Local SEO in 2013

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Multiple studies have shown that at least a quarter of search traffic has local intent.  This is even more true for the increasing volume of mobile traffic.  This makes Local SEO important for businesses large and small.  However, this area of optimization has become increasingly complex.  You will want to attend this important meeting of the DFWSEM to understand local SEO and make a new new years resolutions to improve your local search presence.

Local optimization has moved far beyond naming your business “AAAwesome” to be first in an alphabetic listing or being nearest to the searcher.  Local now involves more than directories including elements like on-page semantic tagging and social media.  Local SEO in 2013 is more important than ever, but it’s also more complex than ever.

This next meeting for the DFWSEM will have two sessions to focus on this important topic.

The first session will discuss the semantic markup complexities.  Semantic markup methods help search engines fully understand the context of on-page data more easily.   This session, led by Chris Silver Smith, will discuss not only traditional address markup, but more complex ways of marking up events, coupons and more.  You will understand how to use your on-page elements in ways that will help your local rankings across search engines.

The second half of our meeting will talk about how to work with the important Google+ Local pages as we move away from Google Places.  There are plenty of pitfalls to this transition, and Greg Gifford will tell you about many of them in this vital session.  He will cover many details about transitioning to Google+ Business pages, including some bugs he has discovered in the process.  By the end you’ll be ready to Kick Ass on Google+ Local, even when you’re all out of bubblegum.

This is not a meeting to be missed.  Kick of 2013 right and understand Local Search in 2013 when you register now.

About the Speakers

Chris Silver Smith

Chris is the founder of Argent Media, an online marketing agency specializing in SEO, Social Media and Online Reputation Management. He has worked in search marketing for many years, providing expert consulting to a number of Fortune 500 companies, and he is on the SEO Advisory Board for Thomson-Reuters FindLaw, the Board of Advisors for Universal Business Listing, and he also serves on the Board of DFWSEM. Chris is a Local Search columnist at Search Engine Land and he also writes for Web Marketing Today.

Greg Gifford

Greg is the Director of Search and Social for AutoRevo, a software company that provides websites and inventory management software to car dealers all over the country. He plays on both sides of the fence handling in-house SEO for AutoRevo, and leading a team that provides agency SEO services for their car dealer customers.

Greg has over 10 years of online marketing and web design experience, and in recent years, he’s become very experienced in local search, as his dealers rely on dominating local searches.