Dana DiTomaso - SearchFest 2015 SpeakerDana DiTomaso will be speaking on “Crafting and Executing a Local Content Strategy” at SearchFest 2015 which will take place Friday, February 27, 2015 in Portland Oregon. For more information or to purchase tickets, please click here.

1) Please give us your background and tell us what you do for a living.
I’m a Partner at Kick Point, a digital marketing agency based in Edmonton, Alberta. I got into SEO in 2003, when I was primarily doing web development and then slowly ended up doing more and more marketing until I stopped doing websites in 2010 and focused on digital marketing. Before that, I worked in software and I have a degree in Geography and Ecosystem Restoration.

2) If a business asks you for a good strategy for increasing online reviews, what would you tell them?
If they’re trying to get good reviews because they have lots of bad reviews, start by making sure that your house is clean. Are there bad reviews for a reason? Can you fix that reason? What can you do to fix the problems you’ve had in the past, even if the reviews are months old, and can you commit to permanently making these changes? Then, when you’re ready to start drawing in some positive reviews, set up a review page on your site or hand out postcards with information on how to leave a review. Focus on the review sites that need the most help first and then expanding from there. Asking for a review is the easy part – making sure you have a product or service that’ll result in a positive review 100% of the time is the hard part.

3) What are some best practices for building out your Google Business Listing?
Approach it as if you’re a complete outsider and have never been to your business. Do you look trustworthy? Do you need more photos, videos or posts? What else can you do to gain trust for your business on this page? Also check your page on mobile and from Maps – you never know what surprises you might find.

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