how to create a killer strategy by spying on your competitors

@joyannehawkins#StateOfSearch

How to Create a KILLER Local SEO Strategy by Spying on Your Competitors

PRESENTED BY: JOY HAWKINS


Position 5 Position 1 Position 1 Position 2

Position 25Position 18Position 31Position 17

Yesterday Today


From 1st to 31st

OVERNIGHT


Tip #1

Ranking trackers are not enough. You need screenshots.


BEFORE AFTER


1 Change on 1 Listing Caused the entire list

order to change.


Tip #2

Be VERY careful when authorizing 3rd parties to make changes to your

Google My Business listing!


Air Conditioning Repair Service (changed to)

Air Conditioning Contractor


Tip #3

You need to know which categories your competitors are using.


● Choosing the right GMB categories was the #3 ranking factor in Moz’s Local Search Ranking Factors in 2017

● I voted it as #2


There are currently 3921 GMB Categories

Some of the new ones that were added: ● Specialist Hospital● Korean Beef Restaurant● Drivers License Training School● Cooking School

In July 2017 there were 3901


THE DAY AFTER FIXING THE CATEGORY

ISSUE


Things your competitors do can [hugely] impact your listing’s ranking!


Tip #4

If you’ve been filtered from the local results you need to figure out who

filtered you and how they are beating you at local SEO ranking

factors.


When listings are very close together and are in the same industry, Google can pick the stronger of the 2 and filter the other.

The Possum Filter


1. Organic Ranking2.GMB Categories3.Content in GMB

Reviews

Top Factors to Look at


Tip #6

Check who ranks high when searching from an area far from your office for

additional competitive analysis.


Why do I rank so great in NYC but so poor in every

other state?


● This business dropped from 1-3 to 11-12 once the searcher’s location was not in the NYC area.

● The top ranking business out-of-state didn’t rank anywhere in NYC (he was filtered)


Ranked 1st when searcher’s location was in the rest of the USA

Ranked in the NYC area

When Enzo Custom ranked 1st, it changed the order of the rest of the listings.


The local ranking factors are different when the searcher’s

location

is NOT local.


“Auto Insurance Philadelphia”

Proximity to searcher is the #1 ranking factor.


IDENTICAL!

Proximity to searcher is not a ranking factor

when the searcher’s

location isn’t local.


Enzo was losing the local fight against Possum because he

moved a year ago.


Tip #5

Check competitor listings to see if they have reviews that don’t belong to them.


BEFORE AFTER

Reviews are GONE!


Tip #7

Do a site: search for a competitor site then click Tools > Any Time and select “past month” to see new content they

have produced in the last month.


Use Ahrefs to find featured snippet opportunities

Tip #8


Total clicks on the page went from 288to 1747

Total impressions of the page in the search results went from 2,065 to 22,490


Tip #9

Regularly check for competitor listings that violate the guidelines & report them on the

Google My Business forum or directly to GMB.

Less competition = More visibility.


➔ 17 removed (ineligible)➔ 2 are permanently closed➔1 was keyword stuffing➔ 8 were legit/eligible

28 Businesses


National Brands


● A national security company using cell phone stores in malls

that sold their product. Google removed 1040 listings.

● A national phone company that had tons of listings for their security service as a separate listing located inside their retail stores (*note: it didn’t have a department)

● A national security company that was using virtual offices to get listed in major cities across the US.

National Brands


Spammy Duplicates

When a business creates several keyword-stuffed listings to rank multiple times.


Virtual Offices are not allowed.

If your business rents a temporary, "virtual" office at a different address from

your primary business, do not create a page for that location unless it is

staffed during your normal business hours.


Questions?Want more advanced local SEO

training? Use promo code SOS15 to save* 15% off my 200+ page training

manual.http://localu.org/experts-guide-local-

seo/*Offer expires October 31, 2017

http://localu.org/experts-guide-local-seo/

how to create a killer strategy by spying on your competitors

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