Citations, mentions, and SEO explained by Sara, owner of Trusted Saskatoon. 

There are many benefits to being a Trusted Saskatoon partner. My local team spends all of our time and energy promoting the Saskatoon partners on the directory as the best options in their industry in Saskatoon and the surrounding area. Once a business passes our unique verification process we invest in consistent advertising and we promote them both individually, and as a community as trustworthy, reputable locally owned, and accountable businesses. We do not do this because they ' bought our favour', we do it because they have proven themselves to be trusted.  Each of the businesses listed on Trusted Saskatoon has signed a contract where they agree to uphold the 5 Trusted Guarantees of Service. 

There is a lot of work and effort that goes on behind the scenes that may not be immediately obvious or understood by our Partners. In this article, I explain how my team helps our partner's websites rank higher in local search independently of their listings on our Saskatoon directory.

The SEO Impact Being Trusted Has On Our Partners Local Search Rankings

The key to being found online is having correct, consistent information online. That combined with fresh\new, relevant content on sites that are both yours and NOT yours, is what the internet and search engines really value!   
This is where local SEO citations and mentions on high-quality local directories such as Trusted Saskatoon, on social media, and other trustworthy websites and sources come into play.

What are citations and how do they impact local SEO?

Citations are online mentions of your business on 3rd party websites. If your business is listed on Trustedaskatoon.com, that counts as a local citation. The same goes if your business information is mentioned or featured on 3rd party blog posts or online newspaper/media articles- such as the Star Phoenix new faces new places for example. Citations and online mentions are important for local businesses online since they send out signals that tell Google and the other major search engines they can trust your Saskatoon business.

Why do we recommend focusing on citation building?

We all want to be on the 1st page of Google for our category in our local market for our main target search keywords. If your website ranks higher in search, then it should attract more visitors, generate leads and that should lead to more business. 

To be well ranked in local searches, you need to make sure the search engines have all of the correct information they need about your business. If your most important data is not consistent, the search engines are less likely to put your website forward as a high-ranking option for local prospects searching for your products and/or servcies. 

How The Local Search SEO Point System Works

Google is essentially the head librarian of the web, and as there are over 570,000 new websites added per DAY to the internet it’s a HUGE job! As such, Google has lots of 24/7 ‘library assistants’ helping with the massive and ongoing task of ranking the approximate 1.7 billion websites currently listed on the world wide web. If these assistants, or ‘web crawlers’, find links on 3rd party websites that link back to your business’s website, then they know it is trustworthy and you will earn an SEO point. If that backlink is on a quality local website, like www.trustedsaskatoon.com, then you are awarded additional, highly valued local SEO ‘points’. The same is true for citations; if web crawlers find your business information listed in important online directories, mentioned on other people's blogs, and featured in articles / local news, it solidifies the fact that they can trust your business information to be correct.

Citation building is a small but important piece of the local search marketing puzzle. Our team is working on our clients' behalf to ensure the information we have about them on Trusted Saskatoon is up to date and relevant.

Check out the video below for more information, and if you have questions please do reach out to our team!  

What’s the difference between online citations and online mentions? 

An online mention is when a business or brand is referenced, or "mentioned" on the internet. While often referring exclusively to social media mentions, they also count every time an online publication, website or blog ‘ mentions’  a brand or business name. If the mentions are combined with backlinks to your website and over 300 words of rich locally-focused content all the better.  By rich, we mean that the content includes elements such as quality, copyright-free images, relevant keywords, embedded videos, location-specific words, etc. If that is the case, then the value of that mention increases A LOT! This is why we ask our Partners to work with us to provide information about their specific business/ industry. We take that information and write quality Trusted Saskatoon Tips that feature them as the local experts in their industry!  

When we tag our Partners on our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter platforms the search engines and the web crawlers take note, this, in turn, adds additional SEO POINTS and improves their website’s organic search value. Their business and websites gain more ‘authority' within their respective industry categories in local search. Positive SEO leads to increased visibility, which can then prompt more mentions and further increased SEO points. Less is definitely NOT more when it comes to citations, mentions, and links to websites.

If Partners want to make the most of our expertise, promotions, and online klout, then they need to provide us with more information in the form of interesting, helpful and engaging expert tips about their industry. Our team will do the rest, we know how to take the content and get as many ‘ SEO points ‘ as possible. We then pay to promote that content locally so it reaches your ideal prospects. The more we can help our clients build a solid citation and link-building foundation the better they rank in local searches for their categories.  Our goal is that our Trusted Saskatoon Partners get their unfair share of leads in their categories locally online! 

About Trusted Sara

The founder of Trusted Saskatoon, Sara Wheelwright has over 25 years of marketing experience. A multi-award-winning entrepreneur and marketer, she expanded Trusted’s services by launching a full-service Saskatchewan digital marketing agency, Trusted Marketing Services in 2014. The success of Trusted is a testament to the importance of having business integrity in a digital age, where access to free-flowing information is constantly influencing consumers. Her experiences and insight are relevant to all business owners interested in progressive marketing strategies. Her biggest strength is being able to communicate the complexities of online marketing and how the internet works to local business owners in a way that they can fully comprehend. This, in turn, empowers them and helps them compete in this new marketing landscape.

TRUSTED SASKATOON RECOGNIZES OUR 10 YEAR PARTNERS!

In this series of articles, we are shining a spotlight on the businesses that have been with us since we launched in 2011. We want to thank them for TRUSTING our team, and we are recognizing each of them individually for providing 10 years of OUTSTANDING service to the public of Saskatoon and surrounding areas! In this article, we celebrate and recognize Laddie, Shelley and their amazing team at Hairstyle Inn Salon.

We are pleased to celebrate Hairstyle Inn Salons who have been TRUSTED Saskatoon Salon partners for over 10 years!

Right from the start Laddie and Shelley James believed in our idea and they believed that together we could make a difference! Hairstyle Inn Salons are a fun, fresh & locally owned; well-known salon group with TWO Saskatoon locations. Hairstyle Inn at the Centre Mall and Hairstyle Inn at The Lawson Mall. Their wonderful creative team makes up one of Saskatchewan's premier cut, colour and design salon groups, established by the James family in 1976 when Laddie’s father opened up their first location.

Laddie has an impressive reputation within the salon industry worldwide, and he has been invited as an expert to perform and speak at major industry events and fashion shows from New York to Amsterdam! Hairstyle Inn Salons are in an industry that is notorious for the turnover of staff, but they buck the trend. They have many long-standing team members, including Katherine, who has been a stylist at the Centre Mall location for 35 years! This really showcases what sets them apart, the wonderful, caring and supportive environment that has been built and nurtured there over the years. They have a huge heart and it is OBVIOUS to anyone that steps inside their salons.

It’s easy to see why Hairstyle Inn Salons have such a great, long-standing history in Saskatoon and so many satisfied clients... me included! Every time I walk up to the counter I’m always greeted with a smile no matter who sees me first. I’ve been lucky enough to have my hair done by a few of their talented stylists and each and every time they are professional, friendly, and really take their time to get to know me personally. At either HSI location, it really is a place where everyone knows your name... or at least that’s how I feel! I’ve been to other salons around the city for many years and Hairstyle Inn Salons are by far the best around, and I’ll continue to go there and rave to others about their amazing team and outstanding service!

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY IS THE FOUNDATION OF HSI

The team at Hairstyle Inn Salons also gives back to our community in a huge way. They always step up to donate items and time, including volunteering at The Persephone Theatre, C95 Radio marathon, and last but certainly not least, the non-profit that Shelley James founded in 2006 - TLC@HOME. TLC@Home stands for Touching The Lives Of Children at Home. They provide a Christmas shoebox full of gifts for children at several participating inner-city schools in Saskatoon. They started with a few classes in one school and have continued to grow the number of children we reach each year. Their goal is to reach every child in each of the community city schools in Saskatoon. 

"The Trusted team has been actively involved in fundraising and donating our time to this great initiative. We treasure the days over the years that our team has been invited along to distribute gifts directly to children in the schools. I am so grateful to have Laddie, Shel and the team as part of my business and part of my life. " - Sara Wheelwright, Trusted Founder

 

Our involvement with  TLC@Home sparked the idea to launch a non-profit category on Trusted Saskatoon to further support 4 local non-profits and the Trusted team is proud to support TLC@Home as a Trusted Saskatoon Non-profit. 

Hear from the wonderful Laddie and Shelley by watching the Behind The Brand interview that was recorded last year. 

Over the last 10 years, Hairstyle Inn Salons has been re-checked, re-verified and mystery shopped several times, and each time they pass with flying colours. They continue to be top salons in Saskatoon and they have always upheld our 5 TRUSTED GUARANTEES of service for the 10 YEARS as Trusted Saskatoon Partners.

When the Trusted Saskatoon team gives a business the 'Thumbs Up' it really means something!! So continue to use and recommend TrustedSaskatoon.com to FIND GREAT LOCAL BUSINESSES YOU CAN TRUST like Hairstyle Inn Salons!

Hairstyle Inn Salons have been given the thumbs up as Trusted Saskatoon Salons for 10 years!!

Marla Janzen has been a Trusted Saskatoon Real Estate Expert for over 10years!

If you’re considering selling your home, contact award-winning SASKATOON REAL Estate agent Marla Janzen today for a free consultation! She would be happy to offer you her personalized opinions.

• See Marla Janzen's Saskatoon and Warman Real Estate Listings Here
• For more testimonials and reviews about Marla Janzen, click here
• Free Market Analysis
• Read More Of Marla's Client Review on Rate My Agent Here 

Marla guarantees to provide you with a stress-free, hassle-free, wonderful experience and we are sure once you have met her that you will not contact anyone else! 

When the Trusted Saskatoon team gives a business the 'Thumbs Up' it really means something!! So continue to use and recommend TrustedSaskatoon.com to FIND GREAT LOCAL BUSINESSES YOU CAN TRUST like Marla Janzen with eXp Realty!

You can find out all about Marla's philosophy, what attracted her to the real estate industry,  and hear what drives her to provide excellence each day in the Behind The Brand Video we recorded with her in 2020. 

MEET  ALL OF THE 10 YEAR TRUSTED SASKATOON PARTNERS BY CLICKING HERE 

Trusted Saskatoon Celebrates Our 10th Anniversary In Style With a MEGA Giveaway! 

" Time definitely flies when you are having fun. On June 1st 2021, it will 10 years since I took the leap of faith and launched TrustedSaskatoon.com to the world! Over the last decade our service has helped 10'000's of local consumers, just like you, find trustworthy local businesses in and around Saskatoon. Over that time, we have promoted and supported 100's of wonderful family, small and locally owned business operated with integrity. I call them our Trusted Saskatoon Partners because they are so much more to our team than 'just clients.' Many of the Partners have been with me for the full 10 years,  and I am eternally grateful to everyone who has been part of this amazing journey! " - Sara Wheelwright 

Two Trusted Announcements 

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are launching our Trusted Troops program AND our 10th-anniversary contest, where we are giving away $10,000 in prizes over 10 weeks!

Q: WHY Enlist As Trusted Troop? 

A: More chances to WIN & support local! 

By enlisting in our new Trusted Troop program, you will be subscribing to our quarterly newsletter. In our newsletter, we will be sharing exclusive offers and opportunities with our Trusted Troops. This includes Trusted Partner News, exclusive giveaways, Trusted insider information, and offers.  You will also be automatically entered into every contest from now on; no need ever to enter again! If you choose to also enter contests on Facebook and other social media channels, then you DOUBLE your chance of winning! 

CONSIDERING ENLISTING AS A TRUSTED TROOP? 

S & E TRUSTED ONLINE DIRECTORIES INC & FIX IT UP -JOINT  MEDIA RELEASE

For Release - January 26th, 2021 at 10 am SASKATOON, SK  

TRUSTED DIRECTORIES ANNOUNCE A PARTNERSHIP WITH FIX IT UP! 

S & E Trusted Online Directories is a multi-award-winning Saskatchewan marketing company headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 2011 by local award-winning entrepreneur Sara Wheelwright, it has a local online directory division, that includes Trustedsaskatoon.com and Trustedregina.com. In addition, there is a full-service marketing agency, Our company focus is supporting local businesses operated with integrity as a priority. 

FIX IT UP is owned by Brad Fekula and Dwayne Melcher. Brad has over a decade of marketing expertise at Cubbon Advertising, primarily dealing with Saskatchewan businesses. Dwayne is the owner of Melcher Media, a previously Trusted Regina website company and a highly respected Saskatchewan tech agency specializing in software and virtual reality (VR) development.  The Fix-It Up software allows consumers a convenient and reliable way to save time and money when looking for a local quote. The FIX IT UP quote software was created by the developers at Melcher Media to revolutionize the way quotes are provided. 

SASKATCHEWAN TECH COLLABORATING TO CREATE ADDITIONAL VALUE FOR SMALL SASK BUSINESSES
 

In 2020 Trusted and FIX IT Up entered into a mutually beneficial legal partnership agreement with the view to providing more support to local businesses in Saskatchewan.  On the surface the 2 companies may seem to be in competition as local web-based directories; but in fact, on closer inspection, it became obvious that they instead complement each other's activities. They share a common goal, to provide the best solutions and advertising value to their clients in the Saskatchewan services industry. 

The Trusted Directories partner with a select and restricted number of locally owned businesses. These businesses fall into 40 specific categories and most are based in and around  Saskatoon and Regina. These businesses are mostly service providers, and to become partners they must meet a unique set of standards, pass a Trusted qualification process, and sign a contract to commit to upholding specific standards of service ‘ The Trusted Guarantees’.  Trusted then promotes the partners individually and as part of the ‘Trusted Community’. Essentially, we sell the Trusted Partners as our only ‘product‘ to the local marketplace via a comprehensive marketing campaign - including, but not limited to,  billboards, radio, social media, CPC campaigns, event marketing, sponsorship, and more. This gives the partners significant exposure in their local marketplace, drives quality leads, and helps their SEO. Trusted also contributes time and money to help the partner's community support efforts, and the Trusted community holds each other accountable as a group of like-minded, quality-driven, locally owned businesses. 

FIX IT UP directories on the other hand, primarily provides a comprehensive quoting platform for local service providers in over 220+ categories. A detailed and industry-specific online quoting system saves service providers significant time. In addition, to build such a platform/feature on their own websites would be a significant cost that most service providers would not invest in. FIX IT UP businesses pay a very small lead fee, which they only pay if they are selected for a job they quote. The benefits for consumers and corporations is that they can provide all their information in one easy-to-use platform and await quotes from local service providers.  This is a managed process and also saves consumers time shopping around and the frustration of businesses not getting back to enquiries in a timely manner. 

The Trusted/FIX IT UP partnership involves the following elements:

1. Integration of the FIX IT UP quote software into the Trusted Directories clouded database platform. 

This means that Trusted Partners will be able to receive detailed quotes from local consumers who want a Trusted local service provider. This saves the consumer time and as the partners have to respond in a timely fashion customers are not left ‘ hanging ‘ waiting for a reply. In addition, they can request a quote at their convenience as our platform is open for business 24/ 7!

A bonus for the Trusted partners, is that the quote link and landing page is unique to each business. This means they will not be competing with other businesses in their category that are signed up as a FIX IT UP provider.

See a listing example here: https://www.trustedsaskatoon.com/listing.aspx?lid=334 

2. Trusted Saskatoon & Regina Partners who are listed on Fix It Up will be highlighted as Trusted on Fix It Up.

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This differentiates Trusted Partners and recognizes the steps they have taken to invest in their integrity.
It also shines a spotlight on their consistently high standards of quality work and customer service and gives them an advantage in the selection process.

3. FIX IT UP operates on a ‘ typical online directory model’.
They aim to sign up as many businesses as possible and charge a very small fee per lead.  After staffing and development costs this does not allow for much capital to invest in local marketing to drive consumers to use the platform, especially when it comes to mass media like print, broadcast or billboard.  

The Trusted Directories model is different, they charge more for an annual fee and severely restrict the number of businesses in each category to offer much more individual promotion, marketing value, and personalized service for their partners. They appreciate the quality of the FIX IT UP quoting software and in return for integration they are committed to promoting the feature and their FIX IT UP Partnership as part of their ongoing marketing strategy in the cities they serve. 

The owners of Trusted and FIX IT UP believe that local businesses like themselves should actively seek out collaboration opportunities in order to become more successful. We appreciate each other’s strengths, and we are proud to enter into a partnership as two established and recognized leaders in the Saskatchewan marketing industry. A community whose tech sector collaborates is a valuable asset to the province and we believe is crucial for the success of Sask tech as a whole. 

Support local and we all win!