Local SEO Strategy and Critical Tactics

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


http://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

Phone

• 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/


Tools

• 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 | [email protected] | 1-888-964-5429 | @dock29

Thank You

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

http://www.dock29.com/

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Local SEO Strategy and Critical Tactics