Geo SEO

Introduction

SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation is the name given to techniques which brands can employ to improve their organic rankings for specific target keywords on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.

One important aspect of the search engine optimisation process is Geo-SEO. As can be inferred from the term, Geo-SEO is that component of SEO which is focused on geography, and it is particularly important for multi-site brands.

Businesses following Geo-SEO protocols encourage the use of ‘geocentric’ keywords that are specific to a geographical location.

As much as an internet marketing company will appreciate being recognised for the search term “Digital Marketing Services”, if they are located in New York being found for the query “Internet Marketing Services New York” will be much more valuable.

Similar principles can be applied across various other vertical markets, including retail and financial services.

The eHound Geo-SEO Module

eHound has now developed a Geo-SEO Module which generates superior SEO outcomes for premium services clients.

The Geo-SEO module comes in two versions:

Standard – a simple tool which generates a single indexed page for each record in the client’s account based on a pre-defined URL. For instance: stores.clientdomain.com/location_ref or branches.clientdomain.com/location_ref

Advanced – a more sophisticated solution which is custom built for each client, and which includes information covering not just the individual store location but also:

•    Surrounding suburbs (based on a pre-defined radius)
•    Product references (eg Car loan)
•    Other client and location-specific content
•    Links to support forward navigation

As Google made clear in a recent blog post, mobile friendly web pages have become important for page ranking, and as a consequence the Advanced version also supports the generation of Geo-SEO content specifically formatted for this channel.

For Standard Geo-SEO clients the single page format is based on an eHound template, and looks very similar to the corresponding results page for that location.

In the Advanced version the client has not only greater flexibility to configure indexed pages across multiple criteria, but also the ability to specify the design of pages and links.

Regardless of version the content:

·      Is dynamically generated whenever locations are added or edited
·      Leverages the formats specified in www.schema.org, a set of structured data markup protocols approved by Google, Bing and Yahoo to improve the accessability of web content to search engines

While the content is generated from eHound, for SEO purposes it is necessary that the indexed pages be published to the client site map via a dedicated sub-domain (eg stores.clientdomain.com / branches.m.clientdomain.com).

For more information on how these tools can help maximise your SEO outcomes contact eHound today.