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This is/has been a difficult route but ideas would be helpful with this. As everyone knows we offer the Local SEO in the U.S. but are still trying to find ways to properly execute it in other countries. Many of my Resellers do this themselves and many Resellers in general do this themselves but they all know the stresses and the obstacles that make this such a battle with the oh so ever changing Google. I love to hear your thoughts, process, difficulties, success, etc in other countries.

We don't offer Local SEO to other countries... YET... but I would like to use this forum to hear what people have to say about it, problems they have, any insights about their country, etc.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie's.... it would be great to pitch in to see how we can expedite getting the Local SEO service down-under. What kind of local info do you need Terrance / Eric?

Well, I don't really know how you folks down-under use local search. I've seen some differences with Canadian local search vs US search and UK vs US search. What are some of the main sites that Australians use? Besides Google, what local search apps are you using, what sites do you go to for reviews, etc etc... These are some of the things that I start my research with. We have to start with what the customers/users actually rely on, then we build out dive deeper from there.

If there are any other Aussies reading this you are welcome to comment... I think that generally SMB's don't really understand how to use the internet for their business, period. When searching, very few of them go past using Google. So just optimizing for Google+ would be a great start. The yahoo7 local (http://au.local.yahoo.com/) business listing facility is currently under re-development however would definitely be worth targeting.

There are quite a few local directories for citations and if you like I'd be happy to begin putting together a list for you.

well actually, i'm more curious about how the end customer actually uses local. I understand that most SMB's don't know where to begin in this jungle (which is why we have jobs, lol), but I think relevance doesn't start with the marketer, but with the user.

When you're off the clock, and you need to find a restaurant or car broke down and need to find a mechanic, how do you find it? What are your go-to sites?

It all starts with the major directories which offer reviews because users go there first for information and so these sites get higher credibility in local. It spirals out from there. That's how Google got to be in the middle of the ecosystem, more people rely on Google to find information first.

So you see, it's not just about how many citations I can grab, but it's about how do I get a more relevant and more prominent position in more important directories. Citations are good to keep consistency through out the web (consistent data) and make sure duplicate pages with incorrect info doesn't pop up and confuse users.

I assume what you (and your customers) care about is how do I get in front of a larger audience looking for locally-based information more often than my competitors. So bringing this semi-rant full circle, I would need to know how everyday joe-shmo finds a business via local search.

For an example, if i'm looking up business locally I use Google, Yelp, sometimes foursquare, etc.. etc.. I read reviews before I go and check out everything I can before spending my hard earned money. So with local I want to make sure the business I'm working for can get in front of the most prospects as they can.

Does that kind of make sense? I would appreciate a list of local directories, that will definitely help kick-start research.

Hey Eric, that makes perfect sense and your example is right on the money. I can't speak for all end users out there but out of the ones that I see, google is their first port of call. Then they might see some search results for sites like womo.com.au, truelocal.com.au which has reviews & more listings. Give me a few days and I'll flick you a more comprehensive list. Cheers, Andrew.

Awesome! Thanks for the bit of help on this. Take your time, definitely no rush. I'll be excited to dive through and check out some of the sites you send over.

I have a few resellers who have inquired about this as well, mostly in the UK. I'll definitely pass the convo along to hopefully get some more insight. Thanks guys.

Hey Eric / guys,

Sorry for taking a little while getting this to you. Below is a starter list of local Australian directories.

If there are any other Aussies who would like to jump in please feel free to add more.

AussieWeb http://www.aussieweb.com.au/ Australia Business Listing http://www.australia-business-listing.com.au/ AustralianPlanet http://www.australianplanet.com/ Brownbook Australia http://www.brownbook.net/australia Cylex Australia http://www.cylex.com.au/ dLook http://www.dlook.com.au/ FourSquare https://foursquare.com/business/ Google+ Local HotFrog Australia http://www.hotfrog.com.au/ Local Business Guide http://www.localbusinessguide.com.au/ Local.com.au http://www.local.com.au/ StartLocal http://www.startlocal.com.au/ Super Pages Australia http://www.superpages.com.au/ TrueLocal http://www.truelocal.com.au/ White Pages http://www.whitepages.com.au/ Yellow Book http://www.yellowbook.com.au/ Yellow Pages Australia http://www.yellowpages.com.au/ Yelp Australia http://www.yelp.com.au

Cheers, Andrew.