How Can I Increase My Local Search Revenue?eoplugin.commpartners.com/HSMAI/081211_Slides.pdf · Claim, Enhance, and Optimize Your Local Business Listing Having a well-optimized website

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If you need technical assistance with thewebcast, contact us at [email protected]

and we will assist you immediately.

““Internet MarketingInternet Marketing”” SeriesSeries

The "How Can I Increase My Local Search The "How Can I Increase My Local Search

Revenue?" webinar will begin shortly.Revenue?" webinar will begin shortly.

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Thursday, December 11Thursday, December 11thth, 2008, 2008

2:00 2:00 –– 3:00 PM EDT3:00 PM EDT

Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

How Can I Increase How Can I Increase

My Local Search Revenue?My Local Search Revenue?

Overview of Format and TopicOverview of Format and Topic

� ModeratorMark D. Thompson

Vice President of MarketingIrving, Texas Convention and Visitors BureauChair, HSMAI HDOSM SIGChair, HSMAI HDOSM SIG

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HSMAI University Alliance PartnerHSMAI University Alliance Partner

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HSMAI University Alliance PartnerHSMAI University Alliance Partner

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HSMAI University SponsorHSMAI University Sponsor

TravelCLICK, TravelCLICK, www.travelclick.comwww.travelclick.com, the leading provider of hotel ecommerce , the leading provider of hotel ecommerce

solutions, offers awardsolutions, offers award--winning Internet marketing solutions from website design winning Internet marketing solutions from website design

to consumer review monitoring that drive more direct bookings anto consumer review monitoring that drive more direct bookings and higher d higher

revenue for your hotel.revenue for your hotel.

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POLL QUESTION #1POLL QUESTION #1How many people are participating in

this webinar at your location today?

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� 2

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� 4

� 5

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� 8 or more

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TodayToday’’s Speaker s Speaker

� 8 Years of e-Commerce SEO/SEM Consulting� 20+ Years of direct hotel sales experience� Approved vendor with Marriott, Hilton and

Wyndham Hotels� e-Commerce expert and frequent speaker at

industry events� Fortune 500 client projects ranging from strategic e-

commerce planning, Customized SEO/SEM Solutions, Web 2.0, online press releases and SWOT Analysis to drive revenue

� Gordon LiametzRevenue Performancewww.RevenuePerformance.com

About Local SearchAbout Local Search

� Local search is the use of specialized search engines that allow

users to search geographically from a list of local businesses

� Local search queries include information about "what" the

website visitor is searching for (category, brand name, etc) but

also "where" information, such as the address, city, zip code,

etc.

� Local search engines create local listings for you whether the

information they obtain is correct or not and they pull the

majority of information from third party sources

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Types of Search: General and Local Search Types of Search: General and Local Search

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Source: ComScore/TMP 2007

Proprietary and Confidential11

� Over 1.7 Billion Local Searches Conducted Each Month in 2007 (42%

increase vs. 2006)

� 78% of local consumers using online

search to research a product or

service, make the purchase from a

local business offline

� 37% made contact online via the

website link

WebVisible and Nielsen/NetRatings survey, September 2007

comScore & DoubleClick Study

SMX 2008; Screenwork: Setting The Record Straight, 2008

Top National Properties by Share of Local

(IYP) Searches

Total Internet 100%

Yahoo Sites 22.4%

Superpages 19.6%

Google Sites 12.3%

Yellowpages.com 10.3%

AOL - Time Warner 7.2%

Local.com 4.5%

Yellow Book 2.7%

Microsoft Sites 3.8%

Other 12.3%

Source: comScore qSearch, 2007

Ways People Find Local Businesses OnlineWays People Find Local Businesses Online

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According to a survey from Comscore and TMP Directional Marketing this is how people find local businesses online:

� 31% out of the 80% that use a search engine are searching for local related searches

� 19% Use Internet directories - often just to find a phone number (SuperPages.com, DexKnows.com, etc.).

� 11% Look at local search sites like Google Local, Google Maps, or Yahoo Yellowpages, or Yahoo Local (usually to get driving directions)

Ways People Find Local Businesses OnlineWays People Find Local Businesses Online

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POLL QUESTION #2POLL QUESTION #2

What is your Local Search Challenge?

� Lack of Understanding of the Local Search Market

� Not Enough Time or Resources to Manage Local Search

� Not Sure if Local Search Provides an ROI

� Do not have the Budget for Paid Local Search

Local Search Includes:Local Search Includes:

1. Local Search Engines - maps.google.com, local.yahoo.com

2. Online Yellow Pages - Superpages.com, yellow.com

3. Business Directories - Chamber of Commerce, CVB

4. City Guides - citysearch.com, wcities.com

5. Local Guides - cityguide.aol.com, orlandolocalguide.com

6. Local Newspapers - NYTimes.com, washingtonpost.com

7. Social Networks - Yelp.com, flickr.com

8. Mobile Marketing - Create mobile site map, ready.mobi

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How Local Search Engines Gather InformationHow Local Search Engines Gather Information

� Overview/Description: Brand.com, Scrapping websites, etc.

� Reviews Websites: TripAdvisor, hotelguide.com, etc

� Photos & Videos: Online Travel Agents, flickr, photobucket, etc.

� Stand Alone Websites: optimized for local search terms

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� Online Yellow Pages: SuperPages, Yellowpages.com, etc.

� 2nd Tier Local Directories: MagicYellow, InsiderPages, etc.

� City Directories: CitySeach, Local.com, etc.

� Vertical Directories: Gayot.com, wCities, etc.

How Local Search Engines Gather InformationHow Local Search Engines Gather Information

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Claim, Enhance, and Optimize Your Local Claim, Enhance, and Optimize Your Local

Business Listing Business Listing

� The local search algorithm is based on location and relevance

� Much of the location and relevance information depends upon the trust the search engines have in the information they have about your hotel, restaurant or attraction

� Verifying ownership of your profile online is one of the most important factors for ranking well on local search engines

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� Make sure your local listing is up-to-date with all information

� List all services and brand keyword terms, including geographic terms in your description and in the listing title

� Be sure you've categorized your business properly.

�

� Choose the most relevant categories to list your hotel, restaurant or attraction

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� Having a well-optimized website can help better rank your listing in the local search engines

� This includes on-page factors that you control, such as placing street address and phone number in text format on all pages of your website

� On your direction page be sure to include your address in the title tag

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Local Search Ranking FactorsLocal Search Ranking Factors

� General importance of on-page criteria

� City / state in title tags of website

� Address and Phone Number in HTML on every page of website

� Location keyword in website URL

� Brand/Services keyword in website URL

� Number of Inbound Links to Website

� General importance of customer reviews

� Validation of business information with third-party providers

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� Number of customer reviews

� Reviews made on third-party websites

� General importance of claiming Local Business Listing

� Brand / service keywords in Local Business Listing Title

� Location keywords in Local Business Listing Title

� Location keyword in Local Business Listing description

� Brand / service keywords in Local Business Listing description

� Proximity to Center of city being searched

� Proper Categorization of LBL

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Local Search Ranking FactorsLocal Search Ranking Factors

� Website

� e-mail Address

� 800 #

� Fax #

� Hours Of Operation

� Brand Affiliation

� Products

� Services

� Payment Methods

Typical Information Needed by the Typical Information Needed by the

Local Search Engines Local Search Engines

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Business Attributes:

• Drives “Findability”• Triggers Action• Make Accurate

This hotel has no

attributes

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Wrong

Name

Proximity

Reviews

1

2

3

Content is in Profile

4

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Increase Your Local Search RevenueIncrease Your Local Search Revenue

Google AdWords/Google Local Listing

How It Will Drive Revenue:

� AdWords helps you target local online customers by setting your

pay-per-click ads to appear only when people search a particular

city, state or region

Free Listing or Pay-Per-Click

Yahoo! Local Listings


� Local Listings will promote your restaurant, hotel, destination to

customers looking for information in Yahoo! Local


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CitySearch.com


� Citysearch helps people make informed decisions about where

to spend their time and money and provide ratings.


Ask.com's AskCity


� AskCity, is a local search application that's a one-stop

destination for making plans. In one screen, consumers can map

a route, make reservations, etc.



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AOL's CityGuide


� AOL's CityGuide specializes in providing local entertainment

information to AOL service members. Advertising with AOL allows

marketers to target consumers specifically by lifestyle and

market.

Pay-Per-Click

Craigslist.com


� Craigslist gets an estimated 10 million unique visitors per day.

With an online classified ad format organized by region or city

Free Listing

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Online Yellow Page Submission


� Submission to 45+ online primary and secondary search engines.

Free Listings or Bulk Upload for $299 Contact:[email protected]

MerchantCircle.com


� This free site offers a local business listing service that allows

you to better manage your online reputation and become more

visible in search engine results


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Local.com


� Advertising on Local.com will give you access to their 10

million-plus monthly customers


TrueLocal.com


� This is another popular local search engine featuring full-text

searches


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Web.com's SmartClicks program

How It Will Drive Revenue:� How It Will Help You: MyEzClicks lists your business on more

than 30 major search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and MSN

for a monthly fee

Pay-Per-Click

Dotster.com

How It Will Drive Revenue:� Dotster is a web domain registration and hosting company

offering a local web advertising package called "Local Site

Promotion." You set your monthly budget and Dotster will make

your ad visible on all the major search engines.Pay-Per-Click

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Links to the Major Local Search EnginesLinks to the Major Local Search Engines

� http://listings.local.yahoo.com/csubmit/index.php

� www.google.com/local/add

� https://ssl.search.live.com/listings/UnsupportedBrowser.aspx

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Future of Local SearchFuture of Local Search

� Businesses can now use Social Media to reach new audiences and create a strong brand

� Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. afford you the ability to create events and promote upcoming specials, new service offerings or sweepstakes

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Future of Local SearchFuture of Local Search

� Mobile campaigns are another great way to provide essential information, such as address and hours of operation, at your customers’ fingertips

� Many companies are now using WAP sites (pages designed specifically for mobile Internet usage) to simplify their user experience, when accessing the website from a mobile phone

� Geo- targeted content via ZIP code or GPS will provide mobile consumers with decision-aiding content as they travel around their neighborhood

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SummarySummary

� Manage Your Local Listings

� Test Pay-Per-Click on the Local Search Engines

� Start with Google, Yahoo and Live Local Listing

� Move on the Online Yellow Page Directories

� Next Target Local City Directories

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Questions? Questions?

� 8 Years of e-Commerce SEO/SEM Consulting

� 20+ Years of direct hotel sales experience

� Approved vendor with Marriott, Hilton and Wyndham Hotels

� e-Commerce expert and frequent speaker at industry events

� Fortune 500 client projects ranging from strategic e-commerce planning, Customized SEO/SEM Solutions, Web 2.0, online press releases and SWOT Analysis to drive revenue

� Gordon LiametzRevenue Performancewww.RevenuePerformance.com

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Upcoming HSMAI University ProgramsUpcoming HSMAI University Programs

Stay tuned for the 2009 HSMAIStay tuned for the 2009 HSMAI--U U

Webinar Schedule!Webinar Schedule!

www.hsmaiuniversity.org

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EvaluationEvaluation

� Please take a moment now to click on the Evaluationlink in the LINKS box and complete the evaluation.

� Be sure to click on “Submit” when you have completed the evaluation to send us your responses.

� Your comments & suggestions are very important to us, and they help us to provide you with quality programming.

Documents

How Can I Increase My Local Search Revenue?eoplugin.commpartners.com/HSMAI/081211_Slides.pdf · Claim, Enhance, and Optimize Your Local Business Listing Having a well-optimized website