When looking for online directories to add your business data to in the USA, you’ll no doubt come across Citysearch, an “online city guide that provides information about businesses in the categories of dining, entertainment, retail, travel, and professional services”. As you’ve probably gathered, though, the focus here is on businesses in cities in the United States, so if that’s not you, I’d recommend taking a look at the other top citation sites to get listed on. Citysearch is run by Citygrid, which in turn gets its data from Express Update (via Data Axle – pretty complex, isn’t it?), so you’ll need to go via Express Update to input your business data. If you want to set up a Citysearch listing for your business, or even just claim one, you’ll need to follow the process to get your business data added to the directory.
Looking to add more than ten locations to Citysearch? There’s no easy way to manually manage this in bulk, but you can achieve this easily by submitting data to Infogroup via BrightLocal’s Data Aggregator submissions service. The post How to Add or Claim a Citysearch Listing appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2Ah8zSU Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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We talk a lot here about how to keep up to date on local SEO news, from forums to webinars, and beyond. But what better way to learn than by delving deep into the experts’ realm? If you’re looking for daily updates on the latest changes in Google My Business, local search algorithm updates, or even upcoming events, then Twitter is the place for you. To help you build your following list, we’re shouting out 16 local SEO experts you need to follow. And sadly, yes, we did have to whittle this list down to just 16. While Twitter is full of knowledgeable SEOs, we’ve opted for the most active, but if you’re looking for even more SEOs to fill your timeline with, then be sure to check out our full list of local SEO experts. 1. Colan Nielsen, Sterling SkyIf you frequent online local SEO communities and forums, you’ll likely have seen Colan’s face before. A key member of the Sterling Sky local search Dream Team, Colan regularly shares his unique expertise and insights on Twitter. Colan frequently shares new updates surrounding Google My Business and is always vocal in the conversation around local search. Plus, if you follow Colan you’ll be among the first to see his always-insightful blogs for Sterling Sky and LocalU, such as his recent work on the potential local ranking update.
Oh, and you’ll get to see him demonstrate his impeccable taste in clothing… 2. Claire Carlile, Claire Carlile MarketingA ray of sunshine in the (let’s be real, sometimes stressful) world of Twitter, this list would not be complete without Claire. One of the few UK-based SEOs, Claire regularly shares her day-to-day experiences on Twitter, using her loyal client base’s work to highlight new findings and the like.
Claire is also often among the first to spot new changes in Google My Business, as well as publishing her own in-depth guides to the ever-changing quirks of GMB, or even big changes to SERPs, such as Google’s “Featured Snippets Apocalypse”. And as a bonus? You might just learn a little something about the wonderful world of British politics while you’re at it! 3. Tim Capper, Online OwnershipNext up, we’ve another UK-based SEO to fill your feed with — Tim Capper. As a GMB Product Expert, following Tim is practically a no-brainer. Like the other people on this list, Tim regularly shares his own knowledge via blogs, mainly specializing in service-area businesses.
So if you want to know what’s what when it comes to SABs, Tim is the person for you. Or if you’re someone who deals with hotel or hospitality clients, you’ll benefit from Tim’s regular insights into the quirks of hotel GMB listings. 4. Dan Leibson, Local SEO GuideFollowing Local SEO Guide’s Dan Leibson on Twitter can certainly be a rollercoaster – from wholesome garden pics to impassioned discussions about the latest GMB guidelines.
Not only does Dan share great insights from the Local SEO Guide blog, but he’s always an active participant in topical local SEO conversations. Plus, he regularly uplifts and shares the work of fellow local SEOs. What’s not to like? 5. Jason Brown, Sterling SkyIf you’re looking to get into the deep, dark realms of GMB spam removal, then following Jason Brown is absolutely essential. Another member of the Sterling Sky Dream Team, Jason prides himself on bringing GMB spammers to justice – and he isn’t afraid to shout about it.
And, as another GMB Product Expert, Jason is often among the first to know about any exciting updates. Plus, you’ll get a good few laughs at some of the GMB spam and reviews he finds… 6. Brian Barwig, Sterling SkyHaving worked in local SEO for nearly 15 years, Brian is well-seasoned when it comes to the ins and outs of search. Along with his local SEO tweets, you’ll also get a good fill of dog and gardening pics — good for the mind and the soul!
Yet another Sterling Sky member, (sorry, there’s just so many of them now!), Brian frequently shares the great blogs they produce, covering the likes of filtered GMB listings and more. 7. Amy Toman, Digital Law MarketingAnother keen GMB user, Amy frequently shares her day-to-day findings and has been quick to share some of the latest Covid-19 updates. Following Amy on Twitter also means you’re bound to feel uplifted and inspired by her bite-sized short stories about clients’ successes.
Amy also doesn’t shy away from jumping into topical local SEO discussions, so keep your eyes on her feed to glean some exclusive insights! 8. Greg Gifford, SearchLabFor all our visual learners out there, Greg Gifford will be right up your street. Greg regularly shares funny, insightful videos in an effort to help you level up your local SEO game. He also often makes appearances on other marketing podcasts (local and otherwise), so you’ll be sure to broaden your horizons.
Finally, if that wasn’t enough content to keep you busy, following Greg means you’ll be among the first to see SearchLab’s weekly interview series, ‘Search & Suds’, featuring an array of expert guests and you’ll get a (virtual) front-row ticket to any SEO events you can’t attend, as Greg frequently live Tweets events such as SMX. 9. Andy Simpson, Digital Law MarketingIf you’re looking for someone to glean real-time insights from, Andy is a great one to add to the list. Often you’ll see him sharing findings from his own work with clients. He also shares useful tips and tricks, such as recommending tools to step up your SEO game.
And Andy frequently shows up on local SEO webinars and the like, most recently answering audience questions on Tea Time SEO. 10. Joy Hawkins, Sterling SkyOf course this list wouldn’t be complete without Joy Hawkins – I mean, she’s called the Queen of Local SEO for a reason! Joy heads up the Sterling Sky team, as well as running Local Search Forum and LocalU, which is why you’ll see plenty of insights from all those sources should you follow her.
Joy also regularly answers Twitter users’ questions about common local SEO issues, so you’ll get insights you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. 11. Mike Blumenthal, GatherUpMike’s bio puts it best, “All local, all the time. What else is there?” And his Twitter account definitely lives up to that mantra! Those who follow Mike get first-person insight into the changes going on in GMB, especially when it comes to reviews.
As a founding partner of GatherUp, Mike is always quick to share the company’s latest webinars, where they offer deep-dives into all things review-related. 12. Glenn Gabe, G-Squared InteractiveSEO Consultant and Search Engine Land columnist, Glenn Gabe is a fount of knowledge, and definitely one to follow if you’re looking to bring more SEO insights to your Twitter feed.
For those more interested in the likes of Google indexing, algorithms, and search patterns, Glenn is a must-follow as he shares his technical expertise on a daily basis. 13. Carrie Hill, Sterling SkyThe last member of Sterling Sky’s growing team on this list (we promise!), Carrie Hill is full of insights to bring GMB news and knowledge to your timeline. Not only is Carrie a local SEO specialist at Sterling Sky, but she also manages LocalU’s community and events, meaning she’s always eager to share the latest events and talent with her audience.
Like many of the other names on this list, Carrie is always keen to share the latest updates to hit GMB, so keep an eye on her feed for regular new insights. 14. Lily Ray, Path InteractiveNow we venture into the not-so-local portion of this list… but this list would surely be incomplete without NYC-based SEO Lily Ray, who focuses mostly on organic SEO — from E-A-T to new SERP features. An SEO by day and DJ by night, Lily Ray is not your typical SEO. While usually her feed is filled with algorithm news and the like, lately Lily has been putting her skills to admirable use – performing 8-hour long DJ sets to raise money for those affected by Covid-19.
Plus, if you’re more of a visual learner, Lily often appears on webinars which she promotes via Twitter – so you’ll be the first to get a front-row seat to her insights. 15. Marie Haynes, Marie Haynes ConsultingIf you’re mostly interested in Google algorithm updates — the when, the why, the what – then without a doubt, Marie Haynes is the Twitter account for you. Marie describes herself as being “totally obsessed” with algo updates, and her weekly newsletter ‘Search News You Can Use’ often focuses on these.
She’s often the first to know about potential updates, and is always quick to share her data findings. 16. Barry Schwartz, Rusty BrickAgain, not strictly local, but Barry is one of the go-to accounts when it comes to seeing the latest news in SEO.
His concise and timely blogs for Search Engine Roundtable are a great way to get bite-sized knowledge of the week’s biggest events. Plus, Barry usually brings the conversation to Twitter – welcoming discussion and debate on the latest changes to search. He also shares regular video recaps of the latest SEO news, so you can catch up on anything you may have missed quickly and easily! If you’ve got a local SEO you want to shout out, leave their Twitter handle in the comments below! The post 16 Local SEO Experts You Need to Follow on Twitter appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3c6yIBg Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Founder of the well-loved catchphrase, “meh, links!”, Gyi Tsakalakis is — as you might expect — a known advocate for local link building. Here, he explains why local links still hold value in 2020, and shares some of the best tactics for building a healthy backlink profile. If you’re marketing a local business online, earning quality local links isn’t just good for local SEO, it’s good for business. The idea that building local links is good for business is certainly not novel. Will Scott has been preaching about the power of Barnacle SEO for decades. Still, here in 2020, it seems to me that too many local businesses and their marketers don’t put enough emphasis on building links that have business value beyond SEO. Building awareness is an often overlooked benefit of earning local links. When potential customers or clients begin the research and discovery phase of their journey, they are looking for answers, resources, education, data, opinions, and insights from sources they know, like, and/or trust. Earning links to your site/pages from these sources can be a remarkably effective way to get on their radar. To me, the most obvious examples in this context are directories and review sites. Here’s an example for someone looking for the best place to buy meat in Chicago: Acquiring local links from business directories and review sites is really ticket-to-entry local link building for awareness. In terms of deciding which sites to prioritize, start with the directories that appear most prominently for relevant awareness search queries. These are likely to include a combination of the major sites (i.e. Yelp), as well as vertical-specific sites (i.e. a legal directory like FindLaw). In addition to directories, other ‘local links for awareness’ sites usually include:
Even if the searcher isn’t ready to make a purchase now, having links from these sites reinforces brand awareness and builds confidence and trust. It’s also worth mentioning that, while I’ll be focusing on actual local hypertext links here, you certainly shouldn’t ignore linkless citations. In addition to building awareness, building local links is also an effective way to drive qualified leads. Identifying local partners who share a target audience similar to yours is a great way to both generate links and leads. Building local links for business is also about “getting out there” in your local community. It’s been said that the best links tend to grow from building great relationships. Local sponsorships are still among my favorite examples here. Use links from a sponsorship page to drive leads for a specific offer that is highly relevant to the audience of the sponsored group, organization, or team. Think local sports shops sponsoring local youth sports teams and offering team-specific discounts. Find popular existing local events. Where does your local community congregate? Where are these events published online? In many cases, local government sites get involved in promoting these events. These are fantastic opportunities to earn links that also generate leads. Look for event sites that have a track record of linking back to partners and contributors. Scholarships also remain a really effective link building tactic. Now before you frantically rush to Twitter to “@” me about how scholarship link building has been abused, hear me out. I’m not talking about merely pledging some cash and hammering a list of .edu sites. Instead, consider offering local scholarships to students who might also be customers. Going back to the sports shop analogy, offer a scholarship to a local student-athlete who excels both on the field, as well as in the classroom. You might be surprised just how effective this can be for generating goodwill, building brand awareness, and yes, building local links. Finally, hopefully, it’s obvious by now, local links generate customers and clients. In fact, if you’ve already acquired some of the links that we discussed here, my hunch is that they’ve already been earning you business. Oftentimes, attribution issues obfuscate the value that local links are contributing to the bottom line. Unfortunately, this makes it more difficult to persuade the powers that be to invest in local link building strategies. Be sure to mine referral data and configure goals to capture the business impact of your local links. Some Dos and Don’ts of Local Link Building for SEOAs you know, most local SEO experts agree that link building is effective for boosting businesses’ local search rankings. But don’t take our word for it, even Google admits that links help improve your local ranking. As we discussed during my Local Search Clinic, in my experience, excluding spam, links are the biggest competitive difference-maker in local rankings. So, all else being equal, meh, build links! But keep the following in mind:
Hopefully this article helps you reframe local link building for both rankings and money. Have a great local link building tale to tell? Let’s share stories in the comments below! The post Why You Still Need Local Links in 2020 (and How to Get Them) appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2yDtzmu Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ If you want to set up a Bing Places for Business listing, you can have your work cut out for you, especially if you’ve hundreds of locations to upload that aren’t on Google My Business. Even if you’re just adding or claiming one Bing Places business listing, the process can get complex. That’s why I’ve put together this step-by-step guide to setting up locations on Bing Places. Follow these steps and you’ll see your business’ pin on Bing Maps in no time. Before you begin, though, I’d recommend setting up a Microsoft account. It’s not mandatory to work with Bing Places, but it makes the process a lot smoother. Whether you’re just adding a single business to Bing Places or you’re managing a large chain which needs to build 100s of listings on Bing Places, you can just click below to head straight to the process that’s right for you.
The post How to Add or Claim a Bing Places for Business Listing appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2Xjfi6K Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Local Search Clinic ventures into the realm of GMB suspensions and reinstatement with Steady Demand’s Ben Fisher. Got problems only the pros can answer? Looking for tips to boost your online search presence? Or just want to chat with fellow local SEOs? Join us Wednesday, May 27th, at 8am PT/11am ET for an hour of expert insights. Read on to find out how to get your questions answered! For any questions or issues registering for the webinar, please email us at [email protected]. Can’t see the button to register above? Click here to save your spot. How to register and ask your question1. Click the green ‘Save my spot!’ button at the top of this page. 2. Click ‘Email me a login link’ 3. Click ‘Confirm & sign in’ in the email from Crowdcast 4. Click ‘Ask a Question’ and submit your question using the popup (you can do this before or during the broadcast) See a question in the popup that you’d also like the answer to? Just click the arrow next to the question to ‘upvote’ it! The popular questions with the most upvotes will be answered first. P.S. Don’t forget to join our Twitter local SEO networking list! Simply follow the list and we’ll add you in. The post Local Search Clinic with Ben Fisher – Coming Soon appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2LLUnnk Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Whether they have DoFollow links or NoFollow links, citation sites with links through to local business websites are invaluable to local SEO. Backlinks remain one of most important factors that influence both organic search ranking and local-search/maps ranking. If you’d like to see what the experts say about local link building, check out our Expert Local Link Building Survey. The Local Citations Trust Report also explores why correct citations are vital to keeping customers happy – finding that 80% of consumers lose trust in a business if they see incorrect or inconsistent NAP information online. Citation sites that provide backlinksKnowing that many SEOs like to build links through their citation-building actions, we wanted to put together a useful resource to show which citation sites provide either DoFollow links or NoFollow links. In May 2020, our Citations team delved into our extensive citation database to create a comprehensive list of local citation sites with DoFollow or NoFollow links. – Jump to the Top Citation Sites with DoFollow Links – – Jump to the Top Citations Sites with NoFollow Links – To make this resource even more useful we’ve added further information about each citation site so you can make quick, informed decisions:
Both tables can be downloaded as CSV files – see the links below each table to download these. We plan to regularly update the below lists to keep them up-to-date and useful for our customers. If you have any thoughts or questions on any of the sites in our list, let us know. Please Note: Citation sites listed here aren’t necessarily ones we can submit to using Citation Builder. Click here for more information. What are DoFollow links?DoFollow links are links that Google and other search engines are able to follow to reach a linked website. This passes on authority, or ‘link juice’, from the source through to the destination website. The more reputable links that you have pointing to your website, the more likely a search engine will believe it to be a high-value (‘authoritative’) site. Links are DoFollow by default, so do not require additional HTML attributes in order to follow. Including DoFollow links on your site allows you to pass on authority to the websites that you link to. However, including DoFollow links in forums and comment sections of websites can attract spammers attempting to improve the visibility of their own sites. Citation sites that include DoFollow links are considered to have extra value because they contain a DoFollow backlink. These combine SEO benefits from well-respected sites with potential clickthroughs from consumers looking for a local business. What is a NoFollow link?NoFollow links contain HTML tags that stop search engines following links to pass on link juice. Links that contain NoFollow attributes stop Google from seeing a link as an endorsement of the linked page. These have become increasingly important due to penalties that can apply to paid links. Although they won’t carry the link juice back to your site, in Local SEO NoFollow links are still important. Any link from a citation site provides much more exposure (and ease of access) to audiences searching for products and services like yours. To create a NoFollow tag, the code rel=”nofollow” should be included in hyperlinks. Do NoFollow links help SEO?There is a constant debate about the SEO value of NoFollow links. In the past, SEOs believed that NoFollow links were ignored by Google and therefore had no value. However, now studies suggest that Google can acknowledge NoFollow links, and attribute some value to the website they link to. If we look beyond pure SEO value, NoFollow links have other benefits to their destination pages. Links placed on large sites with lots of users or on very relevant sites can generate valuable website visits. 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 agency and brand customers. Our manual citation service costs just $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 4 US aggregators for just $60/year. See how our prices compare with other citation building services.
The post Top Citation Sites With DoFollow and NoFollow Links – Updated 2020 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2LJnyHM Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Fighting Google My Business spam is one of the most effective ways to climb rankings in local SEO, but is the uptake as common among agencies as local SEO experts? From just a quick glance at local SEO Twitter, you’d think that spam fighting is what dominates many local SEOs’ working days. But our Local Search Industry Survey showed that, on the contrary, just a third of local marketers offer GMB spam fighting as a service. Meanwhile, in stark contrast, our Expert Google My Business survey showed that second only to reviews, spam fighting is one of the most important tasks to prioritize in 2020, with 65% of experts vouching for it, while just 11% of agencies said the same thing. These two drastically opposing statistics got us thinking: why aren’t more agencies investing in spam removal? That’s why we took matters into our own hands and polled our trusty audience to find out more. In total, we looked at the data from 513 respondents – 64% of which manage local SEO for a client’s business, while 36% look after their own local SEO. For the purposes of this poll, we’ll be separating these respondents into agencies and local businesses. First, we’ll dive into local businesses (but you can skip ahead to agencies here). Local Businesses and Spam fightingDo local businesses spend time reporting their competitors’ spam on Google My Business?The vast majority of local businesses don’t spend time reporting competitors’ spam on Google My Business, with 73% telling us that this wasn’t a tactic they used. Bearing in mind these are BrightLocal users, who might be a little more local SEO-savvy than a typical local business, we were surprised that this tactic wasn’t encompassed by more respondents. Are local businesses missing a trick by not knowing to look out for (potentially less obvious) types of spam, such as keyword stuffing, fake businesses, and duplicate listings? If you want to start fighting spam, you’ll first want to get familiar with the different types of spam on Google My Business. What holds local businesses back from providing spam removal services?When asked what was holding them back from reporting GMB spam, a whopping 54% of respondents claimed that they don’t know how to get spam removed in the first place. Although this number may be surprising, it’s not unexpected that many people don’t know how to remove spam on GMB. After all, the process could certainly be simpler. What kind of spam should you use the redressal form for? Does suggesting an edit count as reporting spam? When should you contact GMB directly? (For those wanting to get more immediate answers to these questions, you may want to check out Joy Hawkins’ Q&A on spam fighting). Meanwhile, coming in a (not so close) second place, local businesses reported that spam isn’t an issue for their business. But with spam being increasingly prevalent in local searches, it’s hard to believe that so many businesses would not be affected at all. Again, this may come back to the fact that many businesses don’t know what is considered spam. For example, keyword stuffing might be hard to spot as spam, and in fact, some local businesses may even be tempted to incorporate tactics like this themselves. At the end of the day, unless you’re well versed in the GMB guidelines, it may be hard to identify listings that are benefiting from breaking the rules. And with so many tasks to juggle day-to-day, for many local businesses, it can be challenging to find the time to stay clued up on the guidelines. Agencies and Spam fightingDo agencies spend time reporting their competitors’ spam on Google My Business?Similarly to local businesses, only 35% of agencies are offering spam removal services, and only half of these provide spam fighting for all of their clients. This near-equal split between the 35% would certainly make sense, as GMB spam affects some industries more than others (just take a look at garage door spam on Twitter for a shining example of this). If you’re not sure whether or not to fight spam for your clients, it’s probably worth taking a look at other industry-related searches to see just how prevalent it is. Overwhelmingly, though, 64% of agencies are not providing spam fighting services at all. You might think that agencies would be more familiar with the process of spam removal than local businesses, but is that the case? In the next section, we take a look at why agencies aren’t offering spam removal. What holds agencies back from providing spam removal services?The primary reason for agencies to not provide spam fighting services is simply that they don’t know how to do it, with 53% of respondents citing this reason. This is, however, closely followed by not being able to prove value to clients. We know that it can be hard to show clients the benefits of individual local SEO tactics, so endeavor to keep a clear log of your spam fighting efforts, including when you report spam to Google, and when (fingers crossed!) any updates go live. Where possible, try to show clients real-world examples of where fighting spam has positively impacted other businesses. Naturally, spam fighting can take time, with marketers needing to keep a close eye on their competitors’ listings to spot any changes that may affect customers’ decisions. In fact, 7% of poll respondents told us that the slow nature of the spam removal process was holding them back from fighting spam. Given that many marketers have just a set number of hours to spend on each client, could this slow process be discouraging some marketers from choosing to tackle spam? What do agencies find to be the hardest thing about GMB spam removal?For the 35% that do offer spam removal, we wanted to know what the hardest part of the process is. Here, we’ve grouped together a few of the most common responses by topic: Google’s Communication
Response Time
Tracking Success and Success Rates
Determining What is Spam
Scaling Spam Removal
ConclusionAlthough spam removal can be a successful ranking tactic, the vast majority of agencies and local businesses don’t know how to report Google My Business spam, and as such do not do it. For those that do take the time to report spam, it can prove a time-intensive and fruitless task. Regardless, it’s a task that, when undertaken properly, can prove very successful to climb local search rankings. And while spam fighting won’t be necessary for every business or industry, (and so it does make sense that not every business or agency would be doing it), we would expect the numbers to be slightly higher in these results. In 2020, Google My Business spam seems more present than ever, and online chatter about spam seems to increase day by day. So if we can urge you to do one thing, it would be to invest in learning more about spam removal — types of GMB spam, removing it, and seeing results. Do you fight spam for you or your client’s business? Tell us why or why not in the comments below!The post [POLL] Why Aren’t More Local SEOs Investing in Spam Removal? appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3cL7Tnl Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ In association with Local University, we’re excited to offer you 10% off LocalU Advanced Virtual, a conference packed to the gills with advanced local search insights and tactics from the best in the business, taking place 8am-5pm CT on Wednesday, June 3rd. What is LocalU Advanced Virtual?
I can’t stress enough that, considering the level of expertise on offer in one place, this conference is an absolute bargain, even at the reduced price of $99. Plus, if you’re not in a US-friendly time zone and can’t catch the talks live, don’t fret: all tickets guarantee private links to recordings of each and every session for you to watch at your leisure. We’ll even have a virtual presence there ourselves, as BrightLocal’s CEO and founder, Myles Anderson will be on the panel for ‘Tools of the Trade’ (and we’ve also got a little something up our sleeve you won’t want to miss). Check out the lineup below and book your place at the LocalU Advanced page here, and remember to use the promo code below when you buy your ticket to secure 10% off your purchase. LocalU Advanced Virtual Agenda Overview
The post Get 10% Off LocalU Advanced with BrightLocal appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2ZpTfxE Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Advance Your Agency is a brand-new BrightLocal series, designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge and advice necessary to take your agency operations to the next level. This month we focus on review management – a key component of local SEO success. Local SEOs know just how important online reviews are when it comes to gaining prominence in local search. According to Moz’s most recent Local Search Ranking Factors Study, review signals make up around 15% of local pack factors. Put simply, having a high quantity of recent, diverse, high-quality reviews means Google’s local search algorithm is more likely to favor your business and surface it for relevant search queries. As an agency, though, it can be difficult to explain to clients just how important review management is and what the benefits could be to their businesses. For example, how many times have you spoken with clients who believe that online reviews will just come flooding in on their own? If only things were that simple, eh?! In order to help your clients succeed in local search, you’ll first need to get buy-in on a solid review generation and management strategy — and that all begins with education. In the first issue of our Advance Your Agency series, I’ll teach you just how to educate your clients on the benefits of review management. And by the end, you’ll be able to inform even the most skeptical merchants of why they need reviews. Contents
Review Management ExplainedWhat is review management?Firstly, if your clients aren’t already aware, you’ll probably want to educate them on what review management is in the first place. Review management generally consists of four key components:
It is sometimes referred to as ‘reputation management’, although more often than not clients will refer to review management simply as ‘bad reviews’, ‘online reviews’, or just ‘getting better reviews’ — and it can often be useful to mimic this language when talking to your client, in an attempt to demystify review management from the get-go. Whether it’s in pitch decks or phone conversations, always try to mirror the language of your client. (Not sure where to start with a review management pitch deck? Take a look at our free, white-label templates.) Where should you get reviews?Reviews can be gained on any site that suits your client’s business. For example, a hotel would want to generate reviews on TripAdvisor, while a lawyer would find reviews more useful on Justia, and so on. Targeting niche review sites is certainly important — after all, you’ll want your client’s business to appear anywhere that customers may be searching for them. But, for the purpose of this article, I’m going to focus primarily on Google reviews. Why? Well, it’s more or less a given that all local businesses will benefit from generating reviews on Google My Business — first and foremost because this is the place that customers are most likely to see first. Say I was to search “plumbers near me”, the first thing that will appear will be the local pack, complete with Google My Business reviews for plumbers — you guessed it – near me. Secondly, GMB reviews are important because Google is naturally going to favor its own reviews above third-party sites, and therefore building reviews via Google is more likely to boost your placement in the local pack. With these reasons in mind, focusing on Google Reviews will be by far the easiest sell. How to Educate Clients on the Benefits of Review ManagementThere are near hundreds of stats I could (and most likely, will) share with you about the importance of reviews, but when it comes to appealing to clients, you’re going to want to play on the emotional factor of reviews. Any agency can spew out a handful of facts about reviews, but that should come later, once you’ve established the real-life impact reviews can have. The Worst-Case ScenarioFirst, level with your client; explain to them what not having an effective review management strategy could do to their business. Let’s use an example of what could happen when a client receives a bad review. Here, I’ve found a recent low-rated review from a New York-based restaurant: Now ask your client, what’s the worst outcome that can come from getting a review like this? First and foremost, you’ve got an unhappy customer – they’re not going to visit your place of business again, put any money in your hands, or spread any positive news to their friends. But, beyond that, this customer is acting as an active deterrent to any other potential visitors. In fact, they explicitly say “Go eat somewhere else”. Not exactly a glowing review, right? And so, in the worst-case scenario, you’re losing out on potentially hundreds of customers, which means lost profit. Well, while there’s not a lot you can do to correct this customer’s bad experience (in the words of Cher, if only we could turn back time!), with the help of review management you can improve this outcome drastically. If the restaurant provided a response to this negative review (it hasn’t), apologizing for the customer’s negative experience, offering to look into the issue for them, and providing some kind of incentive to return, then not only might they win over a lost customer, but they’d also be showcasing their great customer service to anyone who sees the review. Think of it as damage control. No business is perfect, and even if your client’s business is running like a well-oiled machine, they’re likely to encounter a fair few negative reviews over time. Responding to reviews in a timely manner means you’re going to limit the amount of damage that negative feedback can do. When explaining this scenario to your client, don’t be afraid to use one of their real-world reviews as an example. And even better, if you can compare the results with a client who has taken up review management, can you explain how it improved their results or helped them to reach their goals? Taking every opportunity to back up your argument with evidence is the masterstroke that will win you business. Missed OpportunitiesIf your client isn’t quite so worried about receiving negative reviews, then you’ll want to appeal to them based on the opportunities they might be missing. How could review management take their business to the next level? What are they missing out on by not managing online reviews? Here, I’ve used a search local to me, “plumbers near me” — and for context, I’m based in Brighton, UK. Now, here there’s a plumber ranking in the top spot. But as a consumer, am I going to ring them? To give them my hard earned money and custom? Not a chance! The position in the local pack might sway me if I’m looking for a low-stakes purchase like lunch, but when it comes to industries that present more risk to me if I choose unwisely, such as plumbing, I’m going to pick the plumbing business that can prove that it has the best reputation, the one that leaves a flood (pardon the pun) of happy customers in its wake. And that’s the one with the best review rating. So, even though the business is ranking in the second position, on this occasion my custom will be going to AC Plumbing, rather than Small Job Plumbing. If Small Job Plumbing was your client, what would you say to them? They’ve just missed out on business for the sole reason that they’ve not got enough positive reviews. This is a prime example of opportunities missed due to neglecting review management. Once again, explaining this scenario to a client using real-world examples of their search rivals will only make it more effective. Do they have a competitor that they just can’t seem to shake? Compare the two businesses’ review profiles and see who comes out on top. How good would your client feel knowing that not only that they’ve come out on top in rankings but they’ve also beat their competitors in the process? These are the kinds of examples that are really going to appeal to your client, so where possible, always relate it back to their own feelings and goals – you start with the emotional argument then build towards the rational. Industry RelevanceAlthough I believe that review management is important for all businesses, there are definitely some businesses that will need reviews even more than others. And you’ll want to explain this to your client in a way that appeals to their specific industry. For example, YMYL (your money, your life) businesses are much more likely to need reviews in order to gain the trust of consumers. If you’re dealing with clients who operate in YMYL industries such as health, finance, or business, then you’re going to need to drive this fact home even more – without review management you will lose out on customers. Again, ask your client to put themselves in the consumers’ shoes. Would you contact a lawyer, a medical professional, an account, who didn’t have a shining review profile? Using the search query “Immigration lawyer Texas”, almost every single ranking business has hundreds of reviews with an average of 4-5 stars. Chances are, if your client doesn’t have a high review volume and star rating in an industry like this, neither Google nor consumers are going to give them a second glance. Sure, it’s a packed market, but without reviews, your clients can’t even enter the ring, let alone perform the knockout blow. In short, if you’re speaking with clients in YMYL sectors, it’s vital to emphasize that review management is essential. When looking at industry relevance, it’s also worth thinking about industries that are more likely to receive positive reviews. For example, Kick Point Inc’s President, Dana DiTomaso, has found that any business relating to pets is going to get heaps more positive, and more detailed, reviews than other industries. Think about it. People love their pets, so of course, they’re going to leave rave reviews if they have a positive experience. And equally, if they have a bad experience, they’re also going to use several paragraphs to explain why no one should ever visit that business again. Looking at a search for a Seattle-based pet grooming company, each business has hundreds of super detailed reviews. And the negative ones are just as in-depth. As such, if your client operates in an industry like this — one where people are likely to be more passionate, for example — they’ll need to be extra-vigilant with review management. A negative review could mean lost business for years to come. Each client’s industry will offer different benefits of review management, so, along with explaining the wider benefits of online reviews, you’ll want to focus on these more niche examples, too. Think about what you, as a consumer, want to see when you’re making a local search for your client’s business type. Putting yourselves in the consumer’s shoes and making a reasonable argument from their perspective will only enhance the case for review management. The Facts About Review ManagementOnce you’ve laid the groundwork — sharing relevant examples, appealing to your client’s emotion, and highlighting the overarching importance – you’ll probably want some stats and cold, hard evidence to support your points. This way you’re ensuring you appeal to clients who want to hear a story as well as those who just can’t get enough graphs and charts. As always, it’s important to align the content of your pitch to what your client’s goals are, so you don’t waste time on sharing statistics that don’t help your argument. Do they want to rank better in local search? Do they want more conversions (website clicks, calls, etc.)? Or do they need to do some good old-fashioned reputation management (managing and responding to negative reviews)? Depending on what goals you identify with your client, your approach will likely differ. For example, a business wanting more conversions might want to know how reviews correlate with website clicks. Alternatively, clients only interested in ranking higher will need information on local ranking factors. So, familiarize yourself with these stats, all of which come from reputable sources of research (including yours truly!) Online Reviews Influence Consumers’ ActionsOur Local Consumer Review Survey showed that a whopping 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and what’s more, after reading a positive review, 32% of consumers say they’ll go directly to the business’s website. If that doesn’t scream “conversion metric”, I don’t know what does! Online Reviews Lead to Website ClicksAgain, highlighting the conversion power of reviews, our Local Services Ads Click Study found that review ratings are the biggest driver of clicks in local SERPs. So, need more site traffic? Get yourself some reviews! Plus, with the rise of zero-click searches, review ratings are one of the key differentiators to help your client stand out in the local pack. Even if they’re ranking in the top three, think about it: is a customer more likely to click the business with 200+ 4-star reviews, or the one with just a handful? Online Reviews Lead to SalesIs your client looking to make more sales? Well then, they might like to know that, according to the Spiegel Research Center, the purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than a product with zero reviews. Similarly, Location3’s research shows that improving your review star rating by 1.5 could equal as many as 13,000 more leads. Of course, these numbers will differ based on your client’s industry and other factors, but nonetheless, are they willing to risk missing out on these potential gains? Online Reviews Build TrustIf your client is more concerned with building consumer trust, they’ll probably want to know that 91% of consumers say that positive reviews make them more likely to use a business, and that showcasing reviews on your website increases consumer trust. Consumers Need High Review Ratings to CommitAs consumers continue to navigate a world filled with spam and fake reviews, they’re growing increasingly skeptical. As a result, it should come as no surprise that 35% of consumers will not use a business with less than a four-star rating; consumers read an average of 10 reviews before trusting a business; and 58% of consumers view recency as the most important review factor (Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2019). So, without a regular stream of high-rated reviews, your client will be limiting their potential buyers by a great deal. Consumers Don’t Trust Outdated ReviewsYou might also encounter clients who agree that “yes, reviews are important”, but also insist that their two-year-old, five-star review profile is sufficient to win the business of today’s skeptical consumer market. Well, to that we say, almost half of consumers will only pay attention to reviews written within the past two weeks. That means getting a fresh stream of reviews should be among your clients’ top priorities. Having a shiny five-star review profile doesn’t mean a whole lot if it’s not up to date. Responding to Negative Reviews Increases VisitsResponding to negative reviews is valuable for a whole host of reasons, as we discussed earlier, but it might be worth telling your client that as many as 45% of consumers say they’re more likely to visit a business that responds to its negative reviews. So if your client isn’t responding to those bad reviews, they could be missing out on yet more footfall. Prepare to Answer These QuestionsAs a marketing agency or consultant dealing with local business reviews management, there are likely to be a few queries that pop up time and time again. Here, we’ve provided a series of review-related questions you can expect to encounter, and some tips to help you answer them. “Why should I care about online reviews?”Here, the answer will vary depending on the goals you’ve determined with your client. But, put simply, you should care about reviews because:
“I manage multiple business locations; how can we deal with review management at scale?”This will be a common query if you’re dealing with multi-location businesses. The likelihood here is that this client is already feeling overwhelmed. After all, the bigger the business, the more internal hurdles and restrictions there are likely to be. Here, the answer is simple. Generating reviews for your multi-location business is non-negotiable. If your competitors are doing it (which they almost certainly are), then you need to do it too. As an agency, you can do things to help here, such as providing your client with the right tips, tactics, and tools, but however they choose to execute it based on their business structure, review management needs to be done. “We’re doing fine without active review management, so why should I care?”Every once in a while you may encounter a client who’s actually doing okay, and generating a steady stream of positive reviews. Regardless, that doesn’t mean review management should be entirely neglected, it just means there might be different benefits at play. Ask your client, “Don’t you want to know what’s being said about your business?”. Review management is just as much about listening to customers as it is looking good on Google. Being proactively involved in review management not only means being able to listen to feedback, but it also means having more control of the conversation. What are people saying about your brand when they think you’re not listening? And how can you influence the conversation? “I work in an industry that doesn’t really get reviews. What can I do?”Let’s face it — there are some industries that are going to struggle with online reviews more than others. I can’t imagine many people eagerly reviewing their DUI attorney publicly, can you? If that’s the case for your client, you’ll have to work more closely together to determine a successful review strategy that works for their vertical. In a situation like this, it’s key to illustrate that though the project may be more challenging, it’s also more likely to be even more rewarding. If you’re in an industry where your competitors aren’t getting many reviews either, then having just a handful more reviews could be the difference between you getting chosen over them. “Can you get rid of my negative reviews?”There’s always one! Some clients may want you to work wonders and magically remove all of their negative reviews from years’ past. But sadly, not only would that be against most sites’ (definitely Google’s) guidelines, it’s also not possible. Though it might be tempting to shield your client from the truth, it’s really important to be honest and transparent with your clients here. Do not promise to delete their negative reviews! Instead, work on responding to them, building more positive reviews to push the negative reviews down, and bringing that average star-rating up to something to be proud of. “My customers don’t do business online. Do I still need reviews?”Your current customers may come to your storefront to do business with you, but that doesn’t mean they’re not online. And more importantly, it doesn’t mean that other potential customers aren’t going to find them online. That said, there can still be plenty of value found in taking tactics offline. Google My Business even provides a marketing kit, so businesses can create in-store prompts for reviews and showcase customer feedback in store. So, businesses can still benefit from in-store conversions from online reviews and can encourage reviews from in-store customers, too. Takeaways
ConclusionHaving a review management strategy in this day and age is absolutely necessary to achieve success in local search — whatever your client’s unique goals may be. Your client needs to know that if their competitors are doing it, they should be too. If you use the process above, I’m confident that you’ll be able to win over even the most apprehensive client, and easily sell them on the endless benefits of online review management. ResourcesIf you’re looking for more supporting material to help you educate clients on the importance of online reviews, we’ve got you covered.
We’ll be back next month with another Advance Your Agency to help take your organization to the next level. If you’re interested in receiving Advance Your Agency, and other BrightLocal content, direct to your inbox, you can sign up here. And don’t forget to let us know your experiences with review management in the comments below! The post How Can I Educate My Clients on the Benefits of Review Management? appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2LzNMwe Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Blake Denman is the President and Founder of local SEO agency, RicketyRoo Inc. In this article, Blake will explain just how you can help your business stand out from the rest by finding your own unique benchmark. You’ve spent a lot of time figuring out all the keywords you want to rank for. Now what? Your goal is to increase rankings on Google Maps and in local organic search, but where should you start? There’s no shortage of things you can do:
Some of these tasks might take just a few hours to “dial-in”, while others will take longer, require more resources, or are considered a long-term play. So it’s important to consider what’s a priority and what’s not. In this article, I’m going to share a framework you can start using today to help figure out the what and why of it all by identifying the unique benchmarks in your market. Getting startedToolsYou won’t need a ton of third-party tools for this. For the purpose of this article, I’m going to use BrightLocal’s Local Search Audit, but the SEO tool of your choice will do just fine, too. Let’s get started! Our ExampleTo demonstrate the process I performed a local search for a personal injury lawyer in Portland, USA, and selected a business that was not ranking very well. This data was pulled on May 11th, 2020, and their business info has been blacked out throughout for privacy (it’s not included in the SERP screenshot below). Using Local Search Audit1. Start by logging into your BrightLocal account. Then, under SEO Tools, select Local Search Audit. 2. Set up your preferred general settings and give the report a name. 3. Enter the business information for your or your client’s business. 4. Put in your top 5 keywords and make sure the ‘Search Location’ and ‘Type of Business’ are correct. 5. In ‘Report Sections’, the only area you’ll need to check is ‘Local Listings & Reviews’. Once you select this option, the tool will start to find the local business across the 21 listing providers they use for the report. It can take a minute before you’ll be able to run the report. 6. Finally, run the report. Investigating Your ReportWhen the report is ready, it’s time to dive in! The ‘Summary’ section gives you an overview of what’s included in the report. This can be helpful at a quick glance, but we need to dive further into each section before coming up with priorities for our local SEO strategy. Links & Website AuthorityNobody likes a “poor” status, do they? When comparing these metrics, there are a few things worth paying attention to. The average competitor for this business has more than 5x the number of linking domains, yet Majestic C-Flow and Domain Authority are not quite so far behind. What could this mean? Without looking at each ranking competitor’s backlink profile, I would bet that a lot of the linking domains are not providing much SEO value. You could also make the other argument that you shouldn’t rely entirely upon third-party metrics (like Domain Authority) to “score” your ability to rank. There are plenty of other factors to focus on, too. That being said, coming up with a link building campaign is going to be something to start addressing sooner rather than later if your results look anything like this. After all, 89% of local SEO experts prioritize link building for their local business clients. Rank CheckerThis firm isn’t ranking well for any of the keywords we used. There’s just one top 10 ranking in Google Maps and a whole lot of ‘not found’s. So what are the top three things this business could do to help improve its rankings in Google Maps and local organic?
And this isn’t even the full strategy just yet. Stay with me! Local Business ListingsOut of the listings checked, there are five NAP errors and seven listings not found at all. The NAP errors have to do with very minor variations of the business name. Overall, updating these listings, and claiming the seven not found, will not be a “game-changer” for this firm. ReviewsAcross the sites checked (Google, Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, and Yellowpages), this business has 14 reviews with a 5-star rating. It’s important to note how long this business has been in operation, here. For context, the website has been live since 2011 (more on this later). Google My BusinessThe top-ranking sites on Google My Business, on average, have more photos and more reviews than the business we’re looking at. So, this business would definitely want to start working on sourcing more GMB content. On-Site SEOOutside of the website not being very fast, there were only a few other issues that this crawl found:
Overall, there isn’t anything detrimental to the functionality of this website. Yes, speeding up the website and clearing up the other issues can be beneficial but they aren’t going to be the highest priority compared to other things. Now What?Using Local Search Audit provided us with a good overview of how this business is performing compared to their local competition. So, what should they focus on first and why? 1. Review strategy – This business has been operating for nine years and they have just 14 reviews. When checking another sources for this law firm, they have an additional 10 reviews on Avvo, so that’s 24 reviews in total. The top 3 ranking Google My Business listings have 78, 50, and 18 reviews, respectively. Implementing a review building strategy is a long-term play but is needed for this business. When the top two ranking websites have more than 10x the number of Google My Business reviews than you, who do you think a potential customer is going to call? And remember, total review count is one thing but the content inside of those reviews is another. 2. Google My Business spam – The third listing in the screenshot at the start of this article has the business name “Portland Personal Injury Attorney”. Their domain name is different, and so is the logo and the business information on the website. There is an additional listing in the local finder that has some keyword stuffing, too. This should all be reported to Google. (And if this attorney’s listing is removed, guess what? Our example business climbs another spot in the local pack). 3. Link building – Obtaining topically relevant and hyperlocal links are really going to help move rankings in the right direction. Local link building is crucial, but also really tough to do. A simple start would be for this business (or their agency) to look at the ‘Affinity’ categories in Google Analytics. This will help show what people are interested in outside of their firm. Mainly, it helps surface interests. You can use those interests to find local sponsorship opportunities or local organizations to get involved with. This creates a local link and local brand awareness. 4. On-site SEO – A more thorough audit should be completed and the issues identified should be addressed. One thing an on-site SEO audit does not cover is the actual content on the website. The content on this website is written well, but isn’t organized, it lacks imagery, and needs more headers to create separation. 5. Google My Business photos – All of the images for this listing show the inside of their office space. It’s a nice-looking office but there should be more photos showing the actual legal team that works there to build consumer trust. Creating Your Own Benchmark for Future WorkThe example above is for just one business in one specific market. Your results are going to be entirely different. If you’ve been doing very well on your review building and are close to, or have more positive reviews than, your competition, then obtaining even more reviews isn’t going to be a big priority for you. It’s important to maintain that work but your primary focus should be on GMB spam, link building, and on-site SEO. Once you’ve run the Local Search Audit, you should have a good idea of what you need to be prioritizing based on your unique benchmark. Is your market riddled with spam on Google My Business? Then taking care of that spam is going to be a top priority for you. If all other things are equal, focus on link building. And remember, building citations does not equal link building. If your website hasn’t been updated since 2009, you’re probably going to want to invest in a new one. Or, if your ‘Performance’ score is 0/100, that’s a high priority item to address. ConclusionGoogle uses a plethora of signals to rank results. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself with one tactic or “thing” to do. Run a business audit to get an idea of where you stand against your competition. Create your list of priority items based on your unique situation, then get going! One thing you can’t outrank, though?
The post How to Determine a Benchmark for Local SEO Work appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/365wil0 Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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