Michael Merlino 📍 CTR Manipulation for Local SEO

Michael is a Local SEO, GBP expert who has been doing SEO for 20 years and a business owner who has been "Living That Life" working from home
 
He's an SEO trainer, CTR master, and social media monster.
 
He will speak at the SEO conference Digital Unfiltered, POFU Live, SEO Rockstars and Dark AI.
 
Please welcome the man who says, "Make the phone ring for your client; don't show them a bunch of fancy reports and charts," Michael Merlino!

Watch the full episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nv4pxB6SWs

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Transcript

Key Takeaways from Mike Merlino on Leveraging CTR Manipulation for Local SEO

Introduction:

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing renowned local SEO expert Mike Merlino on my SEO Video Show. Mike shared his extensive knowledge and experience using CTR (click-through rate) manipulation to boost local SEO rankings quickly. In this post, I'll summarize the key tactics and insights from our discussion.

Mike's Background in SEO:

• Got into SEO about 6-7 years ago after seeing the professionalism and success of marketers in a Facebook group called Local Client Takeover.
• Mainly learned from industry experts like JP, Paul Trust and Scott. Also picked up knowledge from sources like Semantic Mastery, Bradley Bennett and others over the years.

CTR Manipulation Basics:

• CTR manipulation involves sending fake or "manipulated" traffic to your site to mimic real user behavior. This signals to Google that your content is relevant for those searches.
• Start slow - base your fake traffic on existing impression and click volume so you don't stand out.
• Use quality proxies and tools - cheap proxies will get you caught. Mike recommends Agency Assassin, CTR Booster, Avalanche Kraken, Viper, and more.
• Focus on brand terms first since brand traffic is a strong ranking signal. Make sure your GMB listing and website both rank for your brand name.

Advanced CTR Tactics:

• Referral traffic (via social media, news sites etc) helps show Google your site is authoritative and trusted. Tools can mimic user journeys through different sites onto yours.
• Hit related keywords and variables to rank for full topic clusters faster through entity association.
• Use manipulated URLs to encode engagement signals without having to click through and dirty up data.

CTR Setup and Optimization:

• Have on-page SEO, citations, and other signals in place before adding CTR on top. Can't rely solely on fake traffic.
• Getting 15+ GMB reviews helps lift sites out of the "sandbox" for better results.
• Constantly test and refine your approach based on results - let the phone ringing be your guide.

Ethics and Risks:

• Mike believes you should do whatever it takes to rank within reason. He avoids overtly malicious tactics like negative SEO.
• Overdoing CTR and using cheap proxies risks getting caught and manually penalized by Google. But you can recover if you lay low.
• Faking clicks dirties up analytics data which some agencies want to avoid. Use impression volume instead.

The Future of CTR Manipulation:

• Tactics will evolve toward faking engagement without clicks, just impressions and manipulated URLs.
• Having more sophisticated bots that mimic real user behavior across devices will become important.

Conclusion:

Mike Merlino offered a fascinating inside look at leveraging CTR manipulation to shortcut local SEO rankings. While high risk, these tactics clearly work well when applied carefully. The future will likely see further refinements in faking behavioral signals without actually clicking on sites. But a solid SEO foundation remains important rather than overly relying on tricks.