Tag Archives: local seo companies

Explore Inside Businesses with New Feature in Google Streetview

Last Updated On June 2nd, 2023Local Maps SEO, , , , , , ,

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According to CNet.com, Google recently introduced a new feature that allows users to see inside businesses before visiting them. Panoramic photos shared by businesses on their Google+ Local page allow users to take a virtual trip inside the location so they know what to expect when they visit it.

To see the panoramic photos, you must zoom in toward street level on Map. Then click, drag and drop the orange figure (known as Pegman) on the portion of the Map you want to see. Once your Pegman has been dropped, you will see orange dots indicating businesses that have submitted panoramas to Google. According to the article, thousands of local businesses have done this already. If you drop the Pegman on top of one of the dots, the panorama will open and you can click and drag to explore inside the location.

If you are a local business owner who is thinking of submitting panoramic photos of your business, to services like Panaramio remember to optimize them with geo-targeted keywords for Google first to help with your local SEO efforts. Photo optimization is a perfect fit to highlight business listings on Google Maps and Google Plus.

Fun Fact: In addition to being able to see inside business locations, Google Streetview includes the inside of the White House and many museums!

Local Splash CEO, Steve Yeich Speaks at BIA/Kelsey’s SMB Digital Marketing Conference in Chicago

Last Updated On March 14th, 2024Local SEO, , , , , , , , ,
steveyeichkelseyconference

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Group

Local Splash CEO, Steve Yeich, spoke this morning with Andrew Shotland, Principal of Local SEO Guide, at BIA/Kelsey’s SMB Digital Marketing Conference. The two spoke about the value of local SEO for SMB’s.

Shotland gave an update on what’s happening with SEO for SMBs and Yeich discussed how SMBs with multi locations can benefit from local SEO. He used Local Splash client and Chicago pizza chain, Leona’s, as an example.

For more details on the presentation, read Kelsey’s blog post, SMB Digital 2012: Local SEO and the SMB Value Prop.

3 Common Local SEO Myths Debunked

Local Search Techniques, Local SEO, , , , , , ,

There’s so much information online discussing best practices of local SEO that it can sometimes be difficult to separate the truth from the myths. Here are the top local SEO myths debunked so you can get a better understanding of local SEO.

Myth #1: Your local SEO efforts will work immediately. Local SEO does not happen overnight. Once you submit your information to Google+ Local and other local directories, it takes time to verify and approve those listings. Once the listings are verified, it takes time for the search engines to index them. The bottom line is, SEO is definitely not an overnight success. It takes a lot of time and effort then patience to wait for your hard work to make an impact.

Myth #2:  Your company will only show up in the search results if the person searching is someone in certain mile radius of your business. It’s is a common belief that there is a certain mile radius around your business that your local SEO efforts will reach and that if a person searching happens to be within that radius, they’ll see you in the search results. However, it’s actually the opposite. The radius is around the person who is performing the search. So whether the person is performing a search on their mobile phone or computer, based on their location, the SEO efforts of the business and other factors in Google’s algorithm, the most relevant businesses will show up in the results. If your company has an optimized listing and you’re located near the person who is searching, your business is likely to show up in their results.

Myth #3: I should concentrate more on PPC than local SEO. There are multiple reasons why your local SEO is more important than PPC. Eye track studies show that the majority of people look at the Maps first when they enter a search results page, not the paid advertisements. According to comScore, 61% of searchers consider local search results to be more relevant, 10% for PPC. Also 58% of searchers consider local search results to be more trustworthy with only 9% for PPC. Local SEO is also less expensive. In fact many local SEO tactics are free (but time consuming). PPC can be very expensive depending on how competitive the keywords you’re going after are. The best practice is to use a variety of Internet marketing techniques together to get the most effective campaign. This includes local SEO, social media marketing, mobile marketing, traditional SEO and PPC.