Tag Archives: local seo companies

Google’s New Approach to Local Search: Google+ Local

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, , , , , , , , ,

Yesterday, Google rolled out Google+ Local, Google’s integration of Google+ and Google Places. According to the Google and Your Business Blog, Google+ Local’s aim is to “improve the way people discover new businesses, rediscover places they love and share them with their friends across the Web.”

Google Places pages will soon be replaced by Google+ business pages with a new design and layout (see photo). In the new design, all of the basic business information is still present, however there is more emphasis put on photos and reviews. On many business listings, the user will be able to go a step further using the “street view” option on Google Maps and even venture inside the actual business location.

GooglePlusLocal

Now local businesses will be found across Google search, Maps, mobile and Google+ with just one listing. Customers will be able to share their experience with others through reviews and recommend businesses to friends. Google+ Local has integrated Zagat reviews in order to allow users to share exactly what makes a particular business stand out.

“This is a major upgrade in user interface and there are new features and capabilities as well there may be some lost or modified facets such as Google Posts and maybe Offers,” said Local Splash Founder and CTO, David Rodecker. “More details will be determined as Google evolves Google+ and adapts to user social patterns.”

Right now, business owners can still manage their business information in Google Places for Business. If your Places page is already ranked high in the search results the best way to ensure your rankings stay intact is to stay on top of the changes being made to your listing and create a Google+ page for your business if you haven’t already.

Local Splash clients have nothing to fear. Local Splash has the resources it takes to understand the impact of a change like this and determine what adaptations need to be taken to keep clients ranking well.

“We have anticipated a move like this for some time and we have positioned our clients quite well for the transition,” said Rodecker. “Currently, search results on the typical Google Everything search are unchanged and the Google Places algorithm runs strong in this user interface; something we already optimize for.”

Want more information on the Google+ Local release? Check out this round-up of articles on Google+ Local on Screenwerk.com.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Facebook

Social Media Marketing, , , , , ,

facebookThink you know everything there is to know about social media giant, Facebook? Check out these 10 fun pieces of Facebook trivia from Mashable.

  1. 96% of visitors to Facebook have returned within the past 30 days as of April 2012.
  2. The term “Facebook” has been the most searched term in the US for three years, starting the week ending on July 18, 2009.
  3. Facebook’s audience is 6% more female than male.
  4. Facebook become the top ranked website in the U.S. in 2010.
  5. American’s aren’t the only ones that love Facebook. It is the top overall site in Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
  6. One in every five page views in the U.S. occurred on Facebook.
  7. Facebook brings 400 billion page views a year.
  8. Users spend an average of 20 minutes on Facebook each time they visit.
  9. Ten states account of 52% of visits to Facebook. These states are California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinoise, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina.
  10. New York City provides the largest volume of traffic to Facebook in the county.

3 Online Marketing Don’ts That Could Hurt Your Reputation

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, , , ,

onlinereputationMaintaining a great online reputation is crucial to attracting new customers to your business. With 97% of U.S. Internet users gathering information prior to shopping online, it’s important that when they’re conducting research they come across your business and like what they see. However, these three mistakes from Marketing Profs could hurt your online reputation and send potential customers to your competitors.

• Having an incomplete website: Many small businesses that conduct their business transactions in-store rather than online may not have website design and upkeep on their main priorities list. This is a mistake because although your potential customers may not purchase your product or service online, they are using the Internet to conduct research about your company. If they see a half-complete website or a site that lacks user-friendly or aesthetically pleasing design elements, they may decide to go with one of your competitors that updates their website often.

• Firing back at a negative review: It doesn’t matter how great your product or service is, you can’t make everyone happy. There is always a chance that someone will leave you a bad review. Although this review may be unfair, it’s important not to fire back and get defensive. If you do, you’ll look immature to other people viewing the review thread and you will probably make the angry customer angrier. Instead, respond with an apology and invite the customer to come back again for free or a discounted rate.

• Expressing your opinion on controversial issues: Although social networks and blogs are full of people sharing their opinions, it’s not a good idea to share your personal opinion on your business page or blog and risk offending your customers online. Keep your posts professional and encourage opinion sharing, just don’t encourage discussing controversial topics that may upset some of your customers.