Download - Making Sense of the Local Search Landscape
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Consumers. The big idea. ethology
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Consumers. The big idea. ethology
Making Sense of the Local Landscape
SMX West
March 13, 2014
Nolan Alexander - ethology
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My Company
ethology is a full-service digital marketing agency that helps
challenger brands connect with their customers through the
integration of research, strategy & execution.
Me, Nolan
Hello! I’ve been working in local search for the past 3 years doing the
grunt work, integrating local search with social, paid and organic
tactics all the while managing thousands of locations for dozens of
clients in a variety of industries.
www.ethology.com/SMX-Local
#SMX
@Nolan_Alexander
@ethology
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You owner verified &
optimized Google+ Local!
Well…
Now, what do you do?
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Congratulations!
#SMX
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Why Target ‘The Others’
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#SMX
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The Google Influence
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‘The Others’ are
helping Google reach
great heights!
(in local rankings)
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Okay so directories help Google…
But do they mean anything to my bottom
line? You know, directly? (pun intended)
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#SMX
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#SMX
Of course they do.
Because mobile
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84% of smartphone owners regularly use map applications
#SMX
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40% of all Yellowpage.com traffic comes from mobile
#SMX
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MapQuest App has over40 million downloads
#SMX
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11 million monthly mobile Yelpers
#SMX
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& Apple Maps reaches23% of smartphone users
…you can’t really
delete that one though
#SMX
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Prioritize!
Which should I tackle first?
Which are the easiest?
Which will be the most
effective?
So where do I start?
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#SMX
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How?
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Research!
Local Audit
• Complete a quick local audit
(yext.com, getlisted.org, LML)
Analytics
• Referral traffic
• Conversion rates
• Mobile traffic
Local Search Studies
• YP more influential for older demo
• West coast are big Yelp users
#SMX
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You have an idea of what
directories are worthwhile
Well…
Now, what do you do?
Congratulations!
#SMX
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Time & Effort
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Bing Local
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Easiest directory to claim!
(get this done first)
Bulk upload spreadsheet with all
of your locations
Owner verification through email
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#SMX
bingplaces.com
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Yellowpages
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Pro Tip: Email YP Support
Explain you’re having trouble
claiming your place pages
No real verification needed
Optimize listings manually over
time
#SMX
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Yahoo Local
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Only owner verify via email
(or phone as a last result)
3+ months to update listings
Frustrating to claim & optimize
– Just ask Nyagoslav
If you’re going to pay for
enhanced listings, use Yext
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smallbusiness.yahoo.com/local-listings/sign-up/
#SMX
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Superpages
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Search & claim by phone
number (unique numbers!)
No real verification needed
Manually optimize at your leisure
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supermedia.com/spportal/quickbpflow.do
#SMX
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Yelp
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Pro Tip: Use our Step by
Step Instructions to claim!
Save Money & Owner Verify
Only pay for enhanced listings
as a test pilot
Measure your investment
against free listings
#SMX
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Coda
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Coda – Ending Lessons
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1. Are These Directories Important? – YES!Keep your NAPW consistent & use a company email dedicated to local
2. … But, You Don’t Need to Optimize Everything
3. Know Your Investment Time - it would take to manually owner verify & optimize or…
Money - it would take for enhanced listings through Yext, Yelp, YP and others
4. Align Local Tactics with Your Digital StrategyHow do you measure local search success? Website traffic, phone calls?
Maximize search coverage with holistically aligning paid, local & organic search?
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#SMX
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@Nolan_Alexander
Local Search Manager – ethology
Thank You
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