October 12, 2010 – Spicing it up with kegs and a different venue, SEMpdx returned this month with another stellar event. Speaking to a full house, Portland’s own local search expert David Mihm shared the latest strategies and tactics in ensuring your company runs a successful local search marketing strategy.
David began by listing a few statistics, perhaps the most notable being that local search currently captures 20% of the total search volume. As we watch local displace organic in search results, the moral of the story becomes clear: a holistic search marketing strategy is essential to success.
To rank highly in local search, consider the fundamentals such as understanding the landscape and identifying areas of opportunity. Also keep in mind more advanced ranking factors including the creation of a MyMap in your Google Places login and embedding on your own website for higher page views.
For businesses that have multiple locations, David shared a few best practices to implement. Cross link nearby locations and build a flat site architecture beginning with a store locator page. He also recommended off-site optimization techniques which included utilizing Localeze’s channel partner offerings and deciding on a consistent corporate business name.
As the evening came to a close, we learned how structured reviews are critical to ranking. Further, trusted sources are becoming increasingly important as Google deciphers which reviews matter. Earn Google’s trust and enjoy higher rankings.
Sarah is a search marketing consultant, helping clients improve ROI through paid search, SEO and social media initiatives. She is also the Official SEMpdx Event Blogger and can be found at all of the monthly events.