Mastering Local SEO (Part 10) The Recap

Mastering Local SEO began the lecture series by covering the basics. We define what local search engine optimization is and we explain what its primary goal.

Part 2 explains how search engines reveal results. Part 3 teaches you how to market your local business online. Part 4 explains why there’s a need to register your business in listing sites.

Part 5 focuses on citation. It enumerates the techniques on how to get a mention of your business name. Part 6 and 7 emphasize the importance of online reviews. It gives you the idea on how to choose a popular review site and how to effectively manage reviews.

Part 8 reveals why a website needs to follow the technical, content and social guidelines as prepared by search engines. Part 9 explains why and how you can use social media to improve local search ranking.

We’ll end the lecture series by sharing the following videos created by Google. For sure, these videos will change the way you handle your online activities.

Learning continues here. Please click “play” to start.

The third video is seven minutes and 42 seconds long but we guarantee you, it’s as good as the first two videos.

Video no. 4 talks about basic implementation and best practices.

We’re almost done.

Master the science of engagement and you’re on your way to success.

Good luck!!!

Mastering Local SEO (Part 9) Be Social

Be aware your website is your shopping mall. Your main responsibility is to convince people from public and private parks (your social media channels) to visit your mall every day. This mission is accomplished if and only if you:

1. Choose the right social media sites to register.

2. Actively and manually update your profiles. By actively, it means every day or four times daily depending on what site you’re using. More on that later…

3. Make sure uploaded contents (photo, video, infographic and slide presentation) either contain a link to your site or a call-to-action such as phone number.

Photo Courtesy of: Pinterest

Social media, by definition, refers to any social channels where you can reach out to your existing and new customers. It might be a social media networking, social bookmarking, review platform, photo-sharing, video-sharing, social forum, content curation and question-and-answer.

Successful social media adds an extra layer of increased awareness and solid promotion to your local SEO campaign.

The biggest problem with social media, however, is not all sites are created equal. Each social channel is unique. It works differently than the other. For example, Facebook and Twitter are both social networking sites but there’s a need for you to vary the techniques to attract more attention.

The Truth about Google

You can’t go wrong with Google. It only requires you to create one e-mail address to use its other free services, which are vital to your local search engine optimization campaign.

Remember: As the major search engine, Google holds 67.6% of the US market shares (Search Engine Watch, May 2014).

Therefore, don’t waste time. Open an account now and learn how to use Google+, Google+ Local, Hangout, AdWords and YouTube.

The Truth about Facebook

Moz believes Facebook builds brand loyalty. The site allows you to convert your friends into potential customers.

Just think about it. With one account, you can create a personal profile, a local business page (with free analytics) and a group.

Paid promotion works well in Facebook. You can expect more likes, more comments, more shares and more unique visits to your website.

The Truth about Twitter

Google and Facebook are your business partners. With consistency on your part, both of them will work hard to improve your local search result ranking.

Twitter, on the other hand, works differently. It serves as your handy communication tool to listen and talk with people – family, friends, followers, potential customers.

Apart from networking, Twitter is also ideal for bookmarking a blog post, curating a content relevant to your business and requesting a mention from top influencers.

The Truth about Linkedin

Linkedin serves as your online resume. People want to see your professional profile to know who you are, what your current and past accomplishments and what other people say about you.

The Truth about Photo-sharing

Online marketing is 80% visual. People will believe what they read about you if it’s supported with photos, which are uploaded in your social channels.

To improve your reach, find a way to include Pinterest and Flickr in your campaign.

The Truth about Content Curation

Think content curation as a way of distributing free booklets to a group of people. Your goal is to educate them rather than promote your business.

These people will remember you if they consistently receive worth-reading contents. They will either follow your tweets or add you as their friend in Facebook.

The Truth about Question-and-Answer

Answering questions in Quora and Yahoo! Answers will improve your reputation. You’ll become an authority figure and who knows, people might also want to visit your website, if its link appears in your signature.

Mastering Local SEO (Part 8) The Website

Your website defines your online reputation. Its overall design speaks about your personality and its contents reveal your professionalism.

Think about it. Offline, people visit the mall to shop (for example: new pair of jeans, new shoes, new wallet), to find what they need (for example: food for the week, toothbrush, pens, new smartphone) and to buy something they wish to have (for example: books, new tablet, laptop).

Online, people visit your website to see what your products and services are (for example: About Us), to read your blog updates and to know your contact information (for example: Contact).

For this reason, you need to make sure your website and its pages follow the technical, content and social guidelines prepared by Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Technical guidelines refer to a number of techniques that might or might not require the assistance of a webmaster. Your local website is considered technical-friendly if:

1. Major search engines can index the homepage.

2. Major search engines can see and find all pages.

3. The website loads fast in PC, tablet and smartphones.

4. User navigation is simple and friendly.

5. Its professional theme contains plenty of whitespace.

6. Your website needs to appear in different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari).

7. All pages need to contain your business name, address and phone number in meta description.

A website without variety of contents is like a shopping mall with only one brand of rubber shoes. Search engines might love it but your visitors will get bored if they only see long well-research articles written in long paragraphs and complex sentences.

A local content-friendly website contains:

1. Quality articles written in bullets and chunks.

2. Balance amount of photos and videos give support to articles.

3. Case studies of success and inspiration.

4. Transcribed interviews.

5. Free ebook downloads.

6. Slide presentations.

7. Downloadable podcast.

8. Blog articles link to branded pages such as homepage and contact.

It isn’t enough to focus on technical and content techniques in local search engine optimization. Nowadays, you’re required to promote your website in social media, where your targeted customers are. A local website is socially healthy if:

1. Your profiles in Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Linkedin link to your homepage.

2. Your website is listed in popular review sites.

3. Your photos are uploaded in photo-sharing sites such as Flickr and Pinterest.

4. You submit your blog articles in social bookmarking sites such as Stumble Upon and Delicious.

5. You regularly participate in two forums related to your business. Answer people’s questions and make sure your site’s homepage is your signature.

Mastering Local SEO (Part 7) More Reviews

Reviews reveals your online reputation

Photo Courtesy of: Pinterest

Your reputation improves when a review praises your products, services and customer help desk. Unluckily, your reputation spirals down when your review profile is filled with inaccurate criticisms and false accusations.

It hurts, yes. However, there’s something you can do. Remember: your business is your empire; therefore, you need to learn how to manage these reviews effectively. Listed below are some of the tips and techniques:

1. Respond to reviews, either it’s positive or negative. Reviews don’t define the overall face of your business. These are simply comments, suggestions and feedback written by people – who are your repeat customers, first time customer or competitors. For this reason, make it your daily habit to reply to each review. Either write a simple “Thank you” to positive feedback or send a personal message to those who have commented negatively.

To save time, take time to study your analytics in each channel. This technique will reveal what review channels constantly receive active reviews. You can either use one review channel daily or use a different channel each day. For example, Yelp during Mondays, Google+ Local during Tuesdays, Yahoo Local during Wednesdays, Facebook during Thursdays etc.

2. Your response defines your reputation. A business isn’t a business without negative reviews. It comes and doesn’t go. In fact, a study reveals more customers will write negative feedback than positive.

That’s why; it’s best to handle it with class and confidence. Think and control what you feel before you reply. When you answer back, don’t be too defensive to a point that you aren’t solving the problem.

3. Listen. All reviews are subjective. These are written in different tones, in different styles and in different approaches. Be patient with them. Try to research who wrote the review and what his or her intentions are.

Important: It’s best to delete an unpleasant feedback from a profile without a real name and contact details.

4. Positive reviewers can become your repeat buyers. It feels good to interact with positive people. Positive people also give negative reviews but they back it up with something helpful to you. They help you feel inspired despite of imperfections. It’s for this reason why it’s a best practice to ask if you can include their contact information in your mailing list. Your goal is to earn their trust more by sending useful freebies on a weekly basis.

5. Consider hiring a reputation management firm. Give this idea a green signal if you have the right budget. It does save your time. The firm also protects your reputation from Internet trolls, squatted usernames, false information, fake profiles and competitor attacks.

Mastering Local SEO (Part 6) The Reviews

The Truth about Reviews

Photo Courtesy of: Search Engine Land

People, nowadays, use smartphone to browse the Internet. They use the gadget to pay their bills, book an airline flight, rent a condo and purchase the latest product for their LEGO collection. For this reason, it’s a smart idea to put your business right in front of them rather than they look for you.

Question is how. Answer: Build your review channels.

The Benefits of Reviews

1. Search engines immediately recognize your local business once it’s registered and listed in quality review sites.

2. Your review channels will appear in the first page once your targeted customers search for your contact information.

3. These review sites serve as your extended area for social networking. It also provides a free blog and unlimited storage for your photos. Most importantly, your customers can rate and write a review about your products and services.

4. These review sites improve your online reputation. People will trust your company once it receives five-star ratings with positive reviews.

5. Negative reviews give your channel a shade of balance. Keep in mind, your customers still need to see and read them.

6. It’s easy to embed the review widget on your homepage and blog. This way, people can immediately read your reviews once they click on these widgets.

Do’s & Dont’s for Reviews

1. Before registration, be aware of the site’s guidelines. Read it, understand it and keep it in mind.

2. Make sure you only registered one account in each review site. Multiple accounts mean the site will ban you in their listing. Search engines will remove you in their index too.

3. All review channels need to have similar business name, address, phone number and website.

4. Verify your business information either by phone, email or by wait for the arrival of a postcard.

5. It’s helpful to see other review channels and get some great ideas. This will help you improve your channel.

How to Choose a Review Site

It isn’t recommended to register to all review sites and aim a higher rank in search engine. It isn’t a guarantee that if you’re going to put your business in these sites, people will come and call you.The business game doesn’t work that way. It’s still about why and how you’re going to invite people to your channel.

Remember: Reviews play a role in local SEO. It talks something about you.

Yes. It’s allowed to register to any review site as long as it provides an easy navigation for people. The site also needs to ignore illegal practices. Most importantly, the site is trusted and popular.

Simply choose the best five for your business such as Yelp, Google+ Local, Facebook page, Yahoo! Local and Amazon.

Mastering Local SEO (Part 5) The Citation

What is Citation?

Photo Courtesy of: Pinterest

It’s a common term used in local SEO that refers to a mention of your business name, address, phone number and website.

What’s the goal of citation?

Simply put, your online visibility becomes clearer the more citations you have. Put in mind search engines love citations that are authoritative and high in quality.

How to get citations?

1. Learn how to use data aggregators such as Inforgroup. Moz confirms aggregator sites syndicate the data to search engines.

2. To improve your search ranking, register to listing sites such as Yelp Business, Google+ Local, Foursquare for Business and more. Remember: It isn’t recommended to register to all sites but it’s helpful to register to selected sites, which are trusted and popular in your city and by category.

3. Make sure all business information are consistent before verifying your registration. NOTE: Only create 1 listing per site. Check if you’re already registered to avoid duplication.

4. Search for blogs in your city. Do they provide similar products and services? If yes, contact them and request if they can either mention your business in one of their blog posts or you’ll post an article on their blog.

5. Register your business to paid local directories. BOTW is an easy-to-use web directory listing, which increases your site’s visibility in search engines.

6. Actively participate in one or two forums related to your business. If the site allows it, make your homepage URL as your signature. Then, find a way to mention your business name while answering threads. The goal here is to inform; therefore, never promote about your business. Simply say what your business can do for them.

7. Be active in Q&A sites such as Yahoo Answers and Quora.

Mastering Local SEO (Part 4) The Listing

What is Local Business Listing?

Photo Courtesy of: Pinterest

Moz defines the term as an online profile that asks for your business name, address, local phone number and customers’ reviews. Examples of local business listings are Yelp, Google+ Local, Yahoo Local and Bing Places.

What are the goals of local business listing?

1. Your website becomes 2x visible online.

2. Your target customers can easily find your business details.

3. Search indexes will trust your business data, improving its search ranking.

4.  You’ll receive various reviews, which will help you identify what’s working well and what’s not.

What are the criteria for local business listing?

1. Accurate business name.

2. Local phone number that matches your exact location.

3. Accurate physical address with street, city, state, country.

4. You communicate with your customers through email, chat and meet-up.

Guidelines for local business listing

1. Follow the basic guidelines as prepared by Google.

2. Consistency in your business details. For example, what you have written in Google+ Local needs to contain identical information in all review sites.

3. Don’t change your business name always. You might drop your search rankings.

4. Point your links and anchor texts to high quality websites.

5. Put your business profile in the right category. You can use this Moz Research Tool for assistance.

6. Monitor your reviews daily. Find a way to reply whether it’s a good or bad review. Usually, you want to delete bad reviews especially those that don’t make sense. Feel free to do so but make sure you still have a balance of positive and negative reviews on the page.

7. You can ask for reviews but make sure it’s clearly stated in the listing’s policies. Here’s an example in Yelp.

8. Active and regular updates are a must. Make it a habit to post quality photos and videos daily. Photos and videos are your contents to attract more people. Hopefully, they will call you.

9. Search engines understand your texts better, than your photo and video. Yet, it’s strongly recommended to support these contents with text. For example, write your phone number than embed it in an image.

10. Don’t forget to verify your business information, through a phone call or mail postcard or mail verification link. Some review sites send you a mail postcard in two weeks, which contains your pin number verification.

11. Sometimes, it takes time for your listing to appear in search engines right after verification. That’s why, don’t make further changes (on name, address, phone number and website) while waiting.

12. It’s recommended to create a spreadsheet to track your efforts and progress.