it’s not your mother’s yellow pages
Mike Blumenthal, blumenthals.com/[email protected] | Twitter: @mblumenthal
2,340,000,001
Comscore.com/Google 03/10
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95.8%iCrossing
% of search Traffic frompage-one of the search engines.
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Difference betweenYellow Pages & Google
Yellow PagesDifficulty: EasyCost: ExpensiveService: Phone & Rep
ServiceGoogle Places
Difficulty: More ComplicatedCost: FreeService: Do It Yourself
• Business Listings areAssembled by Computer
• Listings Displayed Across Different Array of Devices and Technologies
Some Other DifferencesWith Google Places
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How Does Google Assemble a Business Listing
The “Cluster”
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
How Does Google MapsAssemble a Business Listing
LBC Data1 Data2 Data2 Feed1 Feed2 Web1 Web2 UserEdits
Name Y X X X X X XAddress X X X X Y YPhone Y X X X X X X XWeb X X XCategory X X X XReviews X X X XGeoInfo X X XCitations X X XAdditional Details X X X
Mobile MapsGoogle
Directories
Goog – 411Directory
Assistance
Google SMS
Google Maps
Google Earth
Google LocalOne Box
Listings display across different array of devices & technologies
• Before You Start
• Establishing Trust
• Providing A Baseline Presence
• Enhancing Your Standing
Steps To ManagingYour Listing
• Make sure that you provideexcellent customer service.
• Do keyword research.
• Review your business name.
• Pick a URL with your business name in it.
• Pick the right categories.
• Write a great business description.
Before You Start – The 6 P’s
Establish Trust with Google’s Algo
• Claim Your Record in the Places Dashboard with email @yourdomain
• Have your contact informationon every page of your website.
• Include Your Business Name onLanding Page, Title & Meta Description.
• Whois Domain Record Visible (Not Private)
• Add a KML Sitemap or hCard info.
Providing A Baseline Presence
NAP+W – Consistent name, address, phone & website on:
• Legal Documents• Phone Directories• Update Your Listing With
Google’s Primary Providers- Localeze- infoUSA & Axciom
(via Universal Business Listing)
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Providing A Baseline Presence
Providing A Baseline Presence
Claim listings from the principalsecondary data suppliers/sites:
• SuperPages• Yahoo, Bing• HotFrog, Manta, MC• Claim Industry Specific Directories
- Yelp, Avvo, Tripadvisor• Note: You claim it. You own it.
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Providing A Baseline Presence
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Enhancing Your StandingIncrease your Relevance & Rank
Enhancing Your Standing
• Increase the Relevance of your listing- Business Title- Business Category- Inbound Link Phrasing or Citation
Enhancing Your Standing
• Increasing your Rank- Popularity of My Maps & GeoReferences- Citations & In-bound Links- Reviews- User Content
Some Helpful Tools To Ease Your Way
•Category Review Tool: blumenthals.com/category
•KML & Geo SiteMap:geositemapgenerator.com
•Listing Assessment and Management:GetListed.org
Some Things Never Change
The Old Way Now
Customer Relations
Know your customers & treat them right.
Know Your Customers. Treat them “righter”.Know what they are saying and encourage them to say nice things.
Marketing Make yourbusiness visible.
Make your business visible in both the offline AND online worlds.
Don’t chase after Google’s algorithm.Find customers.Treat them right.
For More Background
• Blumenthals.com/birmingham
it’s not your mother’s yellow pages
Mike Blumenthal, blumenthals.com/[email protected] | Twitter: @mblumenthal