Local University Is Setting Off on Its Own and Ramping Up For 2013
January 3rd, 2013 by
Local business owners! Interested in learning how to gain sustainable search rankings, better local visibility online, and access to a potential boatload of new customers?
I thought so.
Luckily, Local University and the great team of internet marketers behind it are beginning their 2013 schedule and are ready to spill the beans on their top-notch tips and tricks for seo, local search, and internet marketing success. Search Influence has been involved in Local University and GetListed from the beginning and is proud to be presenting again this year.
Local University is a national series of SEO seminars specifically tailored for the local business owner or marketer. Attendees learn internet marketing best practices and how they can take them back to the office and implement them. While previously operated as part of GetListed, which was recently acquired by SEOmoz, Local University is continuing as an independent organization: its team of top quality search marketers hasn’t gone anywhere.
Local University is the perfect opportunity to break into local search optimization and a must for any locally focused small business that wants to avoid the run around and get real answers, recent real-world examples, and access to experts that understand what it takes to succeed online.
The seminar gives you a chance to drastically improve your online marketing knowledge by getting practical real-world advice from the top minds in local search. Engaging discussions on topics like acquiring reviews, mobile optimization, local paid advertising, Google+ Local, and citation/directory analysis are a mainstay of the seminar and topics are constantly being updated to match the constant changes in local search. In addition, 10% of all ticket sales for Local University will be donated to charities in the areas of the seminars.
The Baltimore edition of Local University will be held at The Hunt Valley Inn, on Saturday, March 9 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. An opening keynote from SEO by the Sea’s Bill Slawski will provide insight into Google Maps and how it functions, as well as analyzing some of Google Maps’ recent patents. David Mihm of SEOmoz will go over some basic local search tactics that will help any small business owner. Mary Bowling of Optimized! will speak on scaling local tactics for enterprise companies and Mike Blumenthal, a.k.a. Professor Maps, will get into the nitty gritty of garnering REAL reviews.
Get up close and personal with Google and learn about Google+ Local from the real experts. (we’re expecting an exciting open Q&A with Joel Headley, one of the leaders of the Google+ Local support team). Aaron Weiche of SpyderTrap will then lay out some basics of the growing amount of mobile opportunities. Our very own Will Scott and Mike Ramsey of Nifty Marketing will then dispel the myth that it’s all about Google and provide insight into other locally relevant sites and apps like Yelp and Apple Maps. Also, Ed Reese of Sixth Man marketing will reveal some helpful local search reporting and analytics that are easy to implement.
Finally, once your brain is packed with juicy local search tidbits, there will be an opportunity to go into specific site questions with all of the speakers as Local University: Baltimore wraps up and happy hour begins.
The Local University schedule kicks off in Texas with events in Austin and Corpus Christi on the 6th and 7th of February.
With an abundance of local search experts speaking, an engaging format that won’t have you dozing off, and a dynamic array of topics that are practical, useful and current, Local University is a can’t-miss seminar for small business owners. Keep updated when Local University is coming to your town by visiting localu.org.
