seo resources Archives - Gravity Search Marketing

Local Business Listings on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing [Updated]

February 19, 2014
by Gradiva Couzin

Local listings are more important than ever. Here’s how to get your business listed in the major local search engines.

Google

Google’s local search results can be seen in Google Maps and as localized results in universal search. You can create a free local business listing on Google+ by logging in and navigating to Create a Google+ Page, but first you’ll need a Google Account.

To claim an existing local business listing, navigate to your business page and click on “Manage this page.”

Yahoo!

Yahoo!’s local search results are available at http://local.yahoo.com. Local listings are free, but listing enhancements can be purchased for $9.95/month or $29.99/month. You can submit your local listing here. (You’ll need a Yahoo account).

Bing

Add a new listing at Bing Places for Business (click on “Get Started”).

To claim your business if it already has a Bing Places listing, navigate to your business listing on Bing.com and click “report a problem.” On the next page, click the “claim this listing” button. Alternatively, you may search for and claim your business on the Bing Places dashboard.

Also note that Bing (as of February 2014) gathers and verifies data from Yelp, so it is a good idea to update Yelp in conjunction with Bing Places.

Ask

Ask’s local listings (available at http://www.ask.com/local) are partnered with Citysearch.com. See below for information on how to add your business to Citysearch.

Citysearch

If your business already has a page on Citysearch, navigate to your business’s page and click on the “Own this business? Unlock this page” link. You’ll be prompted to claim your listing via a free Citygrid account.

Citysearch does not currently feature the option to add local listings on site. Citysearch obtains local business data from InfoUSA. Please read on to learn how to add your business to InfoUSA. After doing so, your business should appear on Citysearch within 1-2 months.

Yelp

Yelp is an online city guide made up of user-generated reviews. Bing has begun to incorporate Yelp data into its local listings; additionally, iOS 6 and iOS 7 integrate Yelp features into its Map application, making Yelp more important than before. To add or update a Yelp listing, follow the outline below:

To add a listing, first perform a search for your business name & location. If no results come up, click the large, red “Add A Business” button on the page. You will need to sign up for a free Yelp account.

To claim an existing business listing, navigate to your business page and click on “Edit Business Info.”

Learn more at the Yelp support center for business owners.

YellowPages.com

Yellowpages.com offers a free listing. Follow the instructions to add your listing here: http://listings.yellowpages.com/.

Infogroup/InfoUSA

Infogroup/InfoUSA has a database with millions of local businesses, and is used by many other search engines to fill out their listings. You can submit your business at http://www.expressupdate.com/search.

Search for your business by entering your business name, phone number or address. If you see your business listed, click the blue “claim now” button. You will receive a phone call at your business phone number to verify that you are the owner. If you do not see your business, click the “add it now” text link.

Localeze

Similar to Infogroup/InfoUSA, Localeze lists local businesses in an extensive database. Add or claim your business listing at www.localeze.com.

If you have an existing listing, you may make updates once per year at no cost. If you do not have an existing listing, or wish to make updates more frequently, you may purchase an annual enhanced listing for $297.

Acxiom

Acxiom’s feeds go to Yellowpages.com, Superpages.com and Google+ Local. To manage your listing via Acxiom, visit this link. Acxiom allows small business owners to list five locations for free. If you have more than 5 locations, the cost is $50 per location annually.

Google Analytics 101: Flows

July 29, 2013
by Gradiva Couzin

This is the third part in our Google Analytics 101 series. This introductory series will help novice Google Analytics users learn how to set up and view goals, funnels and flows.

Intro to Google Analytics Flows

The flow report is one of the newer reports available in Google Analytics. At its basics, the flow report is a path analysis report and provides greater detail than the Navigation Summary and Funnel Visualization reports in Google Analytics.

There are two ways to view flow reports:

Goal Flow Report

The first method is viewing a flow report in terms of a goal funnel that has already been created. After creating a goal funnel, the flow report can be accessed here: Conversions > Goals > Goal Flow.

The Goal Flow report will show the user flow through the steps in your funnel, and allows you to view multiple paths, visitor detours, backtracking, entrances, and exits.

Visitor Flow Report

The second way to view a flow report is to access the report so that it contains all the data in your Google Analytics account. This is accessible here: Audience > Visitors Flow.

The basic Visitor Flow view can be daunting with all the data it contains. You will probably want to refine the report by dimensions (sources, events, demographics, etc..), and by segments (either default or custom). Additionally, you can adjust the Level of Detail to view more or fewer connections in the report.

When viewing the report, right-click on each “node” or page/goal step to access multiple options you can dig into, including:

Highlight traffic through here: Highlights the all the connections through the entire flow made by that traffic segment. To remove the highlight, click the node again, then click Clear highlighting.
View only this segment (dimension nodes only): Only displays the traffic from that dimension/segment. Use the browser button or the breadcrumb to go back.
Explore traffic through here: Shows all connections to and from the node. In this mode, you can add additional steps in the paths before and after the node. Use the browser button or the breadcrumb to go back.
Group details: Displays the components, like individual pages or events, that are grouped together in that node. Also breaks out the top metrics for individual items.

Flow reports can take some learning, but they are worth it! Once you learn how to navigate the flow report with ease, it will provide you a great resource to understand the paths your visitors take. We hope this has helped!