WebProNews » Matt McGee

Google Handles Local Searches Differently Than Before

Chris Crum — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:34:40 +0000

WebProNews recently spoke with Search Engine Land Assignment Editor, and SmallBusinessSEM.com Blogger Matt McGee about local search and its impact on business owners. The local search game has changed over the years, and even more so within the last couple months. Do you think a Google search is the most important place to be found in local search? Share your thoughts.

More WebProNews Videos

In the clip above, McGee discusses how Google itself has changed how it handles local search results, and how the way people search in general has changed. "I think searcher behavior is starting to change….The places we go to look for information are different, and the way we go about finding information is different."

McGee says that while being found in places like:

- Google Maps
- Yahoo CitySearch
- Yelp

…are still important, most people just go to the main search engines when they’re looking for local results. Where is the first place you turn when looking for local businesses? Comment.

SEM Conferences You Should Be Attending

Stoney deGeyter — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:05:24 +0000

SEMpdx Searchfest

Ok, this one has come and gone but I wanted to provide a short debrief. I have to say that I had a fantastic time. Searchfest marked my one-year anniversary speaking at conferences. They opened the door for me at Searchfest 2007 and were kind enough to invite me back this year. Boy, am I glad they did.

I have to say that I was really surprised by the marketing power they were able secure for each session was amazing. I felt severely out gunned on both panels I was on. I was amazed at the quality of the information provided and the overall environment established by the SEMpdx team.

I met quite a few people in the industry and instead of trying to list them all here I just want to say thanks for making my SEMpdx experience a great one!

Search Engine Strategies: New York

By the time you read this the conference will already be happening, but it’s not to late to drop by for some sessions. I’ll be taking the red-eye in to arrive on Tuesday morning and hope to grab an early morning session before heading back to my hotel for a power-nap. Wednesday I’ll be attending a few sessions and then speaking on the Vertical & Retail Track in a session called SEM Small Business Blitz. I’ll be speaking with Jennifer Laycock and Matt McGee, both providing valuable information that’s worth the price of admission.

My presentation is titledWebsite Marketing Strategies that Don’t Suck (Money from Your Wallet) and I’ll provide some quick hits on

keyword organization
website architecture
getting attention
PPC strategies
competitive intelligence

Search Engine Marketing: Unleashed

This one is my favorite of the three, and not just because I have a secret crush on Jennifer Laycock. What you need to know about Unleashed is that this will be unlike any other conference you’ve attended in our industry.

Instead of hearing a panel of speakers share four different viewpoints, (leaving you to figure out which one is right) we’ll give the stage to one expert who knows how to explain the nuts and bolts of their topic to the small business audience. You’ll get the information that’s vital to improving your online marketing techniques and you’ll get it without the techno-talk and industry jargon so common to larger online marketing conferences.

On day two, we’ll take things a step further, breaking the show down into intensive work-shops that actually walk you through the process of beginning to market your site. Whether it’s keyword research, viral marketing, paid search advertising or a variety of other topics, our expert marketers will walk you through the actual steps of launching your online marketing campaign and will send you home with the knowledge you need to finish the job.

If you have not reserved your seat then you’re too late for the early-bird pricing, the registration fee of $975 is still a bargain. Here is a list of the speakers you’ll be treated to:

I’ll be speaking on Website Architecture and have a fantastic presentation put together that I’m sure everyone will benefit from.

Finally, here is a great video put together by the Small Business Marketing team. Sit down, relax and enjoy the next minute and a half.

Comments

How To Get Into Local Search?

Navneet Kaushal — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:49:53 +0000

Matt McGee at Search Engine Guide provides some simple steps to make a page more local. The tips would be useful if you’re a small business that relies on local search traffic, as then you must make sure ‘search engine crawlers have a good sense of where you’re located.’

The first step is to put your physical location on every page of your site. It is also important to place local phone number along with physical address. Giving address an extra prominence on Contact Page is a good idea. Creating a page called “Directions / Location” helps customers as well as search engine crawlers. Instead of using a MapQuest or Google Maps image write where you are and how to get there. Somewhere on your site, list all the cities / towns your business covers. Internal linking opportunities with smart anchor text and providing link to Google Maps and Yahoo! Maps are other tips.

Comments

Tag:

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Yahoo! My Web | Furl

Bookmark WebProNews:

Nav is the founder and CEO of Page Traffic, a premier search engine company
known for its assured SEO service, web design and development, copywriting and full time SEO professionals.

Navneet has wide experience in natural search engine optimization, internet
marketing and PPC campaigns. He is a prolific writer and his articles can be
found in the “Best Articles” section of many websites and article banks. As
a search engine analyst , he has over 9 years of experience and his
knowledge is in application here.