Citation Sources For UK & US Local Businesses

Here is a little Christmas gift for all local Citation builders: a carefully curated list of the top 50 Citation Sources for businesses in the US & UK.*

Over 1 Million Local Citation Sources Found

Between March-May 2011, the research team at BrightLocal conducted a huge Citation Analysis project.

Over 480,000 Google Places listings were analyzed across 40 business sectors and 100 locations. The Citation information was extracted into a database of over 1.1 million individual citation sources.

This extensive list was filtered down, removing all brand and business ‘brochure-ware’ sites, leaving a list of 15,000 genuine citation sources.

Some of these sites appeared hundreds of thousands of times within Google’s citation index and are extremely powerful citations opportunities.

In June 2011, Google removed citation content from Google Places profiles and this information is now hidden forever (publicly anyway).

Citations Are Crucial To Effective Google Places Ranking 

While these citation domains may no longer be visible their impact on Google Places ranking remains as important as ever. The following Chart shows the top 5 ranking factors from the2011 Local Search Ranking Factors survey.

Chart 1 – 2011 Local Search Ranking Factors – ‘Significance of Citations’

Quantity of Citations is considered the 4th most important SEO factor for Local Search ranking.

**Source – 2011 Local Search Ranking Factor Survey – Mihmorandum

Top 50 Citation Sources & Some Extra Juicy Information

These two tables show the top 50 Citation Sources for US and UK markets. (Note:*Google removed citation data from Google Places before citation data cold be gathered for other countries. )

The Frequency Count shows the number of times each domain was identified on the 480,000 GP listings analyzed; some domains were found multiple times per GP listing.

To make them this citation list even more useful, I have included extra data such as Type of Siteand whether each site offers a Free or Paid Listing (or no listing at all). This data was gathered by the BrightLocal research team to supplement the data held on these 15,000 Citation Sources.

 Top 50 US Citation Sources

Top 50 UK Citation Sources

You can download a full copy of the tables above in Excel format here.

3 Useful Tools To Help With Your Citation Building

1. CitationTracker (from BrightLocal)**
2. WhiteSpark
3. Local Search Toolkit

**For purposes of full disclosure – I am the Founder of BrightLocal and therefore biased in favor of BrightLocal’s tools.

About The Author: Myles Anderson 

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SEO Tips To Get Mobile Apps Ranked In SERPs

Retail brands with popular mobile apps are benefiting tremendously this holiday season from prominent mobile app visibility in Google’s organic search results.

Search for Groupon, eBay, Amazon, Target, QVC or numerous others. Alongside the brand website listing, local listings, and social profiles, searchers are starting to see links to these brands’ iPhone, iPad, and Android app profile pages, right on the first page of Google.

These app page URLs are presenting powerful new opportunities to “occupy” Page 1 of Google SERPs for desktop and mobile searchers, with big payoffs.

eBay's iPhone App Page Ranks #2 in Google for "eBay"

Optimize App Popularity Through Organic Search

The opportunity is really the product of a collision between Desktop and Mobile worlds: the explosive popularity of apps are reshaping the Web’s link graph around the App Store and Android Market sites.

It comes as no surprise that “Popular Apps” listed in the App Store and Android Market pages are driven by app download volume and rating quality. But these app profile pages and app “directories” (like the App Store’s Lifestyle category page) are also webpages.

As search engines continue to index, display, and rank app pages for search-dominant mobile users, app-mania is simultaneously driving  a geometric expansion of the backlinks and social popularity of these ordinary webpages – giving them extraordinary influence over organic search results.

The net effect, based on our own analysis of top ranking mobile iOS apps, appears to be a powerful feedback loop: App Store popularity gets rewarded by incremental Google visibility.

Higher Google visibility induces more app downloads. More downloading drives higher App Store popularity… and on and on, potentially entrenching popular apps in a rich-get-richer-faster phenomenon:

The App Visibility Cycle (courtesy of pureoxygenmobile.com)

This might seem like bad news for the 99% who have good mobile apps, but aren’t among the “Most Popular” apps listed. But the fact is, this highlights the opportunity – and urgency – for brands to optimize app pages for organic search rankings, to help drive app popularity and other benefits.

Here are five Mobile App SEO tips to get started optimizing your apps for Page 1 Google rankings on brand queries:

Tip #1: Feature your brand prominently in the app name

The app name doubles as the link anchor text within the App Store and Android Market. Getting these sites to link to your app profile page, using your brand name as a link, is critical for tapping into their enormous link equity. (See Groupon, Amazon, and eBay examples below.) Be sure to feature the brand name in the download page URL as well.

Groupon, Amazon, and eBay: Their App Profile Pages Feature the Brand Name as Link Anchor Text

Tip #2: Link to your app profile page(s) from your home page and/or site footer

You have to aim the link equity of your most important pages at your app download pages. Many brands bury these important links.

Consider building a landing page or section dedicated to your apps with screen shots, reviews, features, etc. But it must also have links from the most important pages of your site, and follow the other tips here to make it into Page 1 for brand queries (REI does a nice job of linking to theREI apps).

REI's internal landing page promoting iOS and Android Apps

Tip #3: Include your brand name in the link text that points at app download pages

Too many brands make the mistake of linking to the app profile page without including the brand name, as in  “Download iPhone App.” Even worse, some just link through the “Available on Android/App Store” graphics. (See Walmart example below.) This is a huge missed opportunity! Use your anchor text wisely.

You have to signal that App Store or Android app page is all about your brand (as in “Download the Walmart iPhone app” or “Get the Walmart App for Android.”)

Walmart Links Graphics (No Anchor Text) to App Profile Pages

Tip #4: Provide a QR link to download the app from your desktop site landing page

Use QR codes to give desktop site visitors easy app access. The QR needs to trigger app download on the right device once scanned. Remember to compress the link before your generate the QR. Native Apple and Android app page URLs exceed 50 characters, producinghigh-density QRs that fail to scan when displayed at small sizes. (Notice the Walmart example above.)

For best results, use a link compression or QR platform that shows you bot QR crawl requests (full disclosure: we provide one). Our prediction is that QR will be a mobile search ranking signal within the next 12 months. Start experimenting now.

Tip #5: Cross-promote your app to mobile users, searchers, and bots

Here’s the magic. You already have a captive mobile audience itching for you to make it easy to discover relevant mobile pages (or your app).

When iPhone, iPad, or Android browsers hit your site (desktop or mobile), provide a link at the top of the page for them to download the appropriate app for their device. (Let’s assume yourdesktop pages indexed in search engines properly redirect mobile searchers to appropriate mobile pages. If you’re not sure, find out.)

But don’t stop there. For the trifecta, make sure Google’s new Smartphone Googlebot is crawling the app links from your mobile pages as well, using appropriately branded anchor text (not images).

Amazon's Mobile Site Promotes the iOS and Android App, But Lacks Anchor Text

App Store and Android Market app pages are a powerful new ranking opportunity for desktop and mobile searchers. Retailers and media brands with large volumes of site traffic, page content, link networks, or social popularity, can easily leverage these digital assets to influence app profile page relevance, and app popularity, at the same time.

About The Author: Brian Klais

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Top Google Algorithm Changes of 2011

Top Google Algorithm Changes of 2011 by HigherVisibility

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B2B Facebook Marketing Tips

Many B2B marketers approach Facebook with the knowledge of how to maintain a personal profile, but still shake their heads at how to get results from a business Page for their B2B company. There are two basic things you need to know about managing a Facebook Page for a B2B company. The first is that you must post compelling content that people who like the Page will engage with. This is especially true since Facebook introduced the EdgeRank algorithm, which only shows popular content in the newsfeed. The second thing to know is that you need to include calls to action, both on the Page and ones that drive traffic back to your company website.
Next week I will be presenting a session, along with Deirdre Walsh and Susan Solomon, about Facebook Marketing for B2B Companies at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum. In the process of preparing for the presentation, I found and reviewed lots of recent articles that provide tips that can help B2B marketers manage Facebook Pages. Here is a link to the complete list of Facebook resources, but I have selected and organized the best tips from each article. A link to the source of each tip is included if you want to read more. If you have any additional tips to share, please leave them in the comments below.

Liking the Page

1. Ask your staff, customers, vendors, and partners — who already know you and like you — to “Like” your Facebook page first. (source)

Facebook Content

2. Share lots of photos, and ask your fans to share photos. Facebook’s Photos remain the most viral feature of its platform. (source)
3. Write for the newsfeed, not for your wall. (source)
4. Don’t worry about writing too little. (source)
5. Be strategic and pay attention to signal vs. noise. (source)
6. Write posts that encourage sharing across the network. (source)
7. Boost your comments by asking questions, but stay away from simple Yes/No answers. (source)
8. Mix it up a little between videos, photos, questions and information (source)
9. Use the 80-20 rule to determine how much other people’s content to post versus your own. (source)
10. Use @ tagging strategically. (source)
11. Target by location or language. (source)
12. Tailor your content to mobile users. (source)
13. Diversify your team’s voices. (source)
14. Open the door to user content — but not the floodgates. (source)
15. Keep posts 80 characters long or shorter. (source)
16. Don’t Be Afraid to Show You’re Human. (source)
17. Have a Unique Voice. (source)
18. Diversify Your Content. (source)
19. Post original and relevant content. (source)
20. Post industry articles and blog posts fresh from your newsreader. (source)
21. Share exclusive, behind the scenes information. (source)
22. Write simply and plainly. (source)
23. Think mainstream for content. (source)

Analyze and Optimize Content

24. Use Edgerank to find your best & worst days. (source)
25. Monitor which posts attract the most Likes and comments (eyeball), and use Insights – Facebook’s own analytics tool – for data. (source)
26. Track the Performance of Your Posts. (source)

Calls to Action

27. Treat your Facebook “Like” button or link to your Facebook Page like any call to action – make it easy to spot. (source)
28. Encourage others to share your calls to action, so they show up in their newsfeed. (source)

Tabs and Landing Pages

29. Make creative use of Tabs. (source)
30. Choose a “landing tab” wisely. (source)
31. Have calls to action on your landing tab. (source)
32. The landing page should be relevant to the ad driving visitors there. (source)
33. Offer incentives. (source)
34. Keep it up to date. (source)
35. Provide interesting content. (source)

How and When to Post

36. Watch Your Post Frequency and Timing. (source)
37. There is a short window of opportunity to gain traction with an update. (source)
38. Be careful with automated posting services like NetworkedBlogs or syncing updates through your Twitter feed. (source)
39. Establish a regular schedule for your brand’s Facebook updates. (source)
40. Post towards the end of the week (source)
41. Weekends are more Facebook sharing friendly. (source)

Audience

42. Know your audience well, and when you make a mistake, quickly own up, do right by your audience and fix the problem. (source)
43. Don’t forget to send an update to fans. (source)
44. Allow your fans to tag photos on your Page. (source)
45. Put Your Fans in Charge Every Now and Then. (source)

Interaction off the Facebook Page

46. Integrate Facebook outside of your Fan Page, on your website, in as many places as you can. Create more compelling opportunities for people to buy your product based on their friends’ Likes. (source)
47. Find synergy with other organizations and entities, and then work together to promote each other’s Facebook pages so that everyone benefits. (source)

Optimize Your Facebook Page for Search

48. Link to your Facebook page from your website home page, using your brand in the anchor or alt‐text. (source)
49. Use your brand name in your posts. (source)
50. Get links to your Facebook Page by driving social engagement and “likes.” (source)
51. Use Facebook Shares and Likes to improve rankings of any page on your website. (source)
52. Interlink your directory pages with parallel Facebook pages. (source)
53. Integrate your website broadly with Facebook Social Plugins and Facebook Connect. (source)

Facebook Advertising

54. Restrict ads to people that don’t Like your Page. (source)
55. Invest in sponsored stories – they work. (source)

Resources

56. Find the resources to respond to your fans questions and inquiries. (source)
57. Accept you won’t work a 9-5. (source)

Miscellaneous

58. Assess the business value of your Page. (source)
59. Hold real-world events. (source)
60. Make use of “Add to My Page’s Favorites.” (source)
61. If you have a physical location, use Place Pages and Deals to drive traffic through your doors. (source)
62. Respond to comments. (source)
63. Polls delivered directly to users’ news feeds are not only effective in their reach but also in their ability to drive engagement. (source)

Facebook Mistakes

64. Broadcasting Content. (source)
65. Not Investing Adequate Time. (source)
66. Being Boring or Predictable. (source)
67. Failing to Learn About Facebook Mechanics and Tools. (source)
68. Violating Facebook’s Terms. (source)
69. Assuming People Go To Your Fan Page Versus Seeing Your Posts In Their News Feed. (source)
70. Expecting Welcome Tabs To Get You Lots Of Fans. (source)
71. Overestimating Apps and Tabs. (source)
72. No Budget For Ads To Acquire Fans. (source)
73. Posting In A Self Centered Way, Not Trying To Get Likes And Comments. (source)
74. Not Optimizing For Impressions And Feedback Rate. (source)
75. Over-Selling and Hard-Selling Without Conversing Or Arousing Desire First. (source)

By Jeffrey L. Cohen

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HTTP Response Code Key

1xx—Informational Responses

• 100 Trying: extended search being performed may take a significant time so a forking proxy must send a 100 Trying response
• 180 Ringing
• 181 Call Is Being Forwarded
• 182 Queued
• 183 Session Progress

2xx—Successful Responses

• 200 OK
• 202 accepted: It Indicates that the request has been understood but actually can't be processed
• 204 No Notification [RFC5839]

3xx—Redirection Responses

• 300 Multiple Choices
• 301 Moved Permanently
• 302 Moved Temporarily
• 305 Use Proxy
• 380 Alternative Service

4xx—Client Failure Responses

• 400 Bad Request
• 401 Unauthorized (Used only by registrars or user agents. Proxies should use proxy authorization 407)
• 402 Payment Required (Reserved for future use)
• 403 Forbidden
• 404 Not Found (User not found)
• 405 Method Not Allowed
• 406 Not Acceptable
• 407 Proxy Authentication Required
• 408 Request Timeout (Couldn't find the user in time)
• 409 Conflict
• 410 Gone (The user existed once, but is not available here any more.)
• 412 Conditional Request Failed
• 413 Request Entity Too Large
• 414 Request-URI Too Long
• 415 Unsupported Media Type
• 416 Unsupported URI Scheme
• 417 Unknown Resource-Priority
• 420 Bad Extension (Bad SIP Protocol Extension used, not understood by the server)
• 421 Extension Required
• 422 Session Interval Too Small
• 423 Interval Too Brief
• 424 Bad Location Information
• 428 Use Identity Header
• 429 Provide Referrer Identity
• 433 Anonymity Disallowed
• 436 Bad Identity-Info
• 437 Unsupported Certificate
• 438 Invalid Identity Header
• 480 Temporarily Unavailable
• 481 Call/Transaction Does Not Exist
• 482 Loop Detected
• 483 Too Many Hops
• 484 Address Incomplete
• 485 Ambiguous
• 486 Busy Here
• 487 Request Terminated
• 488 Not Acceptable Here
• 489 Bad Event
• 491 Request Pending
• 493 Undecipherable (Could not decrypt S/MIME body part)
• 494 Security Agreement Required

5xx—Server Failure Responses

• 500 Server Internal Error
• 501 Not Implemented: The SIP request method is not implemented here
• 502 Bad Gateway
• 503 Service Unavailable
• 504 Server Time-out
• 505 Version Not Supported: The server does not support this version of the SIP protocol
• 513 Message Too Large
• 580 Precondition Failure

6xx—Global Failure Responses

• 600 Busy Everywhere
• 603 Decline
• 604 Does Not Exist Anywhere
• 606 Not Acceptable

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