Local SEO is getting more and more attention from Marketers. The local based marketing is the new venue where they spend their dollars. In order to rank and attract traffic from local searches, claiming and managing local listings can be complex. This part strategy focuses on how to build links for Google Places Pages, build citations for locations and conduct a social strategy in order to optimize SEO rankings on local results from Google. To read in depth my analysis, please visit Mediative Blog : http://blog.mediative.com/en/2012/08/16/local-seo-offf-page-off-place/

1. Local SEO Strategy
Mohammed ALAMI - 8/16/2012 – Mozalami.com

2. • 01. Introduction
• 02. Google changes
• 03. Ranking Factors
• 04. Onpage optimization
• 05. Onplace optimization
• 06. Linkbuilding
• 07. Citations
• 08. Reviews
• 09. Social
• 10. Mobile
• 11. Semantic
• 12. Citation finder Tool
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AGENDA

3. Local SEO
Introduction
There are 3 definitions for local search, according to ClickZ:
1. Local search is any search aimed at finding something within a
specific geographic area. Example: "hotel in downtown denver."
2. Local search is seeking information online with the intention of
making a transaction offline. Example: "atm denver tech center."
3. Anything that you would traditionally look for in the printed yellow
pages becomes a local search when it is conducted online. Example:
"dry cleaner on colfax avenue."

4. • Comscore defines local search as geo modifiers or using a local search
engine of an Internet yellow pages site.
• Customers either add a geographical location to their search term, such as
"Toronto dentist," or use a yellow pages-style search engine that provided
results based on a specific zip code and the search term or category.
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Local SEO - Introduction
Source: Comscore State of Local Business Search - July 2011

5.  Local Web Search Portals;
Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, AOL:
 Local Portals; Google Places, Bing
Maps, Yahoo! Local, MapQuest:
 Internet Yellow :
 General Directories:
 Local Directories:
 Social Networks:
 Review Sites:
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Local SEO - Introduction

6. Local SEO
Google changes
• There have been 3 major changes:
1. Google places became Google plus local : May 30, 2012
2. Merging Google+ Local and Google+ Business Pages :
availiable for those under category « local business ».
3. Custom URLs for profiles and pages: short, easy to remember
web address that links directly to profile or page on Google+.

7. 7
Local SEO – Google changes
Before
Now

8. 8
Local SEO – Google changes
Before
Now

9. 9
Local SEO – Google changes
Before
Now
https://plus.google.com/11
0937137992985950150

10. Local SEO
Ranking factors
There are 3 main factors that impact rankings in local search:
1. Distance from Centroide : Having a physical address in the city
of the search matters.
2. NAP consistency and accuracy : Name, Adress, Phone
information over all mediums.
3. Prominence of page : score may be generated based on a set of
factors that includes: Reviews, Citations and Links.

11. • Distance From « Centroide » : the geographic center of the area
searched.
• New geolocation tools based on user IP addresses and mobile apps
delivering hyper-local results could have future implications on this
factor.
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Local SEO - Ranking factors

12. • NAP Consistency and Accuracy
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Local SEO - Ranking factors
Business Name, Phone #,
A business name, a phone number and a domain
that NEVER change are at the core of a SMBs
online identity. Name, phone and domain; these
elements are the glue that allows for both
branding, and for the value of that branding to
come back to the business. Pick them well and
make every effort to retain them forever.
N.A.P.
The acronym for Name, Address and Phone
number. The whole of the local ecosystem uses
these basic identifiers to keep track of the
business listing and identity. Changing them, for
whatever reason, risks confusing the many
directories and search engines that are tracking
the specific business location. It ultimately risks
confusing the customer as well.
Web equity BY Mike Blumenthal : owning your local web presence

13. Page Prominence :
• To calculate the local prominence
of a business, Google use the
information they find online. Each
web page with business
information they discover is called
“local citation”.
• They look at both the quality and
quantity of these citations.
• Generating user reviews on a
Places page improves credibility
and, in turn, prominence.
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Local SEO - Ranking factors

14. 14
Local SEO – Ranking factors
David MIHM - June 2012
Participants were asked to
rank 90 possible positive
factors and 18 possible
negative factors that drive
Google's Local Search
algorithms.
Source: Local Search Ranking Factors by David MIHM, June 2012

15. Bizible - April 2012
• During March, there was
Google Venice Update
“Improvements to ranking for
local search results”.
• Here’s report including
changes :
• Bizible confirmed the
importance of search
category, physical address and
city visible “at a glance” on
places.
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Local SEO – Ranking factors

16. • These terms, located in the "At a
glance" section on Google Places
listings, are a distillation of all the
information that Google can find
about a business, in as few words
as possible. They can be from
reviews, web pages, articles -- from
just about any content on the web.
Our algorithm tries to select a
good description for each place,
leaning towards what is interesting,
specific, and unique.
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Local SEO – Ranking factors
About ‘At glance’ section
Dec. 2011, Google Places introduced words “At a glance” next to the
“descriptor snippets”:

17. • Onpage : there still needs to be descriptions and
text; at least 300 characters so that the content
will interact with the search engines.
• Matt Cuts of Google corroborated this when he
stated that 2 to 3 sentences for each locality on
site would be sufficient.
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Local SEO – Onpage Optimization

18. 18
Local SEO – Onplace Optimization
This optimization shall provide the
place page on Google+ local the base to
meet best practices and align with
website page info to have accurate
NAP (Name, Address, Phone).

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Local SEO – Linkbuilding/Citations

20. • Article 2.0 properties digged locally: posted to some 2.0 properties
such like Tumblr, Blogger, Wordpress… linking to locations pages.
• Local targeted news website: local business directories, local
newspapers and local bloggers hosted on local servers (IP based).
• The vendor network: identify local vendors that have a website and
may add review of properties or listings on their site.
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Local SEO – Link Building
News
• Links IP based
• Article marketing
Directories
• Links to website
• Unique description
Blogs
• Guest blogging
• Comments
Contractors Resellers Installers

21. 21
Local SEO – Citations
Source : The Local Search Ecosystem in
Canada

22. 22
Local SEO – Reviews

23. 23
Local SEO – Social/Mobile

24. • Shema markup Local businesses :
• KML Sitemaps :
• Wikipedia articles :
• Freebase local organizations :
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Local SEO – Semantic optimization

25. 25
Local SEO – Page prominence

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Local SEO – Page prominence

27. Citation finder Tool White spark
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