www.placeable.comPlaceable |NatLo 855.433.7133 Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 1 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:

TOP 150 INDUSTRY LEGEND

Automotive Business & Professional Childcare Entertainment

Financial Health, Fitness & Personal Care Hospitality

Restaurant Retail Transportation & Storage

2 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 RANK BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE RANK BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE

01 78 16 69 Days Inn Meineke Car Care Center

02 75 17 68 Nationwide Insurance Office Depot

03 75 18 68 Papa Murphy’s Pizza Carrabba’s Italian Grill

04 72 19 68 Title Max Walgreens

05 72 20 67 Ruth’s Chris Steak House Mavis Discount Tire

06 71 21 67 Pizza Factory Bonefish Grill

07 71 22 67 Best Buy Bank of America

08 70 23 66 PetSmart Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

09 70 24 66 Ramada Mellow Mushroom

10 69 25 66 State Farm Great Expressions Dental Centers

11 69 26 66 Foz’s Pizza Den

12 69 27 65 Smash Burger Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

13 69 28 65 SpeDee Oil Change and Tune Up Gander Mountain

14 69 29 65 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Best Western Motel

15 69 30 65 Super 8 Motel Save Mart Supermarket

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 3 RANK BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE RANK BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE

31 65 46 62 Wells Fargo The Maids

32 64 47 62 CVS Caremark Pharmacy

33 64 48 61 AMC Theatres Farmers Insurance

34 64 49 61 Barnes & Noble Booksellers Verizon

35 64 50 61 Kohl’s Elements Therapeutic Massage

36 64 51 61 Lenny’s Subs

37 63 52 61 Target On the Border Mexican Cafe

38 63 53 61 American Family Insurance Advance America Cash Advance

39 63 54 61 U-Haul Affordable Dentures

40 63 55 61 Fitness Together Extra Space Storage

41 63 56 61 Speedy Cash Gerber Collision and Glass

42 63 57 60 Wing Stop Western Union

43 62 58 60 Snap Fitness Golfsmith Golf & Tennis

44 62 59 59 Ace Cash Express Michael’s

Cousin’s45 Subs 62 Money60 Tree 59

4 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 RANK BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE RANK BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE

61 59 76 58 Men’s Wearhouse Romano’s Macaroni Grill

62 59 77 57 La Petite Academy Jersey Mike’s Subs

63 59 78 57 CineMark Dress Barn

64 59 79 57 HyVee Regus

65 59 80 57 Ameriprise Financial UMB

66 59 81 57 Fleet Feet Sports Bright Now Dental

67 59 82 57 Extended Stay America

68 59 83 57 Freebirds World Burrito Ashley Furnityre

69 59 84 57 Donato’s

70 59 85 56 9 Round Staples

71 58 86 56 Schlotzsky’s Aaron’s

72 58 87 56 Sizzler Steak n Shake

73 58 88 56 Steve Madden Banfield Pet Hospital

74 58 89 56 Bright Star Care Jenny Craig

75 58 90 56 Sun Tan City Giant Eagle

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 5 RANK BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE RANK BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE

91 56 106 52 Better Business Bureau Kiddie Academy

92 56 107 52 Midwest Dental Kinney Drugs

93 56 108 52 Maurices

94 55 109 52 Menards PacSun

95 54 110 52 Bruegger’s Bagels Dickey’s Pit

96 54 111 52 Child Time Children’s Centers Orkin

97 54 112 52 Medifast Weight Control Centers Sylvan Learning Center

98 54 113 51 The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy Portrait Innovations

99 54 114 51 Eyemart Express Lumber Liquidators

100 53 115 51 Build-a-Bear Workshop Penske

101 53 116 50 Kirkland’s Joe’s Crab Shack

102 53 117 50 United Rentals Doughnuts

103 53 118 50 Sunoco Regal Entertainment Group

104 52 119 50 Teavana The Keg Steakhouse and Bar

105 52 120 50 Plato’s Closet Carpet One

6 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 RANK BRAND INDUSTRY NATLO SCORE RANK BRAND INDUSTRY OVERALL SCORE

121 50 136 48 Hungry Howies Flavored Crust Pizza Pro Source Wholesale Floor Coverings

122 50 137 47 Saks Fifth Avenue

123 49 138 47 Supercuts Journeys

124 49 139 47 Visionworks La-Z-Boy

125 49 140 47 Tuesday Morning Jason’s Deli

126 49 141 47 Gucci Sweet Tomatoes

127 49 142 47 Motel 6 Orange Theory Fitness

128 49 143 47 BJ’s Wholesale Club Starwood Hotels & Resorts

129 49 144 47 Camping World Premium Frozen Yogyrt

130 48 145 46 Louis Vuitton Coco’s Bakery & Restaurant

131 48 146 46 Kwik Trip Tiffany & Company

132 48 147 45 AeroTek Tutor Time Child Care Learning Center

133 48 148 45 Raymour & Flanigan Furniture Samuels Jewelers

134 48 149 45 Texas Roadhouse Hertz

135 48 150 45 Sports Authority Travel Centers of America

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 7 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.

SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS

• Site structure Strong Visibility produces higher search • Page optimization engine rankings and greater traffic. It also • Web and mobile site supports authoritative indexing by search visibility performance engines and enables brands to attain • Local and geo-related search location dominance with multiple listings in Website effectiveness factors search results. Brands with poor Visibility in search and surrender more traffic to directories and discoverability. competitors.

SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS

• Richness and completeness of Brands that achieve exceptional Depth site information deliver a better customer experience with ‐‐ Basic: name, address, richer content about their locations and depth phone offerings. Greater Depth also produces ‐‐ Enhanced: descriptions, higher click-to-brick conversion rates and Depth and accuracy services, photos, calls-to- supports other marketing calls-to-action. of published location action, etc. content.

SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS

• Pin placement of each location Superior Precision enables customers to based on latitude and longitude efficiently navigate to a brand’s locations. • Dispersion of pins on third party It also supports accurate geo-targeting precision sites (pin spread) for digital campaigns. Failure to ensure Precision damages customer trust and Geographic accuracy of increases the risk of competitive poaching. location data.

SAMPLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WHY IT MATTERS

• Presence, completeness and Brands with outstanding Reach can be accuracy of location data on found by consumers across a range of Google, Facebook, Foursquare search engines, social sites and apps. Poor reach and Yelp Reach can lead to consumer confusion and misallocated marketing investments. Data consistency and coverage across third party sites.

8 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 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

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 9 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.

AVERAGE NATLO INDUSTRY SCORES 64

62

60

58 NatLo 150 Average

56 Average NatLo Score Average

54

52 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Percent of Companies Studied That Made Top 150

Meineke Great Expressions The Maids Ramada Top La Petite Academy Papa Murphy’s Ranked AMC Entertainment Best Buy Brands by Nationwide Group U-Haul Industry

10 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 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 VISIBILITY PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

95 94 92 92 94 90 89 87 89 85 85 80 78 77 75 76 74 72 71 72 71 71 70 69 65 68 67 63 65 59 59 57 55 52 47 45 46 38 38 35

NatLo Score Ranges NatLo Score 25

15

5

RETAIL + VISIBILITY 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.

12 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 DEPTH PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

95 90 90 85 80 80 80 75 70 70 70 70 65 66 60 61 60 57 58 58 55 52 50 50 50 45 43 44 44 40 40 40 35 30 30 30 30

NatLo Score Ranges NatLo Score 25 20 15 10 10 5

TRANSPORTATION & STORAGE + DEPTH 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.

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 13 PRECISION PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

95 87 87 85 82 77 75 75 69 65 64 63 64 60 61 61 60 57 56 55 54 54 53 50 50 52 47 49 45 46 45 44 45 42 42 41 41 40 40 35

NatLo Score Ranges NatLo Score 25

15

5

AUTOMOTIVE + PRECISION 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.

14 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 REACH PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY

95 89 89 85 79 75 72 72 69 65 67 63 62 63 63 58 56 58 55 54 53 51 50 45 47 41 42 41 37 35

28 NatLo Score Ranges NatLo Score 25 24 19 16 17 15 12 14 12 9 9 5

RESTAURANT + REACH 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.

Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 ∙ 15 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.

If you are a NatLo 150 brand and would like to receive your Visibility, Depth, Precision and Reach dimension scores, please contact us. How can If your national brand was not named to the NatLo 150, you may contact us to I calculate schedule a complimentary NatLo assessment. my brand’s NatLo score?

@BePlaceable /Placeable www.placeable.com

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

16 ∙ Placeable NatLo Top 150 | 2014 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