Dominating Local Search Rankings with Relevance, EEAT, & More by Kevin Mullett - Zenith 2023
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Why would I pick this image of weak aurora over the many other photos I have with better aurora displays and in more exotic locations? Relevance! Are you locally relevant? Does Google agree? Local SEO is not limited to Google Business Profiles (GBP) and the map pack. In this session, we'll empower you with tips, techniques, tasks, and tools to improve your local visibility in your primary market and beyond. How? With relevance, reviews, business listings, citations, backlinks, E-E-A-T, and more. Whether you're a small business owner, digital marketer, or SEO specialist, this session will help you improve what you're already doing well and provide you with the actions you need to dominate your local search rankings. Created and presented by Kevin R. Mullett (@kmullett) at the 2023 Zenith Digital Marketing Conference in Duluth, MN on 4/20/2023 #Zenith2023
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Dominating Local Search Rankings with Relevance, EEAT, & More by Kevin Mullett - Zenith 2023
- 3. relevance ARGUABLY BETTER, BUT LESS RELEVANT
- 5. Intimate Audience Knowledge & Subject Matter Expertise We get you We are with you We are one of you
- 6. NOT ALL BUSINESSES ARE REPRESENTED THE SAME
- 7. THE MAP PACK IS NOT THE TOTALITY OF LOCAL SEO Our goal is to maximize ALL possible SERP coverage, not just queries that produce a Map (local) pack! GEO-modified terms impact SERP. “ice cream” vs “Duluth ice cream” vs “gallons of ice cream in Duluth”. Some ranking factors are shared, while others are unique or at least uniquely weighted. Local intent IS NOT limited to mobile queries. Proving relevance in your primary and Secondary markets.
- 8. No time today for a deep dive into technical SEO. • Serve Consumers and Search Engine Crawlers • Review site structure for clarity, products and services offered, subject completeness • Check your Core Web Vitals *won’t help if you’re not relevant* • Schema markup, just do it • Explore UI/UX/Conversion improvements • Be AS GOOD as you competitors, or better
- 9. MULTI-LOCATION SPECIFIC STRUCTURE & CONTENT How relevant is a single market mention or thin content page, versus an entire site? • Location specific manager, staff, capabilities, experience, awards, etc. • Location specific services, age, and history • Location specific recent jobs (galleries), case studies, etc. • Location specific community involvement, philanthropy, news, etc. • Location specific seasonal content and offers • Location specific directions from outside the market
- 10. A high-level pass… • GEO + Service/product in meta title, headline (H1), body copy • Location specific pages (or sites) • Location specific content (text, imagery of landmarks, etc.) • Location specific file naming, alt text, etc. • Internal and external linking, including to local sites ON-SITE & ON-PAGE PROOF, YOU’RE RELEVANT
- 11. Or the most gross over-simplification… EVAaaaa! Near me keywords , NAP, or literally – near me RIGHT NOW? Is your local competition doing this better than you, in your primary and secondary markets? SO, JUST WRITE GOOD CONTENT IS A LIE ⌄
- 13. SOLVE PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS, ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS, EVOKE EMOTION AND ENTERTAIN THEM
- 14. Pick ONE authority page for each market/location and exact keyword phrase(s). Don’t confuse Google. “Duluth HVAC Repair” should ALWAYS and ONLY ever link to (page). When in doubt, or argument, about where the "authority" should reside, conversion decides. USE STRATEGIC & CONSISTANT INTERNAL LINKING
- 15. A performance auto repair shop could list or link to: • List local car shows, with location information, then a link • List and link to nearby racetracks • Mention and link to local gas stations that sell 104 octane fuel • This *might* earn you locally relevant and industry relevant backlinks USE LOCALLY RELEVANT EXTERNAL LINKING
- 16. EEAT without Relevance will leave you unfulfilled and unsatisfied • Experience • Expertise • Authoritativeness • Trustworthiness You can do EEAT and content correctly but be LESS Relevant than your competitors to Google in the markets you serve. But, if you are relevant… YOU NEED EEAT+R } ≠ Relevance
- 17. Content is provided by an author (entity) who has first-hand life experience on the subject or with the product and a body of work that substantiates said experience. ☝ Ahem, how will purely AI content, text and imagery, prove experience? • List topics out on the author bio • Add topics to “KnowsAbout” schema • Consider the weight of data gathering experience verses proof of visiting EXPERIENCE-EAT
- 18. E-EXPERTISE-AT Been there, done that. The content creator has knowledge and skill required for the topic. • Should have mentions on the web, related to topic • Add “sameAs” schema if a book author
- 19. EE-AUTHORITY-T Is this content creator known as the person to go to and is their content written in-depth? Does their content rank? Are they cited frequently? Authoritative, but perhaps not relevant to a local intent query.
- 20. EEA-TRUST Do all indicators lead us to believe we trust this content, author, company? • Verifiable contact information • Social Profiles • About the company and employees • Copyright up to date • Policy and privacy statements • Other technical blah, blah, blah…
- 21. DIGITAL PR, BRANDING, SoF… Did you see Marty and Aubrey on TV? Develop local trust, citations, and earn backlinks. Seek local, national, and international industry participation. (Search Awards) Look for sponsorships and community involvement projects.
- 22. •NAP (Name, Address, Phone number •NAP + Backlink •Backlinks •Backlinks with KW Rich Anchor Text •Mentions or References Local vs National or International Higher domain authority vs local relevance •NAP (Name, Address, Phone number •NAP + Backlink •Backlinks •Backlinks with KW Rich Anchor Text •Mentions or References Local vs National or International Higher domain authority vs local relevance CITATIONS & BACKLINKS
- 23. BUSINESS LISTING QUALITY NOT JUST QUANITITY Aggregators •Data Axle, Neustar, Foursquare Maps/GPS •Apple Business Connect, TomTom, Uber, etc. Directories/Listings •GBP, Bing, EZLocal, Chamber of Commerce, etc. Specialty Directories/Listings •Trip Advisor, Open Table, WebMD, etc. Over 1300 listings of various quality or lack there of.
- 24. MANUAL UPDATES OR USE A SERVICE
- 25. Google Business Profile (GBP) Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness GBP IS ONE BUOY, DON’T MISS THE REST
- 26. GBP ONGOING OPTIMIZATION •Claim & Verify •Consistency (online & signage) •Primary & Secondary categories •Hours (If not a Service Area Business) •Unique Pictures & Videos •Use Predefined services •Add localized service descriptions •Add custom services
- 27. USE THE GBP FEATURES •Use these features, your competitors probably aren’t •Add localized content •250-500 words •Add text CTA •Use “Add a Button” CTA •Rejection reasons: •Phone or NAP •Keywords •Links •Hashtags
- 28. •Claiming, but not verifying •Letting someone else own your listing(s) •Trying to trick Google •Business Location, SAB, or Hybrid •Two businesses in one •Keywords in GBP •No permanent signage •GBP name doesn’t match signage •Not responding to reviews •Inconsistencies (NAP, services, story) •Not responding to suggested edits •Not reporting competitors for cheating COMMON MISTAKES TO WATCH FOR •Claiming, but not verifying •Letting someone else own your listing(s) •Trying to trick Google •Business Location, SAB, or Hybrid •Two businesses in one •Keywords in GBP •No permanent signage •GBP name doesn’t match signage •Not responding to reviews •Inconsistencies (NAP, services, story) •Not responding to suggested edits •Not reporting competitors for cheating
- 29. GBP ISSUES RESOLUTION •Avoid suspension in the first place! •Reconsideration request aren’t fun •Don’t let someone else own your GBP •Watch for scam ownership requests •Monitor for suggested edits
- 30. POUND FOR POUND YOU CAN’T BEAT THE ROI OF BEING AWESOME Earn, then ask for reviews
- 31. •Respond to reviews •Add location info to responses. “We look forward to being your residential carpet cleaner of choice in Duluth again.” •Report fake reviews via three dots>report>(select cause) •The cost of a refund may net more ROI than an ad campaign •Respond to reviews •Add location info to responses. “We look forward to being your residential carpet cleaner of choice in Duluth again.” •Report fake reviews via three dots>report>(select cause) •The cost of a refund may net more ROI than an ad campaign A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE REFLECTION
- 32. THE REAL INFLUENCERS ARE THE CUSTOMERS YOU MAKE HAPPY The trick is how to get them to blow their horn about you.
- 34. #zenith2023
Hinweis der Redaktion
- // Dominate Local Search Rankings with Relevance, E-E-A-T, and More Why would I pick this image of weak aurora over the many other photos with better aurora displays and in more exotic locations? Are you locally relevant? Does Google agree? Local SEO is not limited to Google Business Profiles (GBP) and the map pack. In this session, we'll empower you with tips, techniques, tasks, and tools to improve your local visibility in your primary market and beyond. How? With relevance, reviews, business listings, citations, backlinks, E-E-A-T, and more. Whether you're a small business owner, digital marketer, or SEO specialist, this session will help you improve what you're already doing well and provide you with the actions you need to dominate your local search rankings. Created and presented by Kevin R. Mullett (@kmullett) at the 2023 Zenith Digital Marketing Conference in Duluth, MN on 4/20/2023 #Zenith2023
- Uncle Kev • Please note - that's Mullett with two T's... • Before we start: Write down one thing you think you believe could improve your online visibility, next week.
- Arguably a “better” picture, but it is not as relevant to this audience. What is good anyway? Good is subjective. And good is not the same as personalized to the audience location or within their cultural reference library. I thought this was THE shot of my trip. But my audience didn’t care what I thought. And while I prefer professional quality images over cell phone shots, that comes with the caveat that it must be relevant and personalized. We deal with a lot of multi-location brands, dealer networks, franchises, etc., we want their local sites and social channels to have local imagery, places, and people. TA Moulton Barn – Mormon Row
- Relevance, Distance, and Prominence Why don’t more SEOs talk about relevance when Google themselves state it as a ranking factor? Source: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en&authuser=0#zippy=%2Crelevance%2Cdistance%2Cprominence
- Relevance to your local audience, experience and expertise, when you know how to talk to them! Outdoor Research: Brush Off Failure Facebook watch: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=269284377099160 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_sfXPcUTis Intimate Audience Knowledge & Subject Matter Expertise We get you We are with you We are one of you
- You can visit a state park or a lighthouse, because the lighthouse doesn’t come to you.
- The Map Pack/3 Pack is NOT the totality of local SEO or visibility! And not all queries that will provide visibility, traffic, or converting leads/visits trigger a map pack. Map Pack, Text Links, Rich results, Image result, Video result, and Exploration features. Google knows where you’re performing the search from. We know how to tell Google where we are intending to get results from Local sites convert significantly higher Which is why local sites almost always rank higher for local intent queries than corporate pages Some ranking factors impact specific SERP listings more or less, such as how GBP impacts map pack, versus how citations and backlinks impact text (blue) links Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/visual-elements-gallery
- Every Site has Two Audiences You need to serve both audiences, consumers and the search engines. While we don’t have time for a deep dive into technical SEO today, here are some tips. Technical: • For the sake of this talk, all I can do is stress that your site must be technically sound. I don't have time to discus Core Web Vitals, Technical SEO, UI or UX. • The things I am about to discuss won't fix performance or technical issues, but they also shouldn't impede fixing them or harm you. • Almost every agency and web shop wants to build a new site. Your job is to ask for justification. • Speed Won't help you If you are not relevant to the query. But it will hurt you if your competitors are optimized and you are not. • Beware of bloat via Third Party tools that slow your site down • Watch for simple mistakes like uploading a 2mb picture then sizing it down in HTML. ☝ You've changed the dimensions, not the file size. • Both sitemap.xml and human readable sitemaps are important
- Multi-Location Specific Structure and Content Even if you are not a multi-location business, you can use techniques that work for them, such as providing a structure and content to prove your local relevance. Location specific manager, staff, capabilities, experience Location specific services, age, and history Location specific recent jobs, case studies, awards, etc. Location specific community involvement, philanthropy, news, etc. Location specific seasonal content and offers Location specific directions from outside the market
- On-site and On-Page Proof that you are Relevant to your primary and secondary markets This would not be a relevant image to use on a Dultuh website. Certainly not for conversion, unless the site was for perhaps a travel agency or photography guide service. At a high-level pass, you should include: 40,000 foot view, this would NOT be a locally relevant image for services in Duluth! Location specific pages could include local pictures, landmarks, recent jobs/service calls in edition, etc. Location specific content like 3 places to walk your dog in *secondary market*, or dog roomers in *market*. Location specific keywords and identifiers should be included, such as “Just down the road from (whatever).” “1 mile from landmark” and use of colloquial names of suburbs, markets, sub-markets, etc.
- The "just write *AI* good content" trope is a lie, or a half-truth at best. What is “good content?” You need Quality + Relevance + Context to win search visibility for your content. If all you had to do was write good content, you would never see poor content ranking well in Google. Do you think Google cares more that you use “near me” in your text, or that you actually provide what the person is looking for - near them? (Search Termination) Mobile, near-me, geo/hyper-geo, voice, and apps still have to prove you people are satisfied with the destination Google sent you to. Which of these is your competition doing well?
- Absolute relevance to the locations you serve is a huge advantage! This went out to 160 Facebook pages but was personalized and relevant to each. The Key is Efficient and Affordable Personalization of Relevant Content Delivery at Scale While Allowing Optional Local Participation.
- Solve people’s problems, answer their questions, evoke emotion and entertain them. And you don’t need fancy tools or a big budget to do that. Remember to include events, interviews, life, behind the scenes, step by step and how to explanations, and solutions. Think value, first.
- Use Strategic and Consistent Internal Linking Internal linking to the one and only most relevant page on your site for whatever the keyword phrase is. Pick ONE authority page for a market/location and exact keyword phrase. You can use derivations for other pages, but not the exact same anchor text. “Duluth HVAC Repair” ALWAYS and ONLY ever links to (page) When in doubt, or argument, about where the "authority" should reside, conversion decides.
- Use Locally Relevant External Linking A performance auto repair shop could list or link to: List local car shows, with location information, then a link List and link to nearby racetracks Mention and link to local gas stations that sell 104 octane fuel This *might* earn you locally relevant and industry relevant backlinksGov sites Chamber Your Google Map page (Use the share link - with exact KW anchor text.) Think, dog groomers linking to local pet parks. You may pick up locally relevant and industry relevant backlinks
- You Need EEAT+R A lighthouse need only be relevant to navigation. You can show Experience, and be irrelevant You can prove Expertise, and be irrelevant You can show Authoritativeness, and be irrelevant You can prove Trustworthiness, and be irrelevant You can do EEAT and content correctly but be LESS Relevant than your competitors to Google in the markets you serve. But, if you are relevant…
- Experience-EAT Content is provided by an author (entity) who has first-hand life experience on the subject or with the product and a body of work that substantiates said experience. ☝ Ahem, how will purely AI content, text and imagery, prove experience? List topics out on the author bio Add topics to “KnowsAbout” schema Consider the weight of data gathering experience verses proof of visiting AI content nod to Lily Ray from Amisive Digital - https://www.amsivedigital.com/insights/seo/googles-march-2023-core-update-winners-losers-analysis/
- E-Expertise-AT The content creator has knowledge and the skill required for the topic. They’ve been there and done that. If the author is unknown, it is unlikely this can be determined. Avoid speculation, opinion, and unsubstantiated claims Use phrases like “In our experience”, “our research indicates”, “after testing”, “we found”, “in using the product, we noticed” Ansel Adams, Peter McKinnon, Alex Armitage,
- EE-Authority-T Ladies and gentlemen, Barry Schwartz. Is this content creator known as the person to go to and is their content written in-depth? Does their content rank? Are they cited frequently? Authoritative, but perhaps not relevant to a local intent query.
- EEA-Trust
- Digital PR, Brand Campaigns, Share of Voice, etc. We can stop saying digital now, BTW. Partial citation and sometimes a backlink. Zenith got one. EEAT and Relevant – You don’t normally get asked if you don’t meet these criteria Something to link in and out from that makes sense to Google and for your social media channels (social proof) Does Google read CC info? IDK. Now imagine that you have author page / bio to build entity authority
- Citations: • NAP • NAP+BL • BL • Mention or Reference
- More Business Listing Sites than Stars in the Sky. You want a large quantity, but only if they are quality listings. Business Listings: • Directories • Specialty solutions (Trip Advisor, OpenTable, WebMD, etc.) • Aggregators/Maps (Getting base/foundational information correct, hidden/quasi hidden data) • Who controls what and back alley deals • - - How much authority do you think Google gives to listings that can only be "bought" from one source?) • - - The access game, Yext, Uberall, Birdeye, SOCi, RIOseo, Synup, etc. etc. AND their resellers. Why resellers? Experience on what to do. Minimum monthly spends or locations. • Grouped Taxonomies (by type, subject matter, ownership, or other unique qualifiers) • Actions: • - You don't need (n) amount, all, or irrelevant ones • - Must do: (GBP, Bing, Apple Business Connect https://businessconnect.apple.com/ • - Specific/Niche: (Trip Advisor, Open Table, MDwise) If you can only get in by paying, how much can/will Google use that data? https://www.hallaminternet.com/google-posts/
- Manually Updates, or Use a Service? Business Listings: • Directories • Specialty solutions (Trip Advisor, OpenTable, WebMD, etc.) • Aggregators/Maps (Getting base/foundational information correct, hidden/quasi hidden data) • Who controls what and back alley deals • - - How much authority do you think Google gives to listings that can only be "bought" from one source?) • - - The access game, Yext, Uberall, Birdeye, SOCi, RIOseo, Synup, etc. etc. AND their resellers. Why resellers? Experience on what to do. Minimum monthly spends or locations. • Grouped Taxonomies (by type, subject matter, ownership, or other unique qualifiers) • Actions: • - You don't need (n) amount, all, or irrelevant ones • - Must do: (GBP, Bing, Apple Business Connect https://businessconnect.apple.com/ • - Specific/Niche: (Trip Advisor, Open Table, MDwise) If you can only get in by paying, how much can/will Google use that data? https://www.hallaminternet.com/google-posts/
- GBP is NOT the totality of local SEO or visibility! GBP: • Google blocked spam story - https://www.androidpolice.com/google-maps-team-offers-a-behind-the-scenes-glimpse-into-its-battle-against-scammers/
- GBP Optimization Make sure your data and information is consistent Choose categories that accurately represent what you do
- Use the GBP Features! Don’t just setup GBP, use and optimize it Google Posts 540x720, jpg or png, 10kb to 5mb Add important words first to show “above the fold” Possible rejections reasons include: phone number (expressly mentioned), NAP, specific keywords, hashtags (not clickable, so just words), links. Posts more than 6 months old get archived unless a date range is specified. (source: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7662907?hl=en&sjid=2683434418147778795-NA) Other tips: https://support.google.com/business/answer/6103862?hl=en&visit_id=638173495951498018-2895735945&p=photo_guidelines&rd=1#photo-video-guidelines Visible via “Updates” “Overview” “From the Owner” source: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7662907?hl=en
- Common Mistakes: • Letting someone else, or an employee OWN your listings • Trying to trick Google. 👍 Good luck with that! • Not responding to reviews, or even being aware of them • Not keeping your NAP+website+value prop/story the same • Not watching for suggested edits on GBP or Google deciding they know your business better than you, which... sadly, they might. • Not reporting competitors that are gaming the system with the Google Redresal form • Paid ads, for the love of all that is holy, respond/watch comments (Story of IAA, brought on to help with ORM, setup ads carefully to avoid current buys, don't want to pay to be dragged through the mud.) • Asking for proof of value up front, despite not asking for proof from the vehicle wrap person • Not translating customer questions and inquiries into HELPful answers • Selling first, instead of HELPing first • Pretending you have a walk in business, hours, staff, displays (should be SAB) • No permanent signage • Two businesses in one (dilute both) • Keywords in GBP
- GBP Issue Resolution Navigating GBP issues can be tricky… Avoid suspension in the first place! Reconsideration request aren’t fun Don’t let someone else own your GBP Watch for scam ownership requests Monitor for suggested edits
- Pound for pound, you can’t beat the ROI of being an awesome business. If you can be awesome, • You'll spend less time and money on marketing, SEO, and ORM. • The time and money you spend will be worth more. • You won't have to ask for reviews as much, and the reviews you get will be better. • The reviews you get will be more positive and impactful to your visibility. • Branded searches will increase as word of mouth carries. Few businesses can survive horrible service and those that do, typically only do so as long as there is no other choice in the market.
- Reviews and Online Reputation Management: • Be awesome... or at least stop sucking • - If you must, frame giving refunds and discounts as making you money, not giving it away • Business types (Service Area VS Physical Location) • How Business type changes click through (ice cream vs HVAC repair) • Localized (and relevant) content! (This is what we do. This is where we are/where we do it. This is where we go. This is who we serve.) • Multi location specific... corp directory/landing/store pages AND unique TLD highly localized full sites • works because the whole site is about product/service AND relevant to a location, not merely mentioning it a few times • primary and secondary markets, for broader serp listings • Webchat (for the right type of clients) (Story, 31 new SALES in the first month) • Reviews, for the love of all that is holy, respond. Using automations that connect to your CRM to lighten the load. (Birdeye) Common sense tells us if you ask for reviews, you are more likely to get them. Being attentive makes an impression. Think about your own experience with reviews on various platforms. Do they or do they not influence you? The real influencers are customers you make happy. You want to work with influencers, work with customers you've made happy. • Occasionally add location information in your RESPONSES, particularly on positive reviews. "... we look forward to being your residential carpet cleaners in Duluth again!" • Reviews are a big part of the online version of your local reputation. Build organically • Shift the 9 to 5 mindset. The web moved us part of the way, text, and data response (bots/ai) may take it further. (Stories of Twitter for customer support.) • Google Discover • Actions: • - be awesome • - swallow your pride • - earn, then ask for reviews • - respond to reviews Report reviews: https://support.google.com/business/workflow/9945796
- The real influencers are the customers you make happy. The trick is how to get them to blow their horn about you.
- Solve people’s problems, answer their questions, evoke emotion and entertain them. And you don’t need fancy tools or a big budget to do that. Remember to include events, interviews, life, behind the scenes, step by step and how to explanations, and solutions.
- LET’S CONNECT : Search for Kevin Mullett, but please note the two “T’s” at the end of my name. It is what distinguishes me from the fish or the haircut. Please find me on any network you are already participating on and say hello. Ask me about capturing local visibility for your network of partner websites. Tens to thousands of multi-site through one central cms interface. More about me: bit.ly/aboutKM Request a strategy Session https://bit.ly/3KHwfAr or http://www.marketsnare.com/