Local citations | Local search
-
What is the best way to find local resources to gain reviews and citations from to help with strengthening your position in Google Places?
-
I actually try them too for a while about a year of so ago but somehow I forgot about them.
Thanks for the quick reply!
-
Hi Again Echo1,
I recommend you check out CustomerLobby.com. I think you will find some good review-oriented resources there.
I'll look forward to seeing your other thread!
-
Thanks Miriam
For citations I used Whitespark probably more than a year ago, with little success, maybe they fine tuned it since then, I will give it a try again.
As far as the reviews are concerned, we are already doing that, following up with the customers and asking them to post their reviews online . We figured Google, Yahoo and Yelp will help us the most so these three are the only options the customers have to leave reviews although I must say, I was expecting a greater number of reviews. Do you have any resources where I can learn how to craft those emails about reviewing our services?
On the other hand, I am not sure if even with lots of real reviews and citations we will be able to penetrate the 7 pack due to reasons that I just discovered, reasons which I will explain in a new question once I finish reading all the material. In short is about how Google is ranking companies in Google Places and what is it doing to verify that the information those companies are providing (and which helps them rank so high) is accurate.
-
Hello Echo1,
Thank you for coming to Q&A to ask your question. I have a several helpful resources for you.
Rand recently wrote a great piece on just the subject of citations, including commands you can use:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-research-local-citations-after-google-removed-them-from-places
That's a good place to start. If you are seeking a paid tool, Whitespark's is well thought of:
http://www.whitespark.ca/local-citation-finder/
SEOverflow.com also offers some free local tools you might like to check out.
All of the above relate to citations. As for getting reviews, the first step toward understanding a successful campaign is to know what not to do. Begin with a close reading of all sections of Google's guidelines:
http://support.google.com/places/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=1656749&parent=1656875&ctx=topic
Your reviews must come directly from your clients (not from staff, marketers or any other third party source). Creating a plan for encouraging reviews in a manner compliant with the guidelines is the work ahead of you.
Hope these resources help!
-
It's a lot like anything else, start by researching your competitors are work backwards. Open Site Explorer will be your friend in this case and hopefully you will find a couple of resources that your weren't aware of.
Beyond just your competitors I also found it valuable to search for businesses in other regions/cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco to see where they are finding citations.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Hello everyone! I have one question regarding local business listing
My Website is on 2nd position of the SERP but it is not visible on the first 3 list of Google Map. Although My website has 4.8 stars on the result page. https://moz.com/blog/one-dead-simple-tactic-for-better-rankings-in-google-local: I got an idea from this post, but the solution that author has given is very time consuming one. could anybody help me, "how to be visible on the Google Map first 3 results? and also please share your ideas on How to rank for images and videos.
Image & Video Optimization | | Tabassum0 -
Google+ Local ranking for company with no website
Hi,
Image & Video Optimization | | Ant71
Im about to start helping a small business who has a facebook account but no website. Has anyone got any experience of getting a business ranking locally without a website? Just wandering if NAP details from a facebook / Google+ account helps with local citation building? Or whether a basic website is required? Antony0 -
How to add local
When you have reviews of local stores, how can you upload them to Google+ Local (former Google Places) so they will show up on stores/compagnies Google+ Local page? Like this one for example: https://plus.google.com/116525083278574120722/about?hl=nl. It says 'Revies from internet: schilder-adres.nl'. So schilder-adres.nl somehow imported there reviews to Google+ Local. How can you add your local reviews?
Image & Video Optimization | | Men4Media0 -
Local SEO: Can you add citations too fast?
Should you spread adding citations out over several weeks or can you add them all at once?
Image & Video Optimization | | BobGW0 -
Proximity for local intent searches
Based in the UK, I can see clear differences in search results for terms that Google considers have local intent, based on location. I'm interested in the community's experience of how far in distance local intent reaches. Does it depend on the search?, e.g. If I search for restaurant will it have a different local intent radius to a coffee shop etc.
Image & Video Optimization | | bjalc20110 -
Yext vs Localeze vs UBL for Local SEO
Which of these services is the best? Does anyone have experience with all three?
Image & Video Optimization | | nicole.healthline2 -
Should You Geotag Pages For Local SEO?
If so can where do I insert the geo tag? I want to do this for a landing page in a different city, and i've simply put the Geo tag in this landing page. Is this right? Help, NEWBIE!!!
Image & Video Optimization | | Buzzwords0 -
Will linking to my citation sources help google recognize them / credit my places account?
Or does google treat this behavior the same way as a reciprocal link and discount any credibility of the citation?
Image & Video Optimization | | adriandg0