All posts by localsplashdev

Foursquare has grown substantially, since its inception in 2009. Designers and developers have continually enhanced the mobile app features to provide a better user experience.

Below are just a few of the changes that have affected local SEO strategies in regards to Foursquare:

1. Included an Interactive map and adding more search categories
2. Introduced a new rating system for venues
3. Introduced “Foursquare for Business” app
7. Included larger, highlighted location photos
8. Added more recommendations to the Explore tab
9. Introduced the suggested nearby places map
10. Has an algorithm that not only considers what is nearby, but what is similar to what you have already searched.

The above indicate that Foursquare is gradually moving away from its original focus on gamification, and is looking to improve search and recommendation features with their app.

Foursquare considered reasons people use their mobile app. Even though every feature adds to a more enhanced user experience, there is a progression that most users take when moving through the site.

Foursquare wanted to provide a more direct way to navigate to the areas that are most popular with their users. Users don’t usually want to see random places their friends have visited, but specific, local places. Therefore, exploring nearby places should be the focus.

Foursquare introduced another change Wednesday, April 10th to iOs. It made the “Explore Nearby” search area the first thing you see on the home screen, rather than your friend’s check-ins, when you log on.

Android users have a similar home screen look, but there are still some differences (e.g., the suggested text in search bar) between what Android users see and what iOS users see. One can compare home screens for Android (left) vs. iOS (right) by viewing the two screenshots below:

What do these changes mean for the local search professionals?

Foursquare can now compete on a level with Google Plus Local and Yelp. Relying heavily on check-ins was not the best route to go when shifting to more of a local search focus, similar to their competitors.

Now, recommendations based on current time and location are presented even before reaching the check-in button. Businesses have a better chance of catching a potential customer’s eye.

Foursquare has been on many local search professionals’ radar. With the most recent change, though, Foursquare is positioned to become even more important to local SEO’s. It is time to think about optimizing businesses so they can become one of the “trending” or “suggested” businesses for a particular area on Foursquare.

The Explore feature, in itself, isn’t new, but placing it at the forefront means local search gurus will want to incorporate it within their local search strategies. Below are some recommended articles and/or posts for exploring this topic further:

1. 10 Reasons To Use Foursquare Explore For Personalized Local Searches
2. Is Foursquare the Latest Dark Horse in the Local Search Race?
3. Foursquare Explore: Search, Social, and the Real World

Maintaining high placement on major search engines is a constant struggle on an ever-changing playing field. Luckily, there are many paths to choose from when trying to get your site to the top of the list. Of the myriad options available to the potential SEO enthusiast, one of the most obvious paths to pursue is to create an effective video campaign.

Is It Better To Burn Out Or Fade Away?

There are several questions to consider when launching your video campaign, not the least of which should be where to host them. The first thought on nearly everyone’s mind should be YouTube. 72 hours of footage are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and much of it will never cast more than a few views’ worth of dim glow over the dull and glassy eyes of your average web surfer. Of course, there are a few elite videos that attain the coveted “viral” status, spreading across the internet like wildfire, racking up millions of views and, in some cases, refusing to relinquish their place in your head once they’re there.

I’ll just watch Gangnam Style one more time…just one more time…

Can A Viral Video Take My Business To The Top?

Viral videos have notable benefits over other video strategies. For starters, viral videos spread across large audiences at an exponential rate, putting your name in the minds and on the lips of viewers and spreading by word of mouth very quickly. Creating a viral video usually costs less than other video strategies, and since it relies on being entertaining enough to grab a viewer’s attention and keep them watching, a viral video is usually a real pleasure to watch.

We can all learn something from this man.

It’s easy to think that if you can get just one viral video, it will be all you will ever need. Unfortunately, it usually isn’t that simple. Going viral worked for PSY, but for most brick and mortar businesses, viral videos are risky ventures. A viral video isn’t guaranteed to increase sales and since the odds are against a video going viral, relying on viral videos to promote your business isn’t a sustainable approach. Don’t get me wrong; a viral video can be very beneficial for a business, but there are more reliable options out there. 

So What Does That Leave Me? 

Most successful video strategies are built on the backs of more than just one video. They’re steadily constructed out of multiple high-quality posts that promote brand awareness- much like a blog. A video strategy comprised of several different types of content, compiled in a well-managed and regularly updated channel, will take you much farther than a single high-view viral sensation.

In addition to regularly posting high-quality videos,  it’s important to make sure your YouTube channel is properly organized. For instance, a series of tutorials on how to effectively use your product or troubleshooting steps to follow when a product fails to function properly is a solid choice for a well-rounded video campaign. However, if your channel is disorganized and hard to navigate, your clients are less likely to find the right video when they need it.

Though the allure of several million YouTube views is tempting, it’s important to remember that statistically, you have a better chance of winning the lottery than having your video go viral. While that might be a humbling thought, just try to keep in mind that anything worth having is worth putting the effort into getting, and, like the old fable, you’ve got a better chance of winning the race with a slower, steadier approach.

There has been a lot going on in local search lately. Google just unleashed a new dashboard, Facebook changed “Nearby” to “Local Search”, and local business mobile advertising numbers went up. It’s been a busy first quarter of 2013. It seems a good time to address how we fit into the local search ecosystem, and explain the value we offer. Here at Local Splash we call our process PMO:

Profile – Having unique and accurate content is a critical component to optimizing your online business profile. We have a trained staff of experts who conduct a client interviews in order to find out all the relevant information about your business in order to craft a high quality, optimized profile.

Manage – The local search space is always changing. Major players come and go, tactics that used to work stop working, and the heaviest hitters like Google change their products regularly. This means you need local search experts in order make sure your online presence keeps up with the times.

Optimize – We optimize your presence across the internet for both search engines and human users. We do this by building authority via citations and getting you in front of mobile users.

We accomplish this by working with various destination partners to build your presence and citations across the internet.  The most important places we engage in the PMO process for you are the 3 major online discovery engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo.  These three discovery engines represent 93.7% of all internet search traffic.  If you don’t have optimized profiles on these three engines then most likely you will not be found online next to your competitor, no matter how many citations your business location has.

Citations you say?

A citation is a mention of your business on the internet that contains your name, address, and phone number.  This is known as your NAP. Citations are important because they help search engines rank your business.  We improve your citations by working with the major core data providers for local business information to get your NAP distributed across the internet.  Having accurate NAP’s distributed through CDP’s is critical to maintaining an optimal local presence online.

Historically, citation volume has been a major strategy for local search agencies. Here at Local Splash we feel like this is an antiquated strategy. Yes, number of citations are important, but like all things Google relevancy and unique content are critical. That is why we make it our mission to work with destination partners that will put your local business in the unique light it deserves.

Optimizing for humans

Previously, citations were treated as the be all, end all of local search. However, the times they are a-changing and we are changing with them. Optimizing for search is great, but we also want to optimize your web presence for users. Optimizing for users generates a high ROI as it brings your business higher quality leads by targeting the people who are already looking for businesses exactly like yours.

A critical online destination to target in order to optimize for humans is Yelp. We work with Yelp because it is incredibly important for local businesses. In a study by the Harvard Business Review, a single star increase in your aggregate reviews on Yelp can boost your revenue by up to 10%.  In fact, the importance of Yelp to local businesses is starting to rival Google itself.

Mobile Discovery

According to Google, 50% of mobile searches have local intent. That means that being found in the places mobile users search is critical to creating revenue from your local search strategy. At Local Splash we make sure to get you in front of mobile searchers.

We make sure to get your business on 3 of the top 4 mobile discovery apps. These account for 49% of all mobile searchers.

The Future

Despite all we do for creating optimized local business profiles right now, it is never enough. We are constantly looking to expand the destination partners that we work with. Our promise to you for 2013 is that we will continue to look for top quality destinations for your local business information, places where we can create unique, optimized content that will boost your presence in online discovery engines and help you convert with your customers. Some analysts are predicting that 2013 is the year of local, but here at Local Splash, every year is the year of local search.