115. Local SEO Techniques that Actually Work with Greg Gifford

It's easy to get so caught up in the world of online marketing that we forget about its connection to physical, brick-and-mortar reality. Today's guest, Greg Gifford, gave a fantastic keynote speech at UnGagged and I just knew that I had to share his wisdom and expertise with you! In this conversation, you'll learn how to get your businesses highly ranked in Google's various search results, why it's so important to keep your name, address, and phone number consistent, and which tools you should use to reach the top. Find Out More About Greg Here: [email protected] Greg Gifford on Twitter Greg Gifford on LinkedIn Greg Gifford on Facebook In This Episode: [01:24] - Greg talks about some of the most important signals that people need to be aware of and work into their strategy when it comes to local SEO. [02:47] - Any links will be beneficial, Greg explains, and goes into more depth about getting local links. [04:17] - What are some of counterintuitive or surprising opportunities to get great local links? One example he offers involves working with ethnic communities; another is websites for local neighborhood watch organizations. [08:20] - Greg shares his thoughts on being listed on sites like Nextdoor, where links don't necessarily offer SEO value. [10:00] - We hear about an example of how participating in a community can dramatically help your business. [11:57] - Stephan points out that in traditional SEO (as opposed to local SEO), directory links are usually frowned on as being low quality. Greg then talks about how they function in local SEO. [13:55] - Greg discusses the role of Meetup in local strategy. [16:25] - Will it be a detriment to you if most of your links aren't local links? There's no hard and fast rule, Greg answers. [17:45] - Greg dives into localized content and internal link structure. He and Stephan then discuss anchor text in terms of internal linking structure. [22:08] - Stephan clarifies that Greg is using Google Analytics to assess which pages are at the top of page 2 and could get onto page 1 with a little push. He then gives an example of a related phenomenon involving REI. [24:10] - What rank checkers is Greg using? [26:04] - Greg talks about what Places Scout does and why he likes it so much. [29:19] - Stephan clarifies for listeners that it's important to monitor reviews on an ongoing basis and stay on top of incoming reviews. He and Greg then dig deeper into the topic of reviews and review sites. [34:04] - Is it possible to simulate hyper-local mobile search results without actually going to the city or location in question? [35:15] - Greg talks about what Possum is, and why it's so important for listeners to know about it. [37:44] - Google has explicitly said that you can't use a virtual office, PO box, etc. to create a location for your business. [39:01] - Greg talks about another Google update, Pigeon. [42:57] - You can learn more about local content silos and Greg's strategy from an article he wrote, which you can find at this link. [43:40] - Any business that serves customers in a brick and mortar location is typically going to pull a map pack on searches related on that business, Greg explains. [45:21] - Greg emphasizes how important it is to claim your business listing on Google. [48:30] - We hear Greg's thoughts on using review site content on your own site. He also elaborates on what he mentioned about Google+. [51:54] - NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency is a huge part of the algorithm, Greg explains. [54:37] - Is there a tool that will help you keep your NAP consistent across various sites and citation sources? [57:14] - Greg talks about structured versus unstructured citations. [60:04] - In general at his day job, Greg works with car dealerships, but he does freelance work on the side for other industries. If people want to reach him, the best way is to email him at [email protected] or to follow him on Twitter. Links and Resources: [email protected] Greg Gifford on Twitter Greg Gifford on LinkedIn Greg Gifford on Facebook UnGagged DealerOn Nextdoor Meetup Google Analytics REI Rank Ranger Whitespark Local Rank Tracker Places Scout MobileMoxie Possum Pigeon Local Content Silos Google+ Moz Local