We all know how fast Google changes algorithms and deciphering it might feel like an exercise in futility. This is why, we at 411 Locals, keep track of the algorithm changes and try to synthesize it for every SEO enthusiast. It is a well-known fact how many changes Google has made over the years, and on this page you will show you the brief history of those changes starting with the year of 2005.

2005: Google Maps and Local Business Center Merged

We all remember when Google released the Local Business Center in March 2005. The next logical step was to merge this free tool helping business to easily add or update their business listing that appear in google Local with Google Maps. The users could now easily condense relevant search results into a single location that included store hours, contact information, and driving directions.

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Reliable Methods Tested by 411Locals

Google Keyword Planner is an essential tool and it is important to know how to use it. However, you have other options to find new phrases and synonyms for your SEO campaign apart from its basic function. Here are some of the suggestions offered by 411Locals:

Competition Research

Just open a competitor’s site and explore what kind of keywords he has used in his copy (text). Look in the headings, the beginning of the paragraphs, as well as in image titles. You can also check the source of the web page (Ctrl+U). There you can look for “keyword” tag (use Ctrl+F) and check what they have entered. Bear in mind – not everyone is putting their keywords there. Then you can copy/paste those words in Google Keyword Planner (GKP). Do you remember that “Your landing page” section just under the field where you enter the words? Paste the competitor’s URL there. Use the filters and you can get some really neat suggestions.

Google Suggest

Simply type your keyword in Google Search. At the bottom, you will find a few suggestions from the engine. When you find something relevant, go one step forward. There you will find even more synonyms. Then you can check each one of them in GKP to see if the words have value. (more…)

Beyond any doubt, the local reviews are becoming major ranking factors, considered to have already surpassed the importance of social media signals. The latter has been confirmed by the latest Moz’s survey and by Google. It is clear that online reviews are not just dabbling with other key factors such as relevance, distance, and prominence. Brands and businesses registered in the appropriate online review sites have an edge over those that lack that many submissions. So how to improve your local search ranking by using online reviews?

Initial Steps

Once you get your business on Google, by creating or claiming a listing, you are giving a fresh start to a climbing local search performance. Same applies for any other local business directory that emphasizes reviews and ratings. Yelp, Yell, TripAdvisor, even Facebook are good examples. They can add up to your business and yet they cannot replace the importance of your Google my Business account. As a rule of thumb, you must look for relevant reviews sites. Once you submit your business in the biggest places, make sure you also have presence on industry-specific sites. For instance, if you are focusing on car dealing, you’d definitely need to create a listing in Cars.com. (more…)

The SEO specialists all over the world have been waiting for Google to launch the Penguin 4.0 update for over 4 months now. Many of them expected the launch date to be World Penguin Day, which is on 25th April and sounds like the perfect time for that. But since nothing happened on that date, everyone is wondering what to expect from now on. It has been well over a year and a half since Google launched Penguin 3.0, which is why SEO specialists are becoming very impatient.

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People working in the SEO field will totally get this.

In the beginning, there was Search Engine Optimization, and it seemed like it was impossible. Or extraordinarily spammy and simply ugly. For many people, it was both!

But let’s elaborate what exactly do we have in mind with that.

Years back, SEO was essentially stuffing all kinds of weirdly sounding keywords into the written content of your website without caring a lot about how it looks or how it reads. Other known methods were playing tricks on search engines such as jamming keywords in hidden tags or putting them in the text where its color matches the background.

The good news is that this kind of Search Engine Optimization just doesn’t get past Google so innocently and unpunished. Most of the pages using those tactics and schemes simply got caught and downgraded significantly. That is why you should never choose the easy way out when it comes to beginning a new online marketing campaign. It just doesn’t pass anymore! (more…)

Here’s some advice from Bill Bernbach:
1. “Go to the essence of the product. State the product’s essence in the simplest terms of its basic advantage. And state this both tangibly and memorably.” – This means selling what your product or service will do for them, not selling the product or the service itself; “The number one toothpaste!” vs. “A sexier smile!” Guess which one sells more toothpaste.
2. “Where possible, make your product an actor in the scene; not just a prop. This makes for a tremendously effective method of getting your product remembered. Because the provocative element in your advertising is also the element that sells your product. This is so simply stated, so difficult to execute.” – It doesn’t necessarily need to be an actual character like a lizard or a talking box of insurance. It means try to give that product or service an active role. (more…)