

• USPS uses all caps

• USPS has no consistency on address abreviation

• USPS only uses punctuation for biz names

• USPS always uses Zip+4

NAP - Phone

• Which is better 503- or (503) ?

• Most directories use (503)

• WWGD? Google uses (503)

• So why would you differ?

NAP - Name, Address and Phone

• Change your website to match USPS

• NAP should be visible from every single page of your site, in the header or the sidebar

• It should be text, not just an image of text.

• There‘s also a format of adding info that can give you an edge over your competitors...

GEEK ALERT - Schema

What‘s Schema?

• Having a text NAP alone is not enough, and it should be properly formatted on your website.

• Plain text or older standardized web formats like vCard, or hCard are acceptable but...

• The search and data industries have come together in a scheme to standardize things, and make the sharing of information simpler.

What‘s Schema?

• Schema.org provides a collection of html tags so webmasters can markup their pages in ways recognized by major search providers.

• ‘Search providers‘ means not only G, Y and B, but everything from Global Positioning Systems like TomTom to services like Apple Maps

• Schema-Creator.org helps your web designer easily add the correct to your site

What‘s Schema?

END GEEK ALERT

Business Fact Sheet

• Complete a Business Fact Sheet in it‘s entirety, skipping nothing.

• Take the time to do it right, so that you can delegate future submissions to others.

• It‘s the foundation for everything you do.

Business Fact Sheet

My example sheet – http://bit.ly/bizsheet

Business Fact Sheet

After your worksheet is complete...

After your fact sheet is complete...

GetListed.org

Where Should You Start?

Not where you might think!

Infogroup # 1

Infogroup # 1 http://ExpressUpdateUSA.com

Infogroup # 1

Localeze # 2

Localeze # 2http://bit.ly/localeze

Localeze # 2

Acxiom # 3

Acxiom # 3http://MyBusinessListingManager.com

Acxiom # 3

Pre-Google Action Items

• Check USPS for correct address format• Match Your Website NAP • Use Schema markup • Complete your http://bit.ly/bizsheet• #1 go to Infogroup (ExpressUpdateUSA)• #2 go to Localeze• #3 go to Axciom• THEN verify / claim / edit Google

Google

• Changed what they call Places at least 3 times

• Google+ was completely reinvented• Many businesses have listings at both• In some cases you can connect the two

• Visit both of these URLs while logged in...http://www.google.com/places/

http://www.google.com/+/business/

Google Places

Google Placeshttp://www.google.com/places/

You‘ll see EITHER, “add a business“ like this...

Or you‘ll see a dashboard like this...

• If you see the option to add a business, type in your phone number and proceed

If you see a dashboard, hit EDIT...

Once you are in the business editing area...• NAP• Description• Fill out everything you can from your biz sheet• Use all ten photo uploads and add (YOUR)

videos• Fill out or add all category opportunities• Be careful with Service Areas & Locations

Served

• Add all 10 photos• 1st one added is main• NEVER stock immages• Use your phone camera

• Got Videos? Add links toyour YouTube videos too

Two areas to be REALLY careful with...

1. The categories you choose

2. Service area and location setting

Categories:

• NEVER use a geographic location in the categories, despite what you see from others

• Always use as many categories as you can by hitting “Add Another Category“, BUT...

• Improper use or “category spamming“ can get your listing suspended from Google.

Service Area and Location Settings:

• If you ONLY serve customers at their location, you MUST check “Do not show my address...“

• If you have a PO Box or other type of maildrop, you MUST check “Do not show my address...“

• If you live on a residential street w/ no biz sign, you MUST check “Do not show my address...“

Google Places PageHere is how I screwed my friend

Randy...

Google Places Page

• His page was bare so I filled out his profile• I added legitimate categories & info• I deleted all old, and added 10 new images (First image added becomes the logo)• He had over 500 monthly impressions, so I

did *not* check the box to hide his address.

• We received the verification code by mail, punched it in, and two days later...

Google Places

Google Places Page

• Every time you edit, moderators will review• No business is safe from scrutiny• Biz name, categories, street view, etc. are all

looked at again, no matter how long the listing has been live and receiving traffic.

• Any prior “bad acts“ are held against you• This is the most common cause of listing

suspension – someone makes changes, and the listing gets disabled for older TOS violations.

Google Placeshttp://bit.ly/googlelocalhelp

If you have a problem, get help by phone!

After checking the magic combination of boxes

Add your info, and your phone will ring...

• You cannot get to the ‘call‘ link any other way• It does not have to be the business line, or

even the business owner initiating the call• I‘ve talked to Google reps four times, and

each time I‘ve found them to be VERY helpful• The rep for Randys suspension suggested a

yard sign until the next Google Street View update!

• Listings have returned within 48 hours

• After making changes, you will often have to verify ownership again.

• Sometimes by phone, sometimes by postcard

• Phone verification requires auto-answering to be turned off

• Even after verification, changes you‘ve made can take literally weeks to appear

Google Offers

http://www.google.com/places/

Google Offers

Less than 10% of businesses use Google offers*

• Opportunity to stand out• Costs you nothing (for now)• Reach new customers• Chance to be daring and creative, but

put any disclaimer right in the offer

* Source: I made it up out of thin air, but I‘d bet it‘s even lower than that...

* I completely made that up

Google Offers

http://www.google.com/places/

Google Offers

• Must not be for specific services*• Must be printable• Must be “real world“ – no online offers• You get to reach new customers• It‘s your chance to be daring and

creative, and put a disclaimer right on the coupon

• Does Google favor businesses using offers?

* Academic aids, adult services, alcohol, gambling, drugs, fireworks, hacking, health care, medicine, intelectual property, regulated goods, tobacco, radar detectors, weapons, or anything else that Google might add in the future.

* I completely made that up

Google Offers

Google+ Local

http://www.google.com/+/business/

• Who Has a Google+ Local Page?• Who has seen or edited both? • Who has merged them together?• Who wonders what they‘ll call it next?

Google Plus Pagehttp://www.google.com/+/business/

Connecting + Place Pages

Connecting + and Place pages

• Connecting / associating the two pages together is possible, but not a full merge yet

• Although some have done it successfully, others have seen problems, including lost reviews, and temporarily disapearing listings

• Most SEOs say to wait, Google will sort it out

Reviews

• Reviews are critical, although review volume does not seem to be a ranking factor

• Never leave fake reviews, or hire services that get you illegitimate reviews

• Employees and owners of businesses may not leave reviewsm according to Googles TOS

Google Reviews

• Always take time to respond to a customer complaint or a negative review, whether on Google, Yelp or elsewhere.

• It‘s helpful to encourage, nag, induce or even incentivize people into leaving reviews through postcards, emails, contests etc.

• Kiosks in your business for leaving reviews are no longer a good idea (same IP address)

Google Reviews

Measuring Traffic

• Is what you‘re doing worth the effort?

• How do you justify the time or money spent?

• Where can you get quick snapshots of performance metrics?

Measuring Traffic

• Google Places Dashboard

• Google Analytics

Google Places Dashboardhttp://www.google.com/places/

http://www.google.com/places/Google Places Dashboard

Google Analytics can easily show you...

• Nothing about traffic from your profiles• There is no easy way to see it at a

glance

• You CAN...• Use a custom page in your profile • Set up advanced segmenting

Google Analytics

• You can create a distinct URL, such as www.yoursite.com/localcontact and list that as the URL people click from profile pages

• Or you can apend the URLs with a “tag“ so they are easily tracked in Analytics by creating one at http://bit.ly/urlbuilder

• Or you can create an “advanced segment“...

Google Analytics

Which might make your head explode...

Step by step Advanced Segmenting http://bit.ly/trackinggooglelocal

Google Analytics

• Create your business profile sheet• Mark up your website with schema data• Claim the major three data providers• Complete Google thoroughly• Try Google Offers while it‘s free• Gather, encourage and respond to

reviews• Don‘t sweat the stats – Analytics will

Summing Up

Thank You

This presentation may be downloaded now-

http://bit.ly/2-8-2013

Contact me... Scott Hendisonscott@searchcommander.com

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