Search Engine Optimization for Local Search

(1)

Search Engine Optimization

for Local Search

(2)

For Local Businesses

SEO is:

Making it easy as possible

for people to find

information about your

business online

(3)

To Achieve That

Create and improve

YOUR WEBSITE

so that it will rank highly on

the Search Engine Results

Pages (SERPs) to help

(4)

To Achieve That

Create and improve

YOUR LISTINGS

on other sites to help

potential customers find

information about your

(5)

What the Search Engines Want

To provide

the most

USEFUL ANSWERS

for every search

(6)

What the Search Engines Want

To model the

real world

by rewarding

BRAND PROMINENCE

within a market area

(7)

SEO Helps You Rank

PAID ADS

LOCAL MAP

PAID

ADS

LOCALIZED

ORGANIC

LOCAL

PACK

(8)

Localized Organic Results

Results

from local

business

websites

(9)

The SEO Process

• _{Pick the right keyword phrases}

• Create high quality pages on your website

all about those terms

• Appropriately implement the keyword

phrases in the content of your web pages

• _{Link between your own pages}

• Gain links and listings on other websites

(10)

The Algorithm

(11)

For Localized Organic Rankings

Quality of links

pointing to your

pages from

OTHER

sites

Crawlability and

usefulness of

content on

(12)

Google Knows Where You Are

It searches

your

DETECTED

location

unless you tell

it to search

somewhere

else

(13)

Usefulness = Relative Location

(14)

Have Realistic Expectations

Concentrate on

ranking in the results

of the people who

have the most

potential to become

YOUR CUSTOMERS

(15)

Usefulness = Keywords in

HTML titles and headline tags we place

on our web pages:

HTML page

titles

appear in

the SERPS

Headline tags (aka h tags)

appear on the web page

(16)

Usefulness = Keywords in

The text

content we

place on

(17)

Relevance = Keywords in

The text in the

links that point to

our web pages

A link tells Search Engines

and humans what the

(18)

On-Page Optimization

(19)

Start with Keywords

We have total

control over

what we put

on our own

pages

(20)

Which Keywords?

Don’t Just Guess

Keyword research = foundation of SEO

It enables you to learn:

• Which topics and terms?

• How many searches?

(21)

What Makes a Good Keyword?

Is someone searching for that term likely

to turn into a customer?

(22)

Keyword Research:Brainstorm

Record all the terms you

can think of that people

would use to find a

BUSINESS LIKE YOURS

(23)

(24)

KW Research:Use Ubersuggest

(25)

KW Research:Use Google Trends

Research

keywords by

location

(26)

KW Research:Pare Down Your List

Concentrate on terms

that closely describe

what you

(27)

KW Research:Get Volume

Use Google

Keyword

Planner to learn

search volume

and relative

competitiveness

(28)

Match Terms to Pages

Optimize

HOME PAGE

for top 2-3

terms

Optimize other pages for 2-3

CLOSELY RELATED

terms

(29)

Where to Use Keywords

Use chosen keywords in the important

TEXT

areas of your pages:

• HTML Page Titles*

• URLs

• H1, H2 (headlines and subheads)

• Text-based content

• Navigation links

• Don

’

t Over-Optimize

WRITE NATURALLY

about the topic

Include

PLENTY OF CONTENT

Google will understand what the

page is about

(31)

HTML Page

title

URL

H1 headline

Content

Image

Navigation

Links

H2

subheadlines

(32)

Optimize Search Results

When a page appears in the SERPs,

people usually see:

HTML Page title

URL

HTML

(33)

Make Your Ads Enticing

Focus on the searcher, who’s thinking:

• What’s in it for me?

• What problem can this help me solve?

• Why should I go to this page instead of another?

Include:

CALL TO ACTION

: call today, get a free quote, get

help, learn how, sign up, make an appointment

PHONE NUMBER

near the beginning of the

metadescription.

(34)

Check Your Ads!

(35)

(36)

Make Location Unmistakable

Business name, full

street address and local

phone number on all

pages in

TEXT

form

Use

www.schema.org

(37)

Plenty of Content

USEFUL CONTENT

on all of your pages

-show that you are

THE EXPERT

(38)

(39)

Internal Link Text

When linking from one of your pages to

another, use descriptive link text to

describe what page it points to is about

• Replace click here, view more, learn more,

etc to location+keyword

terms

• For a page optimized for Dallas Accounting,

change Click Here

to See all of our Dallas

accounting services

or Tax advice in Dallas

and Plano

(40)

Use Barnacle SEO

Localized Organic

Results

GET

LISTED

on

sites

that

rank

(41)

Use Google Search Console

Google communicates with you about

your website here

PAY ATTENTION

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home

https://support.google.com/webmasters?hl=en#to

pic=3309469

(42)

Check Web Site Crawlability

If the Search Engines can

’

t find or crawl

your pages, they cannot appear in the

Search Results

Is there is a large discrepancy between what

Google sees and what you know is on the site?

Can you find all of your most important pages?

(43)

(44)

Technical Problems?

Get

PROFESSIONAL

(45)

Off-Site Optimization

(46)

For Localized Organic Rankings

Quality and

usefulness of

links pointing

to your pages

from

(47)

Links Are Just a Proxy

(48)

The Best Links?

Those with the most

potential to bring

NEW CUSTOMERS

to your business

(49)

Improve Existing Links

See links with this free tool:

http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/

Look at the pages that link to you

• Is all the information correct?

• Can you add more detail? Description, photos,

videos, services, hours, payment types, etc.

• Are you in the right categories?

• Can you add a link?

(50)

Links from Relationships

• _{Business groups}

• Social groups

• Charities

• _Sponsorships

• _{Local school and college websites}

• Clients and partners

(51)

Links from Local Directories

• AngiesList

• MerchantCircle

• JudysBook

• _Foursquare

• _{Internet Yellow}

Pages

• Yelp

• Thumbtack

• Facebook

• _Kudzu

• _CitySearch

• InsiderPages

(52)

Links from Local Sites

• Chamber of Commerce

• Convention & Visitor’s Bureau

• Better Business Bureau

• Local Media-newspapers, magazines, TV

• _{Community business directories}

• _{Local city guides}

• Community blogs

(53)

Links from Niche Sites

• _Videos

• Images

• Coupons

• _{In something}

• _{Near something}

• Kid-friendly

• Pet friendly

•

• Free Wifi

• _ATM

• Minority-owned

• Woman-owned

• Non-profit

• _{Other Languages}

• _Handicapped

(54)

The SEO Process

• _{Pick the right keyword phrases}

• Create high quality pages on your website

all about those terms

• Appropriately implement the keyword

phrases in the content of your web pages

• _{Link between your own pages}

• Gain links and listings on other websites

(55)

THANKS!

LocalU Blog and Forum