Local Internet Marketing Research – Insider Google data released

Posted by Jan at 11:56 pm

Did you think your websites rank determined your local listing status?

Think again!

Tom Critchlow has done a great job of researching and distilling information about what makes local businesses rank with in the coveted Google 7 pack. Even if you aren’t an SEO junkie it is important information to know because it shows just how critical citations, reviews and proximity can be.

Getting the top spot in Google is always changing and shifting as they change and tweek thier algorithms. So research like this is invaluable in helping local search marketers understand the changes and hopefully – what is coming down the pike for Atlanta local SEO. The information shows that it isn’t just one thing like citations, review or tags, it seems tobe a combination of factors making each aspect  important. It might seem boring to the average business person but it gets alot more interesting when you reaslize that the difference means more calls, clients and sales to your local business!

Here is part of the article: to read the entire thing – click on his name below.

Google Local Research Data Released For Free

By: Tom Critchlow

Being a good SEO involves research. You need to be constantly pushing the envelope on the data that you gather, the insights that you gain and what recommendations you provide in terms of what works and what doesn’t.

What’s In The Data?

The link to the Google Docs file is here in case that’s easier for people.

It’s always nice to try and quantify exactly how important different factors are and do some analysis on which hypothesis are actually correct and which are just learned from the crowd and generally accepted as true.

I’ve got no ground-breaking insights in this post, but by analysing this data and other data I have come to the following conclusions:

1) – The raw number of reviews is not the only ranking factor.

We can see this by comparing for example the Renaissance Seattle Hotel and the Hilton Seattle Hotel – the Renaissance has WAY more reviews but still doesn’t rank.

2) – The raw number of citations is not the only ranking factor.

We can see this because the Grand Hyatt Seattle Hotel has an obscene number of citations compared to any other hotel in Seattle.

3) – The combined number of citations and reviews is not the only ranking factor

Although we’re getting warmer here (the sum column, E) this isn’t the whole story. If we look at the average sum of the top 7 ranking hotels we see that there are 3 hotels that don’t rank which have a higher sum than average – Renaissance, Grand Hyatt and the Crowne Plaza.

4) – Distance to centre (of Seattle) seems to play some part in the rankings

Looking at the data we see that the Edgewater Hotel has the highest combined total with many many reviews and a large number of citations but doesn’t rank number 1. Perhaps this is something to do with the fact that it’s a lot further out from the centre of Seattle than the other hotels – 1.3 miles to be precise, almost double the next furthest out ranking hotel at 0.7 miles (the Best Western).

5) Star ratings could well play a part in the rankings

Typically people have assumed that the raw number of reviews is more important than the sentiment of those reviews. However, this may not be true. Take a look at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, a very low combined reviews and citations score but 4.5/5 stars in total of the reviews.

6) Quality of citation almost certainly plays a part

Firstly, assuming it didn’t – citation spam would be big business! But digging into the data I see that the best western has a very low combined score but has citations from sites such as the New York Times. Same again with the Hilton, which has some very strong citations from authority sites. This suggests to me that quality of citation is important, or perhaps the number of citation root domains? (like with links, perhaps multiple citations from one domain don’t count so much…)

Note 1

There is still speculation that the ‘regular’ SEO factors come into play such as pagerank or strength of domain. I’m not convinced this is a factor. After all, Google Local Listings are attached to an business name (and address/phone number), not a URL. Sometimes there isn’t even a URL for Google to attach to the listing. This makes me think that regular on-page SEO factors don’t carry that much weight. I’d like to hear other’s thoughts on this though?

Note 2

It’s worth noting that in the data you might like to exclude the Crowne Plaza Hotel from your data analysis – when gathering the data I see that it’s missing an image which may imply a wider issue about data perhaps? Not sure what a missing image means but I doubt it’s good news for the Crowne Plaza. This is backed up by the fact that it by rights (i.e. combined citations and reviews score) it should rank, but it doesn’t

Contained in the full spreadsheet is Google Local data for a particular search phrase “Hotels in Seattle”. The link to the Google Docs file is here in case that’s easier for people.

• Summary – The summary information which contains the hotels which rank for the phrase. The top 7 are the ones that I see in the Google Local one-box. The remaining 13 are the ones which rank once you click on the map to explore Google Local rankings. The data contained includes the number of reviews, the number of citations and the distance to the centre of Seattle for each hotel.
• Sheet 1-20 – These sheets list the complete individual citation list for the relevant hotel. So for the edgewater hotel which ranks 4th we click on sheet 4 and see the full list of citations for that hotel.

Note 3

In a usual analysis I would have looked at the category of the listings, I don’t think this is a factor in this case since it’s a competitive SERP and all the listings are likely tagged with the Hotel category.

To Conclude…

What can you do to get better rankings? Get more citations and reviews! The combined number of these seems reasonably well correlated with rankings once you factor in distance from centre etc. Especially if you can get positive reviews and citations from strong websites.

But also, to conclude, we see that the algorithms are somewhat complicated. I’ve still not completely figured out why some sites rank and why some don’t but I’m getting close. I’d love to hear analysis from other Google Local SEOs who’ve been digging around in data. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours

Note: Thanks Tom! this was a very generous offer to share your reserach so freely, go to his blog here and join the conversation!

What you don’t know about local search

Posted by Jan at 4:45 pm

What you don’t know about local search could be killing your business

Google has changed the game – and you need to know the new rules

Google and other search engines now determine local search results in a completely different way than they determine universal search results.

What is local search and how is it different?

Local search refers to the process of searching for a product or service within a specific geographic area. You may not be aware of this but Google automatically gives you local search results for certain search queries like doctor, plumber, hardware store or dentist. They do this on the basis of where your computers IP address is located. Which means they are also doing this for your customers when they search. Local Directory submission is the most important tool you can use to make sure local customers find your business information FIRST when they search online!

It’s automatic – Google knows where you live

This means if you live in Woodstock and you search for “plumbing repairs” Google will find the closest geographical match by giving you Plumbing companies in and around Woodstock. (but not Plumbers from Stone Mountain, Peachtree city  or Macon) It can also indicate that the search term had local modifiers like: “Atlanta plumbing contractor”,” Dentistry Center Sandy Springs” or “Hardware store Vinings Ga”

This is good for you if your customers are nearby but tricky if you want to serve a larger geographic area like  the entire Metro Atlanta area. Local Search also determines who shows up on Google maps. You might have noticed them, they now show up for all kinds of queries.  There are specific factors that get you ranked on the “Google 10 pack” (as it’s called)  and if you aren’t there you might as well be nowhere. 

How does Local Search work?

The goal of the search engines (Top 3 being:  Google, Yahoo, and Bing) is to give the searcher the most relevant and usable results they can. That is why it is so important to make sure YOUR information shows up there when a local customer searches for topics relating to your services or products. This means using the same keywords or phrases your customers use to search with, having an updated business profile and submissions to over 50+ local directories and search engines.

This bears repeating

You MUST HAVE your business information show up when LOCAL CUSTOMERS are searching for your products or services. Why? Because 82% of people use internet search engines to discover local businesses and 65% of them only click on the top listings !

Yes, your local customers are looking ONLINE for local information. Even more important is the fact that these local consumers are ready to take action. 82% of your community is using a search engine to find information about businesses next door. Better yet is that 61% of these folks made purchases! When was the last time you had print advertising numbers that high?

Local Consumers are more likely to take immediate action

Local Searchers followed up offline with an in-store visit, phone call, or purchase. This demonstrates just how important it is for local Atlanta Businesses to integrate their website and offline information so that it creates a strong web presence and brand. Making sure your information is up to date and correct across hundreds of search engines in no longer a luxury – it is critical step to making sure your business is not lost in cyber obscurity.

Local search customers are both fickle and eager to buy.

Your local customers are going online to research products, brands,  directions, coupons and specials. Most will start with search engines Like Google, Yahoo or BING, or go to local directories, map listings and review sites. People have moved to this kind of comprehensive search because the focus on providing information rather than selling.  This type of communication has replaced conventional “push” advertising to the point where local businesses must adapt or die. If the information presented to them is not relevant, updated or organized they will click away faster than you can name the competition. If you understand what they want (and give it to them) you will be rewarded with more sales, loyal customers and higher profits.

Only 44% of small businesses have a website ( -Webvisible Feb 2009) while 40% of consumers say that a web presence – or lack of – affects their buying decisions and over 80% use internet search to find local businesses!

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

If they can’t find you – they can buy from you

When it comes to marketing – being in front of your prospects at the right time  is paramount. If your information gets their attention and fulfills their needs then you get the business. If not, your competition does. That’s where being highly optimized for local search comes in.

Local businesses must adapt or die

Besides having your information online, it is mission critical to use the same exact keyword phrases in your optimization that your customers are using to try and find you. Most businesses optimize their website and their business listings for the name of their business when in fact over 90% of your customers are using completely different keywords to look for your products or services.

Can you say Missing the boat? More than 8 out of 10 Internet users look on search engines to find information and the products or services they want to buy and 90% of searches are for keywords related to your products or business. NOT your actual business name -Comscore

Updated Local Business listings in local directories is essential

Local consumers use a variety of online sources including search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, as well as directory type sites like Yellow pages, Kudzu, and Yelp to dig up local information. These business listings should be well optimized and frequently updated for optimum results. Leaving out even one important detail could lead customers (and search engines) to choose a competitor with a better optimized listing.

A Local Search Specialist can save you time, energy and money

We lead local searchers to your business information. (whether its your website, yellow pages profile or Google local busines listing)  Total community coverage means you get in front of local customers at the right time – every time!