DSS User Group March 2013 Local Citations and Business Listings

DSS User Group March 2013 Agenda Why Local Citations & Business Listings Matter What the heck is a citation? How citations feed the search engines Where to get citations Data available on citation sites Speed of data updates Paid directories we use Specific business listings for lawyers Final words Open Q&A New DSS features

What the heck is a “citation”!?! A “citation” is a mention of your business name or address anywhere online. It may or may not include a link back to your business. Website Ranking Factors Website itself Backlinks Citations / business listings Reviews

Why Citations Matter From David Mihm, at GetListed.org: “Google, Yahoo, Bing, Best of the Web, and other search engines find out about your business in two primary ways: Visiting links that point to your website, and tracking on what sites those links appear. Tracking citations of your business, and on what sites these citations appear. The search engines use these factors extensively in determining where to rank a particular business. All other things being equal, the business with the most links from high-quality websites in your area (like a chamber of commerce or a city government) and most citations from high-quality websites in your area, will rank the highest. So you will want to make sure to get your name, contact information, and website on as many places as you can.”

Citations Provide Data to Search Engines

Where to Get Citations for your Business Recommended Citation List (separate handout) Check the Tier 1 citations first Do Tier 2, then 3 as you have time Local Directories Look for local organizations that list businesses around you – get on their list Check local government organizations / licensing offices – do they list your info? Check Best of the Web Regional and Yahoo RegionalBest of the WebYahoo Regional Legal / Medical Directories Look for directories in your vertical Look for regional or national directories related to your business Seek out local blogs Do a search for blogs in your local area – if they rank well, getting listed on them would be a benefit to you.

Data Available On Citation Sites NAP: Name, Address, Phone Use Real Business Name – no keyword stuffing Physical signs should match online Categories Add maximum number allowed Use “deep” categories when possible – don’t be generic Be accurate, keep these up-to-date Images and Videos Use high-quality, professional images when possible (they may show up in search!) Add videos about your business when possible Reviews Note which sites allow reviews, add them to your review page Google+ Local (Google search), Yelp (Bing search), Avvo (niche)

Update Speed for Major Data Sources Copyright 2012 Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm. Approved for non-commercial re-use with full attribution. Not to be reused for commercial purposes without explicit permission of copyright holders.

Paid Directories We Use HG.org ($195 / year) Business.com ($299 / year) Best of the Web ($ / year, includes BOTW local) Best of the Web local ($0 with BOTW) Manta ($29 / month, business listing) Localeze ($35 / year, we are reseller) Yahoo! Local ($9.95/yr, includes biz description, photos, tagline ) Yext ($450 / year per location through us, we are reseller ) Nolo.com (Costs vary depending on location(s) and practice area(s)) Yahoo! Directory ($299 / year)

Lawyer Specific Listings Site NameSite CategoryCost DetailsAnnual Cost Lawyer.comLegal Directory$99/month$1, Lawyers.comLegal Directory$140-$175/monthup to $2, Million Dollar Advocates Forum Legal Directory (Memberships limited to attorneys with million and multi- million dollar verdicts and settlements.) $300/year (To add firm name and website link - attorney listing with no link or firm name is free with membership)$ Avvo PROLegal Directory $49/month (Avvo-Pro account for 1 attorney)$ justia.comFree profile for every attorney avvo.comFree profile for every attorney lawyercentral.comFree profile for every attorney

Final Words Your citations and business listings are not “set it and forget it” Monitor them regularly to make sure the information is correct Be on the lookout for new citations that you may need to fix / optimize Add citation / business listing maintenance to your list of recurring marketing tasks Changing name, address, phone? GET ADVICE and MAKE A PLAN! (Change Google+ Local last!)

Citation / Local Search Resources - recently aquired by SEOmoz, GREAT resource for local businesseshttp://getlisted.org/ - local search training classes – look for one in your area, well worth the pricehttp://localu.org/ - Mike Blumenthal manages Local U and gives great review advicehttp://blumenthals.com/blog/

Questions?

DSS Updates Minor updates in the last month – team is working on major backend changes. Check DSS Release Notes for most recent updates. Turn off video autoplay for ALL your pages with video at one time To take advantage of this new feature, go to Site Admin / Site Setup / Video Settings. You’ll see a new checkbox that says “Disable autoplay on every video (Action cannot be undone!)” Working on giving you ability to change modules, headers, footers for your website (sections, pages)

Questions? (Last Call!)