Monthly Archive: June 2009

Jun
16
2009

Local Citations are key to Google Local Business Listings

June 16, 2009

Anyone that knows anything about SEO, your ranking authority is based on a variety of factors, the most important being links. You’ve heard me say for years now that it’s not only quantity, it’s quality of links.

Published in 2008, MLBO refers to geographical and theme based links. I never study PR, I don’t care about what the algos want, I simply conduct marketing on the Internet. Therefore, when referencing geographical and theme based links, I’m saying to get a profile, post or something that references your company on a website that is somewhat related to your business.

A citation is like a link in terms of how the search engine values that citation. The different is the citation does not actually link to the site itself, it merely references the site. This is an example, and intentional citation, for one of my national clients.

Chicago Courier & Rush Delivery – Naparex

27 N. Wacker Dr. Suite 878

Chicago, IL 60606

http://www.naparex.com/chicago-courier.html

There are a couple of things to note on this citation that you need to know. While there is a valid link to the Chicago page for this business, this citation is not about the link. That link helps SEO purposes, not the LBL’s in Google. The fact that the company name (with a keywords inserted, including inserted in the Google LBL) is present with the physical address, suite number and zip code. This gives authority and confirmation to Google that there is in fact a business at this location.

The more citations you have, with or without links, the better your LBRs will be.

The point is Google is trying to create authority that you are in fact at the physical address that you claim you are at. If you are listed, for example, on the local university site with your address, that domain has much more authority and trust than say www.localbusinessdirectory.com. If you read MLBO, 18 months ago I discussed how to get a University to link to you and endorse your site. I also said that this is paramount for Local Organic, prior to the LBR’s being listed in the mainstream results. Funny isn’t it, each algo update our rankings improve and now after hard data, we, the experts, are saying this is likely the single, most relevant factor in ranking in the LBR.

It’s still just old skool Marketing.

It just makes so much sense to me, but why not others? Why do these ‘experts’ keep chasing the algo!?! Expose yourself to relevant sites, local and theme sites. Don’t ever worry about the ‘nofollow’ links, put them up anyhow. Don’t worry about pages with high PR. Relevancy and trust are determined many more and different ways. Create transparency for your business on the Internet. Get your information out there.

4 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.scott-gallagher.net/local-citations-are-key-to-google-local-business-listings/

Jun
04
2009

Google Wave to revolutionize and make email obsolete

by Administrator

June 4, 2009

: Google Wave Logo, a tool to change the way small businesses will market themselves on the Internet. Local Business is changed forever!

It’s pretty amazing to think that email as we know it today is still the predominate form of communication on the Internet today, yet it’s 40 years old! F-o-r-t-y years old! Email existed before the Internet, before Facebook and before all other means of electronic communication.

Email is Dead!

Now take your small business for instance. Most small business owners have always pushed back on technology. Most small business owners I speak with think Twitter is just dumb, they don’t get it. Then I share my analogy of Twitter and the real world and it’s like a light bulb goes on. They get it. Then they start thinking about how they can use Twitter for their small, local business.

Google Wave WILL Change the Small Business forever

Most businesses have communication among their employees, customers, prospects and partners. Communication in the form of voice is synchronized two way, meaning back and forth communication happens.

Email is slow! Remember how slow snail mail was? Google Wave will make email seem just like snail mail. Google Wave can not, however, be compared to email. This is an entire different animal. Google Wave will replace email as we know it, however it will replace many day to day functions as you know and use in business every single day.

You know how Facebook is now the 6^th largest country in the world, if it were a country? MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn to name some other extremely impressive collaboration sites?

Google Wave incorporates the collaboration features of these Web 2.0 sites. The question is, what else can they do? This is just getting too much.

Folks, I watched this video and my jaw dropped. My wheels are spinning on how this is going to change everything. This change, in my opinion, will be bigger than Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn combined. Period. Much Bigger.

Google Wave mimics the real world electronically. Google has found a way to remove the cons of electronic communication and use the benefits of the Internet to allow us to communicate in ways I never thought were possible.

I am going to be researching this tool heavily over the next month and expect me to deliver to my paid subscribers ways to use this tool and get more business. I promise, this tool is huge for Internet Marketing for Small Businesses. Google Wave will change the way local business markets themselves using the Internet. Local Internet Marketing is changed forever now.

Watch this video. It’s long. You only need to watch the first 35 minutes and I promise you that this 35 minutes spent will be an amazing investment in your time and education.

9 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.scott-gallagher.net/google-wave-to-revolutionize-and-make-email-obsolete/