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Monday, October 31, 2022

5 Top Enterprise Local SEO Challenges & How To Solve Them - Search Engine Journal

Local SEO can be challenging for enterprise brands because it means knowing how to do “national” SEO, Google Business Profile, and then learning how Google handles your priority search queries in various markets.

That means there are an infinite number of challenges in local SEO for enterprise search marketers. So what are the most common challenges in enterprise local SEO? Let’s find out.

1. Knowing When To Prioritize Local vs. National SEO

One of the biggest challenges enterprises face is knowing when to focus on a “local” SEO strategy instead of a “national” SEO strategy and vice versa.

This is understandable as it’s not always immediately apparent if your priorities are better served by one or the other. It can be challenging to tell if your target top keywords have local intent.

But, it’s vital to success with your overall strategy because it will significantly impact how well your initiatives serve your business goals.

Understanding which terms Google regards as local can help you develop your keyword strategy and determine how to approach and support your SEO investment.

You could lose a lot of traffic due to poor site design or keyword strategy.

Understanding Local Search Intent

So, what do we mean by local search intent, exactly?

By understanding search intent, you know what kind of features will appear in search results and what content you should prioritize.

For this discussion, there are four main types of search intents to focus on:

  1. Search queries with national intent.
  2. Search queries with semi-national.
  3. Search queries with local intent.
  4. Search queries with hyper-local intent.

You can tell what type of intent your target search queries fall into by the features shown on the SERPs, for example:

Queries With National Search Intent

SERPs feature no state/city-specific pages and no map pack (example).

SERPs feature no state/city-specific pages and no map pack.Screenshot from search for [newspaper article], Google, September 2022
The fact that there are no “local’ results in this SERP probably means Google sees zero local intent for these queries.

The minute a large portion of searchers starts to redo this query with location info such as “Pleasanton newspaper article,” the SERPs will likely shift to results that have some local results, which brings us to…

Queries With Semi-National Search Intent

SERPs feature no state/city-specific pages but a map pack (example).

SERPs feature no state/city-specific pages but a map pack.Screenshot from search for [bank], Google, September 2022
Semi-national queries like [bank] might include a map pack because there’s an equal amount of local and national clicks. This could be because some users are looking for a bank branch close to them, but others are looking for the bank’s main home page.

Queries With Local Search Intent

SERPs feature partial to full state/city-specific pages and a map pack (example).

SERPs feature partial to full state/city-specific pages and a map pack.Screenshot from search for [plumber], Google, September 2022
For a term like [plumber], Google will feature a map pack of nearby plumbers, and the remainder of the page one results are filled with location pages. Google predicts that the user intends to find a plumber near their location.

Queries With Hyper-Local Search Intent

Hyper-local keywords are where the searcher’s location is the most significant and significantly impacts SERP results (example).

Queries With Hyper-Local Search IntentScreenshot from search for [Auto insurance near me], Google, September 2022
In the case of hyper-local intent queries, the distance between the user and business matters most. You can see that the map pack dominates the SERP real estate for this query. So, Google likely thinks [Auto insurance near me] requires hyper-local results to be helpful for the user.

How To Identify Search Intent

  1. Analyze current SERP outcomes across different geos.
  2. Examine the SERP for a map element.
  3. Check for state or city-specific pages.
  4. Review the titles and URLs.
  5. Analyze consistency and make an intent determination.

How To Build A Strategy For Different Types Of Search Intent

National Strategy

Nationally focused strategies will need a ton of content and authority.

Your main website should be where you invest the most of your SEO budget if you’ve determined that your target keywords are in queries with little to no local intent. This will help you get that ranking by generating backlinks.

Semi-Local Strategy

Semi-local keywords will require the bulk of focus to build the content and authority of your main site with one additional point of focus. Because semi-local keywords generate a map pack, you must optimize your Google Business Profile listings.

Local Strategy

Your site structure will become significantly more important if you’ve determined that Google treats your keyword as local. You can increase the volume of searches if you create a directory of state or city pages.

Hyper-Local Strategy

When your priority keywords are hyper-local, creating a directory of state and city-level pages is preferable and optimizing them for near-me keywords with special location pages is preferable.

The layers will likely look different depending on your vertical, but broadly, they might resemble this:

  • Locator index page.
  • State page.
  • City page.
  • Location page.

2. Having A Single Source Of Truth For Location Data

With the advent of local listings management companies such as Yext and Uberall, this is no longer a problem.

However, we still run into multi-location businesses that don’t have a “single source of truth” for all of their location information.

If you don’t have this yet, put it in place.

3. Optimizing Store Locators

Many brands outsource their store locators to third-party vendors. There’s nothing wrong with this in theory, but there are a few ways we have seen this go wrong:

Search-Only Store Locators

For SEO, an effective store locator should be a basic linked set of state, city, and location pages that a bot or user can easily click around to get to every page. But many brands often build their store locators a locator page with a search box to find your location.

A few years ago, we looked at the locators for the top 100 U.S. retailers and found those with search-only locators ranked for ~50% fewer keywords than those with a linkable state > city > location architecture.

So, make sure your locator architecture is built this way.

Location Page Content

Often, brands budget for building a locator on their site but leave nothing for the content.

There’s nothing wrong with a basic location page with the business name, address, phone number, product/service categories, etc. But a location page with unique, beefed-up content relevant to the location and topics you are trying to rank for can improve SEO performance.

This is where your location managers can come in handy. We often see successful brands use surveys of their location managers to get unique local content.

Other sources might include local customer reviews, syndicated local point of interest data, and popular products in the specific market.

Priority Categories

Most ecommerce queries show local results near the top of the SERPs these days.

We often see brands winning in Local Packs linking from their location pages to their key categories.

Think of it as signaling to Google that your locations are relevant for these categories.

4. Google Business Profile Management And Optimization

Google Business Profile (GBP) really shouldn’t be a challenge – I mean, it’s just a simple set of yellow pages listings for your locations – but there are a million ways it can go wrong for businesses.

Here are just a few challenges and opportunities with GBP.

Beware Of Duplicate Listings

Amazingly, duplicate listings are still a thing with GBP, but I just talked to a service area business that was having problems ranking. It was pretty easy to see they had duplicate GBP listings.

The minute they deleted the duplicate listings, their rankings went up by 15 positions for the main keyword they were targeting. So, keep an eye on those.

Monitor Your GBP listings

Your GBP listings are in a constant state of flux. Users are adding photos and reviews.

Google can overwrite your data if it trusts data from another party more than it trusts you.

GBP is not a “set it and forget it” thing. Create a system to monitor changes to your GBP pages regularly.

While you can see many changes via the GBP Dashboard, it won’t catch everything. That’s one of the reasons we built this free, open-source tool to monitor image changes to your GBP.

Scale GBP Posts

GBP Posts are short announcements you can attach to your GBP. These can be an inexpensive way to generate high-converting visits to your site. Posts can include text, photos, or videos.

The challenge we often see is that businesses are often not set up to produce content for each location. If you want to do GBP Posts for multiple locations, implement a system for creating GBP-ready marketing collateral for new promotions so they can be posted.

This often involves creating a GBP-sized version (400 x 300) of approved marketing images and copy for GBP as part of each new promotion.

You’ll also want to ensure you tag links from your GBP posts with tracking parameters to measure performance.

5. Building A Local Search Presence For SABs And Marketplaces

Not every local enterprise brand has locations.

There are plenty of local marketplace brands like Yelp, DoorDash, and Zillow, and service area businesses (SABs) like plumbers and roofers that target local search queries but are not eligible to appear in Local Packs. This is because they have no physical locations in their target markets.

And this means they are missing out on many potential clicks and revenue.

This won’t work for every brand, but for those with a suitable business model, creating a “store within a store” at a partner brand’s location is a great way to get additional local pack visibility.

FedEx OnSite services located in Walgreens is a good example of how this can work:

Building A Local Search Presence For SABs And MarketplacesScreenshot from Google search, September 2022

And, of course, if the value of the leads is high enough, you may want to consider opening up physical locations in certain areas to try to rank well in the Local Packs.

As I said at the top, there are an infinite number of local SEO tactics enterprise brands can deploy.

As you deploy new tactics, make sure you test, measure, and iterate like any other marketing channel.

More Resources:


Featured Image: GaudiLab/Shutterstock

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5 Top Enterprise Local SEO Challenges & How To Solve Them - Search Engine Journal
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Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Think local and support your community: Sutherland edition - October 2022 - St George & Sutherland Shire Leader

Plenty of larger organisations also give back to the community in some way, be it through supporting charitable organisations, sponsorship of local sporting or community groups, or even things like DIY and project workshops to improve the knowledge and skills of their local customer base.

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Think local and support your community: Sutherland edition - October 2022 - St George & Sutherland Shire Leader
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Nestling birds recognize their local song 'dialect' - Mirage News

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Nestling birds recognize their local song 'dialect'  Mirage News
Nestling birds recognize their local song 'dialect' - Mirage News
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Meet the local maker who has a passion for upcycling old furniture - Blue Mountains Gazette

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Meet the local maker who has a passion for upcycling old furniture  Blue Mountains Gazette
Meet the local maker who has a passion for upcycling old furniture - Blue Mountains Gazette
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Monday, October 24, 2022

$375000 funding for local community groups - Mirage News

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$375000 funding for local community groups  Mirage News
$375000 funding for local community groups - Mirage News
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Group get new equipment through Living Local Fund - Bellarine Times - Bellarine Times

THE Bellarine Training and Community Hub (BTACH) and the St Leonards Men’s Shed will get new equipment in the latest round of the state government’s Living Local Fund.

Announced by Bellarine MP Lisa Neville last week, the grants will see BTACH get $6,476 to replace broken furniture and the St Leonard’s Men’s Shed get $5,230 for a new woodworking machine.

The BTACH, located in Ocean Grove, will purchase tables in their community kitchen and replace moveable tables for the classroom focused on art, language and general interest programs.

The St Leonards Mens shed will purchase a thicknesser with improved technology – the new machine is 60 per cent wider and has new blade technology that makes it very quiet, replacing a small old noisy machine.

“The government is supporting the Bellarine Training and Community Hub with the purchase of this furniture as we know the community deserves our support,” Ms Neville said.

More than 400 projects across the state will be supported through the fund, with $15 million available for suburban projects and another $5 million for the regions.

Local councils and community organisations have received grants of up to $200,000 for upgrades to shopping strips, playgrounds, community gardens and public art projects, or to buy new equipment or carry out minor refurbishment works.

“We’re doing what matters by investing in infrastructure that our local communities need to enjoy the services they deserve,” Minister for Suburban Development, Melissa Horne said.

“Our suburbs and regions are great places to live, work and play and we’re making sure they stay that way.”

The Living Local Fund is part of the state government’s Our Suburbs: Living Local and Our Regions: Living Local initiatives.

The Living Local – Regional Grants Program is a competitive grants program open to eligible rural and regional local governments and incorporated (not-for-profit) organisations/associations.

Applicants may seek a minimum of $20,000 and maximum of $200,000 (exclusive of GST).

The Living Local – Regional Community Grants Program is open to applications from not-for-profit and charity organisations that are operating in rural and regional Victoria.

Community organisations can seek between $2,000 and $20,000 (exclusive of GST) of grant funding for eligible equipment and minor refurbishments.

For more information, head to suburbandevelopment.vic.gov.au/living-local

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Group get new equipment through Living Local Fund - Bellarine Times - Bellarine Times
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Sunday, October 23, 2022

Local Area Works | Engage Frankston! - Frankston City Council

The following Terms and Conditions govern the use of Engage Frankston (“the site”). The software platform is owned by Harvest Digital Planning Pty Ltd (Harvest) and operated by us, Frankston City.

By accessing and using this site, you are choosing to accept and comply with the Terms presented throughout this agreement as well as the Privacy Policy and Moderation Policy. These Terms apply to all visitors and users of this site. Linked sites, affiliated services or third party content or software have their own Terms that you must comply with. If you disagree with any of the Terms presented in this agreement, you may discontinue using the site immediately.

If you are under 18 years old, please ensure that your parent or guardian understands and accepts these Terms and Conditions (including the Privacy Policy and Moderation Policy).

What are the conditions with a user’s account?

While using the site, you must not violate any applicable laws and regulations. It is our duty to protect the confidentiality of content you provide on our site in accordance with our Privacy Policy. When you create an account with us, you must always provide us with accurate information. Failure to provide accurate information violates the Terms, which may result in immediate termination of your account on our service. You are responsible for protecting your own password you use for this site and for any activities done under that password. Unauthorised use of your password or account must be immediately reported to us. In some cases, we or our agents may require access to your user accounts to respond to technical issues.

We are not responsible for the content on the site that has been provided by the users of the site. Any content posted by you is subject to the rules of our Moderation Policy. Your contribution to the site may be edited, removed or not published if we consider it inappropriate (refer to Moderation Policy). Contributors should also be aware that their posts may remain online indefinitely. Where practical, you may choose not to identify yourself, deal with us on an anonymous basis or use a pseudonym.

What do we require from our users?

You must understand and agree that, without limitation:

  • all information, data, images and other materials are the sole responsibility of the person from whom the content originated;
  • you are prohibited from advertising or offering to sell or buy any goods and services
  • you cannot transmit Content that contains software viruses or programs designed to change or destroy the functionality of any computer software or hardware; or
  • you cannot collect or store personal data about other users of the site
  • you cannot impersonate any person or entity, including without limitation to a Frankston City representative
  • you cannot interrupt or interfere with the site or servers or networks connected to the site
  • you cannot attempt to gain unauthorised access to the site or other use accounts

Can your account be suspended or terminated?

We may terminate or suspend access to your site and/or account immediately, without prior notice, including without limitation if you breach the Terms. We may immediately deactivate or delete your account and all the related files and information in your account. After your account has been terminated, the content you have posted may also remain indefinitely on the site.

If you want to terminate your own account, please send an email to engagement@frankston.vic.gov.au.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed in accordance with the laws of Victoria, Australia, without regards to its conflict of law provisions.

Indemnification

Frankston City, its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, licensors and other partners are not responsible for any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including legal fees, made by any third party due to or arising from a breach of this agreement and/or any breach of your representations and warranties set forth above.

What content do we own?

This website contains the copyrighted material, trademarks, patents, trade secrets and other proprietary information (“Intellectual Property”) of Frankston City and its suppliers and licensors. Frankston City owns and retains all proprietary rights in the intellectual property. All intellectual property in the content of this site including without limitation to text, software, source code, pages, documents and online graphics, photographs, sounds, audio, video and other interactive features are owned by or licensed to us.

Any original content that you submit or post on our site may be made available to the public and allows users to share your content (with the end user acknowledging your contribution) under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Australian License.

Except for Intellectual Property which is in the public domain or for which you have been given written permission, you may not copy, alter, transmit, sell, distribute any of the Intellectual Property on this site.

We are not responsible for your communications or dealings, including payment and delivery of goods or services, with a third party found via our website. Any loss or damage incurred from those communications or dealings are solely between the user and the third party.

Disclaimer and Warranties

Users must agree that you use of the site is at your own risk. We make no warranty that the site will meet your requirements or be uninterrupted or error-free. Any material that the user downloads through the site is done at their own risk and are responsible for any damages to their computer system or loss of data.

What happens if these Terms change?

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time without notice. The most recent version of the Terms can be seen on this page. By continuing to access or use our site after those revisions become effective, you agree and will comply to the revised terms. If you do not agree to the revised terms, please discontinue using our site.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at engagement@frankston.vic.gov.au.

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Local Area Works | Engage Frankston! - Frankston City Council
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Closed local bridges isolate communities across Macleay Valley - nbnnews.com.au

Several towns across the Macleay Valley were cut off over the weekend, as a result of the latest wet weather system.

While major flooding is no longer expected in the region – a number of local bridges remain closed.

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Closed local bridges isolate communities across Macleay Valley - nbnnews.com.au
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Monday, October 17, 2022

Regional shires, including Kulin, speak up over State government's proposed new local government reforms - Farm Weekly

While the reforms might aim to save funds for rural and regional councils, Mr Robins, who also manages transport company Kulin Transport, said their shire would likely have to provide the remaining councillors with greater reimbursement due to their increased workloads, making it a "pointless exercise".

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Regional shires, including Kulin, speak up over State government's proposed new local government reforms - Farm Weekly
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Kate Kahl relishes new role helping local business thrive - The Courier - Narrabri Courier

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Kate Kahl relishes new role helping local business thrive - The Courier  Narrabri Courier
Kate Kahl relishes new role helping local business thrive - The Courier - Narrabri Courier
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Sunday, October 16, 2022

2022 local government award winners announced - Government News

The winners of the 2022 National Awards for Local Government have been announced, with a wide range of worthy initiatives being recognised.

The annual awards, which were first held in 1986, celebrate and acknowledge the role that local councils play in supporting their communities.

This year’s winners are:

  • Creativity and Culture category: Moorabool Shire Council (VIC) for its Hide + Seek Music Festival project.
  • Productivity through Infrastructure category: Sunshine Coast Council (QLD) for its Sunshine Coast Mobility Map – Connecting Community Infrastructure project.
  • Regional Growth category: Moreton Bay Regional Council (QLD) for its Moreton Bay City project.
  • Cohesive Communities category: City of Canning (WA) for its Hillview Intercultural Community Centre project.
  • Road Safety category: Mitchell Shire Council (VIC) for its School Crossing SafetyCam Initiative.
  • Addressing Violence Against Women and their Children category: City of Belmont (WA) for its Belmont Safeguarding Families Advocacy Service.
  • Indigenous Recognition category: Bathurst Regional Council (NSW) for its River Connections project.
  • Women in Local Government category: Broken Hill City Council (NSW), for showcasing female leader, Kathryn Graham.
  • Career Starter category: Broken Hill City Council (NSW) for its outstanding trainee, Katelyn Schenk.
  • Waste Management category: City of Vincent (WA) for its What the FOGO? We’ve got a Better Bin System sorted! Project.
  • Disaster Preparedness category: Ipswich City Council (QLD) for its Forewarned is forearmed – Ipswich Integrated Catchment Plan project.

Federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, Kristy McBain, said that “The high standard of entries this year is a testament to the hard work of local governments who have ensured positive, quality outcomes are achieved in their communities nationwide.”

“The tireless efforts of our local governments to overcome barriers faced this year such as floods, bushfires and COVID-19, and develop new initiatives that deliver remarkable outcomes for their communities, are incredible.”

Nominations for next year’s Awards will open in February 2023.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@governmentnews.com.au.  

Sign up to the Government News newsletter

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2022 local government award winners announced - Government News
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Coles sports grants to help local clubs stay on track - Mirage News

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Coles sports grants to help local clubs stay on track  Mirage News
Coles sports grants to help local clubs stay on track - Mirage News
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Radio Interview - ABC Local Radio Victoria - Prime Minister of Australia

WARWICK LONG, HOST: On the line now is Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese, who will be touring flood-affected areas today. Prime Minister, welcome to the program.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Warwick and a big, heartfelt shout-out to those people who are really doing it tough today, many people are having to evacuate their home. I do encourage people to follow the advice of the authorities. If asked to leave, please do so and stay safe. The emergency services personnel certainly just have one consideration, which is people's safety.

LONG: And you'll be touring flood affected areas today?

PRIME MINISTER: I will. I'm flying into Bendigo this morning, I'll be meeting up with the Premier, Daniel Andrews, and we'll be going to the Emergency Centre their headquarters at Epsom then I'll be also going to Melbourne later on. We've made whatever assistance has been requested available, there are now 60 Australian Defence Force personnel on the ground, assisting with evacuations, assisting with sandbagging, doing their bit as our Defence Forces always do. We've also made available the Commonwealth facilities at Mickleham to create a Centre for National Resilience, which will ensure that 250 beds are available for those people who've had to, unfortunately, evacuate their homes.

LONG: And it's going to be a long clean-up, isn't it? There's a lot of talk in Victoria about the effects even on infrastructure like roads and the risks of some dams and so forth over the week. So there's going to be a lot of calls for government assistance on the clean-up here. Are you ready for that?

PRIME MINISTER: We certainly are. And we'll be working with the Andrews government to make sure that people get the support that they need at this difficult time. Bill Shorten, I've discussed with as well, he's responsible for Services Australia and of course, his electorate very much has been affected, the breaching of the Maribyrnong River has had a real impact in urban communities. So this is a very severe weather event that's having an impact in urban communities but also in regional communities right throughout Victoria, but particularly there in the North and the North-West. And we know that many homes are without power as well. Lake Eildon has seen the first spilling since 1996. This is a severe event.

LONG: Prime Minister, thank you for your time. We've got to go to the news, but we'll hear more from your journey today. Thank you

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Radio Interview - ABC Local Radio Victoria - Prime Minister of Australia
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Saturday, October 15, 2022

Local artist profile: Gail Godber - Bendigo Times - Bendigo Times

THIS week we speak with songwriter and associate director of the Bendigo Youth Choir, Gail Godber.

What initially motivated you to become a songwriter?

When I moved to Central Victoria, I was the music teacher for a group of primary schools, one of which was Taradale Primary School. There I had the good fortune to meet musician and artist, Team Henderson, whose children attended the school.

Early in my stint we had the opportunity to work as artists in residence at Taradale, and together we wrote a musical about a group of young activists who were worried about climate change. The year was 1989. It went on to receive funding from the State Government’s Greenhouse Unit, and it became CAIGE: Children Against Increased Greenhouse Effect, and was produced in a few other schools.

So began my passion for song writing. We went on to write over a dozen musicals together, always with issues firmly at their heart. Environment, relationships and choices were some of the driving forces of our creations.

How would you describe your writing style and how did you develop it?

Collaboration has always been central to my song writing style. Whether writing songs with Team, or writing songs for and with my students, my motivation was to enable the voices of young people to be heard.

Our focus was always that of a ‘perfect world picture’. Whether it was regarding challenging relationships, or negative behaviours, the songs spoke of solutions and kindness and good choices.

Words usually precede lyrics when I’m writing a song – the mood or sentiment of a song would then guide the melody, style and structure.

Which other songwriters inspire you?

The Bendigo Youth Choir has been fortunate to work with some incredible composers, as well as perform their works. We commissioned a work from Dan Walker, The Enchanted Hour, and love many of his compositions. I love the music of Carl Vine, Calvin Bowman, Eric Bogle to name a few. Valmai Harris is a prolific composer and colleague at BYC and is also an inspiration. We have both been fortunate indeed to have a vehicle for our compositions.

What are some highlights you have from your career so far?

There have been many highlights over the years.

My last musical, a ‘best of’, produced in my final year of teaching at Spring Gully Primary School, with Team and I in the pit at the Capital Theatre, was a culmination of years of collaborative song writing and performance. Seeing the school song I wrote for Kenningon PS sung was amazing, as was travelling to Alice Springs to write a school song at Bradshaw Primary School. I’ve been so incredibly lucky to always be valued where I’ve worked.

What would you say to young regional aspiring musicians/songwriters who are thinking of making a go of the creative life?

It fills me with joy to hear that my students who began honing their song writing skills in school are flourishing. Music is such a powerful medium for communication. My advice is: practice, practice, practice. Perform your work before an audience, whenever you get the chance. Don’t be too precious about asking for feedback, we don’t always hear our work the way others do. Find your authentic voice. It may take you a while, but it will eventually stand you apart from the rest.

Finally, find a mentor. Someone who can support, guide and encourage you.

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Local artist profile: Gail Godber - Bendigo Times - Bendigo Times
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NSW Labor to promise local train fleet - South Coast Register

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NSW Labor to promise local train fleet  South Coast Register
NSW Labor to promise local train fleet - South Coast Register
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Friday, October 14, 2022

Geelong Flood Watch: Local roads closed as river rises - Bay 93.9

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Geelong Flood Watch: Local roads closed as river rises  Bay 93.9
Geelong Flood Watch: Local roads closed as river rises - Bay 93.9
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Want to be a 'digital dominator' in your local market? Here's what not to do - Real Estate Business

Want to be a ‘digital dominator’ in your local market? Here’s what not to do

While a lot of agents do have an appetite for technology, it’s too often a “short-lived” relationship with tech providers, according to Tom Panos.

Speaking on a recent episode of Real Estate Exposed with Phil Tarrant, Tom Panos discussed the upcoming REInnovate event in Melbourne on 25 October 2022, at which he will be delivering a keynote presentation.

He said that the real estate agents who are dominating in a post-COVID world are the ones who are “high-tech, high-touch agents”.

These real estate agents are not using technology to substitute them, but rather “to complement them and give them scale”.

“And there’s a lot of different parts of tech that are really good,” he remarked, listing off: “If you’ve got a really good text messaging system; if you understand how to use artificial intelligence to allow you to have more targeted, intelligent prospecting; if you’re able to actually use a lot of the social media products in an intelligent way that helps you retarget the right people, not having a shoot and pray strategy.”

From Mr Panos’ perspective, by using technology in the right way, “you can actually devastate and dominate and be a digital dominator in your marketplace”.

Considering that technology does allow agents and businesses to “actually do more work with less labour”, the coach doesn’t believe he is seeing enough of this uptake, despite the appetite for technology being there.

Instead, he lamented that it’s very easy for the industry to “really get sucked into these digital companies that are coming out with products”.

The problem with that is that “often, the sales spiel is a lot bigger than the implementation spiel”.

“They buy it. They’re paying the subscription fees. [But] in terms of execution and implementation of it, it is very low — sometimes somewhere between zero and 10 per cent on what it is capable of doing,” Mr Panos said.

When this is the case, Mr Panos said that people would stick with the provider for six to 12 months, then decide “it’s too glitchy — it doesn’t work”.

“Often, what it means is that it’s a short-lived relationship,” he said.

Those who haven’t been sucked in and instead have taken a measured, well-thought-out approach to their tech adoption are the ones that now have the first-move advantage.

According to the coach, they’re the ones taking the opportunities that are out there — especially when it comes to immediacy and scale.

Listen to the full conversation with Tom Panos and Phil Tarrant here.

Grace Ormsby

Grace Ormsby

Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.

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Want to be a 'digital dominator' in your local market? Here's what not to do - Real Estate Business
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‘It’ll be special’: England and France bring local battle to World Cup stage - The Guardian

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‘It’ll be special’: England and France bring local battle to World Cup stage  The Guardian
‘It’ll be special’: England and France bring local battle to World Cup stage - The Guardian
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Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Outstanding community initiatives recognised in local government awards - Mirage News

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Outstanding community initiatives recognised in local government awards  Mirage News
Outstanding community initiatives recognised in local government awards - Mirage News
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Local insights for clarity and confidence when valuing your commercial assets - JLL Australia

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Local insights for clarity and confidence when valuing your commercial assets - JLL Australia
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Golden 50 Knowsley becomes 50th local authority to join our LLC Register - Mirage News

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Golden 50 Knowsley becomes 50th local authority to join our LLC Register  Mirage News
Golden 50 Knowsley becomes 50th local authority to join our LLC Register - Mirage News
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Monday, October 10, 2022

Tasmania's first local election with compulsory voting has been hotly fought - ABC News

Former Hobart lord mayor Rob Valentine has seen it all during a 30-year career in local government and state politics. 

However, the Hobart MLC says behaviour during this month's local council election campaign — highlighted by vandalised campaign signs and personal attacks — is as bad as he's seen. 

"There have been moments during my time in local government where things got a little personal, but I don't think I've seen it quite as prevalent as it's been this time," he said.

"There are a lot of candidates, and candidates look for that edge and, sometimes, it can get a little personal as a result."

Rob Valentine MLC for Hobart outside Parliament
Rob Valentine says the behaviour during this month's local council election campaign is as bad as he's seen.(ABC News)

With more than 500 candidates jostling for spots on Tasmania's 29 councils, the first election with compulsory voting has been hotly fought.

In Hobart, mayoral candidate Louise Elliot — fed up with vandals defacing about 35 of her election signs — offered a $500 reward for information about a man accused of damaging at least one, and reported the incident to police.

"It hasn't been typical graffiti. These are nasty and premeditated attacks that have escalated since the signs first went up," she said. 

Ms Elliot has also been heavily criticised over claiming to "identify as a frog" in a September 2020 email to a non-binary councillor. 

Another candidate for mayor, Marti Zucco, took pictures of incumbent Anna Reynolds's car parked at the council chambers, saying the advocate of reducing car usage was failing "to show the leadership" by not walking or cycling on a "perfect Hobart day". 

Hobart alderman Marti Zucco
Marti Zucco said Anna Reynolds had failed "to show the leadership" by driving to work and not walking or cycling on a "perfect Hobart day". (ABC News)

A war of words erupted between a group protesting the University of Tasmania's move into the city and candidate Ryan Posselt, while there was also furore over the proposed creation of a highly paid chief-of-staff role, with an annual salary of $170,000.

Across the bridge in Clarence, there was a war of words after the signs of one mayoral candidate, Beth Warren, appeared on the fence of retiring alderman Dean Ewington's Howrah gym and were quickly deposited into a skip bin.

Candidates urged to lift standards

The shenanigans have prompted Local Government Minister Nic Street to call for improved behaviour. 

"It is incumbent upon all councillors and candidates to treat people fairly and with respect," Mr Street said.

"Bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable in any forum, and have no place in our society.

"It is critical that councillors and candidates behave in a way that meets community expectations."

Speaking to ABC Radio Hobart, Local Government Association president Christina Holmdahl agreed this election campaign was more vicious than usual.

"It's been there all along, but I think this election has really amplified just how bad it really is," she said.

She pointed the finger at the media for "sensationalising" issues, as well as people "weaponising" social media to target candidates. 

A woman wearing red glasses sits at a desk
Christina Holmdahl agreed this election campaign was more vicious than usual.(ABC News: Jessica Moran)

"The local government sector has been asking successive governments for a long time to look at ways that our sector can be respected at the same level that the state and federals sectors are respected," she said.

"There are no other sectors that take direct abuse from the public like we do."

University of Tasmania's public and environmental policy associate professor, Kate Crowley, said there had been more online bullying than normal during this council election period. 

"I don't know if we're just seeing it more than usual because of social media but it just goes to the nature of local politics that seems to be getting worse," she said.

"It may not be worse than previously, but it's being amplified, and amplified at a faster rate, so things get known and then responded to and then they escalate."

Dr Crowley said the issues in Hobart were largely the result of a battle between two factions. 

A woman wearing glasses and a black blazer.
Kate Crowley says the issues in Hobart are largely the result of a battle between two factions.(ABC New: Luke Bowden)

"There is a struggle for power and control over the council and its development approvals, there's a whole bunch of deeper politics going on that are more fundamental than just personality attacks," she said.

"With Hobart, it does seem to be unprecedented, the attacks that we've seen, but we've seen a slow increase in this over the years and it's most unfortunate."

Dr Crowley said she was not sure what the state government could do to stamp out the behaviour, given codes of conduct don't apply to candidates, but Mr Valentine said the answer rested with those putting their hand up.

"It's important to stick to the issues and keep the comments focused on those and not the personalities at hand," he said.

North-west mayor praises behaviour

The Waratah-Wynyard Council has been home to one of the local government's sectors biggest scandals over retiring councillor Darren Fairbrother's refusal to stand down after being found guilty of flashing his penis at a crown prosecutor and her son at Boat Harbour beach.

However Mayor Robby Walsh — who is retiring at this election after an 11-year stint in the role — said while this campaign was "pretty serious", candidates in his municipality were largely getting along.

"The participants in this election, at the forums and things like that, they've been very friendly with each other," he said.

"They must realise that they're opponents but they're still getting on really well and connecting with each other and I think it's their heart for our municipality. They're very concerned and they want to be involved in what happens in our municipality.

"It's much different this time, even though the rest of the state is experiencing some nasty activity, I'm pretty pleased with the manners the election has been campaigned in our area."

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Tasmania's first local election with compulsory voting has been hotly fought - ABC News
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Sunday, October 9, 2022

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Local career opportunities showcased – Bundaberg Now - Bundaberg Now

local career opportunities
Bundaberg Jobs and Careers Showcase at the Bundaberg Multiplex.

Students and job seekers were this week offered the chance to explore a range of local career opportunities, with around 700 attending the Bundaberg Jobs and Careers Showcase.

The event was a partnership between Bundaberg Regional Council, Jobs Bundaberg, Local Jobs Program and Link and Launch.

Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey said he was proud Council could assist in facilitating the showcase, which showed just how many fantastic opportunities were available within the region.

“The Bundaberg Region is only continuing to grow, with so many new career opportunities becoming available,” Mayor Dempsey said.

“It was great to see such a wide range of companies from different industries attend the expo.”

Local career opportunities on display

A number of businesses and organisations including CQUniverstiy, Palm Lake Care and Hinkler Park Plantations took part in the event.

Palm Lake Care’s Charmaine Brewer said the event provided the opportunity to share different opportunities available within the aged care industry.

“There’s a range of school students and members of the public that are interested in career opportunities in Bundaberg,” she said.

“We spoke to them about potential career opportunities within the aged care space, why they want to join aged care or what they are interested in.

“The feedback has been good, and a lot of people are interested in Palm Lake and what we offer as an employer.”

Hinkler Park Plantations Technical Officer Jennifer Hulme said the opportunity to bring the farm into the Multiplex through a display was fantastic.

“It was great to be able to talk to people about what we do as a business and the different roles they can come into,” she said.

“I know when I was in Year 10 I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so these sorts of events really help students in deciding what area they might want to study.”

You can find the full list of businesses and organisations which showcased local career opportunities at the Bundaberg Jobs and Careers Showcase here.

Other stories: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks wins export award

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Local career opportunities showcased – Bundaberg Now - Bundaberg Now
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Thursday, October 6, 2022

Meet your new local, Local! - Inside Gold Coast

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7 Tips For Better Local SEO Reporting - Search Engine Journal

One area many agencies lack overall, especially in local SEO, is reporting.

Unlike enterprise and international businesses with C-level executives and shareholders, many local businesses only care about getting more foot traffic in their doors.

So by simplifying our approach and focusing on reporting only highly relevant data, agencies can better serve local businesses and build stronger relationships.

Here are seven tips to improve your local SEO reporting and serve your local clients.

1. Simplify Reports

Simplifying your SEO reports is not just a tip that local SEO agencies should follow – but one that generally any agency should, too.

Our first impulse as marketers and communicators is to provide as detailed a report as possible. That’s even more true when marketers need to bury bad campaign results under a mountain of information.

However, our reports should tell a clear and concise story about how well our marketing campaigns perform.

Complicated reports with unnecessary data distract from campaign success and will make some eyes gloss over reading them.

google-analytics-data-visualizationScreenshot from Google Analytics, September 2022

Follow these tips to keep local SEO reports simple and easily digestible for clients:

  • Set clear goals: Outline the campaigns’ goals at the top of reports and cite the most relevant metrics in communicating your progress toward those goals.
  • Eliminate unnecessary metrics: For the SEO neophyte, metrics like total keyword volume, impressions, and backlinks matter very little if they aren’t driving foot traffic to the store.
  • Use a single reporting period: Regardless of how many tools you use, you should stick to tracking one reporting period (e.g., the past 30 days or two weeks) based on when reports are distributed.
  • Visualize data: Tools like Semrush provide pie charts and line charts for important keyword metrics that can help clients visualize campaign progress. Google Analytics also provides visuals for metrics, such as new or returning users.
  • Segment reports into different sections: Don’t just skip from user metrics directly into social media metrics without clearly separating reports into sections. For example, I like to organize my reports into chapters, such as “Traffic Overview,” “Local Keyword Overview,” “Social Media Overview,” etc.
  • Tell a story: Don’t just inundate clients with metric after metric. Instead, explain metrics in brief paragraphs on top of or below charts. I sometimes include a brief one-page SEO primer at the beginning of reports and audits to help people understand what value we’re adding.

2. Choose The Right Metrics

Part of telling a story with data is selecting the correct data that’s relevant to that story.

Most local businesses only really care about two vital metrics:

  • Traffic.
  • Conversions.

However, this doesn’t mean you should disregard every important metric, but that you should choose metrics that are relevant to your story.

Even metrics like overall traffic don’t show you how qualified that traffic is or what channels that traffic originates from.

That’s why I like to include the following vital metrics from Google Analytics:

  • Top Landing Pages.
  • Location by city (Users, New Users, Sessions, Bounce Rate, etc.).
  • Overall Sessions.
  • Top Traffic Channels by Sessions.
  • Traffic Sources/Medium.
  • New vs. Returning Customers.
GA-device-and-city-metricsScreenshot from Google Analytics, September 2022

These metrics tell our clients which campaigns yield the most significant traffic flow and from which cities and sources.

I also like to include Google Search Console data in my reports for tracking SERP (search engine results page) data, such as clicks, impressions, and CTR (click-through rate).

You’ll also need a tool to report keyword data, such as Semrush or Ahrefs. Semrush even provides a neat tool to construct reports easily and build templates for future clients.

3. Segment Keywords By Location

Getting into some more of the local aspects of SEO, we’ll need to ensure that our reports are adequately optimized to only report on local keyword data.

For this section, you’ll need an advanced keyword tool like Semrush, Moz, or Ahrefs.

I used Semrush to create a new project and implement position tracking on my most strategic keywords in this example.

As you can see below, I set up position tracking for searches specifically in the Houston metropolitan area. I then can upload keywords I am tracking from Semrush or even Google Analytics to report on.

position-tracking-semrushScreenshot from Semrush, September 2022

To filter the keywords I am tracking, I can also add tags that separate them into specific categories.

manage-tags-semrushScreenshot from Semrush, September 2022

You can get as granular as you wish with your list by separating your keywords by question phrases, “near me” searches, or including a city-based keyword from your list.

Once you have position tracking and tags set up, you can easily export or add those keywords to a CSV or Semrush’s reporting tool.

4. Segment Traffic By Device

Equally crucial for tracking local SEO campaigns is filtering data by device.

That’s why I like to include sections in my reports outlining traffic by device and even going as granular as by location and device.

google-analytics-report-by-deviceScreenshot from Google Analytics, September 2022

Regarding local SEO, mobile search traffic is arguably more important than desktop traffic, especially when you factor in click-to-calls and mobile ordering, which are commonly done on a smartphone or other mobile device.

5. Track Local SERP Results

Another massive difference in how Google approaches local searches is using tools like the Local Search Pack and Google Business Profile.

For several local businesses, Google Business Profile listings can be a significantly higher source of conversions and foot traffic to a business than their actual website.

You’ll need to sign up for a connector to track Google Business Profile data using any conventional reporting tool.

Business-Profile-ConnectorScreenshot from Google Data Studio, September 2022

However, many keyword tools like Semrush offer detailed keyword information about local search results, such as local pack results and featured snippets.

semrush-local-pack-resultsScreenshot from Semrush, September 2022

This information is highly relevant to businesses looking to rank in “near me” searches that generate a lot of traffic to their business.

Export this data to a CSV or upload it directly into Semrush’s reporting tool.

6. Go Beyond Standard SEO Tools And Metrics

Going beyond the local pack, we can add several additional KPIs (key performance indicators) to our local SEO reports that are highly relevant to businesses.

semrush-reviewsScreenshot from Semrush, September 2022

For example, consider including the following metrics in your next local SEO report:

  • Reviews.
  • Unlinked brand mentions.
  • Backlinks (if relevant to your campaign).
  • Social media engagement.
semrush-social-media-trackerScreenshot from Semrush, September 2022

You might need to purchase a social listening tool or upgrade your Semrush account to track social media mentions and engagement.

However, you can also do manual research to monitor changes in review ratings, unlinked brand mentions, or social media engagement on trending posts to add to your reports.

7. Provide Actionable Information

Finally, we want to wrap up our reports by adding a section at the end summarizing campaign results and future actions based on the data you present.

This section will help you complete your story using the data provided and help clients understand what you presented to them.

I also find adding a final section for recommendations important because many campaigns can be hampered by low budgets or reluctant clients who don’t want to take all the necessary steps to change their site.

So if your campaign is bogged down because a local business won’t update its site or implement recommended changes, be sure to remind them nicely at the end of your report and explain the benefits of your recommendations.

More resources: 


Featured Image: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

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Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Local peace processes toolkit - Iraq - ReliefWeb

Attachments

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Defined here as a process through which drivers of conflict afflicting a particular geographical area are addressed through a range of activities involving mediation, negotiation and/or facilitated dialogue, local peace processes have increasingly been turned to as an approach to resolving conflict over the last decade. This shift is due in part to the failures of national peace processes to bring about lasting peace as well as to the changing nature of global conflicts, which have become more complex and multilayered. One country that has seen local peace processes and agreements emerge as a vital tool for efforts to bring stability and peace is Iraq: 20 such processes have occurred across the country since 2014.

Yet despite the increased use of local peace processes in both the global and Iraqi context, lessons learned from global practices as well as those from the Iraqi experience are still emerging. This toolkit is an attempt to respond to this, in the hopes of furthering global best practices through a better understanding of the Iraqi experience.2 More specifically, the purpose of this toolkit is twofold: to highlight best practices and lessons learned from the global practice of local peace processes; and to extract lessons learned and best practices from the Iraqi experience of designing, implementing and monitoring local peace processes and agreements. In doing so, the ultimate aim is to provide donors, practitioners and overall supporters of local peace processes in Iraq and elsewhere with a resource that can be used to design and implement more effective peace processes.

The toolkit is divided into three chapters. Chapter One covers the best practices and lessons learned from the global experience with local peace processes. It begins with an outline of the factors that have made local peace processes a key peacebuilding approach before proceeding to highlight some best practices and key lessons learned emerging from the literature to date. Chapter Two provides an overview of the Iraqi experience with local peace processes. It includes a listing of the key local peace processes in Iraq, a description of their main characteristics, lessons learned, an assessment of their comparative effectiveness and links to global best practices.
Chapter Three provides guidelines and recommendations for those wanting to design, implement and support local peace processes in Iraq.

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Local peace processes toolkit - Iraq - ReliefWeb
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Flood watch for local rivers - K rock

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Flood watch for local rivers  K rock
Flood watch for local rivers - K rock
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Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Dow jumps more than 750 points, local focus is on the banks ahead of the RBA - Livewire Markets

Welcome to Charts and Caffeine - Livewire's pre-market open news and analysis wrap. We'll get you across the overnight session and share our best insights to get you better set for the investing day ahead.

NOTE: Due to the start of daylight savings in parts of Australia, US markets now shut at 7 am AEDT, rather than 6 am, AEST. 

MARKETS WRAP

  • S&P 500 - 3678 (+2.59%)
  • NASDAQ - 10815 (+2.27%)
  • CBOE VIX - 30.18
  • USD INDEX - 111.64
  • US 10YR - 3.649%
  • FTSE 100 - 6909 (+0.22%)
  • STOXX 600 - 390.83 (+0.77%)
  • UK 10YR - 3.959%
  • GOLD - US$1702/oz
  • WTI CRUDE - US$83.63/bbl (+5.2%)
MAJOR HEADLINES

THE GRAPHIC

Today's graphic comes from Morgan's Asset Allocation update for Q4 2022. The supporting commentary that goes with the graphic highlights Morgan's preference for "assets with defensive characteristics, inflation protection and lower correlation to the economic cycle." The key takeaway is as follows; "investors are advised to be nimble with their cash holdings."

Morgans points to a relatively bleak economic outlook, although Australia should fare better than most given we are net exporters of raw materials. Other headlines include: 

  • The global economy is headed for a likely recession
  • Most major central banks will press on with tightening due to uncomfortably high inflation
  • Europe will succumb to recession amid higher energy prices and subsequent terms of trade shock
  • China's economy will continue to struggle with a property slump, fading export demand, and limited policy support 
  • Energy commodity prices will remain high amid supply disruption and non-energy commodities don't have much further to fall

THE CALENDAR

It's all about the RBA decision today. The market is pricing in an 80% chance of a 50 basis point hike. If it comes to fruition, it would the sixth hike in as many months. Some economists believe that the central bank will only hike by 25 bps, particularly in light of the recent turmoil in international markets, in particular the surge in the price of the UK government debt. 

STOCKS TO WATCH

In short, the focus is on the banks - particularly ahead of today's RBA decision. A recent note from Macquarie notes slowing growth and competition has been partly offset by deposit tailwinds. Housing credit growth has continued to moderate whilst competition for mortgages remains intense. Retail deposit spreads continue to be highly lucrative, providing meaningful margin upside in the next six months. 

Amongst the winners, National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB)  and Westpac (ASX: WBC)  have grown ahead of their peers, growing at around system. Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA) has grown at 0.7x system, whilst ANZ Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) continues to struggle to arrest its market share decline. Regionals are growing well below system.  

THE CHART

Sticking with the banks, the chart above comes courtesy of Morgan Stanley and shows housing loan growth over the past year. Bedigo and Adelaide (ASX: BEN) has been growing above system over the period, although, as mentioned above, that is no longer the case. NAB is the only major to be above system, whilst ANZ is languishing badly over the past year.

Chris Conway wrote today's report. Hans is on leave.

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If you have a chart and/or a stat that you would like to see featured in a future edition of the newsletter, drop us a note at content@livewiremarkets.com.

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Dow jumps more than 750 points, local focus is on the banks ahead of the RBA - Livewire Markets
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Ti Tree Local Court list, Friday, January 26 - NT News

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Ti Tree Local Court list, Friday, January 26    NT News Ti Tree Local Court list, Friday, January 2...