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Tag: Google

5 for Friday — Links, Stories, & Posts for Your Weekend

How Brand Came to Dominate Google’s Relevancy Algorithm – SEO Book
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said, “Brands are the solution, not the problem.” Going all the way back to 2003, this infographic details the timeline of Google’s preference for brands in rankings, even going into some high-profile companies using shady techniques and not being penalized in the same ways small businesses might.

Write a (Good) Blog Post in 1 Hour – SuccessWorks
The old adage goes, “write about what you know.” The SEO-focused copywriting agency SuccessWorks takes it a step further in this brief how-to list, saying we should write about something we enjoy. Not only is this more enjoyable, but it’s also easier to push out a post quickly when you like what you are writing about. The other main takeaway from this is to take a break after your first draft. Fresh eyes will pick up on typos and other mistakes when you come back to the computer. You may even see places where you can add more information.

Will Social Signals Replace Links? – Search Engine Journal
It’s obvious to anyone online, especially in marketing, that social media is becoming more and more important to building a brand, but what if it becomes more important to your rankings? This post explores some of the possibilities but maintains that proven strategies for link building shouldn’t be overlooked just yet.

How to Use Hashtags in Your Social Media Marketing – Social Media Jungle
We’ve written about how to use existing hashtags to your advantage, but what if you want to create your own? Probably one of the most important takeaways from this post is to search the hashtag before using it. We’ve seen what can happen if companies use a trending hashtag without knowing why it’s trending. It’s just as easy to make one up that is being used for something completely unrelated.

34 Tools to Help You Create Better Content From Start to Finish (and Beyond) – BlueGlass
Getting into creativity mode is not always easy. This list of sites, apps, and other tools is not exhaustive, but can’t be too far from it. From brainstorming to editing, there’s a tool to help you with every step of the content creation process. Lots of these are free and all of them could be helpful for writers. Especially fun is The Writer’s Diet, where you can run a diagnosis on a sample to see where changes can be made to make the writing more concise and accessible to your audience.

February 22, 2013
Missing Analytics Data? It’s (Maybe) Not Your Fault

With a recent, subtle Chrome update, Google has significantly curtailed the tracking of keyword data within its own Analytics. It’s been over a year since tracking of keyword data has been disabled for logged in Google users, who were taken to the secure version of the page for any searches. Keyword data from https://www.google.com/ searches (versus http://www.google.com/ searches) shows up in Analytics reports as “(not provided),” reportedly to protect the privacy of Google’s users.

With the recent Google Chrome update, searches from Chrome’s “omnibox” (its term for “address bar”) now all go through the SSL version of Google search, and thus, keyword data for these searches will not be tracked in Analytics. This is worth noticing, since Google Chrome is clearly dominating the desktop web browser arena at present. In short, this policy could be causing webmasters to miss out on between one-third and half of their data.

I casually happened upon this phenomenon last month as I was testing a client’s site for problems with cross-domain tracking for their Analytics. My usual procedure to bypass hidden keyword data was to go into Chrome’s incognito mode, search on Google for something that I believe will take me to the client’s site, then visit the client’s site from the results. On inspecting the Analytics cookies, none of the search keyword data was present! I fumbled through all of my Chrome extensions, said “UHHHHH,” a lot, and eventually resigned myself to the fact that that my browser was somehow broken.

Turns out that it wasn’t broken — this was intentional. The changes are obvious: comparing keyword data for our clients’ Analytics profiles between December 10 and December 18 of this year versus the same of last year shows a consistent increase in “(not set)” or “(not provided)” keywords. This isn’t to say that keyword data is not present, but rather that it’s unavailable from the leading desktop browser.

Google Chrome doesn’t alone hold the distinction of presenting difficulties for achieving accurate visitor data. For the same client, I also noticed a significant presence of “direct” traffic, which is an apparently misleading term. After a bit of research, I found that the issue was due to security settings in Safari counting a significant portion of traffic as “Direct.” As you can see by the screenshots below, Safari traffic (a majority of which is through iOS – Safari being the default browser) accounts for a sizable portion of all direct traffic.

Google’s official description of direct traffic reports in Analytics is that they provide details on “which of your URLs are the most popular destinations for direct traffic: which URLs people can easily remember (e.g., google.com), which addresses appear most often in auto-completion, or which of your pages are bookmarked the most.” As we’ve seen, this is misleading. The depicted client had a significant amount of direct traffic to URLs laden with query strings: something unlikely for users to generate on their own.

So how do we respond to this decrease in data available? As the Google blog post linked above mentions, Webmaster Tools still provides a list of the keywords that take users to your site. By pairing this with other information from Analytics, we still know what drives traffic to a site, but don’t have as precise a pool of data available, and for understandable reasons.

We do use Google Analytics to give us insight into how users interact with clients’ sites and to help us plot courses of action, but Analytics is just one of the tools we use. Besides, SEO is a rapidly growing field! What worked two years ago or one year ago — or even a month ago — is no longer applicable. Constantly staying on top of changes made to the technology used within your industry, and specifically knowing what these marked changes in data mean are both necessary tasks to stay afloat.

January 21, 2013
Google+ Communities Storm Into the Social Media Scene
Google Plus communities, the newest section of the social networking site (often referred to as G+ for short) are meant to bring people of similar interests, work experience, or hobbies into one place. These communities can be created by anyone with a G+ account, opening up a whole new vista of networking and sharing potential for users.

The communities are designed for users to have a forum to share similar ideas, thoughts and beliefs and promote discussions amongst peers. The pages themselves can be made open to the public, restricted to certain users or undiscoverable by anyone not personally invited. They are also controlled by a moderator. Community types vary: users have the ability to create general communities such as “People Who Love Food” to more specific versions like “Vegans Rule.” They can also be industry- or location-specific, like “Lawyers’ Association” or “Lawyers of Southeast Louisiana.”

According to Social Media Today, there are several beneficial aspects to a G+ community:
- No Edgerank: updates reach 100% of users
  - Companies don’t have to pay to promote posts in G+ stream
- The content posted in the communities can be picked up by search engines
  - Facebook does not have public search engine and the content posted is not searchable
- Google provides authorship to G+ users
- Businesses engaging on Google+ may potentially rank higher
Sounds enticing. But don’t be so quick to dump your Facebook social media campaign yet. G+ Communities could be very beneficial to a company that wants to reach 100% of their followers without having to pay to do so. But, how many followers do companies actually have on G+ compared to Facebook, and if they are on G+, how many are actively using it? Google+ has 500 million users and only 235 million active users compared to Facebook’s 900 million, but how much time do they have to spend to be considered active? According to a study by comScore, the average G+ user only spends 3 minutes a month on the social network compared to the average Facebook user, who spends around 7 hours a month.

Facebook is still the king of social media and remains the place users spend the most of their Internet leisure time — but it’s not a bad idea for companies to expand their social media strategies to G+ and create a community for consumers to interact with their brand. While it’s disappointing to see Google, the innovation giant, reinventing the wheel, there are a few advantages to Google Plus communities that make them worth your attention. Let’s just hope that the social network’s next move will be something that we haven’t seen before.
December 21, 2012
Hold Off on the Half-Baked Google+ Local Merge
This weekend while shopping for Christmas presents, I found this ad at one of the booths. The flyer advertises a seminar that will teach business owners how to claim their Google Place Page and Google+ Business pages. While we do encourage small businesses to claim these pages, we recommend holding off on attempting to merge the pages into a Google+ Local page.

Google+ Local Pages were released with the intention of replacing Google Places as an accessible enhanced business listing to be used across search, Maps, mobile, and Google+. Unfortunately, the transition has been anything but smooth. Months after the release, Google Places for Business has lost its functionality, Google+ Local is riddled with bugs, and the only advice we’ve received from Google is to “Sit tight!”

Patience, however, is not a virtue on the Internet, so rather than sitting tight, bloggers are nudging Google towards action by adding to the list of problems with Google+ Local. Businesses who have attempted the merge have experienced issues such as:
- Lost reviews
- Inoperable PINs
- Pages getting stuck as “In Progress” for more than a week after inputting the verification PIN
- Limited business types
When Google ran its beta testing for merges in July, Search Influence successfully merged our own place page with our Google+ local page by way of the manual verification request. While we were able to merge a few of our clients’ place pages and Google+ local pages using PIN verification, we have also experienced our share of problems.

Upon merging the pages of one of our clients, the address number was removed. When we reported this issue to Google, a rep responded, “After investigating your problem, we’ve found that it is being caused by a technical issue and we are pursuing a resolution. At this time, we cannot say when the issue will be resolved and when you will see your reported problem fixed.” This incredibly vague “technical issue” and ever more vague resolution date epitomizes Google’s response to most of the ongoing Google+ Local problems.

In August, we attempted to merge the Google+ Local with Google Places for a plastic surgeon in Orange County using Mike Blumenthal’s step by step guide. We took all of the steps necessary and input the PIN on November 8 — and the merge simply has not taken place. The page no longer says “”Unverified” or “In Progress,” and the link at the bottom of the postcard delivers the following message: “You have no businesses pending verification.”

With no insights from Google on when the Google Local “veritable trainwreck for business listing management” will be resolved, Mike Blumenthal recommends that businesses refrain from attempting to merge their pages at all. While we appreciate Googler Jade’s recommendations for some of the more common merging issues, we have also grown accustomed to Google’s ability to provide us with answers. The fault lies in not only rolling out a product chock full of bugs, but in refusing to provide any guidance on how to prevent or resolve the issues. If Google expects page-holders to willingly convert and use Google+ Local, they need to hammer out the kinks, make it more user friendly, and keep businesses informed about their future plans.
December 13, 2012
5 For Friday — Links, Stories & Posts For Your Weekend

• Ranking the 100 Most InDemand Employers Using LinkedIn Data [INFOGRAPHIC] – LinkedIn

In pulling professional data from their 175 million users, LinkedIn creates an infographic to display which companies are most attractive to potential job candidates. Software and technology dominating the top 5 positions, with Google taking the lead and Apple placing second. Makes you wonder if job candidates are willing to stick it out in hopes for landing their dream job with the top dogs of tech!

• 5 Important Post-Penguin Guest Post Prospecting Questions – Search Engine Journal

With Google’s most recent algorithm update, many have noticed an impact in their SEO efforts and rankings. However, having a well optimized link building approach may include guest posting or blogging. As guest posting is still imperative in SEO, SEJ explains how finding niche blogs, relevant topics, and having quality content can help your SEO in a place of Penguin!

• 5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Engagement – Social Media Examiner

Promoting your brand or company on Facebook allows you to not only to engage with your demographic, but also reach potential customers. Check out Social Media Examiner as they explain the right time to post, best character count for posts, appropriate URL length, and the most engaging content to better interact with your fans!

• Why the iPod Still Matters to Apple – Mashable

Apple’s most recent launch of the iPhone 5 has all the Apple lovers flocking to the closest metaphorical orchard. Now the Mac bigwigs are the spotlight on one of its older products. On Wednesday night, Apple launched a new campaign featuring the redesigned iPod. With the iPod initiating the re-positioning of the brand over 11 years ago, Apple won’t be fading this product out anytime soon. Turn it up!

• What’s The Best Time of Day To Send Emails? [Infographic] – Read Write Web

Between newsletters, online marketing updates, and the countless emails we receive in a day how can we guarantee the recipient is actually reading our emails? This infographic illustrates when emails are opened the most, and shows at what times throughout the day people are engaging in their emails. Don’t stress if you forgot to send that email out at 5:15 PM — data shows it may be best to wait til tomorrow!

October 12, 2012
4 DIY SEO Tips for the Small Business Owner

My husband and I have some friends who are in town every year at the end of August, without fail, so we know we have a dinner date with this couple at the peak of hurricane season every year.

This year, we met our friends on the Saturday night after Hurricane Isaac passed through. Our friends had another couple in New Orleans who had been without power going on five days, so they were desperate to get out of their hot, humid house and enjoy good food in the air conditioning and possibly have a drink or three. The more the merrier, so the four of us were meeting the two of them at the bar.

This restaurant is usually very popular, but was especially hopping that night because they had power. Most of the items on the menu were sold out, but we enjoyed the few things the kitchen still had. So in conversation she asked did I work?… what did I do? … the way these conversations usually go. When I told her, her eyes lit up, and I was her best friend that evening. She had a 2 year old yoga studio that was doing decently, and she wanted the yoga business to be strong and really successful. She recognized that the web was an untapped potential for her, and she was overwhelmed with her known options and with the options she knew probably existed but didn’t know about.

Search Influence has a mission that simply states “We are here to help small business succeed online.” It is our company goal to help this small business owner who was sitting across from me, and I would love to be able to help her dominate the yoganistas in her city.

I have had this experience more than a few times, where a very small, very local business has absolutely no marketing budget, but they know they need to do “stuff” online to grow or even just to survive. I’m not talking about businesses local to their city; I’m talking about businesses that serve their neighborhood primarily. Super local.

A few suggestions for a very small business who has done almost nothing online yet.

If I met the owner of a very small, very locally-focused business who had done virtually nothing online and had very little time to devote to online marketing, what priorities would I tell that SMB owner for DIY SEO?

I polled our Account Managers to see how much they agreed/disagreed with me, so these priorities are the collective answer of most of our accounts team. The difficulty is there is so much an SMB owner could be doing, but my intent was to focus on those things that are not technical — i.e. no website edits. A lot of business owners that I meet that offer services to a very specific community don’t know how to edit their websites because they have never had to, and they are busy working on growing the business, taking care of personnel, managing operations, et cetera.

With that in mind, here is by no means a comprehensive list of all things a business owner can do on his/her own — just a few things that came up in my conversation and then bounced around our accounts team.

Countdown of DIY SEO Tips based on number of responses of my totally unscientific internal survey …

#4 — with only 1 survey responder considering it as the priority for an SMB’s very limited time and money … monthly newsletters. Monthly newsletters are a great tool for many businesses. However, the business has to build up an email list of recipients first. You can buy a list, but it’s so much better to build the contacts yourself with your customers optioning in to receive your message in their inbox. You also have the challenge of deciding what message makes an impact on your business but also is interesting to your email group.

You need to grow your email list first, and realize that you are messaging people who are likely already customers. In all I agree that this is a valuable tool, but not for a super small business at such an early phase of operations.

#3 – 1 response suggesting an offer made through Facebook. This also is a valuable tool, but again, the business generally has to have some Fans on Facebook before they start offering coupons and contests and all of that jazz. My yoga-diva dinner companion did not have a Facebook Page worth mentioning, so this would not be an option for her yet.

#2 – 4 responses voted for regular Facebook updating. Our accounts team sees every day how a well-maintained Facebook Page can work for a small business. It’s exciting to see strong fan building, active commenting, and referral traffic driving to the client’s website. All of this can be very effective (and fun!). It absolutely be a valuable tool when developed at the right time in a business’s growth.

One of our accounts team responded to my internal survey, “Facebook Updates and Newsletters are great, but they are worthless unless they have a following. To me, Facebook could be easier for one person to manage, but significant effort would have to be made to promote the Facebook Page.”

Just like monthly newsletters and making an offer on Facebook, you have to build to a level where you have an audience to whom you can broadcast your message. Lots of work has to be done for the Facebook Page before it’s going to work for you.

#1 – Tied for #1 … 5 responses for “Create/edit listings in 10 online directories other than Google+.” If a small business owner had only 1 hour to devote to their online identity, 5 of our accounts team suggested that s/he should review the businesses’ listing in 10 directories other than Google+. My totally unscientific survey didn’t indicate which 10 directories, but it can be assumed that the list would include directories such as Yelp, Yahoo, Bing, YellowPages, and Superpages. There are countless other examples, but you want to devote your time only to those directories that you have seen often enough like Kudzu or Merchant Circle.

#1 – Tied for #1 … 5 of the accounts team responded that claiming Google+ Local Page is the thing you should spend a few minutes claiming and filling up with your business information, maybe some pictures.

This was my priority suggestion at dinner that night. She wasn’t sure what a Google+ Local listing was, a lot of business owners don’t, and they should.

(TIP! If you claim your G+ Local listing, claim it in an email box that you won’t mind sharing with an SEO agency — that is, don’t claim G+ with your personal email account. One day you might hire a website promotion company like Search Influence to help your rank better in Google results, and when you do, you will want your account manager to have the login to your G+ — but if it’s the same account as your personal email, you might not want to share it.)

There are countless small business DIY SEO tips for the savvy owner out there. What are some of your favorites?

September 25, 2012
Google Glass: The Fierce New Face in Fashion

This blog post was written so I could make RuPaul’s Drag Race and other pop culture references. The opinions and thoughts stated on the actual topic are of very little consequence.

Condragulations to the legendary mother of the wrap dress Diane Von Furstenberg, who recently teamed up with Google to unveil Glass at 2012 New York Fashion Week. In case you ain’t in the know, the tea on Google Glass is it’s a hands-free alternative to smart phones. Despite looking like a first-gen VISOR from ST: Next Generation, Glass is designed to use natural movement to navigate the operating system (you can use your eye to make calls… I think?). Glass’s ability to capture life from the wearer’s perspective is nothing short of an Eleganza Extravaganza!

Squirrelfriends for Life.
You might be asking yourself: what do jersey knit wrap dresses have to do with smartphones? Nothing, on the surface. However, when you realize the fashion industry generates $20 billion annually, it is obvious why the GOOG chose fashion as its newest squirrelfriend. By making Glass fashionable, Google is ensuring that every fashionista will shill out $1,500 for a pair. On the other hand, I ain’t got a stack and a half to spend on anything but the rent. The price point is the only complaint I have with Glass. While it’s almost guaranteed to be as amazingly fantastical as Google is making it sound, the retail price is too damn high. You gotta be nuts to spend that much on an item you will sit on and break, drunkenly lose at a club, or get jacked while walking down the sidewalk. Let me just run down to Canal Street and haggle on the price of the Chinese knock-off.

Can You Hear Me Now?
After the underwhelming reveal of the ultra-thin Apple iPhone 5… actually, hold up. Let’s stop for one moment and address the public’s addiction to anorexic smart phones. We really are living through emaciated electronic epidemic. Not only do our fashion models, TVs, and a menagerie of other things need to be paper thin, but so do our phones? Yes, it is super convenient having light-weight and portable phones, but am I the only one who misses the early 90’s when this was the face of mobile phones?:

The Zack Morris phone may have been a massive brick that would never fit in your pocket, but I bet you would never lose it. Plus, it was multi-functional! You could lift it like a dumbbell for working out, hammer a loose nail, or even defend your life against a Malaysian sunbear. What can you do with your smart phone? Read War and Peace? Watch the (far superior) British version of Being Human? Listen the newest Nickelback song? How about this — make a phone call? But for real though, if Apple’s big reveal is “faster and thinner,” it stops being about bleeding edge tech and becomes more about making the most with the least. They could have done heaps with the iPhone 5 in ways of innovation; instead they make Minecraft (pocket edition) load faster? Apple: seriously, girl, you better practice “It’s Raining Men,” ‘cause you’ll be lip-synching for your life…

Doesn't Take a Psychic To Know Apple In Trouble

Far from being a rehash of old technology in an expensive new package, Google Glass represents a brand-new paradigm in the way we think of smartphone capabilities and instantaneous first-person sharing. As a futurist, I’m very excited about Glass and the possibilities it brings to human interaction and social technology — and as a person who has seen every episode of America’s Next Top Model, I think Google’s decision to pair up with the fashion industry is genius. Positioning Google Glass as a fashion accessory will guarantee it to be popular with both the “it” crowd and the “IT” crowd, and ultimately mean more coins into Google’s already-deep pockets.

That’s it, kids, enough reading for day. The library is closed and it is time for me to sashay… away.

September 20, 2012
5 for Friday – Links, Stories & Posts for Your Weekend

• Google+: A Year of Missed Opportunities – Mashable.com

Google+, the proposed “Facebook killer,” is turning out to be more Elmer Fudd than Brutus. Our blog noted the early successes of Google+ over a year ago, citing its sleek design and seamless integration of Google profiles and contacts. Yet Facebook’s de facto archenemy stumbled at the start gate, disallowing aliases and stalling for four months before allowing brands and news platforms to set up profiles. The numbers are startling: users spent an average of 3.3 minutes on G+ in January, compared to seven hours on Facebook. In the last year Facebook has grown from 700 million users to 900 million, a growth that exceeds the entirety of the G+ population. For small businesses interested in the clean, professional, design of G+, note that historically Google has added layers of complexity to augment their online platforms. With a growing sentiment that the Facebook juggernaut has shed its user-friendly coat, the question is: can Google take advantage of the sea change?

• Understanding Google Places & Local Search – Developing Knowledge about Local Search – Blumenthals.com

On May 30th, Google Places was replaced with Google+ Local. With 97% of consumers searching for local businesses online, having a presence on Google Maps is a necessity — if you can figure it out. MapMaker effectively took the burden of mapping the world off the folks at Google and placed it on savvy cartographers and small business owners alike. With categories functioning like keywords, a business owner can enhance their presence on Maps and keep the information up to date—especially helpful for start-ups.

Though with Google Mapmaker lacking a comprehensive set of categories, small business owners want to know: “What is the best practice for adding categories in MapMaker?” The short answer is that avoiding keyword spam, using five standard categories (like ‘Gas Station’ if you’re a gas station), and editing the categories directly on the Place page will help create more cohesion between the two pages. As Mike Blumenthal delves into detail about the ins and outs of categories, one begins to see why Google democratized the effort. A complex list of practices to set yourself apart from the competition—if you’re willing to learn.

• Facebook Email Fiasco: 900 Million+ Profile Updates Without Permission – SearchEngineJournal.com

Can Facebook do anything right, or are we just too invested? While most Facebook users consider their inbox to be an extension of the chat feature, it’s actually a collection point for your Facebook email (yes, you have one): [email protected]. Check your company’s Facebook page. For if you wish to generate traffic to your business email from the email address displayed on your profile, note that the address displayed on your timeline is no longer your business email. This change has given ammunition to Facebook critics who note that changes made for “our privacy and security” seem to be made while violating privacy and security. To display your “real” email address again, navigate to your profile, click “Update Info,” then “Contact Info,” and “Edit,” then customize your email address options.

• Hitwise: Bing Has Chipped Away 5 Percent Of Google’s Search Share Over Past Year – SearchEngineLand.com

Though “Bing it” is still an unlikely response to the big questions (Dude, what movie is that guy from?) of everyday life, don’t think Windows’ “decision engine” is down for the count. Launched in June 2009 as a competitor (or, depending on your point of view, goat in the T-Rex pen) to Google, Bing has not yet undertaken the search engine behemoth. In the last 12 months, though, Bing has taken 5% of Google’s market share. That’s news. A bigger story, perhaps, is that Google has declined by 5%. The “sick man” of search engines, Yahoo, has dropped for nine consecutive months. With rumors of internal struggle and the floundering of Google+, the question is: has Google stretched itself too thin?

• Google’s Developer Dilemma: Open Up Google+ Or Hold On To ‘Something Special’? – MarketingLand.com

In related news, El Goog is displaying a stubborn side. During a “fireside” chat with developers at the 2012 Google I/O conference, several members of the Google+ team explained that their “tentative” approach to opening up Google+ to full read-write API is a result of “something special” and “magical” happening on Google+. As of yet, no news on what that means. Google’s desire to shelter their baby could pay off in the long run. After all, who got anywhere trying to satisfy everyone? The Google team reports that API access would result in spamming. If Google+ plans to remain inside the cocoon too long, though, developers and businesses alike may become frustrated. The conference was not all bad new for developers, however; Google hinted that big developments are in the team’s plans, such as adding Google+ comments to the API and making vanity URLs available to all users.

June 29, 2012
Apple Maps + Local Search Kicks Google Maps to the Curb in iOS 6

Along with 200+ other new features on the new iOS6, the long awaited improvement to driving directions on your iPhone and iPad is here. No, it’s not a new and improved Google Maps app, but a homebrewed maps solution by Apple, including a local search database. As if I didn’t love Apple enough already, they’ve come up with something that can trump even Google Maps.

Apple’s press release today states “Local search includes information for over 100 million businesses with info cards that offer Yelp ratings, reviews, available deals and photos.”

Thanks to Greg Sterling’s Search Engine Land post, we know that Localeze is powering the local search listings database. You may recall that Localeze also the sole provider of Facebook Places data when it was first released.

How does this affect you as a business owner?

Well, if Google Maps have given you trouble in the past, you’re in luck. If you are one of the many businesses whose customers relied on GMaps to get them to you, you may have less customers driving to the wrong location now, provided your Localeze information is up-to-date and correct.

To ensure your business information is correct through Localeze, you can always submit to Localeze.com. There is a premium fee in order to get listed directly with their team; you should be sure to ask them about what’s already listed in their database that may already have your name, address, or phone number on it. Updating of your Localeze information comes with any organic or local SEO service with Search Influence, so if you’re working with us or plan to, you can rest easy that this is covered. (Of course, there are always some issues that might be stickier to solve, so just let us know if you think Localeze has got you wrong!)

We feel a bit better about directions being powered by this database, as we’ve found it much easier to “clean up” your presence if there are issues. The Google Maps system pulls from many different data sources, but since Localeze is just one, clean-up will be much easier to take on. It doesn’t hurt that this update brings a fresh face lift to the app, as well as turn-by-turn directions.

In addition to checking up on Localeze, you’ll also want to check up on your Yelp listing(s), including the sentiment of your ratings and reviews. These will also be integrated, just as they already are with Siri.

There will definitely still be lots to learn once we get our hands on iOS 6 and get to test out our customers’ listings in the new database, so until then, stay tuned!

June 11, 2012
Google+ Local Business Pages: The Future of Local Search

If you’ve been perusing the Search Marketing blogosphere, you no doubt heard the big news from Google today. If not, we’re here to give you the skinny on Google+ Local. What it means for you, how to prepare, and how this will change the local scene forever.

Long story short: Say goodbye to Google Places, and say hello to Google+ Local. It’s long been rumoured that Google would soon integrate the two, creating a more social experience for local search. So, what’s included in the update?

First, you can still access and manage your business in the Google Places LBC, and all of the user-generated content that exists there currently will be pulled over, e.g. reviews and photos. The content will display as coming from “A Google User” until you migrate them from your old Places page to Google+ Local.

You’ll also have the ability to decide which user content displays publicly and what remains privately attributed to “A Google User.”

Next, you may have read way back in September 2011 that Google acquired Zagat, the local reviews juggernaut. Now we all know why. Not only will Zagat’s reviews be brought over to Google+ Local, but their trusted 30-point rating system will now replace the measly 5 star system used in Places. This will enable users to provide a more personal experience than the previous system, with the ability to rate specific aspects such as food, atmosphere, and service.

OpenTable has also been integrated into the listing, where users can reserve a table directly from applicable Google+ Local business pages.

Another big change is that Google+ Local Pages will be indexed, according to Search Engine Land.

From a user standpoint, the new pages provide a much more social experience. They’ll be able to search for business reviews made by those within their circles, which adds much more trust than those from faceless strangers.

What does all this mean for the small business owner? It will place even more importance on having a clean Google+ page that is consistent across the board, and well-integrated with your site using authorship markup. Google+ Local makes reviews and photos more integral than ever before.

All these changes are allowing Google to get a much needed leg up over Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp. The “Local” tab will appear in your Google+ business page, and all of the listings will be available across Google organic search, maps, mobile, and Google+. For now the mobile look has already come to the Android phones but iPhone users will be able to start seeing these changes as soon as it’s approved by Apple.

If there’s one thing you should take out of this post it’s this: If you don’t have a Google+ page for your business yet, you better get to work ASAP. For a quick and easy guide on how to best create one, download our ebook.

This blog was written in collaboration with Tina Hua.

May 30, 2012