You have probably seen rich snippets without even realizing what they were or how they function. One of the most common types of rich snippets is the video snippet. It shows a video thumbnail directly in search results and allows you to play the video without even going to the page. In case you haven’t seen one, they look like this:

Another common type of snippet is an authorship snippet. Those are the ones that show an authors picture in a SERP along with a byline. They look like this:

[As an aside, if you haven't read anything by Seth Godin I highly suggest reading Tribes.]

Getting back to business, both of these types of rich snippets help convey meaning to searchers above and beyond normal search results. In fact, Cyrus Shepherd, formally of SEOmoz, did a test to see how much a Google+ picture could impact the CTR he got when having an Authorship rich snippet. He found he could get a 35% increase in free, organic search traffic by optimizing his rich snippets. I’m not going to go into to much detail on how to setup authorship as the topic has been written about extensively. If you want some insight above and beyond a how to check out this excellent post by Mike Arnesen on why you should care about Authorship and the forthcoming AuthorRank. The most important thing to know, you will be leaving money on the table if you don’t take advantage of this.

Think Like Google, Act Like A Marketer

Let’s start at the end. The bottom line with microdata and semantic markup is that it helps search engines understand web content and provide better results to their customers (the searchers.) You should give both what they want, especially since it helps them deliver a better user experience. While there is no concrete data right now showing that using microdata will have a direct positive impact on you rankings, it makes logical sense. It helps search engines better understand a sites content and provides better results to users than it should have a positive impact on SERPs. This good tactic to implement to not only drive better results right now, but lay the ground work for the future. Also, I think its important to remember that there is a certain amount of vanity in having high rankings. Yes rankings are important, but they are a top of funnel metric. If users don’t click through when you show up on SERPs then your high rankings don’t matter. Just look at the rich SERP results that get displayed with microdata and the data showing their higher click through rates. Don’t ever lose focus on the main objective: getting users from a SERP onto your site and than converting (in whatever way that means for you.)

Rich Snippets have Gone Global

Rich Snippets aren’t just for Google searches either. The Schema.org standard is backed by the four biggest players in search (Google, Bing, Yahoo and Yandex). Google’s rich snippets are still far an away the best, which is unsurprising considering they are still the best search engine by miles. Just take a look at Bing’s snippets and judge for yourself.

Tackling Microdata Implementation

Recently Schema.org refreshed its Local Business standard which gives local business owners a robust way to pass rich semantic microdata about their business directly to search engines and thus prospective customers. I will be writing more about this in a future post. They also offer clear representations of what microdata markup looks like when added to basic HTML.

If this seems daunting, don’t worry. There are plenty of resources to make the processes easier. Google offers a extensive set of tutorials and walkthroughs related to rich snippets. It also offers a rich snippet testing tool to trouble shoot your structured data markup. Be very careful when using Google’s testing tool, as it is prone to make mistakes when validating your markup. You might also want to try the Live Microdata tool. With some trial and error you will have rich microdata in no time. Schema.org also offers its own tutorial. Just keep playing around with it until you get the hang of it. Since the internet is moving faster and faster toward rich semantic markup it will be a valuable skill to have for your clients or your business.

If you are a local search professional or local business, have you used any type of microdata to enhance your company’s (or client’s) presence online? What were the results?

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Since there are a number of business directories, being flexible, versatile and cross-trained on how they all operate is keen. Don’t forget that a business’ listing should focus on immediacy, accuracy, and consistency: immediate exposure, accurate NAP, and the accurate NAP displaying consistently across desired directories.

Go Right or Go Left?

Familiarize yourself with directories like YellowBook, Manta, Yelp, and Get Fave. They all work differently. Most require you to register. Many allow for communal edits. Few require you to phone verify a listing before you can take it under your ownership. Ask yourself: “Does this directory take a while to update when I submit my changes? Or will my edits take effect immediately?” For a quick boost to your visibility, claim the listing when you’re permitted to. This is the best action since you then have complete ownership and thus will be able to modify and enhance the listing to your liking.

If you know that City Search requires an exhaustive amount of time for your NAP edits to display live, delaying your business information from being displayed, create a fresh listing and close out the one you were initially trying to claim. That way, you have your new listing out there, awaiting attention, and the listing you close out is pending – this increases visibility for your listing and improves chances for the competing listing to be removed. If Super Pages offers an option to claim an older business’ listing that previously was located at your current business address – without a phone verification and a payment – claim the listing, then re-brand it with your keywords and content. On top of that, you will acquire the current history and traffic for that listing. As a business owner, you want the impressions and traffic of an existing listing so you don’t have to start from the bottom up: awaiting first page ranking and obsessively tracking your analytics for page clicks starting from zero.

Combat Negative Reviews, Positively!

When claiming an existing listing, you will also acquire the reviews. Yep, even the bad ones! Relax! Negative reviews appear as a threat, preventing you from claiming that listing, but  it is always best to acknowledge and address the community regarding bad reviews about your business, instead of ignoring them. Additionally, bad reviews won’t hurt your ranking. The more your company reputation is talked about – good or bad – the more involved and busy your business is with local search. Because after all, how will those reviews be read by consumers if the listing isn’t ranking due to inconsistencies and inaccuracies?

These work-around tactics and loop holes can help get your business better visibility, even if operating on free basic listings. The only thing that may stand between you and your business’ exposure may be the lack of knowledge about specific directory guidelines. Be involved. Stay current, subjective, and updated with your listings and their competing dupes and local listing bliss will soon be yours.

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