DSS User GroupMarch 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 MatterFrom 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.”

http://getlisted.org/resources/important-business-listing-attributes.aspx

Citations Provide Data to Search Engines

http://getlisted.org/resources/local-search-data-providers.aspx

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 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 ($199.95 / 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 ListingsSite Name Site Category Cost Details Annual Cost

Lawyer.com Legal Directory $99/month $1,188.00 Lawyers.com Legal Directory $140-$175/month up to $2,100.00

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) $300.00

Avvo PRO Legal Directory$49/month (Avvo-Pro

account for 1 attorney) $588.00

justia.com Free profile for every attorneyavvo.com Free profile for every attorney

lawyercentral.com Free 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

• http://getlisted.org/ - recently aquired by SEOmoz, GREAT resource for local businesses

• http://localu.org/ - local search training classes – look for one in your area, well worth the price

• http://blumenthals.com/blog/ - Mike Blumenthal manages Local U and gives great review advice

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!)