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- Newsletter #9
Newsletter #9
Whitespark Local Insider
Whitespark's Monthly Local Search Newsletter
Local Insider September, 2015 In August we experienced a major shakeup when it came to local pack results; in a matter of a day we saw local search queries go from showing the usual expected 7-packs to a measly 3-pack. While the change is still relatively new, it appears to be here to stay.Not only has this new smaller local pack created a more competitive landscape in local search, it has further strengthened the need for ensuring you have all the fundamental Local SEO elements in place while also diversifying your overall marketing strategy.Assess The Following:Citations - Consistent and accurate citations are as important as ever. Ensure you have listings on the main aggregators, top directories for your country, local directories, and industry specific sites.Reviews - Reviews are still critical (maybe even more so), those stars not only draw the searcher's attention, they help drive clicks and now that Google has implemented a review filter on some results if you have no reviews, you could be completely filtered out of the search results. Keywords in reviews will increase your rankings for those terms, so make sure you’re asking every customer. You might even want to use our amazing new Reputation Builder – hint hint.Google+ Listing - Review your Google+ listing and ensure that you have optimized your categories, your primary category impacts your results. Oh, and if you didn’t already know this, the description is not considered in the ranking algorithm, so now would probably be a good time to stop stuffing it with keywords.Local Organic - This is the name of the game now. Getting links and mentions (unstructured citations) from locally relevant sources and creating and building local relevant content is vital. Organic opens up more opportunities for your business and will generate more visibility for you.Paid - With Google testing sponsored ads in home services, and the smaller pack results, paid campaigns offer a flexible way to gain further visibility and can help provide you with a boost in traffic.These are just a few suggestions to consider if you're feeling the impact of the smaller local packs. Here are some wonderful articles about this recent change, that offer in-depth analysis and suggestions on how to handle the increase in competition:Local SEO Is Not An Island (Or At Least It Shouldn't Be!) The New Snack Pack: Where Users are Clicking & How You Can Win Google's Local Snack Pack Shake Up: What You Need To KnowCheers,Team Whitespark
Recent Blog Posts
On August 6th, 2015, Darren gave a presentation on the "Basics of Website Optimization". If you're new to local search or need a refresher check out the talk. Topics Covered:
How to do Basic Keyword Research
Website Optimization Best Practices
Key Local SEO "Hooks"
End-to-End Citation Discovery and ManagementOn June 27th, 2015 Darren presented at LocalU Advanced in Minneapolis about "End to End Citation Discovery and Management". In this talk he discusses: Why Citations? Auditing your Existing Citations Best Practices Duplicate Discovery and Cleanup General Cleanup Process Prioritizing Beyond the Basics Identifying and Obtaining Niche Citations.You can listen to the talk and read through the transcripts here.
Around The Web
Level up your local marketing and SEO skills at MozCon Local. This is both an all-day conference and a half-day workshop. If you attended LocalUp Advanced last year this is its new iteration. Join Darren (he's speaking and schmoozing) and other top local speakers on Thursday and Friday, February 18-19, 2016.
Most business owners know they need online reviews if they want to get more customers. Some of them have actually tried to get happy customers to speak up. Very few get anywhere. If you’re a business owner you’ll want to ask yourself these [questions].
Every business needs content. Google loves it when you write content that answers relevant questions. If you're a consultant or a business it's important to find out what potential questions people are asking. Well, (if you weren't aware)there's a tool to help you do get these questions and it's free!
With Apple’s iOS 9 set to become available on September 16, it’s time for local businesses and search marketers to focus their attention on Apple Maps. Why? Apple has integrated deep linking into the core functionality of its mobile operating system.
Google has started testing a new feature that allows you to book an appointment with a local service provider right from the search results.
By the power of advanced traffic data wizardry, Google can now predict when your business will likely experience the most foot traffic, and, of course, it’s telling people about it, too.
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