You’ve got your optimization checklist to complete, either for your own local business or on behalf of your client, and you’re now wondering; “What are the best free Local SEO tools and browser extensions that will help do the manual work for me?” We all love a freebie, but when it comes to the complex and multi-location world of Local SEO, the tool still has to be top-notch, so that you can sit back and trust that it’s doing the job you want it to. In this reactive industry, you also want free local SEO tools that can give you a quick and accurate answer as soon as you’ve thought of the question. That’s why we’ve compiled some of the top free local SEO tools and Chrome browser extensions in the industry so that you know where to turn. Top Free Listings Management Tools for Local SEOsPostamaticPostamatic, from the immensely talented Noah Learner over at Denver, Colorado-based agency Two Octobers, allows you to easily create and publish Google My Business (GMB) Posts, and Q&As through the GMB API. This is perfect if you’re managing multiple locations (and languages!) and struggling to keep all their GMBs update. No technical know-how needed: just fire up Google Sheets and you’re ready to go! Local Listings Health ScannerOne of BrightLocal’s free local SEO tools that would be crazy to leave off this list is the Local Listings Health Scanner, which scans the most important business listings sites for your business and gives it a health score based on any incorrect or inconsistent data and any major omissions. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking to build a case for local citations work for a current or prospective local business client. PlePer Local SEO Tools Chrome ExtensionPlePer’s Chrome extension features a wide array of features that allow you to dive deep into your competitors’ Google My Business listings, including shortcuts from the listing to Knowledge Panel (and back again), quick links to speed and mobile-friendly tests, and more. You can even see the GMB categories of any listing in Google Maps and analyze further based on the results. A true no-brainer for any local SEO looking to save time with their GMB competitor research. Negative Review RemovalNegative Review Removal by AI and software company Objection Co was created to enable users to check the legitimacy of online reviews. Simply copy and paste the review in question into the free tool and you’ll receive a score generated by Objection Co’s algorithm, telling you how likely it is that the review will qualify for removal. According to Founder Curtis Boyd, the tool uses NLP data and AI/ML frameworks such as NLTK and BERT to identify illegitimate content. Google ID and Link GeneratorBrightLocal’s Google ID & Link Generator allows you to easily find Google IDs and links for any local business that has a physical address. Get all the Google search, Google Maps, and Google My Business review links you need, instantly. GMBspy Chrome ExtensionGMBspy for Google Chrome focuses on unearthing and providing data about competitors’ Google My Business categories. The easy-to-use extension provides this data clearly, no matter where you are in Google Maps or Google Search. Want to investigate further? Use the ‘copy to clipboard’ function and contrast and compare categories across multiple competitors. Top Free Rank Tracking Tools for Local SEOsSERPTrends for ChromeSEO Extension SERPTrends for Google Chrome is a lightweight SEO tool that shows dynamics for the search results within the search page: whether the website moved up, down in the SERP, just appeared (is “new”) or hasn’t changed its position. It also shows how many positions the website lost or raised compared to search you performed the previous day.
Local RankFluxBrightLocal’s own Local RankFlux is the only ranking fluctuation monitoring tool for local search. We track daily ranking movements across 14,000+ keywords to measure volatility and identify suspected algorithm updates. Get daily, weekly or urgent-only alerts so that you’re not left in the lurch the next time a Google algorithm update impacts local rankings.
GS Location Changer Firefox Add-On and Chrome ExtensionThe GS Location Changer, available for Firefox and Chrome, does one thing and does it well: it changes your location in Google Search so you can emulate the experience from that location, allowing you to see local search results, localised advertising, and more. MobileMoxie SERPerator: Google Mobile Rank CheckerAvailable for free use three times a month, MobileMoxie’s SERPerator lets you understand the messy world of mobile rankings, even allowing you to select the handset you want to emulate! You can check mobile rankings from a specific address, too, rather than the broader city, state or zipcode, allowing you to get really granular with your results. It’s also “the only SEO tool that lets you go back in time to see what real SERPs looked like, so you can answer questions about historical mobile search rankings”. If you love using it, we’d thoroughly recommend upgrading to the paid version, too.
The post The Top Free Local SEO Tools – Updated 2021 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3aN36TC Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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Claim your listing on the new BrightLocal Agency Directory to begin generating leads from businesses that are searching for help with digital marketing right now. Every week, BrightLocal’s Customer Success team receives requests for recommendations of top-rated agencies that can help our local business customers with their digital marketing. And, just as often, we receive requests from agencies and consultants to be added to our legacy lists of Top SEO Agencies. We wanted to help bridge this gap between businesses in need of digital marketing assistance and the many talented agencies and freelancers operating in the US and actively seeking new leads. Introducing the Agency Directory
Today, we launched the Agency Directory – an in-depth directory of digital marketing agencies and consultants offering services including local SEO, PPC, SEO, and web design, in 1,000 cities in the USA*. A listing on the Agency Directory allows you to show off the key business information that potential leads need to know about when searching for services, so you can start generating leads right from your listing. Getting listed on the Agency Directory means you can feature on up to 5 lists of the top-rated agencies in the nearest city to ensure you’re being seen by businesses at the time they want to buy. Whether a business is looking for a local SEO agency in New York City, the best web designers in West Des Moines, or a great PPC provider in Portland, we have local lists aplenty! *We plan to extend the Agency Directory in the near future to Canada, the UK, and Australia later this year. Becoming an Agency Directory PartnerIt’s free to claim your listing and enjoy the benefits of appearing in local lists for the services you offer. However, if you’d like to improve your chances of impressing potential customers, you can upgrade to become an Agency Directory Partner. Becoming a Partner allows you to:
And, of course, it also means you can enjoy the whole BrightLocal toolset – including our brand-new grid tracker, Local Search Grid! Partner status is reserved for BrightLocal users on a Multi Business, SEO Pro, or Enterprise plan. You can also enjoy these bonus features during your 14-day free BrightLocal trial. So, how do I claim my Agency Directory listing?We wanted to make sure the Agency Directory was helpful for local businesses from day one, so we’ve added a number of agencies to the Directory to get started. But this is where you come in. Whether you’re already listed or not, if you’re a digital marketing agency or consultant based in the US, you can claim your listing right now. It’s entirely free to join the Agency Directory – all you need is a BrightLocal login. This applies to both BrightLocal customers and non-customers, with no purchase necessary to claim and maintain your listing. 1. Head to the Agency Directory to search for your agencyBrowse the list of local agencies in your city or state, or search for your agency to find your listing. No listing? No worries! Head straight to the brand-new Agency Directory Details section of your BrightLocal account to add in all the information about your agency. 2. If you find your agency is already listed, click ‘Claim Your Listing’This will connect the listing to your BrightLocal account. If you’re completely new to BrightLocal, you’ll take a short pit stop to register and get your account set up and ready to connect. 3. You’ll be taken to Agency Directory Details to edit your detailsWhether you’re adding a completely new listing or claiming one that’s already live, Agency Directory Details is the central hub of all the information displayed in your listing.
Here, you can manage a number of key elements of your listing, including your contact details, information about your agency and clients, Google reviews connection, and links to your social media profiles. Once you’re happy with your information, hit ‘Submit For Verification’ at the bottom of the page. 4. We’ll verify your listing, and email you when it’s liveTo ensure the Agency Directory is as useful as possible for businesses (and free of spam!), we manually verify every listing to ensure they are in the correct location, are legitimate digital marketers, and belong to the person claiming the listing. During particularly busy periods, this may take us a little bit of time, so please bear with us. We’ll email you once your listing has been verified. 5. Relax!Once your listing is live, you can sit back and rest assured your listing is in safe hands. If your agency catches a lead’s eye, they can email or call you from the details supplied on your listing. Emails will land in the inbox of the directory contact you designated in your Agency Directory Details. In the near future, we plan to introduce additional functionality to our Agency Lead Generator to help you keep track of the number of calls, website clicks, and views your listing gets – as well as to help you see all of the email leads you get in one place. Watch your inbox, as we’ll be sure to update you when this is live. You can update your listing details at any point in your BrightLocal account, and update your clients, case studies, and industry specialisms to reflect your latest work. Reviews also update automatically to help ensure your listing stays fresh – you don’t need to touch a thing! As an added bonus, any time you update your listing, you will be featured on the main page for your city to be even more visible to potential leads. Want to know more?To find out more about the Agency Directory, visit our Help Center:
If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to BrightLocal support or share your thoughts in the comments below. The post NEW: Claim Your Agency Directory Listing appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3qBDQFg Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ *Updated Feb 2021 to talk about tracking competitors easily with Local Search Grid*If you’re wondering who your competitors are, what their local SEO strategies are, and if there’s a gap in the market for you to exploit, then you’ve come to the right place. In this overview, we’re to show you how to use BrightLocal’s tools to map your competitive landscape and pinpoint opportunities for growth. The five BrightLocal tools to help you crush your competitors are:
Let’s take a look at a Google My Business Audit first. 1. Tracking Your Competitors with a Google My Business AuditA Google My Business Audit lets you quickly assess the status of your Google My Business profile and how it compares to your top online competitors. It uses your business location and business type to identify the competitors which are ranking top in the local pack for the search terms and search the location you’ve chosen. The audit is split into corresponding search terms based on your business type and reveals nuggets of information about your competitors such as:
This data is benchmarked against your own so you can see the areas that may be helping their search rankings that you may not have focused on, giving you some really actionable insights. For instance, in the Google My Business Audit report below, we can see that Sodoma Law is ranking in sixth position for the search term ‘divorce attorney’. We can also see that Arnold & Smith, Collins Family Law Group, and McIlveen Family Law Firm are their three main competitors because they rank in first, second, and third positions, respectively. Working our way across the table, we can see that Sodoma Law has more citations and website authority (a score that predicts your website’s ability to rank on search engine results pages) than the top three companies, but far fewer reviews. So, to try to rank higher for the search term divorce attorney, they need to gain more high-quality reviews (which our Reputation Manager tool is perfect for). See the below Help Center articles for more information on setting up and understanding a Google My Business Audit report: 2. Tracking Your Competitors with a Local Search Rank Checker ReportNext on the list is a Local Search Rank Checker report. This is a great way to see how your rankings benchmark against your competitors. To track your competitors in a Local Search Rank Checker report, you can add a maximum of four competitors to the section called ‘Monitor competitor search rankings’ when you set it up. If your report is already set up, you can add competitors by going to ‘Actions’, selecting ‘Edit Report’ and then scrolling down to the Advanced Settings where you can click on the ‘Competitors’ tab. Not sure who your competitors are? The best way to learn is to search for a term related to your business, such as ‘lawyers Charlotte NC’ and see who appears in the local pack or ahead of you in terms of their local positioning. When your report is finished, there will be an additional tab called ‘Competitors’ where you can see how your competitors rank for different keywords in the different search engines. For example, the image below shows where Sodoma Law ranks for certain keywords on Google. In the Rank column the letters A, B, and C indicate where the solicitor appears in the Local Pack and the numbers show their overall ranking position on Google. A dash means we didn’t find any mention of the business in the top 50 results. Sodoma Law currently ranks B for the keywords ‘Family Lawyer’, but doesn’t appear in the top 50 results for any of the other keywords. Two of their competitors rank in positions A and B for the keywords ‘Best Lawyers’. To bump the two competitors off their top spots they will need to include the keywords ‘Best Lawyers’ throughout their content. See the below Help Center articles for more information on setting up and understanding a Local Search Rank Checker report:
3. Tracking Your Competitors with a Citation Tracker ReportThird on the list is the Citation Tracker report, which lets you monitor competitor citations and helps you to fill any gaps. We find the competitors by looking for what businesses are ranking top in Google Maps for the business type + location (e.g. plumbers in manhattan). Once you’ve run your Citation Tracker report, you’ll see a tab called Competitor Citations. Here you’ll be able to see a list of citations and business mentions that your top five competitors in search have, excluding any that you already have. To discover who your competitors are, simply click on the red pins. For a better understanding of the citations that are worth you registering for, take a look at the Citation Authority and Citation Value columns. Citation Authority is based on Domain Authority, a metric calculated by Moz. It’s the SEO score for a website and a prediction of its ability to rank well in search engines. This is calculated out of 100. The higher the number, the more influence that site may have. Citation Value is unique to BrightLocal. It’s determined using the frequency with which a website appears in citation records. The more a website is used as a citation source, the higher its value. These values are calculated from unique research conducted by BrightLocal. If there are any citations in the table that have high Citation Value and/or Citation Authority scores, they would be good to go after first. To do that, in the column called ‘Actions’, click the ‘+’ icon and you’ll be taken straight to the citation site. Once there, you should be able to fill in your business details to register a citation request. Keep in mind that your citation may not be added to a directory immediately. Alternatively, check out Citation Builder, where we do the hard work for you by building citations on key sites, cleaning up your existing citations, and removing harmful duplicates. See the below Help Center articles for more information on setting up and understanding a Citation Tracker report: 4. Tracking Your Competitors with a Local Search AuditAnother great source of competitor information in BrightLocal is a Local Search Audit. In a Local Search Audit, under the ‘Links & Website Authority’ heading, you’ll find the average score for your competitors, as well as your business scores on the following:
Your aim should be to rank higher than the competitor average for each of these, so this table gives you great insight into where you might want to prioritize your efforts first and in the future. For example, if your number of Linking Domains is below your competitor average, then reaching out to trusted websites and asking them to link back to yours would be a good place to start. See the below Help Center articles for more information on setting up and understanding a Local Search Audit: 5. Tracking Your Competitors with a Local Search Grid ReportLocal Search Grid tells you how well you’re ranking for specific keywords compared to your competitors, giving you an idea of who you’re actually competing against so you can start to build a strategy for improvement. In the ‘Overall’ competitors table you will see:
So if, for example, if you saw that you had more reviews and a similar star rating to your top three competitors, but that your Category was different, then changing that within your Google My Business profile might help to improve your rankings. For a side-by-side comparison and to see a competitor’s rankings on a grid, simply click on a competitor’s name in the table. You can also view competitors by grid point. This is useful if you want to learn how you can outrank a competitor for that grid point. Simply open the keyword tab and click the grid point that you want to investigate further. A popup will appear showing a list of the competitors and where they are ranking for that keyword in that particular grid point, as well as the following information:
You can use this information to get ahead in a similar way to the information in the ‘Overall’ competitors table. See the below Help Center articles for more information on setting up and understanding a Local Search Grid report: Your next stepsTo get the edge on your competitors, set up these four reports to track their local SEO efforts and plan your next moves. The BrightLocal Help Center has information on how to create and read all of these reports, and the Bright Ideas section on our website has advice on how to improve all aspects of local SEO from link building and review generation to Google My Business optimization. The post How to Track Your Competitors Using BrightLocal appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3chgptG Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ 450+ top local citation sites and business by US stateAnyone who owns or works with a local business will know the foundational importance of building quality citations on business listings sites and directories. We’ve already collected the top citation sites by business category, by country, and by US city, but this resource is for you if you’re looking to improve the online visibility of a local business across the US state you operate it. Our Citations Team has gathered over 450 different business listings sites and directories that focus wholly on businesses within each of the US states. The next time you’re looking for a state-wide business listings site or directory to submit your or your client’s business to, head back to this page. Please Note: Citation sites listed here aren’t necessarily ones we can submit to using Citation Builder. Click here for more information. Build citations the easy way using BrightLocalBuilding citations can take a lot of time, effort and stress. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We have an experienced team of professional citation builders who deliver over 60,000 citations every month for our SEO and SMB customers. Our manual citation service costs just US$3 per submission and ensures that your business is appearing in all the right business listings sites and local directories. We can also submit your business data to local data aggregators in the US. These aggregators will distribute your data out to their network of directories, mobile apps, and mapping services. Our aggregator service is high quality and low cost; we submit to all 3 US aggregators for just $60/year. See how our prices compare with other citation building services The post The Top Citation Sites in Every US State – Updated 2021 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2NnphGL Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ The last year has been fraught with more challenges for SEO and marketing agencies than ever before, but how did successful agencies weather the storm? And how can you take their learnings to make 2021 a successful year for you and your clients? Join our expert panelists, agency owners Dana DiTomaso (Kick Point), Mike Ramsey (Nifty Marketing) and Gyi Tsakalakis (AttorneySync) to find out how they’ve stayed resilient in the face of an unpredictable market, and discover for yourself how you can keep your agency or consultancy growing in uncertain times.
To make sure you get the most from this session, we’ll be using the first 60 minutes to host an expert, insight-filled discussion before moving on to a 30-minute Q&A session where you’ll have the opportunity to have your questions answered by the pros! For any questions or issues registering for the webinar, please email us at [email protected].
The post The State of Agencies 2021 – Webinar + Q&A appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2LEgsrJ Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ In the world of local SEO, there’s always something new to keep your eye out for that could be a game-changer. This week, that news is that star ratings are now appearing in review snippet on Google My Business listings.
Spotted on Twitter by Tom Waddington on February 3rd, 2021, this change is yet another step from Google to bring online reviews front and center. What’s new with Google review summaries?Previously, when a business’s Knowledge Panel was generated by a local search, Google would highlight potentially relevant keywords. For example, “great service” might be bolded for a restaurant. Now, not only is a searcher presented with these highlighted keywords, but the accompanying star rating is shown too. So, if someone left a review saying “great service” along with a 4-star rating, that’s what will be shown to the searcher. Google has been placing more and more emphasis on reviews for a while now. Most recently, Google review summaries were updated, but it’s long been a feature achieving a lot of attention from Google. It makes sense that Google would be taking more strides to bring customer feedback to the fore in Google My Business given just how important reviews are to consumers. This latest change only supports the idea that reviews should be paid attention to. We know that Google tries to provide searchers with as much information as possible to help them make a decision, and this change to review summaries certainly provides users with more information to help them make a decision. For example, in the case of this Greek restaurant, the review summaries don’t sound altogether positive but the star ratings are still pretty high. This latest GMB change takes some of the guesswork out of browsing business listings, and allows searchers to make a decision even more quickly. What do we know?While it’s often wise to be skeptical, as Google is known to frequently test features, it looks like this change to Google reviews has rolled out globally. Here in Brighton, UK, we can see the same thing as our friends across the pond. For example, here’s what our own Google My Business listing looks like now: It seems too that this feature update has rolled across all industries. Local SEO Amy Toman shared that she’s seeing star ratings in snippets for legal, restaurants, and pet care, while another SEO commented that she’s seeing this feature for recruitment listings too.
What do local SEOs think?As ever, when a big change like this comes along we like to check in with the local SEO community. So far there’s been little chatter on Twitter, but it is still early doors. That said, I wouldn’t expect to see a huge amount of talk about this Google My Business news, as it’s a very uncontroversial change. After all, experts agree that local businesses should be paying attention to Google reviews already; this change only reinforces that. Usually, you’ll see the most amount of chatter on forums and socials about changes that local SEOs think could be bad news, such as what we saw with the $50/month upgraded Google My Business test. ConclusionAlthough this is definitely a notable change — getting great reviews is more important than ever — there is little you can do to react to this Google My Business news. As always, we’d recommend you continue to focus your efforts on generating authentic, quality reviews for your business across third-party review sites, and especially on Google. If you’re not already, make sure you’re actively reaching out to customers for reviews on a regular basis. What do you think of this Google reviews news? Drop us a line in the comments below. The post Star Rating Now Showing in Google Review Summary appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3aPGalz Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of Local Search Grid, a brand-new local rankings tool from BrightLocal that allows you to see the bigger picture of search. Without further ado, here’s how awesome it looks. Snazzy, right? There’s a lot I could say about Local Search Grid and what this new tool means for your search strategy (and I will!) but for now I’ll let our launch video do the talking: If that’s piqued your interest and you want to start using Local Search Grid right away, simply:
Want to know more before you dive in? Read on to find out just how Local Search Grid gives you better insights, for better decisions than ever before. Local Search has evolvedIf you’re using a rank tracker like our own Local Search Rank Checker, you’ll know how it works: Plug in some keywords and a search location and, boom, that’s where your business is ranking for those keywords in that location. Tracking rankings for a single location is useful for measuring the direction of travel, but it doesn’t always show you the full picture of what’s going on down on the ground. That’s because local search has evolved. The modern Google local algorithm factors search location and proximity into results in a big way. For example, you can search ‘pizza restaurant’ or ‘pizzas near me’ and get similar results in the Local Pack, but walk just 50 yards down the street and those results can change drastically, especially in a competitive landscape. So while a single-location rank tracker might tell you “you’re smashing it!” in searches made near your business, search results even just a block or two away could be telling a very different story… That’s why a new perspective is needed. Introducing Local Search Grid: the real-world picture of local search performanceLocal Search Grid gives you the extra rankings and competitor data you need to truly understand the local search landscape and broaden your visibility. This birds-eye view of searches performed for your chosen keywords, across your chosen area, can help you:
How does Local Search Grid work?Local Search Grid visualizes rankings across multiple different search locations on an easy-to-understand, map-based dashboard. Each colored Grid Point represents a local search made using your chosen keyword. It shows you where your business is ranking in the Google Local Finder at that location, and which competitors you need to keep in your sights. Take a look at this short walkthrough video to see how Local Search Grid works, learn and how you can use it to understand performance, spot opportunities and wow clients. What does Local Search Grid help you do better?Make decisions based on a truer picture of rankingsWith a bird’s-eye view of what searchers see in your neighborhood, town or city, you’ll be able to see changes in rankings as they happen across the map. Seeing a few drops on the outskirts of the map? They could be signs of a bigger problem that you can take action on early. Know exactly which keywords to focus onLocal Search Grid allows you to contrast and compare the ranking grids of various keywords. Easily see which keywords are doing well, which need attention, and identify any trends across keywords. Discover which competitors dominate the mapNo more second-guessing which competitors you’re facing off against in local rankings: Local Search Grid makes it easy to identify the rivals you should really be benchmarking against, and offers insights into which key ranking factors they’re doing best and worst in. You can even see competitors’ business locations to determine how easy or difficult it would be to outrank them in their own stomping grounds. Monitor progress with complete clarityOur proprietary metric ‘Average Map Rank’ gives you a single data point to track performance with, so you can measure the ongoing impact of your efforts and react faster to ranking drops. Save time opening multiple reports from different points in time: just hover over the timeline to see a streamlined summary of performance. Wow clients with intuitive reportsWhether you’re pitching for new business or compiling monthly reports, Local Search Grid arms you with a visual way to drive client engagement and get buy-in. The ‘traffic light’ color-coding system ensures that no matter their level of SEO expertise, clients will immediately understand what they’re seeing. Spot spam in secondsExperts agree that if there’s one tactic every local SEO should be doing to get better results for their clients, it’s fighting spam. With the Top-ranking Competitors table, you can view all businesses competing in the local search landscape in one place, then pick out and report inaccurate GMB business names in mere moments. Get Started with Local Search Grid todayWhy wait to take advantage of this exciting new tool? Jump in to your BrightLocal account and set up your first Local Search Grid report now.* Is this your first time considering BrightLocal? If so, we’re offering a 14-day free trial so you can take a look at Local Search Grid in action! Have any questions?Take a look at our comprehensive list of FAQs in the BrightLocal Help Center. You might find the question already answered! Can’t see what you’re looking for in the Help Center? Just get in touch with our fantastic support team here or leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you soon. *Please note: this tool is not available to customers on our Just Reviews plan. The post Put Your Rankings on the Map with Local Search Grid appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2Z1vXgb Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ It may have only been the first month of the year, but the local SEO news didn’t ease us in gently! Test your knowledge of last month’s biggest stories in our monthly local marketing news quiz – Local Quizness! In just 10 questions, you can challenge your knowledge of the biggest tests, new features, and changes affecting local businesses in January. And as always, you can share your scores over on Twitter using #LocalQuizness. If you wanted to catch up on any of January’s news, we’ve provided links to some great articles exploring the stories.
We’ll be back next month with another news quiz – see you then! The post Local Quizness February 2021 – What’s New in Local SEO? appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/36ZxNTr Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ The last year has been fraught with more challenges for SEO and marketing agencies than ever before, but how did successful agencies weather the storm? And how can you take their learnings to make 2021 a successful year for you and your clients? Join our expert panelists, agency owners Dana DiTomaso (Kick Point), Mike Ramsey (Nifty Marketing) and Gyi Tsakalakis (AttorneySync) to find out how they’ve stayed resilient in the face of an unpredictable market, and discover for yourself how you can keep your agency or consultancy growing in uncertain times.
To make sure you get the most from this session, we’ll be using the first 60 minutes to host an expert, insight-filled discussion before moving on to a 30-minute Q&A session where you’ll have the opportunity to have your questions answered by the pros! For any questions or issues registering for the webinar, please email us at [email protected].
The post The State of Agencies 2021 – Webinar + Q&A appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3d0byAr Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ In the world of local SEO, there’s always something new to keep your eye out for that could be a game-changer. This week, that news is that star ratings are now appearing in review snippet on Google My Business listings.
Spotted on Twitter by Tom Waddington on February 3rd, 2021, this change is yet another step from Google to bring online reviews front and center. What’s new with Google review summaries?Previously, when a business’s Knowledge Panel was generated by a local search, Google would highlight potentially relevant keywords. For example, “great service” might be bolded for a restaurant. Now, not only is a searcher presented with these highlighted keywords, but the accompanying star rating is shown too. So, if someone left a review saying “great service” along with a 4-star rating, that’s what will be shown to the searcher. Google has been placing more and more emphasis on reviews for a while now. Most recently, Google review summaries were updated, but it’s long been a feature achieving a lot of attention from Google. It makes sense that Google would be taking more strides to bring customer feedback to the fore in Google My Business given just how important reviews are to consumers. This latest change only supports the idea that reviews should be paid attention to. We know that Google tries to provide searchers with as much information as possible to help them make a decision, and this change to review summaries certainly provides users with more information to help them make a decision. For example, in the case of this Greek restaurant, the review summaries don’t sound altogether positive but the star ratings are still pretty high. This latest GMB change takes some of the guesswork out of browsing business listings, and allows searchers to make a decision even more quickly. What do we know?While it’s often wise to be skeptical, as Google is known to frequently test features, it looks like this change to Google reviews has rolled out globally. Here in Brighton, UK, we can see the same thing as our friends across the pond. For example, here’s what our own Google My Business listing looks like now: It seems too that this feature update has rolled across all industries. Local SEO Amy Toman shared that she’s seeing star ratings in snippets for legal, restaurants, and pet care, while another SEO commented that she’s seeing this feature for recruitment listings too.
What do local SEOs think?As ever, when a big change like this comes along we like to check in with the local SEO community. So far there’s been little chatter on Twitter, but it is still early doors. That said, I wouldn’t expect to see a huge amount of talk about this Google My Business news, as it’s a very uncontroversial change. After all, experts agree that local businesses should be paying attention to Google reviews already; this change only reinforces that. Usually, you’ll see the most amount of chatter on forums and socials about changes that local SEOs think could be bad news, such as what we saw with the $50/month upgraded Google My Business test. ConclusionAlthough this is definitely a notable change — getting great reviews is more important than ever — there is little you can do to react to this Google My Business news. As always, we’d recommend you continue to focus your efforts on generating authentic, quality reviews for your business across third-party review sites, and especially on Google. If you’re not already, make sure you’re actively reaching out to customers for reviews on a regular basis. What do you think of this Google reviews news? Drop us a line in the comments below. The post Star Rating Now Showing in Google Review Summary appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2YUkL4U Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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