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whwytriright 32 Ranking for Local Search
The report also features negative factors
to keep in mind, which include:
• Only listing a toll free number with your LBL.
If an 800 or 888 number is your only phone listing, it doesn’t
exactly scream out, “local business.” Including a working
local number is therefore very important. Yahoo asks for
both local and 800 numbers where applicable.
• Using one business name for several
diff erent businesses.
While this practice might make sense for McDonald’s fran-
chises, listing “Fred’s Wholesale,” as a dealer in jewelry,
clothing, toys and electronic equipment will only engender
Taking a close look at what a competitor is doing, both
confusion, and could persuade customers to avoid your
in terms of search engine optimization and in link-building
business altogether. Separate listings for “Fred’s Wholesale
opportunities, can be rewarding. Figuring out why one com-
Jewelry,” “Fred’s Wholesale Clothing,” and the like will help,
petitor is failing can be just as important as determining why
while coming up with completely diff erent names, “Fred’s
another is doing so much bett er than you are. Simply mim-
Wholesale Clothing,” and, “F.A. Wholesale Jewelry,” is
icking a successful competitor’s strategy may not necessarily
even bett er.
help you usurp his position high atop local rankings, however.
Search engines rank pages based on literally hundreds of
• Using one address for several diff erent algorithms, not limited to those listed above, so maintaining
businesses. that this is an exact science is inaccurate. However, there are
Th is is listed as the number one “Must Avoid” in the report, a few steps that your business can take when examining a
not because there’s anything illegal or immoral about it, competitor’s strategy that should help your own rankings.
necessarily, but because such repetition can actually result
in the search engine reading that confl icting information as Employing a keyword suggestion tool is a good place
an error, and deleting all such listings. You don’t want that. to start. Sites like Google’s Keyword Tool (htt ps://adwords.
Again, employing diff erent company names can help, while
google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) and Wordtracker’s
simply listing your company as “Fred’s Wholesale Clothing, Keyword Suggestion Tool (htt p://freekeywords.wordtracker.
Jewelry, Toys and Electronics,” while cumbersome, can com) can help you determine which keywords are not only
avoid this problem altogether. most applicable to your business (and avoid less valuable key-
word phrases), but also which ones might help improve your
rankings. Th e Google Keyword Tool also allows users to sort
Keeping Up with Competitors
by Local Search Volume and by Search Volume Trends. Th ese
Th e grass may always be greener on the other side of the fence, applications can help identify what your local competitors are
as the old saying goes, but that doesn’t mean your business doing, while the Google Keyword Annualizer (htt p://www.
can’t learn a thing or two about lawn care (or, if you prefer,
netconcepts.com/google-keyword-tool-annualizer) is an Excel
fertilizer) from close observation of your competitors’ prac- spreadsheet tool that can help determine how the keywords
tices. While this may be obvious when it comes to website are aff ected on a seasonal basis (Note: Despite its name, the
design, pricing and other such matt ers, it’s also true when it Google Keyword Annualizer is not affi liated with Google).
comes to LBLs.
Continued On 36 whwytriright
34 March 2010
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