SEO Belfast

Google+ Local (Google My Business)

Does any business really know what Google+ Local is?
Do any SEO’s really know what Google+ Local is?
Do you know the difference between Google Places, Google Local+ and Google My Business?
Do you know the difference between a Google+ personal profile page and a Google+ business page?

The address, follow button and local label in the screenshot above are helpful in determining whether you have a Google+ Local Page.

Priya has a good article that will give you a headsup on what type of Google+ page you have.

Any local search that I do, invariably most of the Google+ pages have the default cover image on them, some are unclaimed, and most haven’t put any effort into their pages and this includes web design companies that that you’d think would know the value of them.

Many local companies that have tried to work on their Google+ pages, though mistakenly have selected brand pages rather than Google+ Local Pages. These brand pages won’t appear in Search, where they’d want their listing. The whole thing is a mess and too top that off, support is poor.

Ooh and I forgot to mention the duplicate listings that seem to accompany alot of pages, the local penalties and all the other headaches that make it a very frustrating and time comsuming experience.

Referral Spam in Analytics

Referral spam seems to be everywhere in Google Analytics. Only this weekend I noticed a upsurge in a new clients account, further inspection revealed that it was nothing more than referral spam.

Below are 2 posts on how to deal with the increasing annoyance that is referral spam in Analytics.

How to filter out fake referrals and other Google Analytics Spam
Definitive Guide to Removing Referral Spam

Signature Links

One of the most annoying things in Google, is the fact that Google still hasn’t tackled anchor text signature links from client websites. Bigger web design companies can still dominate their local markets by using ‘web design + region’ anchor text signature links on clients websites. Admittedly I’ve been there & probably still have a few relics left over, though have long since stopped this practice. I would love to see Google tackle this. Local search for web design companies would change considerably.

Own your Own Google Account

When your web agency is installing Google Analytics make sure they set up Google Analytics with your own account.
A major mistake occurs when your agency sets your analytics up under their account where all their 100’s of client accounts reside. You have no admin details and just user read and analyse access. Someday you’ll not be able to get hold of the web agency, they’ll be gone. There’ll not be much you can do and all the years of historical data may be lost.

Linkbuilding Tip

Here’s a great tip that still works very well for me. Build content as good as you can around a subject, then send a personal email to the site owner that you’re targeting and that has a related article and let him know that you’ve an article and information on the subject that his readership might benefit from. Works even on an e-commerce site where you have a blog/article section.

2 New Guest Blogs

Here’s 2 fairly short guest posts I’ve written recently on Google Analytics.
Deadly Google Analytics Mistakes to Avoid

3 Ways Google Analytics can help with Online Business Success

That’s all, anyone got anything to add?