Online Local Business Directories Powerpoint Presentation
- 2. • 94% of search engine users choose organic over paid listings. • 67% choose organic search engine results when purchasing. • Organic click-through generates 25% higher conversion rates than PPC. Why being seen is Crucial…
- 3. “Attracting a loyal audience to your website is best achieved through top search engine listings.” Source: Forrester Research Media Field Study
- 4. Location, Location, Location 1st Position gets approximately 36% of the traffic. 2nd position gest approximately 13% of the traffic. 3rd position gets approximately 8% of the traffic.
- 5. How Search Engines Work • Search Engines send out “spiders” to index websites/pages. • Cache web pages into data centers. • Categorize data. • Assess data for ranking. • Update data centers.
- 6. An Online Business Directory has the standard business name, address, phone number and your website url (NAPW) and links to your website. Big PLUS: • Photos • Fuller Descriptions with Key Phrases • Types of Payment Received • Service Hours • Menus • Owner or Manager Bios • Specials, Coupons, etc.
- 7. Don’t Confuse Citations With Links! Remember: Citations are just mentions of your name, address, and phone number. Aug 2013 by Phil Rozek
- 8. Are All Directories or Citation Sites Created Equal? • Domain Authority • Indexed Pages • Structured or Standard NAP Display • Quality & Nature of Site • Free Listing • Toxic Link Check March 2014 by Myles Anderson
- 9. Types of online directories? 1. Data-aggregators- 2. Horizontal directories 3. Industry-specific directories 4. Region-specific sites 5. Sites where you can get an “unstructured” citation, like a mention in a newspaper or by a "local" blogger. http://www.whitespark.ca/blog/post/16-local-citation-building-best-practices
- 10. Top online directories? 1. Google Places Business Page 2. Google+ Business Page 3. Google Maps 4. Yahoo! Local 5. Bing Local 6. Apple Maps 7. SuperPages 8. YellowBook 9. YellowPages 10. Yelp 11. Citysearch 12. Merchant Circle 13. Topix 14. Insider Pages 15. Factual 16. YouTube
- 11. The New Marketing Path… Eureka!! Matt Cutts- Google
- 12. Spiders and the Web If you want your website to get found – you need to have quality content and a powerful link strategy so search engine spiders find your site: • Keyword-rich content on website • Articles • Blog posts • Forums • Social signals • Internal links • Link building • Citations • Directory listings • And much more!
- 13. What Are Keywords and Why Do They Matter? Keywords are the heart and soul of searching online. Keyword -A word or phrase that a search engine user uses to find websites. Goal: Target your site for keywords that are popular but don’t have a ton of competition.
- 14. You Want Targeted Traffic: people who come to a website because they are looking for what the site has to offer. • Headphones vs. 900 MHz wireless stereo headphones Cedar Rapids • Windows vs. window installers or window installation contractors Iowa City Which term(s) are closer to making a Importance of Targeted Keywords
- 15. A Very Special Note: Google rolled out the Hummingbird release last year. This release has brought about the era of semantic search. Use keywords that reflect like your everyday language.
- 17. • More than 86% of local consumers and businesses turn to the Internet first. • One-third of all Internet search engine queries contain a zip code or a city or state. • Local business listings and reviews now sit at or near the top of natural search results. It’s Critical That People Can Find You!
- 18. • Include local keywords. • Local address to your site. • Local phone number. • Get listed in all local directories. • Create local videos. • Get links from local organizations and businesses. If You Are Local, Optimize for Local
- 19. First Check For First Check For Existing Listings Search by Business Name Search by Phone Number Search by Category Make note of all existing listings and go back to check for accuracy and completeness
- 23. Why Claim Your Listing? 5-22% have addresses listed incorrectly. 6-50% have the phone number listed incorrectly. 24-39% have the Business name listed incorrectly. 40-64% have something listed incorrectly. You want control of your listing!http://streetfightmag.com/2012/04/23/yext-infographic-64-of-foursquare-business-listings-are- incorrect/ 23 April 2012 by Steven Jacobs
- 24. Ways to Claim Your Directory Listing • Simply fill out the information. • Verify through email. • Verify by telephone. • Verify by the US Mail.
- 42. Claim Your Google Places • Do a search for your business by: • Category • Name • Address • Phone Number • If Listed – Claim. It doesn’t have to be an exact match. • Not Listed – Create.
- 43. Add Your Listing
- 45. Google Places for Business Listing • Be as complete as possible. • Use keywords in your description. • Use geography in your description. • Geo & keyword tag photos. • Continue to update Information.
- 46. • Add Photos. • Complete Profile. • Start Building Circles. • Start Posting Status.
- 50. • Requires a Windows Live ID Account • Search For Business – Claim or Add. • Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) must be exact to your Google Listing. • Use same photos as on Google.
- 51. Optimizing for Bing • Complete Every Field. • Use keyword and location in your tag line. • Comprehensive description that uses keywords and location. • Add hours of operation. • Use brands and professional organizations for industry terms .
- 52. Things Bing Likes • Older websites. • Content – Doesn’t judge content on it’s age. • Likes domains with the keywords in the URL. • Likes backlinks and is not as particular about the type of backlink .
- 53. • Sign up with Google Account or set up a Yahoo email account. • More basic listing – only one photo. • Can add reviews. –Reviews will appear in Google
- 55. Doing it right will take you a few hours. Doing it wrong will take many hours (and possibly a lot of money).