Tag Archives: local seo strategies

This is an archive of all the posts on the Local Splash Blog that deal with specific strategies for local SEO

FacebookvsTwitterIf you’re like many brands, your company is on both Facebook and Twitter social networks. If you don’t understand the nature of both social networks, you may make the mistake of thinking it is okay to post the exact same content on both. However, although Facebook and Twitter are both social networks that allow you to engage and connect with your customers, they’re also very different. Writing specifically for each requires thought and if you’re posting the exact same thing on both, the people who follow you on both networks will get bored, frustrated and may unfollow you. It’s okay to post about the same topics, like a recent blog or company event but it’s not okay to say it in the exact same way. Follow these tips to customize your posts specifically for Facebook and Twitter as two separate social networks.

How often should you post?

Facebook: Post about 2-4 times a day on Facebook in order to help your chances of being in your fan’s newsfeeds without becoming a pest. Remember that Facebook takes into account how much interaction your fans have with your company. The more interaction, the more likely your post is to be seen.

Twitter: Twitter moves very fast. It can be very hard to make sure your tweet is seen by your followers because their feed is flooded with so many other recent updates. Posting often will help your tweets be seen, however don’t tweet just to tweet. Make sure you have something interesting to say, otherwise don’t say it at all.

How should you interact with your followers/fans?

Facebook: Ask open ended questions and encourage your fans to share their opinions. People love talking about themselves on social networks so encouraging participation in this way will help boost the interaction between you and your fans. Ask your fans to share stories or photos about their experience with your business or product. If they are bad experiences, address them publically so other users can see that you care and then resolve the issue privately with the customer.

Twitter: On Twitter, responding is very important. When users mention your brand, it’s important to acknowledge them with a response, even if it is just a simple “thank you.” Ask a question and encourage your followers to answer with their opinions. Always respond to these answers to keep the conversation going or at least thank them for their participation.

How should you share photos?

Facebook: Sharing photos on Facebook is easy and a great idea for marketers. Fans can preview a photo before clicking on it or browse through entire albums. The more photos uploaded on Facebook, the better. People love to view and comment on photos often so it’s a great way to engage your fans.

Twitter: Sharing photos on Twitter requires a little more effort than Facebook because you must click a link to see the photo. This extra step means that people will be expecting a great photo if they do decide to click. You must be choosey when deciding which photos to display on Twitter. Make sure you only tweet photos that highlight your product or service in the best way.

Want more ways to make sure your posts are customized specifically for Facebook and Twitter? Stay tuned for part 2!

According to Search Engine Land, Google has been sending out warnings about having “artificial” or “unnatural” links pointing back to your website. Many people have been getting warning messages from Google about link violations. According to Google, although it may appear that Google is just beginning to put its foot down on bad link networks is nothing new. Google has been silently distrusting links for some time, however now it’s decided to be more vocal about the action it’s taking against these types of link networks.

Search Engine Land gave this example of one of the violation warning messages from the Google Webmaster Help forum:

Dear site owner or webmaster of _____,

We’ve detected that some of your site’s pages may be using techniques that are outside Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

Specifically, look for possibly artificial or unnatural links pointing to your site that could be intended to manipulate PageRank. Examples of unnatural linking could include buying links to pass PageRank or participating in link schemes.

We encourage you to make changes to your site so that it meets our quality guidelines. Once you’ve made these changes, please submit your site for reconsideration in Google’s search results.
If you find unnatural links to your site that you are unable to control or remove, please provide the details in your reconsideration request.

If you have any questions about how to resolve this issue, please see our Webmaster Help Forum for support.
Sincerely,

Google Search Quality Team

If your website receives a warning similar to the one above, it is violating Google’s quality guidelines and is in danger of being permanently discluded from the search results! Make sure to take this kind of warning very seriously. Review the guidelines and make the necessary changes to your website so your customers will be able to find your website in the search results.

localsearchLocal search is rapidly growing. In fact, it has been estimated that by 2015, 30% of all searches will have local intent, when compared with 12% in 2009 that’s a significant jump. Eighty percent of all searches conducted via mobile phone are for local services and products, which means if you aren’t thinking about local SEO for your business, you may soon be left trailing behind your competitors. Follow these 5 local SEO do’s to make sure your business climbs to the top pages of the search engine rankings.

1. Do optimize for localized keywords. This means including the location you want to target in your keyword phrase. Example: “Hair Salon Newport Beach, CA.”

2. Do create listings in local directories. When your business is listed in a variety of directories across the Internet, it increases your web presence and boosts your rankings. If your business isn’t already listed, add it to local directories like Google Places, Yahoo! Local, Yelp, Merchant Circle, SuperPages, etc. The more places you’re listed, the more likely your potential customers are to find you.

3. Do use photos and videos. Uploading optimized photos and videos to your website as well as submitting them to social media websites like Pinterest and YouTube increase your online presence, build your backlinks and keep your brand in front of your customers’ eyes. People love photos and videos which means they’ll be more likely to share them with friends via social networking.

4. Do keep your content fresh. Make sure once your local directory listings are live, that you keep going back to update the content. Keep your website content fresh as well in order to encourage search engines to keep stopping back to index your site. Search engines are looking for relevancy, so if your content is fresh and interesting and people are sharing it with others, it appears relevant and you are rewarded with higher rankings.

5. Do ask your customers for reviews. Depending on what type of business you have, determine one or two review websites to concentrate your efforts on. Then ask your happy customers to share their experiences with others. Tell them exactly where they will be able to find your business on those websites so it’s quick and easy for them. More reviews equal higher rankings as well as help convince potential customers to use your products rather than your competitors.