Google Place Search Emphasizes Local SEO

by Laurie Sullivan, of Online Media Daily

Google began rolling out Place Search to combine local and organic listings on Google.com when searchers look for information around location. It aggregates results based on places, so searchers can compare information, but there are a few things SEO experts will want to pay close attention to when optimizing Web sites for local search.

When Google’s search engine believes the searcher wants information about a location, it returns local businesses high in the search engine results page. The new results in Place Search supports longer descriptions and reviews. Scroll down the page and the map follows along in the browser window.

Google Place Search will lead to more SEO work for companies that focus on small business optimization. Andrew Shotland, founder of Local SEO Guide, says the tool favors small businesses in Google’s search results. “It intensifies the competition for local rankings,” he says. “Previously, if you couldn’t rank in Google’s Seven Pack for the local set of results, when it detected a relevant local query, you could always rank in the Web results around the map. If you weren’t good at map SEO, you could get by with Web SEO.”

The new change allows map listings to dominate the page, pushing non-local organic listings down or off the page. Businesses that ranked well in organic search results and had a map listing will now see the two merge. That merge reduces the number of Web results on the page by one, explains Shotland. He also says it means Web sites that don’t have a physical location in the city get pushed off the page.

Sites that have customer reviews have an exaggerated prominence in the search results, Shotland says.

David Harry, community manager at the SEO Training Dojo, says the ability to rank high in the search engine results pages for local search will require SEO professionals to consider domain extensions such as .com .ca .co.uk; and information on the site that might appear on the contact page and in the footer. He says to make sure it’s accurate for each location if the business has more than one, and to update local directories to make sure the business is listed on Web sites such as local directories and Google Maps.

For the better part of a year, Google has been asking local companies from restaurants to lawyer offices to “claim their business” listing by adding information about their Web site, telephone number and local address. IT generates a listing for the location in Google Maps, allowing searchers to find the business, get information and leave a review.

The tool will compete for space with listings on Yelp, Citysearch and other local directories. And now with Marissa Mayer behind the helm supporting local as the vice president of geographic and local services at Google, we will likely see much more innovation focused on local in the near future.

Expectations Important For Coupon Campaigns

Courtesy of The Center For Media Research

Careful management of temperatures is an important way to control bacteria. You should always use a food thermometer to check temperatures.

- Turkey must be kept frozen (0ºF or lower) or refrigerated (35º to 40ºF) until used. Keep raw as well as cooked turkey products out of the 41º to 135ºF bacterial growth danger zone.

- Never let raw or cooked turkey stand at room temperature or in a warm oven at less than 200ºF or in a holding device at less than 135ºF.

- Cook raw turkey to an internal temperature of 165ºF to 170ºF in the deepest part of the breast, or 165ºF to 180ºF in the thigh of a whole bird. Insert the food thermometer into the deepest part of the muscle, being sure not to touch the bones.

- Turkey products that are purchased fully cooked and are served hot, such as boneless roasts and rolls, should be reheated to an internal temperature of 140ºF.

- Turkey that is cooked and chilled in your operation must be reheated to an internal temperature of 165ºF before serving or kept cold at 41ºF or lower if it is to be served cold.

- Cook turkey progressively, in batches, so it can be served as soon as possible.

- Slice and hold only the amount that will be served within a 20-to 30-minute period.

From our friends at SEFA

Welcome to the Saf-T-First e-newsletter from San Jamar.  Saf-T-First has been created to help keep you informed of important food safety information. As the leader in commercial food safety tools, San Jamar is always innovating to address safety issues and needs of foodservice professionals.  San Jamar food safety tools are designed to reduce employee and customer injuries and illness, while reducing labor and operating costs.

CA Raises Bar on Food Safety
Foodservice workers hired in California will be carded as of next year. You could call him “The Germ-inator”, as California Governor Arnold Swarzenagger recently signed a foodservice safety training bill into law.  Read more from NRN -  California Food Handler Card

It’s a Viral World
With the viral nature of the internet and the blogosphere, information is everywhere.  And bad news travels fastest.  One health code violation, one foodborne illness… and a foodservice provider can become the victim of viral media coverage — with a reputation irreparably tarnished.  The results can be devastating.  Read about one example of viral media roadkill from WTMJ online -  Egg Recall Expands; Kenosha Restaurant Linked

Food Safety Insights: HACCP & Local Sourcing
by Dr. Norm Faiola, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Hospitality Management
Syracuse University

Let us consider some of the food safety challenges produce poses to our internal food safety systems. Using a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) model, we know that there are potential hazards (mostly biological, i.e. pathogenic bacteria and viruses) related to almost all types of produce.  The produce we need to process and serve our guests requires procedures that will reduce these potential hazards to an acceptable (safe) level.   Sure, an operation can purchase ready-to-eat (RTE) produce which does not need to be rewashed (USDA) but labor still must handle it correctly to maintain safety. Expiration dates need to be carefully monitored and a First in-First out (FiFo) rotation must be maintained. Shelf life and safety are based on strict packer processes (HACCP/GMP’s based) in conjunction with in-house strict time-temperature controls and monitoring of package integrity.

Thinking about sustainability and locally sourced produce?  Produce purchased not RTE must be carefully processed so as to reduce the potential contamination to a safe level. Safe produce starts at the farm level and we rely on the grower to minimize the risk of hazards associated with produce.  Any product that is grown in soil has contamination that is potentially harmful.  Your in-house processing must assume the worst case; processing procedures need to carefully planned and monitored. Start with clean and sanitary utensils, sinks and storage containers. Enforce strict personal hygiene. Maintain temperature control by batch processing. Since no heat treatment is part of the processing steps (who wants cooked lettuce?), you are relying on agitation and dilution to reduce the bio-load on the products. If you are adding a chemical or converted water sanitizing step to your process, carefully follow the manufacturers’ directions. Remove excess water before storage.  Do not store produce in standing water even under refrigeration.

Responsibility for food safety belongs to the operator as they are the final control point for any produce served to guests.  Keeping produce safe takes as much work and planning as any meat or poultry product. Let us make sure we consider this and proactively work to serve safe food.

Make Sure Your Produce is “Saf”
Produce is the #1 source of foodborne illness– even pre-washed/ready-to-eat (RTE) produce can harbor dangerous bacteria. Not only does Saf-T-Wash by San Jamar provide 52% greater pathogen killing power than traditional produce sanitizing methods like chlorine; it harnesses the power of ozone to significantly extend the life of produce, saving money.  And Saf-T-Wash is easy to install and use. To learn more about the power of Saf-T-Wash and, click here.

ServSafe® Quick Quiz

While commonly associated with ground beef, which microorganism has also been associated with contaminated lettuce?

A. Salmonella spp.
B. Campylobacter jejuni
C. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
D. Norovirus

Something to Chew On…
PB&M sandwich, anyone…?  Imagine the shock when Dad finds mouse baked into bread while making kids’ lunches.  See photo and read more from The Sun.
*Answer:C  Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli include diarrhea and abdominal cramps.  Severe cases can lead to life-threatening kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

From our friends at SEFA and Sanjamar

Recently, we’ve had the honor of celebrating the citizenship of one of our esteemed customer service representatives, Karina. She moved with her family at the age of 11 from Brazil to the United States and, despite the difficulty of learning a new language, she excelled in school and is currently attending the University of Central Florida. In honor of her becoming a citizen, the first at REW to make that achievement while employed here, I made the long trip across the office for a sit-down Q&A session:

Q: Karina, what does becoming a citizen mean to you?

A: It is a great honor to become a citizen. The first thing that comes to mind is that I can now vote, but that does not come close to what I am happy for. The United States has offered my family and I a great opportunity for growth. It means that the country that I have loved for so long accepts me as one of their own, and there is no greater reward than this.

Q: What was the process of becoming a citizen like?

A: It took my family and I roughly ten years to go through the citizenship process. In my particular instance, my father established a business in Florida, and was granted a work visa. Our family moved here, and after having legal residency for  five  years, we chose to move forward and apply for citizenship. Although ten years seem like a long time, the outcome is very much worth the wait.

Q: I’m glad that the outcome was worth the wait! What would you like to say to others who may want to move to America or become a citizen here?

A: That’s a hard question!- America is a great country;  it is the melting pot of the world. If you wish to come, make sure to get involved. There is no better feeling than learning about your new community and having an appreciation for a new culture.

Q: What was the first thing that you did, or what are you looking forward to doing, as a citizen?

A: The first thing, of course, was register to vote. I believe this right should be exercised by every citizen, since it is the greatest power that the people have.

Q: What great insight! Thanks for your time, Karina, You have been a wonderful interviewee, not to mention co-worker.

A: Thanks, Jared!

We are very happy that Karina is now officially a U.S. citizen, we congratulate her on her successes, and wish her many more in the future!

For more information on how YOU can become a citizen visit http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

REW is proud to present the first installment in a new series of tips and tricks on how to safely and efficiently protect your customers from foodborne illness.

This Week’s Topic: The Receiving Dock and You

Here are some tips from the pros:

• Use durable and efficient brooms, mops, buckets, etc., to keep the receiving area clean.

• Make sure the area is well lit to discourage pests.

• Air curtains act as thermal, bug and dust barriers in doorways, thereby saving energy and increasing comfort.

• Place incoming shipments on dunnage racks to keep them off the dock floor.

• Check and record the temperature of food shipments as they arrive.

• Keep thermometers and sanitizer test strips handy
  for use throughout your area of operation.

• Check and record all expiration dates and package
  integrity. Refuse, quarantine, or return any products that
  fail your checks.

Next weeks installment: Dry Storage: Friend, or Foe?

REW's Dry Storage Facility

Courtesy of SEFA and SANJAMAR