Local Business Visibility - A Non Technical Guide

Getting Your Local Business Found Online

August 20, 2013Presented by:

Scott Hendison

About Me

• I started marketing online in 1999, as the owner of a computer repair & software store

• I began internet marketing full time in 2004 with Search Commander, Inc.

• In 2007, I founded SEO Automatic, a set of end user & “white label“ Internet Marketing tools & WordPress plugins.

What we‘ll cover

• Search Results & Evolution• Consistency of Information • Before You Edit in Google• Google

– G+ Personal – G+ for Business– Google Places for Business– Google Offers

• Reviews overall

Search Results & Evolution

Search Results• Actual results are personalized. They vary by:

– Geographic location– Users web browser history– User signed in or not– What device is in use (as of June 2013)

• The presentation of the results also vary by:– Industry – Device– Geographic location– Inexplicable whim

Layout

Layout

Layout

Layout

Layout

Layout

Search Results

• There are no “normal“ search results• Two people will almost never see the exact

same set of 10 search results for a phrase.• Google changes and tests results on the

fly, based on their best guess at user intent.

• Sometimes you‘ll see different layouts in the same day or on two different pc‘s

• It will be changing again tomorrow, so don‘t get too used to it...

Consistent Information

Your Business Infomation

• Comes from multiple sources

• Not just from your website– Other websites– Web directories– Review sites– Membership sites– Business organizations

• That‘s why the single most important thing you can deliver is...

Business Fact Sheet

• Before you go to the internet, put together a consistent message

• Establish all of your facts, info, and style and submission guidelines like the big brands do

• From logos to marketing messages, to printed advertizements, the search engines (and your customers) value consistency.

Business Fact Sheet

• Getting everything into a single document means there will never be incomplete data.

• Include online images, descriptions, history, and key personel bios, profile links, etc.

• Everything you might need for your listings should be in one place.

Business Fact Sheet

• It all starts with your NAP – your Name, Address and Phone

• It should be identical everywhere at every data source on the web.

• You‘ll be amazed at the inconsistencies you can find from site to site

NAP - Name

• How are you registered? What do the bills say? Using a legal business name is important, and may be worth a $50 dba.

• Subtle differences actually matter – i.e. Greta‘s Grocer vs. Gretas Grocer, etc.

• NEVER EVER stuff a key phrase into your biz name, despite what you see from others.

NAP – Address - Start at USPS

NAP - Address

• USPS generally uses all caps

• USPS has no consistency on address abreviation, so see how they have your address listed

• USPS uses punctuation ONLY for biz names

• USPS always uses Zip+4

NAP - Phone

• Which is better 503- or (503) ?

• Most directories use (503)

• WWGD? Google uses (503)

• So why differ?

NAP - Name, Address and Phone

• Change your website to match the USPS

• Single location biz - Use main NAP on every page, in the footer, or sidebar, etc.

• NAP must be in text – not an image of text! Can you click, copy and paste it? Then it‘s text.

• Multi location biz - Ensure a separate page is available on your website for each location, but just use one sitewide NAP.

Business Fact Sheet

• Complete a Business Fact Sheet in it‘s entirety, skipping nothing - http://bit.ly/bizsheet

• Include key personel for your company

• Take the time to do it right, so that you can delegate future submissions to others.

• It‘s the foundation for everything you‘ll do.

http://bit.ly/bizsheet

Business Fact Sheethttp://bit.ly/bizsheet


Business Fact Sheet

Business Fact Sheet

After your worksheet is complete...

After your fact sheet is complete...

Unless you complete them all VERY

quickly, the order in which you work in actually matters.

Where Should You Start?

Not where you might think!

Infogroup # 1

Infogroup # 1 http://ExpressUpdateUSA.com

http://expressupdateusa.com/







What Next?

Localeze # 2

Localeze # 2http://bit.ly/localeze

http://bit.ly/localeze





After Localeze ?

Acxiom # 3

Acxiom # 3http://MyBusinessListingManager.com

http://mybusinesslistingmanager.com/


Acxiom # 3http://MyBusinessListingManager.com



Acxiom # 3

Pre-Google Action Items

• Check USPS for correct address format• Put that NAP on your website• Complete your http://bit.ly/bizsheet• #1 go to Infogroup (ExpressUpdateUSA)• #2 go to Localeze• #3 go to Acxiom• Then... • Go to Google?


Google

Get a personal Google Account

• You already have one if you have...– Gmail Address– Google Docs / Google Drive– Youtube account– Google Analytics – Webmaster Tools– Any other Google services

Sign In to Google

Go to Your Account

If you see “Join Google+“, do it

Go to Account > Products

Google Places will be there... Or not.

Google For Your Business

Google

August 8, 2013 both are still live

Which Should You Choose?

• Use Google Places for Business – Yes, OLD one,

Because you‘re probably already there.

• Google+ Business is already migrating pages

• Google+ Business should not be used unless you‘re a brand spanking new business.

• Google Places will be gone soon enoughhttp://www.google.com/places/

http://www.google.com/places/

Google Places for Businesshttp://www.google.com/places/


Google Placeshttp://www.google.com/places/



Pre existing “claimed“ businesses see this...



• EDIT to go into the existing business



• If you see option to ADD a business, you will proceed into to the NEW + system anyway



• Onsite service? Pay close attention to...



• If you check the box saying you visit customers then you‘ll see more choices...



• Submit then determine if you match...



• Choose continue and VERIFY LATER...



Once you are in the business editing area...• NAP• Description, hours, parking, credit cards, etc.• Fill out everything you can from your biz sheet• Use all ten photo uploads and link to videos –

cell phone videos to a YouTube acct is easy.• Fill out all legitimate category opportunities• Be careful with Service Areas & Locations

Served











• Add all 10 photos• 1st one added is main• Stock images suck• Use your phone camera

• Got Videos? Add links toyour YouTube videos too





Two areas to be REALLY careful with...

1. The categories you choose

2. Service area and location setting



Categories:

• NEVER use a geographic location in the categories, despite what you see from others

• Always use as many categories as you can by hitting “Add Another Category“, BUT...

• Improper use or “category spamming“ can get your listing suspended from Google.


Service Area and Location Settings:


• If you ONLY serve customers at their location, you MUST check “Do not show my address...“


• If you have a PO Box or other type of maildrop, you MUST check “Do not show my address...“


• If you live on a residential street w/ no biz sign, you MUST check “Do not show my address...“

Google Places PageWhat happens if you don‘t hide the

addresswhen you are supposed to?

Google Places

Google Places Pagehttp://www.google.com/places/

• Every time you edit, moderators will review• No business is safe from scrutiny• Biz name, categories, street view, etc. are

all looked at again, no matter how long the listing has been live and receiving traffic.

• Any prior “bad acts“ are held against you• Most common cause of listing suspension –

someone makes changes, and listing gets disabled for older TOS violations.


• After making changes, you will often have to verify ownership again.

• Sometimes by phone, sometimes by postcard

• Phone verification requires auto-answering to be turned off – This is critical

• Even after verification, changes you‘ve made can take literally weeks to appear!

Google Placeshttp://bit.ly/googlelocalhelp

If you are logged in, you can get help by phone



Add your info, and your phone will ring...


• You cannot get to the ‘call‘ link any other way• It does not have to be the business line, or

even the business owner initiating the call• I‘ve talked to Google reps many times, and

each time I‘ve found them to be very helpful• The less you know, the more they‘ll help• Even some suspended listings have returned

within 48 hours after phoning

Then who should use Google+ Business?

http://www.google.com/+/business/

Then who should use Google+ Business?

http://www.google.com/+/business/

Google+ Business Page http://www.google.com/+/business/

Google+ Business Pagehttp://www.google.com/+/business/



What if you end up with BOTH?

Originally You Could Not Merge

Then You Could Merge

• Although some have done it successfully, others have seen problems, including lost reviews, and temporarily disapearing listings

• Opinions differ on whether or not merging should be done

• I say do not merge - Google is sorting it out

5 months later I still say NO

Google Offers


Google Offers

Less than 5% of businesses use Google offers*

• Opportunity to stand out• Costs you nothing (for now)• Reach new customers• Reach more devices• Chance to be daring and creative• Put disclaimers right in the offer

* Unimpeachable Source: Well, okay, I made it up, but I‘ll bet it‘s even lower than that. How many of you have even HEARD of it before? There ya go.

* I completely made that up

Google Offers


Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

Google Offers

• Must not be for specific services*• Must be printable• Must be “real world“ – no online offers• You get to reach new customers• It‘s your chance to be daring and

creative, and put a disclaimer right on the coupon

• Does Google favor businesses using offers?

* Academic aids, adult services, alcohol, gambling, drugs, fireworks, hacking, health care, medicine, intelectual property, regulated goods, tobacco, radar detectors, weapons, or anything else that Google might add in the future.

* I completely made that up

Google Offers

Reviews

• Reviews are critical – Quantity, diversity, velocity, etc. but not necessarily the quality

• You (or AOYB) should *not* gather the reviews then create accounts and post them.

• Employees and owners of businesses may not even leave reviews according to Googles TOS

• Never leave fake reviews, or hire services that get you illegitimate reviews

Google Reviews

http://www.pdxtc.com/wpblog/google/how-to-get-fake-reviews/Google Reviews

http://consumerist.com/2010/04/14/how-you-spot-fake-online-reviews/

Fake Reviews

• Always take time to respond to a customer complaint or a negative review, whether on Google, Yelp or elsewhere. Make things right.

• Responding to positive reviews too, is a trust signal to your customers. Appreciate them.

• Report any of the fake reviews to the service, AND call it out right there on that page as a fake, if its suspicious.

Google Reviews

https://support.google.com/places/answer/184271?hl=enHow To Respond to Reviews

• It‘s helpful to encourage, nag, induce or even incentivize* people into leaving reviews through postcards, emails, contests etc.

• Kiosks in your business for leaving reviews are *not* a good idea (same IP address)

• FOLLOW UP - Send users to a page on your site designed to facilitate getting more reviews, linking to your profiles.

Get More Reviews

• Encourage people to leave reviews in their own account from their own devices

Get More Reviews

Get More Reviews

Get More Reviews• QR codes are easy• Popularity is gaining slowly• Send code to specicic URLs• Put them on receipts, exit

door stickers, counter cards, menus, vehicles, business cards, T-shirts, print ads, or even on products themselves. Ever scanned one before?

http://bit.ly/scottsqr

GetListed.org

GetListed.org

GetListed.org

• Match your website with USPS text NAP• Create your business profile sheet• Claim the major three data providers• Get a personal Google+ account• Complete Google listings • Try Google Offers while it‘s still free• Gather, encourage and respond to

reviews• Make more money

Summing Up

Thank You

This presentation is available herehttp://bit.ly/2013-08-20-scott

Contact me... Scott [email protected]

Easter eggs? Bonus slides?

Stay an extra hour?

GEEK ALERT - Schema

What‘s Schema?

• Having a text NAP alone is not enough, and it should be properly formatted on your website.

• Plain text or older standardized web formats like vCard, or hCard are acceptable but...

• The search and data industries have come together in a scheme to standardize things, and make the sharing of information simpler.

What‘s Schema?

• Schema.org provides a collection of html tags so webmasters can markup their pages in ways recognized by major search providers.

• ‘Search providers‘ means not only G, Y and B, but everything from Global Positioning Systems like TomTom to services like Apple Maps

• Schema-Creator.org helps your web designer easily add the correct to your site

What‘s Schema?

What‘s Schema?

Measuring Traffic

Measuring Traffic

• Is what you‘re doing worth the effort?

• How do you justify the time or money spent?

• Where can you get quick snapshots of performance metrics?

Measuring Traffic

• Google Places Dashboard

• Google Analytics

Google Places Dashboardhttp://www.google.com/places/

Google Places Dashboardhttp://www.google.com/places/

http://www.google.com/places/Google Places Dashboard

Google Analytics can easily show you...

• Nothing about traffic from your profiles• There is no easy way to see it at a

glance

• You CAN...• Use a custom page in your profile • Set up advanced segmenting

Google Analytics

• You can create a distinct URL, such as www.yoursite.com/localcontact and list that as the URL people click from profile pages

• Or you can apend the URLs with a “tag“ so they are easily tracked in Analytics by creating one at http://bit.ly/urlbuilder

• Or you can create an “advanced segment“...

Google Analytics

Which might make your head explode...

Step by step Advanced Segmenting http://bit.ly/trackinggooglelocal

Google Analytics

Education

Local Business Visibility - A Non Technical Guide