NatLo Top 150 - 2014

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 1www.placeable.com | 855.433.7133

With 95 percent of consumers beginning their searches for restaurants, retailers and other businesses online1, national brands must compete for customers using digital strategies that drive web traffic, location visits, and sales conversions.

Marketing at scale on the local level requires mastery of a range of activities—from building a rich, localized digital presence, to maintaining accurate location data, to having listings coverage across search engines, social networks and directories.

To measure the success of these tactics, Placeable has developed the NatLo Score as the authoritative measure of a company’s local digital marketing performance across four critical dimensions: Visibility, Depth, Precision, and Reach. In July 2014, Placeable released the inaugural NatLo Top 30—a ranking of the largest and most successful local digital marketers in the U.S.

For the October 2014 NatLo publication, Placeable scored over one thousand additional brands across a broad range of industries. The result is the NatLo Top 150, which recognizes those national brands that stand out as the preeminent digital marketers in the U.S. This elite group is best positioned to compete effectively in local markets, drive consumer awareness, achieve online and mobile visibility, and capture the most web traffic and store visits.

Introducing the NatLo Top 150:

2 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014

TOP 150 INDUSTRY LEGEND

Automotive Business & Professional Childcare Entertainment

Financial Health, Fitness & Personal Care Hospitality

Restaurant Retail Transportation & Storage

Meineke Car Care Center

Nationwide Insurance

Papa Murphy’s Pizza

Title Max

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Pizza Factory

Best Buy

PetSmart

Ramada

State Farm

Foz’s Pizza Den

Smash Burger

SpeDee Oil Change and Tune Up

Holiday Inn Express & Suites

Super 8 Motel

Days Inn

Office Depot

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Walgreens

Mavis Discount Tire

Bonefish Grill

Bank of America

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

Mellow Mushroom

Great Expressions Dental Centers

Corner Bakery Cafe

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

Gander Mountain

Best Western Motel

Save Mart Supermarket

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 3

BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE

78

RANK

01

7502

7503

7204

7205

7106

7107

7008

7009

6910

6911

6912

6913

6914

6915

BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE

69

RANK

16

6817

6818

6819

6720

6721

6722

6623

6624

6625

6626

6527

6528

6529

6530

Wells Fargo

CVS Caremark Pharmacy

AMC Theatres

Verizon

Kohl’s

Dairy Queen

Target

American Family Insurance

U-Haul

Fitness Together

Speedy Cash

Wing Stop

Snap Fitness

Ace Cash Express

Cousin’s Subs

The Maids

Jack in the Box

Farmers Insurance

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Elements Therapeutic Massage

Lenny’s Subs

On the Border Mexican Cafe

Advance America Cash Advance

Affordable Dentures

Extra Space Storage

Gerber Collision and Glass

Western Union

Golfsmith Golf & Tennis

Michael’s

Money Tree



65

RANK

31

6432

6433

6434

6435

6436

6337

6338

6339

6340

6341

6342

6243

6244

6245


62

RANK

46

6247

6148

6149

6150

6151

6152

6153

6154

6155

6156

6057

6058

5959

5960

Men’s Wearhouse

La Petite Academy

CineMark

HyVee

UMB

Fleet Feet Sports

Firehouse Subs

Freebirds World Burrito

Donato’s

9 Round

Schlotzsky’s

Sizzler

Steve Madden

Bright Star Care

Sun Tan City

Romano’s Macaroni Grill

Jersey Mike’s Subs

Dress Barn

Regus

Ameriprise Financial

Bright Now Dental

Extended Stay America

Ashley Furnityre

Outback Steakhouse

Staples

Steak n Shake

Banfield Pet Hospital

Jenny Craig

Giant Eagle

Aaron’s



59

RANK

61

5962

5963

5964

5965

5966

5967

5968

5969

5970

5871

5872

5873

5874

5875


58

RANK

76

5777

5778

5779

5780

5781

5782

5783

5784

5685

5686

5687

5688

5689

5690

Better Business Bureau

Midwest Dental

Whataburger

Menards

Bruegger’s Bagels

Child Time Children’s Centers

Medifast Weight Control Centers

The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy

Eyemart Express

Build-a-Bear Workshop

Kirkland’s

United Rentals

Sunoco

Teavana

Plato’s Closet

Kiddie Academy

Kinney Drugs

Maurices

PacSun

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

Orkin

Sylvan Learning Center

Portrait Innovations

Lumber Liquidators

Penske

Joe’s Crab Shack

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

The Keg Steakhouse and Bar

Carpet One

Regal Entertainment Group



56

RANK

91

5692

5693

5594

5495

5496

5497

5498

5499

53100

53101

53102

53103

52104

52105


52

RANK

106

52107

52108

52109

52110

52111

52112

51113

51114

51115

50116

50117

50118

50119

50120

Hungry Howies Flavored Crust Pizza

Saks Fifth Avenue

Supercuts

Visionworks

Tuesday Morning

Gucci

Motel 6

BJ’s Wholesale Club

Camping World

Louis Vuitton

Kwik Trip

AeroTek

Raymour & Flanigan Furniture

Texas Roadhouse

Sports Authority

Pro Source Wholesale Floor Coverings

Hooters

Journeys

La-Z-Boy

Jason’s Deli

Sweet Tomatoes

Orange Theory Fitness

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogyrt

Coco’s Bakery & Restaurant

Tiffany & Company

Tutor Time Child Care Learning Center

Samuels Jewelers

Hertz

Travel Centers of America



50

RANK

121

50122

49123

49124

49125

49126

49127

49128

49129

48130

48131

48132

48133

48134

48135


48

RANK

136

47137

47138

47139

47140

47141

47142

47143

47144

46145

46146

45147

45148

45149

45150

The NatLo Score measures a brand’s digital marketing effectiveness, as represented by the four key dimensions of local online marketing: Visibility, Depth, Precision and Reach. The brands received a score from zero to 100 for each dimension. The scores for the four dimensions were weighted and combined into a single overall score. The NatLo Top 150 comprises the highest scoring brands that were evaluated.

visibility

depth

precision

reach

Website effectiveness in search and

discoverability.

• Site structure• Page optimization• Web and mobile site

performance• Local and geo-related search

factors

Strong Visibility produces higher search engine rankings and greater traffic. It also supports authoritative indexing by search engines and enables brands to attain location dominance with multiple listings in search results. Brands with poor Visibility surrender more traffic to directories and competitors.

SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS

• Richness and completeness of site information

‐ Basic: name, address, phone

‐ Enhanced: descriptions, services, photos, calls-to-action, etc.

Brands that achieve exceptional Depth deliver a better customer experience with richer content about their locations and offerings. Greater Depth also produces higher click-to-brick conversion rates and supports other marketing calls-to-action.


Depth and accuracy of published location

content.

• Pin placement of each location based on latitude and longitude

• Dispersion of pins on third party sites (pin spread)

Superior Precision enables customers to efficiently navigate to a brand’s locations. It also supports accurate geo-targeting for digital campaigns. Failure to ensure Precision damages customer trust and increases the risk of competitive poaching.


Geographic accuracy of location data.

• Presence, completeness and accuracy of location data on Google, Facebook, Foursquare and Yelp

Brands with outstanding Reach can be found by consumers across a range of search engines, social sites and apps. Poor Reach can lead to consumer confusion and misallocated marketing investments.


Data consistency and coverage across third

party sites.


An essential condition for inclusion in the NatLo Top 150 was having three digital search assets in place: an indexable online locator, local landing pages, and a mobile locator. These crucial tools boost a brand’s ability to gain online and mobile visibility, capture web traffic, and convert digital visitors to location visits. Only 19 percent of the brands studied have all three assets present, properly implemented and search-engine-optimized. Brands missed the mark with indexable online locators (34 percent), but performed better when it comes to mobile locators (64 percent).

The brands that met the digital assets criteria were then further assessed and assigned a NatLo score. Those with the highest scores were selected for the NatLo Top 150. The average NatLo score across the NatLo 150 was 58, with a high score of 78 and a low score of 45. On average, the brands in the NatLo 150 scored highest in the Visibility dimension and lowest in the Depth dimension.

From a visibility perspective, the leaders demonstrated a superior overall digital presence, with optimized web and mobile locators. The best performing companies supplemented general SEO best practices with specialized local search tactics. But across the board there was room for improvement in the areas of mobile site performance and page optimization tactics such as breadcrumb usage and inclusion of social reviews.

With respect to Depth, the leading brands excelled at publishing basic location content such as name, address, phone number and hours. But even the top brands fell short when it came to providing richer and more engaging content to consumers like localized promotions, videos, payment types, and multi-language support.

An analysis of results and company characteristics showed that there was no correlation between score and company age, revenue or number of locations.


69 52 56 53

The Hospitality and Entertainment industries achieved strong representation in the NatLo Top 150 by producing the highest percentage of brands with properly implemented online locators, local landing pages, and mobile locators. The Automotive and Retail industries had the lowest percentage of brands with these three critical digital marketing assets.

Among the industries represented in the Top 150, the highest average scores were earned by Financial Services and Hospitality —while Childcare Services, Transportation & Storage and Business & Professional Services scored lowest.

Aver

age

NatL

o Sc

ore

64

62

60

58

56

54

5210%5% 15% 25%20% 30%

Percent of Companies Studied That Made Top 150

NatLo 150 Average


Top Ranked

Brands by Industry

MeinekeThe MaidsLa Petite AcademyAMC EntertainmentNationwide Group

Great ExpressionsRamadaPapa Murphy’sBest BuyU-Haul

AVERAGE NATLO INDUSTRY SCORES

The Financial Services industry performed very well—earning the highest overall average NatLo score in the study. In fact, nearly 20 percent of the 50 highest-ranking companies are Financial Services brands. The industry performed well across all dimensions, with the second-highest average scores for Visibility (78), Depth (61), and Precision (63), and the fourth highest score for Reach (51).

Financial Services brands were particularly proficient in the Visibility dimension, standing our for the strength of their local landing pages with above average performance in site structure, SEO, and mobile. Such performance is imperative in an industry where consumers rely on digital sources for brand selection. For example, a recent EY consumer banking survey2 found that online sources were most important to consumers researching financial services. In a world where consumers are increasingly online, the financial brands that lead in local marketing are differentiating themselves from competitors to win site visits, conversions, and revenue.

The Hospitality industry had over double the average proportion of brands pass the first NatLo screen for having properly implemented online locators, local landing pages, and mobile locators. With an average NatLo score of 62, it was the second-highest performing category. In this industry, where a consumer is making the important decision of where to sleep and relax, online research is customary—so comprehensive site information is crucial. The Hospitality brands have met this demand with delivery of rich site content, such as localized descriptions, photos, videos, and calls to action —resulting in the highest average Depth score (66).



NatL

o Sc

ore

Rang

es

95

85

75

65

55

45

35

25

15

5

90

72

52

727068

89

71

57

85

76

63

94

78

59

87

74

46

7771

59

92

67

38

92

65

47

89

80

71

94

69

38

VISIBILITY PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

Retail was the second-lowest performing industry when it came to implementing the three required digital marketing assets. Only 14 percent of retail brands in the study met this NatLo requirement. While retail brands do an adequate job of syndicating data to the third party ecosystem (with the third highest average reach score of 56), they miss the mark when if comes to their own web presence. The Retail industry had the lowest average Visibility score (65) due to generally poor rankings for SEO along with lagging desktop and mobile performance.

With 84 percent3 of consumers going online before or during their most recent trip to a store, it is essential that Retail brands correct these issues to boost their presence. Properly implemented locators and landing pages with rich content such as reviews, videos, accurate store hours, return policies and amenity descriptions improve a brand’s ability to win search placements, attract site visitors, drive store visits, and increase revenue.

RETAIL + VISIBILITY


NatL

o Sc

ore

Rang

es

95

85

75

65

55

45

35

25

15

5

90

57

30

70

58

40

70

50

40

80

61

40

70

58

30

80

66

50

80

44

10

70

50

30

60

44

30

90

52

10

60

43

20

DEPTH PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

The Transportation & Storage industry had one of the lowest overall average NatLo scores (55). Transportation & Storage brands achieved a superior local pages presence with best-practice SEO and site execution across both web and mobile—earning the highest average Visibility dimension score (79) in the study. But the industry performed below average on the remaining three dimensions due to lack of site content, poor accuracy of pin placements, and inadequate syndication of its location data across the third party ecosystem.

This was particularly evident in the Depth dimension where it earned one of the lowest average scores (44) due to deficient performance in the areas of location-specific reviews, offer descriptions, photos, and promotions. In an industry where differentiation is difficult and price is often a deciding factor, rich locator and landing page content is critical. Providing content that includes customized coupons, price lists, hours, equipment descriptions—and storage specifications such as sizes, temperature control and security features—differentiates Transportation & Storage brands from their competitors and helps them win more visits and revenue.

TRANSPORTATION & STORAGE + DEPTH


PRECISION PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

NatL

o Sc

ore

Rang

es

95

85

75

65

55

45

35

25

15

5

77

64

47

60

50

41

504642

75

63

45

69

54

41

64

57

42

87

61

44

82

52

40

60

53

45

87

56

40

61

5449

The Automotive industry is the worst performing group when it comes to implementation of the three critical digital assets, with only 10 percent of brands studies passing the first NatLo screen. However, the brands that did pass the first screen earned the third highest average NatLo score (60). Automotive brands outperformed all other industries in the Precision dimension (64) by having consistent and accurate pin placements.

That is especially critical in an industry like Automotive that has a high number of competitors clustered near to each other. Consider how many intersections have a gas station on multiple corners, or how competing repair shops are often in the same shopping plaza. Accuracy is imperative to these brands because inaccurate online directions and maps lead consumers to the wrong location, and those consumers will likely choose the competitor on their side of the street.

Placeable research has found that more than two-thirds of consumers say they lose trust in a brand if they get lost walking or driving to a location because of an incorrect listing. With above average Precision scores, the Automotive brands in the NatLo Top 150 differentiate from their peers and improve the likelihood of capturing consumer visits and building consumer trust.

AUTOMOTIVE + PRECISION

http://info.placeable.com/be-found-location-based-marketing-insights


NatL

o Sc

ore

Rang

es

95

85

75

65

55

45

35

25

15

5

72

47

24

58

41

28

63

37

16

69

51

12

63

42

17

67

50

14

89

63

19

79

56

9

58

41

12

89

53

9

72

62

54

REACH PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

The Restaurant industry dominated the Reach dimension by having the highest individual score (89) and the highest average score (63) of all industries. Strong syndication practices and coverage across the third party ecosystem are especially important in this industry, as consumers often look to third party sites for recommendations. For example, Placeable research has found that 31 percent of consumers will turn to Yelp for trustworthy reviews before selecting a dining location.

Restaurant brands earned some of the lowest average scores for the Visibility and Depth dimensions. Low scores in these areas result in poor placement in search engine results and the loss of online site visits. And when Restaurant chains lose visitors to third party sites, they miss valuable opportunities to build their brand, control messaging, and establish consumer trust. Focusing on improving Visibility and Depth scores can increase site traffic, boost location visits, and grow revenues for Restaurants.

RESTAURANT + REACH

http://info.placeable.com/restaurant-report

http://info.placeable.com/restaurant-report

How can I calculate

my brand’s NatLo score?

If you are a NatLo 150 brand and would like to receive your Visibility, Depth, Precision and Reach dimension scores, please contact us.

If your national brand was not named to the NatLo 150, you may contact us to schedule a complimentary NatLo assessment.


The companies that earned a spot in the NatLo Top 150 deserve accolades for excelling at local digital marketing. These brands are successfully navigating the complex digital marketing world and have achieved industry-leading performance when it comes to marketing at scale on the local level. However, with a constantly changing landscape and competitive threats, top-performing brands must continue to innovate and improve in order to maintain their leadership. Addressing the weaker scoring dimensions and developing strategies to improve those measures will help companies maintain or improve their ranking. If your brand made the NatLo Top 150, please contact Placeable to receive sub-scores for the Visibility, Depth, Precision, and Reach dimensions.

For brands that did not make the list, the NatLo dimensions and criteria offer a lens through which you can evaluate your brand’s digital marketing efforts. Do you have a properly implemented online locator? Has your locator been optimized for mobile? Do you have unique landing pages for every one of your hundreds to thousands of locations? Have you created custom content and offers for each of your locations? How accurate is your location data? Are you syndicating to the right directories, aggregators, social networks, and search engines? To understand how your national or regional brand performs with respect to these critical digital marketing criteria, contact Placeable for a free NatLo assessment.

Whether your brand is on the list or not, the NatLo score brings to light the digital marketing dimensions most critical to winning the online and mobile consumer. Understanding them empowers your company to prioritize activities and capture more local search impressions, clicks, location visits, orders and revenue.

1 Local Consumer Review Survey, 2013, BrightLocal2 Winning Through Customer Experience: EY Global Consumer Banking Survey, 2014. EY3 The New Digital Divide—Retailers, Shoppers, and the Digital Influence Factor, 2014, Deloitte Digital

@BePlaceable /Placeable www.placeable.com

mailto: [email protected]




To select the NatLo 150, the largest multi-location businesses in the United States, by revenue and number of locations, were compiled into an evaluation set of 1,030 brands across ten industries. These brands were assessed for the presence of three critical digital marketing assets: indexable online locators, local landing pages, and mobile locators. Brands that had properly implemented these marketing assets were then evaluated using the Placeable Workbench TM and its proprietary scoring algorithm. The brands were analyzed across hundreds of data points and millions of locations for four quality dimensions: Visibility, Depth, Precision, and Reach. The four dimensions were individually scored between zero and 100 (with 100 being the best), and then the four scores were weighted and combined to produce an overall zero-to-100 score. The brands with the highest overall scores were ranked and recognized as members of the NatLo 150. These companies were determined to be the highest performing national brands in the evaluation set. Finally, regression testing was performed on these brands to test for correlations between NatLo scores and company characteristics such as revenue, age, and number of locations.


NatLo Top 150 - 2014

Documents

brand industry natlo

inaugural natlo

natlo publication

brand industry overall

digital strategies

preeminent digital marketers

local level

local markets