I had breakfast last week in Naples, Florida with a very smart attorney, the partner of his firm tasked with the web side of business - although he confessed a dire need to learn the ins/outs of the latest Internet marketing.
His eyes visibly widened as I chatted over eggs about social media optimization as well as newer aspects of search engine optimization (SEO) - such as local search, and blended search - requiring optimization of one’s videos and photos as well as text.
Local SEO, in particular, caught his attention. I asked if his company was appearing in the cluster of local business results (complete with Google map pointing to their street location) at the top of Google’s Page 1 when one types in, say, “Naples Florida attorneys”.
He said no, that wasn’t happening, and the web guy he’s been using hasn’t mentioned there is a way to break into that high-profile cluster of local results.
I assured him that his site can join the Local Cluster Phenomenon easily, quickly and cost-effectively. Now I really had his attention. With the economic downturn hitting southwest Florida as hard as everywhere else, competition is fierce - and if the law firms down the street are snagging new business from the Internet, he and his partners better be, too!
Google Map Says ‘This is Where It’s At’ in your Region
Back home after my Florida business trip, I googled “naples florida attorneys” and reviewed the cluster of local businesses that resulted - the pages of 10 of this gent’s competitors, all located within a few miles of his Naples office.
Interestingly, not all of those competitive websites were well done, not by a long shot. My samplings turned up insufficient content, poor navigation and information architecture, and dubious, outdated SEO practices. Still, clearly enough local content was put into these sites to merit inclusion in the coveted Local Business Results cluster.
I smiled. How easy, then, it would be to break into that local business cluster (and stay there) - using ethical practices, great writing, SEO design, appropriate metacontent, video/image optimization and more to keep Google happy.
I smiled even more as I looked through my Roledex for that Naples lawyer’s card to give him a jingle - and get the mighty SEO ball rolling… man, I love my job!
