Checking whether a business is listed on the top citation sites can be a time-intensive task. But with 80% of consumers losing trust in local businesses if they spot inconsistent business names, addresses, and phone numbers online, accurate business listings can be make or break for many customers. At BrightLocal, our mission is to make local marketing simple for our customers – including making citations even more manageable. Say Hello to Our Newest Free Local SEO Tool!The Local Listings Health Scanner allows you to perform a completely free scan across 15 of the most powerful business listing sites. Within just a few minutes, the tool will uncover your Listing Health Score, based on the proportion of correct listings you have across the top sites – meaning you can start taking action quickly, and without barriers. As well as your Score, you’ll be shown a Listing Accuracy Breakdown, so you can easily see the name, address, and phone number inconsistencies that could be costing you customers. From here, if you’d like some help in improving your Listing Health Score, you can quick-access our Citation Builder service where our team of dedicated experts can claim and clean up your listings across a broad range of niche, local, and national sites. Just click Add or Fix to start your journey. The Nitty GrittyIt is currently only possible to use the Local Listings Health Scanner to search for businesses in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia. The business listing sites differ per country based on which sites are most important to that country. During the Local Listings Health Scanner launch, we’ve opened up this free tool to allow you to check your or your customers’ Listing Health Scores on an unlimited basis. However, please note that we will be limiting free daily scans in the near future to 3 free daily uses for people that don’t use BrightLocal, and 10 for BrightLocal customers. So what are you waiting for? We hope the Local Listings Health Scanner proves useful for improving the health of your local business listings. Check out our other free local SEO tools for more help in making local marketing simple! The post NEW FREE TOOL: Scan Top Citations Sites With the Local Listings Health Scanner appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3buCvYD Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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This week Local Search Clinic covers GMB spam fighting with Sterling Sky’s Joy Hawkins. 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 20th, 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 Joy Hawkins – Coming Soon appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2Lr1Nwg Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ On May 4, Google announced the latest algorithm update to hit organic search, the ‘May 2020 Core Update‘. While SEOs worked to understand the impact of this on their clients, we began to notice a lot of movements among local results as well.
On May 5, our local algorithm tracker Local RankFlux began reporting significant ranking fluctuation — peaking on Friday with a huge 5.58. To put this into context, a “normal” level of flux sits between 2.2 and 2.8 — so doubling this level represents very unusual activity. In fact, this is higher than the neural matching changes back in November 2019 (the previous peak for Local RankFlux activity). There has been discussion of local ranking changes among the local SEO community since late April, with Local Search Forum members discussing changes starting April 23 (correlating with scores of 3.11 and 3.57 on April 23-24). However, there has been no formal confirmation of any algorithm update that is known to affect local rankings, with Google’s Danny Sullivan responding to Joy Hawkins:
What’s Going On?So, if there isn’t a known local algorithm update, what could be happening? The spike on May 8 could signify a mass of rankings returning to their pre-April 24 places, after a slow period of change over the past few weeks. Since Saturday, May 9, flux has dipped back to a more usual level, which could indicate that rankings are starting to stabilize. Let us know in the comments how your rankings are being affected. Across the forums, we’ve seen lots of businesses reporting normally well-performing businesses bouncing around local results, with many seeing large drops followed by returning to normality soon after.
Source: Local Search Forum Source: Facebook Some SEOs are also reporting an increase in spammy listings. This was also the case during the November update, though things soon improved once results began to settle.
There have also been suggestions of Covid-19 post types affecting GMB listings — although with Google posts’ relatively low usage, it feels unlikely that this could the cause of such high levels of volatility. Looking at an industry level, it’s important to note that each niche appears to have different expectations of daily ranking changes, with hospitality businesses tending to see high levels of change, while some service-area businesses see comparatively low flux. We compared last week’s flux peak with the same time in April — a seemingly more “normal” time for rankings — to identify which industries are likely to be seeing the biggest difference from their own usual score. You can sort the table below to see which industries saw the highest flux in this time period. Local RankFlux Change April - May 2020
When looking across the different industries, we can see this increased fluctuation seems to be affecting most industries significantly — with locksmiths, tradesmen, and cleaning services seeing the largest overall change in their own usual levels of fluctuation. While they are working from a smaller base, this signifies unusual flux in these areas, though still far lower than some industries would expect to see on a “normal” day. To look solely at the highest industry scores, the most volatile industries between May 5-8 were hotels, bars, and restaurants — all of which see high flux on a regular basis. Looking beyond these, real estate, car dealerships, medical practices, storage, and legal all saw a lot of local ranking change. What To Do NowAs always, our advice to local businesses facing significant rankings changes is to wait and see what happens. Algorithm changes are rarely completed in a day, with Google estimating the May 2020 Core Update will take up to two weeks to be complete. Whether the local flux is linked or not, it makes sense to not make any big changes before knowing the full effect of these updates.
We know it can be stressful when your rankings drop, especially when it’s unclear what, or even if, an algorithm update has taken place. I’m sure Google would be keen for me to say that tweaks are being made to the algorithm all the time, but this does seem significant compared to usual levels of ranking change. We’ll continue to monitor local rankings on a broad basis, and we recommend you track yours too to see where you end up — you can sign up for a 2-week free trial to try out our own Local Search Rank Tracker. And, for further advice on how to rank for local searches, read our guide to local SEO ranking factors. How have your local rankings changed over the last month? Let us know any changes you’re seeing in the comments below!
The post Are We Experiencing a Local Algorithm Update? [Local RankFlux Data – May 2020] appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2YX7TME Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ For many SMBs, and even local SEOs, the Google My Business Redressal Form is a thing of mystery. Here, Platinum Product Expert Ben Fisher shares his top tips for reporting spam through the form and outlines some of the latest updates. At Steady Demand, we deal with a metric ton of spam on a monthly basis – spanning a ton of categories and covering almost every major city in the USA. On average, we see about a 96% success rate in spam removal, so I guess you could say we know a thing or two about the use of this form… What is the Google My Business Redressal Form?First, let’s cover a little history about the Redressal Form. In February 2019, the Google My Business Redressal Form was launched as a way to replace the spam reporting area of the GMB community forum. There were various reasons for this, but one of the most important was to create a scalable way of allowing users to report harmful or fraudulent listings directly to Google (versus only having the option to suggest an edit). How has the Redressal Form evolved?In January of 2020, the form was updated to be a little more specific about what you should not submit. Specifically, Google added this language:
Fast forward to today: as of May 1st, 2020, the Google My Business Product Expert group was informed that you could use the Redressal for title spam, but to please use ‘Suggest an edit’ first on the GMB listing itself beforehand.
What’s the difference between the Redressal Form and suggesting an edit?An important distinction that most are not aware of is that ‘Suggest an edit’ (see screenshot below) is, for the most part, an automated, machine learning mechanism to teach Google what users feel should be removed from Google Maps. The Redressal Form, on the other hand, ends up directly in a human being’s hands. Yes, that’s right — usually, the Redressal Form submissions are reviewed by a spam team at Google. That’s why you’ll see on the form itself that Google suggests uploading a spreadsheet if you’re reporting more than 10 listings at a time. Since a human is going to evaluate the submission, it is easier for them to handle bulk submissions this way. I must also add that if you are submitting images as proof in the file upload option (pictured above), and wonder why you are not getting any good results, it is because you are not supposed to upload images here. If you want to share images as evidence, I’ll explain how to do that successfully later on. Once spam has been evaluated (for better or worse) the data is then recorded and the machine learns from the input. This can lead to micro-changes in the listing environment where the algorithm sees patterns emerge and then small proactive incremental updates are pushed out to a broader set of listings. And by the way, we should be thankful that this is how it operates. Remember June of 2019 — right when the Wall Street Journal article came out about spam? Well, a massive spam sweep occurred and lots of valid listings were suspended in the process. Small incremental changes are much better than reactive sweeps! So, even though you are only submitting a small batch of listings, the impact these edits can have down the line is much greater than you might imagine. 100 listings submitted could lead to 1,000 being removed — I see this happen all the time. If we do large batch submissions in a certain vertical and in a specific market for a few months in a row, we’ll then notice the overall spam in that area decreases dramatically. There are some real listings that get swept up in some cases, but those cases are usually pretty small. (Word to the wise: if you are doing massive cleanups in markets, make sure your clients are prepared for a suspension — it can happen, but then you can get them right back online). How should I fill out the Redressal Form to get the best results possible?Whether you are submitting the Redressal Form for one or for multiple businesses, it really does not change what information should be included. So here is how I suggest filling it out:
The last step (pictured above) is very important. This is where you are pleading your case. This is where you are explaining the impact that the submitted listing(s) are having on other merchants and consumers. This is not the place to cry about how it is impacting your rankings or how unfair it is that they are outranking others. It is about the real-world implications of fraudulent or misleading information. If you are submitting one Maps listing, then this is where you provide all your evidence. If you submit multiple listings, then this is a summary of what is in the attached spreadsheet. One thing to point out here is that it’s worth clustering submissions into different groups. So, submit all title spam as one submission, address spam as another submission, and so on. This takes more work but will increase your chances of succeeding. Another mistake I often see is that people think Google cares about your screenshots. Well, they do… but not the way you are probably submitting them. If you are going to include an image as proof, use something like Snagit to make a short URL or upload it to Google Drive. I repeat, do not paste the image directly into an Excel file or Google Sheet. It is unreadable and a waste of your time. Speaking of spreadsheets, for all you professional spam hunters, make sure you include the name, address, Maps URL, phone, and any other proof you are using to make a case in your sheet. Some other useful things you can provide include:
What happens after I submit the Google My Business Redressal Form?The first thing that happens once you submit the Redressal Form is that you will get an email. It will look something like what you see below. The number in the subject is your caseID, but other than that it is pretty useless. You cannot reply to it, or follow up on it. Since you do not own the listings in question, Google will not communicate about them with you. At this point, most spam I see is actioned in a two-week timeframe. Smaller batches are actioned sometime in the same week. If you are submitting upward of 50 listings, expect the timeframe to be more like 3+ weeks. At this point, it is a black box, you wait… and wait… and click links… and wait… At Steady Demand, we actually built a system that checks all submitted links (yay, no more clicking!) for removal from Google and keeps track of the success or failure of spam reporting. If this is something that interests you, feel free to connect with me. What do I do if I’m not successful?Well, the first thing to do is give it some time. Then, check all your facts — did you miss something? Sometimes, there are small clues that prove a listing is actually real. Or, maybe you just did not provide a crucial piece of evidence. Personally, I have even gone as far as to hire a private investigator or, where legal, record conversations with a building owner asking if a company is leasing space or not. If you must submit the form again, then do so, but remember that a human being is looking at your submission and they keep a database of evaluated spam. Finally, I know you feel it is Google’s job to do all of this work, and yup, it is infuriating that some spam gets ignored. But remember, it is Google’s platform, and they are bound by their own rules and they strive to seek a balance between you, the merchant, and the consumer. It is not perfect, it is also not worth getting upset about. Use the tools you have at your disposal and even that playing field! The post How to Use Google’s Spam Redressal Form to Level the Local Playing Field appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/35Q1yUU Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ We’ve all heard the saying that first impressions matter, and this is just as true online as it is in real life. In business terms, this means that there is a constant need to carefully manage your online reputation, to ensure each landing page is word-perfect and that your social channels are updated, engaging and relevant. What of your Google My Business page though? If you’re guilty of thinking of Google My Business in terms of reviews and local search position, you may have overlooked the need to keep a tight rein on your Google My Business photos. Internet users are inherently visual creatures, with visuals processed 60,000 times faster than plain text. That means images are tremendously influential and key to your business looking good online. 60% of consumers said local search results with good images pushed them towards a decision. A 2011 BrightLocal study revealed that 60% of consumers said local search results with good images captured their attention and pushed them towards a decision. More recently, Wesley Young, from the Local Search Association, confirmed images had by no means waned in importance, stating,
Google My Business has a wealth of visual features, which in theory should make it easy to present your business in the best possible light. However, actually taking great images and getting them uploaded to the right place can be a more challenging task. Not quite ready for your close up? Read on for our ultimate guide to looking good online… Google My Business Visual FeaturesGoogle My Business has several visual features available when you verify your listing. The platform will allow you to upload images of your business to your profile, attach images to posts, and upload video. Two recent additions include the option to add 360º photos and virtual video tours. There is little you can do to control your public image via user-generated content. In addition to your own ability to upload all of these visual assets from your Google My Business dashboard, it’s important to be aware that your customers can also upload their own photos and videos of your business. There is little you can do to control your public image via user-generated content shared in this manner, but if the images are offensive or inappropriate, you do have the option to flag them up and request removal. Google advises businesses to upload several different types of image;
It’s worth noting that the search engine’s research indicates that:
The Basics: Uploading PhotosFirst up, you need to address your cover photo, as this image will accompany your Google My Business listing. Next up, upload your profile photo (this should be different to the cover image) With the two most prominent images uploaded, next work through the list above and upload images for each of the categories relevant to you. If you’re a local realtor, you probably won’t need to upload images of your common areas and you certainly won’t need food and drink shots, but interior and exterior business images should be uploaded where possible, along with team photos. If your local business has more than one location, a bulk image upload can make the process quicker. If your local business has more than one location, there is a bulk image upload function which can make the process quicker. You need to first verify each location, enter image locations in a spreadsheet and then bulk upload. Step-by-step instructions on how to do this can be found here. Once all your images are uploaded, you can assess which photos are performing the best for your business over time to help you select the most appropriate photos each time. Google My Business provides useful insight here: navigate to ‘Photo Views’ and then the ‘Photo Quantity’ graph tabs from the dashboard. Here, you can see your own photo data compared to the photo data of other businesses in the same sector. This will show you things like:
From these insights you can tell just how well your photos are performing against competitors, and how popular your images are—whether self-produced or provided by customers. This will, in turn, let you push image types that perform and drop those that don’t yield results. The post Google My Business Photos: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Good Online appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3a2zvTC Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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