1. Local Brand Building
With a Website Google Loves

2. Local Search Algorithms

4. Does the business provide the services, products or answers that the searcher is asking for?

6. Is the business well-known and well-regarded within its local market area?

7. proximity

8. Is business close enough to searcher
Is business close enough to searcher* to be considered a good answer for the search query?
*or area specified

10. Goal: model the real world

11. Best businesses rank best

15. Brands

16. “The internet is a cesspool where false information thrives.”
Google CEO Eric Schmidt, 2008

17. "Brands are how you sort out the cesspool."
Google CEO Eric Schmidt, 2008

18. LOCAL

19. Local Awareness +
Local Reputation

20. Business Website
Your Brand’s Online Home

21. You own & control it!

22. Most authoritative web document
Repository of detailed information
Teaches Google & searchers about biz
Info needs to match GMB info
Google looks for verification in other trusted places

24. Google Knowledge Graph
“…we’ve been working on an intelligent model—in geek-speak, a “graph”—that understands real-world entities and their relationships to one another: things, not strings.” Google
Google Knowledge Graph

25. Entities Relationships (Things) (Connections)
Fred Flintstone lives in Bedrock
Fred Flintstone is married to Wilma
Fred Flintstone is a parent of Pebbles
Pebbles is married to Bamm-Bamm Rubble

26. Brands/businesses ranked, not websites or web pages
Ranking Entities

27. Business/brand is an entity that has relationships with many other entities
People
Location(s)
Events
Images, videos
Service areas
Categories
Subcategories
Products
Services
Customers

28. The more Google knows about your business, the more answers it can give to searchers

29. Brand Knowledge Graph Pages Entities = Relationships = Links (Things)
Joe’s Propane
is owned by
offers
is located in
performs
performed in
Joe Smith
Delivery
Spokane WA
located in
Relationships = Links
(Connections)
Entities =
(Things)
Pages
Brand Knowledge Graph

30. Relationships = Links (Connections) Entities = (Things) Pages
Joe’s Propane
is owned by
offers
Joe Smith
Services
is located at
are
is a
performs
performed at
Delivery
Spokane WA
Certified Tech
Inspect
Install
located at
Relationships = Links
(Connections)
Entities =
(Things)
Pages

31. Multi-Location Websites
One unique page for each location
(location landing page - LLP)
2-5 (or so) locations – list and link to all LLPs in footer
5-20 (or so) locations – create a “locations” page and list and link to all LLPs from there
21+ locations –best to have some kind of store finder system on your site
Multi-Location Websites

32. Site Structure for Store Finders
Push ranking power down to LLPs via links
at the top level of the site structure
not competing with too many other links
Prominent to visitors
Easy to spot on all pages
Super-crawlable for Search Engines
text links
breadcrumbs
copious internal linking
Site Structure for Store Finders

33. for Searchers and Search Engines
Optimize Your Free Ads
for Searchers and Search Engines

34. Organic Results

35. site: full URL copied and pasted from your home page

36. Page Title Meta Description
<title>Propane Delivery - Bakersfield, CA – Valley Propane of Bakersfield<title>
Page Title
<meta name="description" content="Make smart and efficient energy choices when using commercial propane. Call up Valley Propane of Bakersfield for a quote at (661) "/>
Meta Description

37. Focus on Customer

38. Boost Your Local Brand & Rankings

39. Join Local Groups

40. Join Industry Groups

41. Dealer Directory Listings

43. Become a Barnacle

44. Move Referrals Online

45. Earn Community Karma

46. Earn Community Karma

47. Get Online Recognition

48. Get Awards

49. Get Media Attention

50. Co-host/Sponsor Events

51. Host Events

52. Be the Best

53. “The key for us is to remember, SEO was never really about the search engines. It's always been about optimizing the business.”
Will Scott
LocalU

54. THANKS!
Host Events