2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
4 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE
65
RANK
31
6432
6433
6434
6435
6436
6337
6338
6339
6340
6341
6342
6243
6244
6245
BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE
62
RANK
46
6247
6148
6149
6150
6151
6152
6153
6154
6155
6156
6057
6058
5959
5960
5. 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
Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 5
BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE
59
RANK
61
5962
5963
5964
5965
5966
5967
5968
5969
5970
5871
5872
5873
5874
5875
BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE
58
RANK
76
5777
5778
5779
5780
5781
5782
5783
5784
5685
5686
5687
5688
5689
5690
6. 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
6 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE
56
RANK
91
5692
5693
5594
5495
5496
5497
5498
5499
53100
53101
53102
53103
52104
52105
BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE
52
RANK
106
52107
52108
52109
52110
52111
52112
51113
51114
51115
50116
50117
50118
50119
50120
7. 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
Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 7
BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE
50
RANK
121
50122
49123
49124
49125
49126
49127
49128
49129
48130
48131
48132
48133
48134
48135
BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE
48
RANK
136
47137
47138
47139
47140
47141
47142
47143
47144
46145
46146
45147
45148
45149
45150
8. 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.
SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS
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.
SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS
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.
SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS
Data consistency and
coverage across third
party sites.
8 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
9. 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.
Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 9
69 52 56 53
10. 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.
AverageNatLoScore
64
62
60
58
56
54
52
10%5% 15% 25%20% 30%
Percent of Companies Studied That Made Top 150
NatLo 150 Average
10 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
Top
Ranked
Brands by
Industry
Meineke
The Maids
La Petite Academy
AMC Entertainment
Nationwide Group
Great Expressions
Ramada
Papa Murphy’s
Best Buy
U-Haul
AVERAGE NATLO INDUSTRY SCORES
11. 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).
Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 11
12. 12 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
NatLoScoreRanges
95
85
75
65
55
45
35
25
15
5
90
72
52
72
70
68
89
71
57
85
76
63
94
78
59
87
74
46
77
71
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
13. Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 13
NatLoScoreRanges
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
14. 14 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
PRECISION PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY
NatLoScoreRanges
95
85
75
65
55
45
35
25
15
5
77
64
47
60
50
41
50
46
42
75
63
45
69
54
41
64
57
42
87
61
44
82
52
40
60
53
45
87
56
40
61
54
49
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
15. Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 15
NatLoScoreRanges
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
16. 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.
16 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014
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, BrightLocal
2
Winning Through Customer Experience: EY Global Consumer Banking Survey, 2014. EY
3
The New Digital Divide—Retailers, Shoppers, and the Digital Influence Factor, 2014, Deloitte Digital
@BePlaceable /Placeable www.placeable.com
17. 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.
Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 17
