A brief history of Google's search algorithm journey leading to the inclusion of "local" in search results and how to take advantage.

1. HOW GOOGLE HAS CHANGED
THE GAME OVER THE YEARS
And why Local Authority is the
secret weapon to win
LOGO

2. Google started all about National SEO
But the shift is 100% local and mobile
Understand how customers interact with search
The customer Path To Purchase after a “Micromoment”
WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE
How to ride the Google wave

3. GOOGLE JUST REACHED
DRINKING AGE
A company that’s only 22 years old…
Is #1 most visited website in the world
Impacts every facet of modern life
Was named most valuable brand in the world (in 2017)
Earns $162 B in revenue per year
Controls 87.35% of web traffic
Hosts 32.3% of all digital ads
…And can make or break a business.

4. Google was founded by two Stanford University Ph.D. students
They’d been solving a mathematical problem:
parse all the world’s web pages on 1.5 billion websites.
1998
2000
2004
2005
2006
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
GOOGLE IS
INCORPORATED

5. THE PRIME DIRECTIVE
Don’t be evil.
A Stanford research project on the best way to deliver
search engine results. Other search engines examined how
many times search words appeared on the page.
Google’s theory of “page rank” builds a search engine that uses links
between websites to determine the importance of individual pages on the
World Wide Web.
“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible
and useful.”
"We chose our system’s name, Google, because it is a common
spelling of googol, or 10100 and fits well with our goal of building very
large-scale search engines."
THE START
NEW THINKING
THE GOAL
THE NAME

6. Looking for a way to produce revenue,
Google sells real estate at the top of the
Search Engine Results Page.
FUN FACT: “live mail order lobsters” was the
first Google ad in 2000
FUN FACT: Mesothelioma attorney is the most expensive
search keyword averaging about $226 per click.
1998
2000
2004
2005
2006
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
GOOGLE LAUNCHED
GOOGLE ADS

7. FACT
At least 96.4%
of Google’s total revenue that comes from
digital and display paid advertisements.
Google’s advertising revenue in 2019 was
$134.81 billion
US dollars

8. Here’s what typical
Search looked like
back then
Only 3.17% of clicks
go to paid ads
The top Google listing
gets about 34.36% of all clicks
Organic results earning the 1st-4th spot
receive 96% of the clicks

9. Google launches: Google acquires:
In an effort to
dominate:
Gmail
Google Maps
Google Chat
Google Chrome
Android
YouTube
Email
Maps
Chat
Phone OS
Video
Internet browsers
1998
2000
2004
2005
2006
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
GOOGLE EXPANDS
ITS REACH

10. Merriam-Webster adds
“google” to dictionary as a verb
1998
2000
2004
2005
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
2006
GOOGLE HITS AN
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
MILESTONE

11. LEARN TO THINK
LIKE GOOGLE
2 Main Components of the
Organic Search Algorithm
Relevance
The degree to which a listing’s website content
matches the search inquiry.
Prominence
Refers to the strength of the business in terms of its
domain authority calculated by traffic, backlinks, etc.

12. DOMAIN AUTHORITY
ALEXA RANKING KEYWORDS
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
TRAFFIC LINK BUILDING
SEARCH ENGINE
RESULTS PAGE
THE BUSINESS EDGE:
ORGANIC SEO
To secure a top ranking, businesses deployed legions of SEOs who could fill
pages with keywords, generate traffic, raise a site’s domain authority.

13. The world underestimated the
significance of mobile.
1998
2000
2004
2005
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2006
2007
IPHONE IS RELEASED
AND ABOUT TO CHANGE
HOW PEOPLE BROWSE

14. Google Buzz Google Wave Google Plus Google Goggles
2010-2011 2010-2012 2011-2019 2010-2018
The company struggled to compete in industries
like social media and virtual reality.
1998
2000
2004
2005
2006
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
GOOGLE HITS SOME
SNAGS AS A TEEN

15. By 2014, most people didn’t know:
You can’t comb through 1.5B websites instantly
Google created their own way of crawling, cataloging, and “indexing” pages on
their internal servers (similar to the Museum of Natural History)
The formula is an “algorithm” – how Google decides what to deliver to the SERP

16. Google is Always Changing the Game
by Changing the Algorithm, right?
Not really!
…

17. THE GOOGLE GOLDEN RULE
DELIVER A CONSISTENT REALITY
Google is obsessed with digitally depicting the physical world to give
searchers the finest and most true answers to their queries.
Because...
1
2
3
4
5
If Google delivers bad information (like the wrong
business location)
Then people won’t trust Google’s answers
They’ll stop going to Google for everything
Then Google can’t dominate search…
Or make billions on adverts

18. “coffee shop”
WHAT PEOPLE ARE
LOOKING FOR
Organic search
Alexa Rank
Keyword Rankings
Fine on your desktop for educational searches

19. “coffee shop”
WHAT PEOPLE ARE
LOOKING FOR
Ummmm... A cup of coffee, please?
Directions
Not usually a national result

20. Users trying to get a relevant, local results naturally add
phrases to queries.
Google anticipating the needs, starts to include these
automatically in search results.
“NEAR ME” SEARCHES

21. GOOGLE WORKED SOME THINGS OUT:
1. 2. 3.People are searching on the go
with a mobile phone
People go where the pictures
are
People are looking for stuff
locally (here and now)

22. THE GAME SUDDENLY
CHANGED
63%
46%
76%
56%
65%
63% of Google traffic is mobile.
46% of all searches on Google are seeking local information.
76% of local mobile searches for local businesses result in a store
visit within 24 hours.
56% of local searches are on-the-go via smartphones.
65% of people use their mobile phones in buying moments.

23. What happened next?
TOTAL DISRUPTION!

24. GOOGLE ADDS
“PROXIMITY”
3rd Main Component Creates
Local Search Algorithm
Relevance
The degree to which a listing matches the search.
Prominence
Refers to the strength of the business in terms of SEO.
Proximity
Describes the physical distance of a business from
the origin point of a search.

25. a.k.a Google Maps
a.k.a Google Local
1998
2000
2004
2005
2006
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
GOOGLE LAUNCHES
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

26. GOOGLE MADE LOCAL
A PRIORITY

27. WHAT GOOGLE SEARCH
LOOKS LIKE WITH GMB
1
2
3
Map listings are now in the #1 spot –
above organic listings and it’s free!
Ads
are first
Maps
are second
Organic
is third

28. GOAL CHANGE: GET
IN THE 3-PACK AND
BE SEEN
The map section is very attractive. Unlike ads and
organic listings, Google controls the format making
comparison a cinch.
This section is what people intuitively choose from.

29. BENEFITS OF BEING IN THE
GOOGLE MAPS 3-PACK
FACT
97% of consumers
search online to find local businesses.
Ranking in the top 3 on Google Maps leads to:
Increase in phone calls Increase in website visits
Increase in profile views Increase in driving directions
to your locations

30. “The #1 ROI strategy for a local
business is GMB optimisation.”
-- BrightLocal
Local Search & Organic Search deliver greater ROI than other
digital marketing channels
Local Search & Organic Search deliver the highest
quality leads
Local Search delivers more clicks and calls than other
marketing channels

31. GMB Optimisation vs. Organic and PPC
ORGANIC PAY-PER-CLICK GMB PROFILE
COST
TIME
RETURN
$$$$$
YEARS
No Guarantee
$$$
Weeks
2 to 1
$
90 Days
10 to 1

32. WHAT DO YOU HAVE
TO DO TO WIN IN GMB?
Claim your profile
Confirm your address
Check your business hours
Add 3-5 photos
Add your website URL
Write an introduction
Ask for reviews
Respond to reviews
Post occasionally
Name your photos

33. HARLEY DAVIDSON
CASE STUDY
Showing results after 30 days of
optimisation where previously
there had been zero results

34. QUAID HARLEY DAVIDSON CASE STUDY
203
1029
1048
1
10
41
Local Search Organic Search Google Adwords
Monthly
Website Visits
Phone Calls
Generated
Results after 30 days

35. This shift gives an
advantage to local
businesses to reach
customers, and yet . . .
Instead they’re still looking at national SEO
metrics on keyword ranking and
domain authority.
When they should be looking at their Local
Authority score.
46%+
70%
90%
98%
99.9%
of businesses haven’t claimed their profiles
haven’t filled in basic profile information
aren’t maintaining the profile on a
regular basis
haven’t positioned themselves
as the best choice
aren’t optimised in the right
keywords

36. BRAND
HEALTH
IMPRESSION
HEALTH
LISTING
HEALTH
REPUTATION
HEALTH
ENGAGEMENT
HEALTH
Scoring system to maximize
Local Search metrics
WHAT IS LOCAL AUTHORITY?
Weighted algorithm developed to predict search engine ranking at the local level, Local Authority
(LA) assesses and predicts performance in local search results.
Local Authority aggregates scores for your brand, listing, reputation, engagement and influence
rating to generate your LA. Total LA scores range 1 to 100, where 100 is highest prediction of
ranking results.

37. Double-check your rank and reach with local keyword
rank trackers like Local Falcon.
Know definitively how you and your competitors rank in
search results originated at any given map location.
LOCAL KEYWORD
RANK TRACKERS

38. KEEP
CALM
AND
PLOT WORLD
DOMINATION

39. Robotic technology for the home related
to the IoT or Internet of Things
The IoT is the
4th industrial
revolution
IoT refers to the
billions of devices
connected on the
internet
IoT gives you the
ability to impact
the physical world
with virtual logic
UID, unique
identifier devices
already outnumber
human beings
7-to-1
IoT devices generate
more than 500
zettabytes of data
per year
Consumer spending
on smart devices is
estimated at $3T
for 2020
1998
2000
2004
2005
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
2006
GOOGLE LAUNCHES
INTO DOMOTICS
WITH GOOGLE HOME

40. FEATURED
SNIPPETS

41. Google is your new homepage.
1998
2000
2004
2005
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
2006
GOOGLE KNOWLEDGE
PANEL

42. 01. Photos & Videos
02. Business Name
03. Review stars and count
04. Editorial summary
05. Call button
06. Directions button
07. Save button
08. Website button
09. Maps
10. Address
11. Hours
12. Phone
13. Suggest an edit link
14. Exterior photo
15. Add a Photo button
16. Highlights
17. Reviews
18. Review snippets
19. Rate and review button
20. Description
21. People Also Searched For
01
02
03
04
05 06 07 08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

43. Google’s trying to
disseminate information
for users and to present it
in a consistent way in the
Knowledge Panel
Resources
Home Page
Contact Us
About Us
Education
Services
Blog
Products
Testimonials

44. Google is giving shoppers the power to search local stores'
inventory with a new tool called See What's In Store.
Shoppers can use the tool to search for a specific product and see
which local stores have that item in stock, or to search the entire
inventory of a single store.
Compete with Amazon.
Free inventory uploads.
1998
2000
2004
2005
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2007
2006
GOOGLE LAUNCHES SWIS
GMB INVENTORY

45. GMB Knowledge Panel

46. Your location shows up in GMB, when someone Googles
the name of a product in your inventory!

47. Why? To shift to Local
Buying Intent
Shopping habits are changing.
Have you noticed?
97%
75%
97% of consumers search online to find local businesses.
Over 75% of consumers will turn to Google first to
help them make these decisions.
Google calls these “micro moments,” slivers of time when
consumers’ buying intent is at an all time high.

48. Then…
Google spreads your inventory via
SURFACES ACROSS GOOGLE.

49. Visibility EVERYWHERE Google puts photos
Top advertising space for free.
Free Promotion of all SKUs
Prime Advert Space
1998
2000
2004
2005
2008
2010
2013
2014
2016
2017
2020
2007
2006
GOOGLE EXPANDS SWIS TO
SURFACES ACROSS GOOGLE

50. Simply link your inventory to GMB with SWIS and
Surfaces spreads your inventory automatically to:
Popular Products
Google Search
Google Images
Google Shopping
Google Maps
Google Lens

51. Inventory
Paid Ads
Local Listings
Organic Listings
FAQs
DECONSTRUCTING
THE SERP

52. Google Search Results

53. Google shopping

54. Google Images

55. Google Maps

56. I’m about to show you the 2 ways to
win with this info.
Before we talk about how to win, remember
how customers buy.

57. Every consumer buying decision follows a
predictable course.
At each milestone, businesses have a chance to
influence the path.
Let’s examine more
closely.
PATH TO PURCHASE

58. MICRO MOMENT

59. MICRO MOMENT

60. DISCOVERY
1

61. DISCOVERY
1

62. CHOICE
2

63. CHOICE
2
Paid
Ads
Local
Listings
Organic
Listings
FAQs
Inventory

64. INVESTIGATION 3

65. INVESTIGATION
3

66. TAKE ACTION
OR START OVER
4

67. TAKE ACTION
OR START OVER
4

68. 5
STAY CONNECTED

69. Here’s where you cross
the consumer path and
it’s all reported in the
LOCAL AUTHORITY
score.
Micromoment Be in the GMB 3-pack
Put your inventory on Google
Get found Organic Search Results
Present Ads
1
Discovery
Have compelling Listing
Profiles (GMB photos, posts)
Offer social proof/reviews,
tantalizing education, Q&A,
simple CTAs.
2
Choice
Buy Now, Call, Driving
Directions, Make
Appointment, Others
4Actions
MMS
Email
Ads
5 Connections
3 Influence
GMB products, services, menus
Website & landing page optimization
Make your Compelling Offer

70. BRAND
HEALTH
(Choice)
IMPRESSION
HEALTH
(Choice)
LISTING
HEALTH
(Discovery)
REPUTATION
HEALTH
(Influence)
ENGAGEMENT
HEALTH
(Influence)
Scoring system to maximize
Local Search metrics
Measures location profile
accuracy
Measures content
scheduling
Measures review
ratings
Measures responsivenessMeasures profile
interactions

71. GMB OPTIMISATION SET-UP
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Business Name
Choose Proper Categories (Up to 10)
Set Service areas (if SAB)
Hours (+ Special Hours/Holidays)
Phone Numbers (with tracking)
Profile Short Name
Main Website URL (with UTM tracking parameters)
Contact Website URL (with UTM tracking parameters)
Products Category Entries
Services Category Entries
Highlights (attributes)
Business Description
Opening Date
Initial Photos/Videos
Review/Add Users
Create GMB Q&A
Submit to Directory Aggregators
Submit to Industry Specific Directories
Initial Profile Alignment

72. As Submitted
Weekly
Monthly
Website
Annually
Respond to new questions
Respond to new reviews
GMB Posts
Add more photos
Send out review requests from customers
Check for spam listings
Review data and rankings for the past month
Location and keyword are in the page Title
Meta Description has keyword/categories and has call to action
Main GMB categories are in page
Images have alt tags with keywords
Create specific page for each service/product offered
Duplicate Suppression
Data Aggregators
ONGOING OPTIMISATION
TASKS
AUTOMATION IS LEVERAGE

73. OUR MARKETING
OFFERING
GMB Optimization
Social Media Management
Reputation Management
SEO- technical, on-page, off-page
Web Development
Ad Management
Content Creation
Training
We focus on Local SEO services
and work with your existing
webmaster for any changes
required on your website.
We also work with 3rd parties for
specialist areas like social media
management, online advertising
or training.

74. Set Up Visibility (off-site) Credibility (off-site)
Keyword Research Citations Review Management
Competitor Analysis Photo/Video - Review site setup
Website Structure - sizing - Review monitoring
Website Content - alt-tagging - Review promotion
Schema Mark-up - geo-tagging - Review promotion/amplification
Monthly Reports
- Ranking Content Services Consistency checks
- Citation volume and consistency - Google posts Press Release distribution
- Reviews - Q&A management
- GMB Insights - SEO optimisation for website
- GMB Competitive Ranking - Blogs
- Google Analytics - Blog promotion/amplification
- Social Media Analytics
GMB OPTIMISATION SERVICES
Call 01485 205009 or email
sales@mylocal.org.uk to
discuss your requirements.