SEO Weekly Roundup: Hashtag Rumors, Local SEO & More

:: Each week, Travis Bliffen of Stellar SEO provides Website Magazine readers a recap of recent news affecting search and rounds up a collection of highly relevant content and an actionable SEO tip to help Website Magazine readers with their online marketing efforts. ::

IN THE NEWS

Moz recently launched Moz Local, a local SEO focused service and resource center. The service starts at just $49 per site/year. You are able to upload your NAP data and have it dispensed to top listing sites from your local dashboard. You are also given access to a variety of local SEO tips and tutorials.

(Image property of Moz)

Twitter is thinking about removing @ replies and hashtags or so the team at Buzzfeed seems to think so. While Twitter did not state this specifically, they did state they are trying to make the feed better and they are trying to grow Twitter to be indispensable for casual users and Twitter pros alike. We will just have to wait and see how this one turns out, I am curious though.

Yext is one of the best known local listing services and it used by many people. Over the past several months, Yext has come under scrutiny as they are allegedly claiming to assist in ways they cannot.

Additionally, several people have complained that their listings were removed or blocked on third-party sites as soon as they stop paying Yext. I did some digging and found that people across the internet are growing tired of this service, here is one example of their average listings. Before hiring this or any company, do your homework and save your time and money.

MARKETING RESOURCES

This week, I wanted to share some of the best local SEO focused blogs. The blogs were chosen based on regularity and quality of posts. I also factored in the reputations of the blog owners in narrowing down the list to ensure the top blogs made the list. These are in no specific order and don't include traditional news outlets.

1. Local Visibility System - This site has contributed to Moz studies and assisted in creating a listing of the most important local SEO factors. The posts on their blog are informative and accurate.

2. Local SEO Guide - This blog is run by Andrew Shotland, a well-known name in local SEO. He has made several notable contributions to the industry and has a wealth of knowledge that he shares on his blog. Check out the about page to see some of his major accomplishments.

3. Mike Blumenthal - Mike is a Google Places expert with a solid understanding of local search as well. If you want to learn about optimizing your G+ page, this is the place to get started.

4. Moz Blog - In general the Moz Blog offers great content. You can find a wealth of information about organic and local search. Their post about free local SEO tools is worth reading before you start on your own local campaign.

5. Hubspot -Hubspot is a software company and many of their posts are aimed at getting you to try their software. Overlook the promotions in their posts and you will find a lot of good information. Here is one good local SEO post.

6. Bright Local - Their blog covers a wide variety of topics around local SEO. This is a good place to start for a diverse understanding and to gain a broad level overview.

THE TOOLBOX

This week we are focused on mastering local SEO. In order to gain the most possible customers from local optimization, you need to make sure your listings and website are up to speed. Find out how to optimize your listings in "21 Local SEO Mistakes You Didn't Even Know You Were Making"!

If you don't have time to read the full article right now, you can get started by:

- Making sure you have completed your Google, Bing and Yahoo listings. Be sure to include images and videos to each. You should also add a pinch of keyword love to your local listing descriptions.

- Ensuring your site is listed with consistent NAP data on all major sites and in data aggregators as well.

- Don't forget to include your phone number and address on all pages of your website.

When you are ready, check out the full article to eliminate mistakes and dial in your local SEO.

SEO TIP

Brian Dean of Backlinko shared this local SEO tip.

"Look for lists of best things to do in (your city). People that write lists like that are usually more than happy to link to a local business that's legit looking/sounding (in other words they don't necessarily need to eat your burrito to add you to a list) of the best burrito stands in Austin. So reach out to the journalist or blogger and tell them about what makes you different/better. Bonus points if you offer them something for free so they can give you a try".

LOOKING AHEAD

Link building continues to remain one of the fastest ways to improve rankings for a keyword. Next week we are going to look at some creative link building strategies, and I am going to share some of the best link building blogs and resources I have found with you.

If you have questions, comments or feedback, we would love to hear it below!