On this episode of Adventures in Local Marketing, we chatted with Colan Nielsen about how to build an effective, and importantly, unique local SEO playbook. Colan is VP of Local Search at Sterling Sky, and we tapped into his 11+ years of experience to find out the best ways to develop your own playbook. As you’ll learn, a playbook goes way beyond a simple checklist of actions to take. Your playbook should not only define how you go about local SEO, but also what steps you take to communicate with clients and uncover new tactics. Listen to learn:
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Tell us what you think:Got your own local SEO playbook? We’d love to hear about it. Head to the comments and let us know how you use it and how it gives you the edge in local search. And be sure to share your thoughts on the episode while you’re there! The post on Building Your Unique Local SEO Playbook appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3vvWUXX Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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Levi Williams-Clucas is a UK-based SEO specialist who works primarily in local SEO. Levi’s passion lies in helping local businesses get found online and she says there’s no better feeling than seeing a Google My Business listing she’s worked on appearing in that lauded Map Pack. In this guide, Levi explains what Google Q&A is and how local businesses can use it to boost their visibility, convert searchers, and more. What is Google My Business Q&A?The Google My Business Q&A feature enables searchers to ask and answer questions about a place, business or landmark via its Google My Business profile, and gives the business owner or representative the opportunity to respond to them there, too. An additional ‘upvote’ feature allows searchers to show others that a particular answer was the most helpful or most accurate. Why was it introduced?GMB Q&A was introduced in 2018 to help customers find out information about businesses that isn’t easily available outside of the website (or that isn’t on the website at all), and to allow the business owner to answer common questions that could otherwise go unanswered. What does it look like?Here’s what the Google My Business ‘Questions and answers’ feature looks like when searching in Maps: And here’s what it looks like in a desktop search: When does Q&A appear on your profile?The Q&A section on your profile will appear all the time, even if you have no questions. In search results, the Q&A block appears as below if your profile has no questions: The hyperlinked text, ‘Be the first to ask a question’, will appear underneath the Q&A subheading alongside a CTA to ‘Ask a question’. How does Google My Business Q&A work?Once someone has asked a question about your business, the business’s profile managers will get notified by email (there is speculation on whether this happens 100% of the time, however from my experience it does). Then it’s up to other searchers who come across the business’s GMB profile, or the business itself, to respond to the question. Who can ask and answer questions in GMB Q&A?Anyone can ask and answer a question on a GMB profile; all that’s needed is a Google account. You might notice some account types asking questions more frequently than others, though. Local Guides—Google account owners that have demonstrated a higher level of local knowledge and regularly submit content to Google about their local area—tend to answer questions more frequently than others, including business owners. This is because there are often benefits to providing these answers in the form of badges and points that contribute towards Google’s Local Guides program. How can a business answer questions in Google My Business Q&A?To answer questions as a business, the profile manager can simply go directly to the Q&A section within the GMB dashboard and answer as the business owner. When the business owner replies to a question, it is very clearly marked for users to see, with a logo, company name and the text ‘(Owner)’. Other searchers can also answer questions that have been left unanswered. This is done on the search interface in the same way as asking questions, by clicking the ‘Questions and Answers’ section. Sadly, the fact that absolutely anyone with a Google account can answer questions can be the cause of distress for some business owners. This is especially true if the question isn’t answered honestly or kindly or if the initial question was rude.
What if I get a rude or offensive question or answer?Should your business experience some bogus answers, or offensive, aggressive or detrimental questions, the business manager can use the ‘Report’ function to flag when a question or answer is not appropriate to Google Support. You can choose between a range of reasons for reporting a question:
If your reported questions or answers don’t get removed, and they are potentially detrimental to the profile, you can always contact Google Support to help get them removed. Are there any official guidelines for GMB Q&A?There are no official guidelines on what can and can’t be posted on the Q&A feature on Google My Business. However, there are some tactics that I would recommend sticking to when using GMB Q&A:
How does GMB monitor and report on Q&A?There is currently no reporting or dashboard available for this feature. It’s generally best to check questions and answers from the Maps app or integrate it into a Google Data Studio dashboard as part of your GMB reporting via their Data Studio API. Is Q&A different on mobile and desktop?Between mobile and desktop, the Q&A feature pretty much looks and feels the same. Here’s how the desktop example we looked at above works on mobile: The only difference is that on mobile, Q&As do not appear in the SERP. They will instead only appear when the user clicks on the profile and scrolls down the page. Google Q&A doesn’t appear for searches in the Maps app on mobile. In what order do questions and answers appear?From experience, questions appear by the ‘most helpful’ first, i.e. the questions/answers with the most ‘thumbs up’ votes. However, they also often appear in order of being asked, or whether they’ve been answered or not. This seems to be entirely down to Google’s algorithm to decide for you. In theory, there is no way of influencing this. Why is GMB Q&A important for local businesses?Niche information is less likely to be known as widely about small or local businesses as their national or global counterparts. So, at every opportunity, local businesses should use these features that help to address parts of the business that are not as commonly known in an easy and digestible way. GMB’s Q&A feature provides the perfect opportunity for this. General Benefits of GMB Q&AGMB Q&A can be very valuable to local businesses if handled properly. These can be the make-or-break factors for customers looking to use your business for a service or product. They can provide answers in an easy-to-understand format that might have otherwise put customers off if the information couldn’t be found. The Q&A feature can also highlight questions to answer on other platforms. If you find your business gets asked very often about opening hours or dietary requirement flexibility, you can use this information to make your social media channels and website more accessible for your customers, and in turn, provide a better experience. Other general benefits of this feature include improving trust in the business customer, providing helpful information in the language of the customer rather than the brand, signaling relevance and credibility in the industry, and even contributing towards rankings and conversions, as we’ll get onto in a moment. Is Google Q&A a ranking factor?Whilst GMB has been found to not be much of a ranking factor directly, the impact of having a well-filled and accurate Q&A feature could be beneficial to rankings in other ways. If your customers are content with answers provided, they’re more likely to click through, purchase, and leave a review on your profile, or engage with it at the very least. Based on how we know reviews, in particular, can boost trust signals pointing to a brand or website, we can only assume that it’s an ‘every little helps’ feature that can only be beneficial to have, even if it has no direct, immediate impact on your search performance. Is Google Q&A a conversion factor?In my (and many others’) opinion, yes. There is evidence to suggest that businesses with questions that have been answered simply, in a friendly manner by the business owner improve conversion based on the increased likelihood of engagement if a customer has a critical question answered for them with ease. In Whitespark’s Local Search Ranking Factors survey, a comprehensive Q&A was considered a top ten conversion factor. I would be more likely to convert with a business like a restaurant if a question I had, that was critical to my visiting the restaurant, was answered before I’d had to ask it. For example, whether or not they serve dairy-free options. Alongside this, regularly answering questions on your profile helps signal to Google that the listing is updated regularly and that the information is fresh, which is believed to improve the visibility of the profile and therefore can contribute to improved conversion. How local businesses can use Google My Business Q&ALocal businesses can use the Q&A feature in a number of ways: to help improve visibility, to improve conversion rates on profiles, answer important FAQs on the business, to provide helpful information for customers easily and quickly, and to improve trust in the business. The GMB platform as a whole should be regularly updated and refreshed with new content, questions, and business information to maintain and improve visibility in the local area, and the Q&A feature is no different. Here are some further tips on making the most of this feature:
Google My Business’s Q&A is just one of the many helpful and important features that local businesses can use to boost their visibility in their area or industry. What’s your favorite way to use Google My Business Q&A? Drop us a line in the comments below! The post Google My Business Q&A: How to Get the Most Out of Your Customers’ Questions appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3oSCiXt Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Local SEO consultant Tim Kahlert runs his own Facebook group, where he brings people together to share their own client problems, from Google My Business quirks to the best ways to report, and he often takes on the role of SEO Agony Uncle in the process. As an avid user of Local Search Grid, Tim was perfectly placed to share how he uses the geo-grid tool and offer some expert advice, too. Read on to hear from Tim and gain insights into how he puts into action the powerful data that LSG supplies. Local Search Grid is a powerful new search tool that shows you where your Google My Business listing ranks from multiple points across the geographic area where your business is located or where it serves. This local rank checker is really great for ensuring that your listing is optimized for visibility at locations where it matters. You can test out different keywords and see where they perform the best, so you know the data that really counts when optimizing your listings. In this article, I’ll explain why I like Local Search Grid, how I use it, and the best ways to make sense of its insights. Why I use Local Search GridLocal Search Grid helps me to monitor local search rankings and report ranking changes to clients by providing detailed data that wasn’t available through a traditional rank checker. Every local SEO client has a different understanding of how local search works, and I have seen two main approaches to looking at rankings:
The distance from a searcher to a local business strongly influences the degree of relevance of local search results; local search rankings depend on the geographical position of the searcher. A traditional rank checker only shows results for one location, and it can be very time-consuming to test searches from different locations for each of your keywords. You could quickly end up performing 1,000 searches just to get an overview of the local rankings in your specific area. Time is our most valuable asset, and using Local Search Grid can help you save a lot of it. Using this type of rank tracking tool offers other benefits, too: it can help to bring clients peace of mind and clarity, and it provides data and views which are visually appealing and easy for clients to understand. Later, I’ll be talking through how I use the data in these reports to improve my strategy, but first I’ll be explaining how best to set up your reports. How to use the Local Search Grid in three simple stepsBefore you get started creating your grid, you can make your life easier by taking the following steps: The first step you want to take is to find your GMB verification address. This is the address that you submitted to Google to be verified and should be the address shown on your GMB listing. Google uses this address to determine local rankings, so using the correct address is critical to get accurate grid results. Next, to avoid wasting many search grid points, try to imagine your service area. By this, I mean the area where your customers usually come from (not the area you’d like to target.) This will make it easier for you to determine your search grid radius. Finally, determine your 3-5 most important keywords. Most local businesses have at least three primary keywords or search terms they want to rank for. They mainly consist of “service”, “service near me”, and “service in <name of city>”. How to create your first Local Search Grid reportGetting started with your first grid is easy. Here you will find all of the details you need in order to run a successful report. On your Brightlocal dashboard, go to rank tracking and click on ‘Local Search Grid’ and ‘Add new’. 1. Location and Business DetailsThe first thing you need to do to get started is to enter your GMB location. You can either do this through Google search or the Google Maps URL of your GMB profile. Google Maps URLs are mainly used for pure service-area businesses. 2. Keywords and Map CriteriaHere you can enter the most valuable keywords that you determined earlier. The next step is to choose a grid size. I recommend you always select the max grid size for the most precise results. It’s also so much more visually appealing to the eye than having only a small number of dots. If you want to have a quick overview and see whether your business shows up in search or not, smaller sizes should do, too. The more grid points you choose, the more accurate your findings will be. A high accuracy leads to better adjustments. If the grid, for whatever reason, is not at your desired address on the map, drag the center point of the grid and drop it on your verification address. If you don’t know the address you’ve used to verify the listing anymore, contact Google’s support team. Google doesn’t store that piece of information for you. After you’ve determined your favorite grid size, you need to test different distances between the grid points to target your perfect ranking results area. The ideal grid distance is when you’re able to track improvements over time. As the number of green and orange points is supposed to increase, you’ll need some red rows that can be turned orange or green. Otherwise, your tracking would be useless. If there is not much room for improvement on the grid, you’ll have to use a new grid size each time your rankings change. That makes it hard for you and your clients to compare results. Comparing two different grid sizes is like comparing apples and oranges — there is nothing to gain from it. Now you need the list of your customers’ address details. Meaning, you should match the distance between the grid points to your actual real-life service area. Choose a slightly bigger area than where your customers usually come from. Since the first run will be a simple test, you don’t need to worry about the accuracy of the grid points distance you’re going to determine. Leave the locked grid position turned on and move on to General Settings. 3. General SettingsThe general settings include the name of the report and the frequency you want the report to be run at. I usually choose ‘weekly’. The more frequently you run the reports, the better you can conclude specific rank changes. Ask your clients how often they want to see grid results and adjust the frequency accordingly. For example, a monthly report might be a good choice for clients who stay with you long-term and know that SEO takes time. However, you can still run weekly reports while showing your clients the changes every month. How to find the right grid size for youAfter you’ve performed your first report, have a closer look at it. As mentioned earlier, it’s a test run that requires additional adjustments. There are two things to look out for:
My recommended goal for getting optimal grid spacing is to choose a space where the two outer rows are at least red so that you have room for improvement while keeping the results accurate enough. A brand new business with much more room for improvement than an established business should get more red 21+ outer rows. However, nothing is set in stone, and the individual setting depends on how you evaluate your specific situation. When you’ve found your perfect settings, you can use them for your weekly or monthly reporting for your clients. How to make sense of your Local Search Grid dataIn this section, I’ll share with you how I make sense and gain insights from the data that Local Search Grid hands out. How do I know if there is actually room for improvement?There is no way to tell for sure whether you reached the peak because ranking updates happen daily, and no one can predict anything. However, there are indications that you can follow to learn more about your specific local ranking situation. The table below the visual search grid shows competitors based on the center of the grid you chose. If you’re #1 on that list, great! If you’re #2 or worse, there is most likely room for improvement. Another way to tell whether you can grow your ranking area is by looking closely at the local ranking factors and improving your online presence accordingly. There is usually something you can work out, like getting more online reviews or optimizing your Google My Business listing. Consider competition and your area’s infrastructureIn competitive spaces, it usually makes more sense to choose smaller distances between grid points. There are either a higher number of competitors or competitors with a solid authority level in such a market, so it will be harder for you to expand the ranking area. If the main share of your customers comes from Google, it can make sense to open up a new location in a place where the market hasn’t been satisfied yet. Compare ‘befores’ and ‘afters’ of rankingsAs I’ve mentioned before, only equally-sized grids should be compared with each other as data consistency is key to professional reporting. The change in rank of each individual point must be clearly recognizable. The creation of replicable data is mandatory when starting to track with a Local Search Grid report. You or your clients can only take advantage of data change if it’s 100% consistent, accurate, and understandable. For you to create a visually appealing and understandable document for your clients, you can either send external white-labeled reports through BrightLocal or create your own report document. Your clients need to see before and after visuals so that they can directly reproduce the rank changes. This can be a video or screenshots of your before and after grids. Closing thoughtsLocal Search Grid is an indispensable tool that helps you get an overview of the rankings in your local area and visualize local rank tracking. Apart from seeing the data at a glance, people love to consume exciting and appealing content (the grid’s color-coding makes for a great visual experience!) For me, I would always prefer to use a tool like this over general rank trackers or tabularized data for client reporting, and, hopefully, this guide helps you to get the most out of Local Search Grid, too! What’s your favorite way to use Local Search Grid? Drop us a line in the comments! The post How I Improved My Local SEO Strategy with Local Search Grid appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2QDvtMW Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ The benefits of getting online reviews are many. Not only do they help to build trust with potential customers, but they also increase click-through rates from Google My Business. As a bonus, online reviews and ratings can even help a business rank higher on Google. Whitespark’s Local Ranking Factors Survey shows that online reviews can help a website’s ranking in the Google Local 3-Pack and in organic local search results. In our annual Local Consumer Review Survey, we discovered that:
Use niche review, industry-focused review sites to boost your online reputation Watch out, though. Not all review sites are the same—and getting your business listed on low-quality review sites can actually hurt your credibility and your rankings. So how do you know which consumer review sites are quality sites that are worth getting reviews on? With niche review sites, you can focus on growing your consumer reviews on the sites that really matter; the ones that closely match your industry. When customers are looking for the best companies in a particular field, they use these industry review sites to help make informed purchase decisions. Top Review Sites for 30 IndustriesWe searched the internet for high-quality, niche review sites that you should consider directing happy customers towards. After considering the site’s Domain Authority and overall quality, we came up with a comprehensive review sites list. These are some of the best review sites on the internet for businesses in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia. Below you’ll find a list of the niche review sites that are worth taking a look at. We’ve split them up into individual business categories, so if you’re searching for top review sites that focus on your industry alone, you can jump straight to that section. Please Note: While BrightLocal offers niche review sites as part of its Reputation Manager tool, the below lists are not intended to reflect those that can be monitored using our tools. Review Site Categories
Alternative Medicine / Therapy Review SitesIn this section, we’ve highlighted some of the best review sites that are ideal for businesses operating in the alternative medicine or therapeutic industries. Please note that we also have a medical section if you are looking for consumer reviews related to more traditional health and medical sectors.
Car Dealership Review SitesOne of the more popular categories is car dealers, with a handful of high quality sites that focus on consumer reviews for auto traders. Please note that we have a separate review websites list for mechanics.
Catering Review SitesReview sites for the catering industry is a smaller section, but one that is dominated by some large brands.
Cleaning Service Review SitesThere are a lot of local businesses offering cleaning and sanitation services, and with increased competition it only becomes more important to have a positive online reputation.
Dentist Review SitesDental SEO, and local citations for dentists always prove to be in high demand, and naturally so do online review sites. Here we’ve listed some sites that focus purely on the dental industry and are ideal for directing customers towards.
Electrical and HVAC Review SitesThis section covers sites that list customer review websites for electricians, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Finance (Accountants / Insurance) Review SitesThis consumer review sites list for Finance includes both accountants and insurance firms.
Home Service and Contractor Review SitesOne of the largest sections in this resource details those customer review sites that are purely for home services and contractors. By home services, we are referring to a large pool of local business services, including home builders, carpenters, interior stylists, kitchen and bathroom fitters, painters and decorators, and more. Plumbers are included in a separate list.
IT and Computer Repair Review SitesWeb hosting firms, and those companies that deal with PC repair, are the focus of the review sites list below. We’ve gathered some niche review websites that focus on this discipline.
Landscaping Review SitesLandscaping can often come under the ‘home services’ banner (which you can find here). However, for the purpose of clarity we’ve included it in its own section.
Legal Review SitesLegal review sites is one of our largest and most popular sections. Covering local attorneys, solicitors and legal fees financing, we’ve chosen over a dozen top review websites. For local SEOs, this list of top citations for attorneys may be of interest.
Marketing Agency Review SitesAs well as those bricks and mortar business that offer hands on services and products, we’ve included review sites for those companies that offer online services, such as marketing and SEO agencies.
Mechanic Review SitesAnother section within the auto industry is that of mechanics. Whilst the list below focuses on review for auto repairs, we have another section which focuses on car dealers.
Medical Review SitesReview websites for medical firms is perhaps our largest section, and one of the more popular categories for SEOs and medical practitioners who want to improve their online reputation. Within this section we’ve included review sites for doctors, clinics, and general wellness. Please note that we also have a separate section for Nursing and Care.
Nursing and Care Review SitesSeparate to the nursing and care section, this list of review sites focuses on firms that offer day care and senior care services.
Pest Control Review SitesPest control and exterminators are one of the most discussed sectors in local SEO due to the fact that they are commonly service area businesses. This makes it harder to rank in local search results! However, if you are looking to improve your online reputation, it can be as simple as directing your customers towards these high quality review sites.
Pet Service Review SitesPet services includes pet grooming, pet sitting, veterinarians, and other services for our furry friends!
Plumber Review SitesTo avoid confusion, we’ve included the best review websites for plumbers in a separate section to home services and contractors.
Property Rental Review SitesIn a separate review sites list to travel and leisure, the following review sites focus on businesses that offer vacation and property rentals.
Real Estate Review SitesReal Estate for is big business, and it’s absolutely critical that Realtors and Estate Agents have a solid online reputation to aid their success.
Removal Review SitesThe following list consists of consumer review sites for removal firms. In addition to this section, we have another list for storage.
Restaurant Review SitesOnline review sites for restaurants and cafés are extremely popular, which is reflected in the size of the list below. Consumers are obviously more discerning about where they eat, and there are many household names featured, including TripAdvisor and OpenTable.
Salon and Beauty Review SitesAlthough a smaller section, the consumer review sites featured here are of high quality and domain authority.
School and Education Review SitesIs online reputation more important in any many other industries? Unlikely. Schools and Educational facilities rely on a solid reputation to secure their future, and below we’ve featured some of the key review sites that focus on them.
Security Review SitesThe consumer review sites featured below feature businesses that operate in the security industry, offering a range of services from security equipment, to private detectives and investigators.
Software Review SitesSoftware may not be a typical category of business you would think of in terms of online review sites, but it is a growing sector with increasing competition.
Sport and Leisure Review SitesThe Sport and Leisure category includes sites that review golf courses and yoga trails.
Storage Review SitesStorage sits within a different section to removals, and lists the sites that allow local consumers to recommend and rate various storage companies in their area.
Travel and Hospitality Review SitesThe travel industry is big business and there are a huge amount of review sites out there, many of which will be recognisable as household names. Part of the reason that firms in this industry lean so heavily on their online reputation is that consumers are extremely discerning about their vacation time, and want to ensure that they get not only value for money, but a trip that helps to create great memories forever!
Wedding Service Review SitesSimilarly to travel, weddings can be a once in a lifetime event, and a great cause for celebration. When consumers invest in a business offering wedding planning, or other services related to their big day, they want to ensure that they are using one with a positive online reputation, and so online reviews are absolutely crucial.
Do you know of a quality, niche review site that we’ve missed out on? Let us know in the comments section. The post The Best Niche Review Sites by Business Category – Updated 2021 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/33voBls Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ The midway point of the year isn’t far off, and it’s safe to say that a lot has gone on in local SEO already this year. So far in 2021, we’ve seen big changes to Google Posts, updates to review summaries in Google My Business (GMB), high scores from Local RankFlux, and 2-Packs showing on Google mobile results. But, in the past couple of months alone even more tests and updates have been impacting GMB. In this GMB news roundup, we take a look at the biggest headlines affecting local SEOs recently. Think we’ve left something out? Put it in the comments section down below! Competitor quotes in GMB MessagingIt’s often recommended that businesses make use of GMB’s Messaging feature to better communicate with customers. But you might want to hold your horses. LocalU shared that when searchers reached out via GMB Messaging, quotes from competitors were being shared. So, if you’ve got messaging switched on in your profile, you could be unwittingly sharing competitor information with your potential customers… Source: LocalU As you can see from the screenshot above, Google now offers searchers the chance to send their same quote request to a business’s competitors directly after messaging. This could definitely deter merchants from turning the messaging feature on, as it could drive potential customers to look elsewhere. Why is this important? Google could be helping to push your potential customers in the direction of other businesses with this feature. It’s not the first time we’ve seen Google try to provide more diverse results, but popular opinion seems to be that this feature could cause more harm than good. New review removal management tool from GoogleFake reviews have long been plaguing Google My Business listings, and at last, it seems Google is doing something to help local businesses proactively tackle the issue. Mid-March, Google released its review takedown request tool to help merchants handle the removal of wrong or fake reviews. With this tool, businesses can flag reviews for removal and, importantly, track the progress of their reported reviews. Why is this important? Agencies and local businesses have cited fake reviews as a real problem for some time. This new review removal tool from Google My Business can be seen as a big step in the right direction. New AI-powered features come to Google MapsThis year we’ve seen lots of improvements made to Google Maps, as Google and Apple continue to vie for the top navigational app. At the end of March, more AI-powered features were introduced, including indoor live view and an updated directions interface. Source: Google Plus, new Google My Business attributes like curbside pickup and delivery were introduced to help restaurants and food stores meet the demands of consumers in a Covid-19 world. Why is this important? For anyone with a Google My Business listing, it’s important to stay abreast of updates to Google Maps. GMB Attributes have become increasingly prominent due to Covid-19 and Google taking action to highlight women-led, black-owned, Asian-owned, and LGBTQ+ friendly businesses. Plus, indoor mode will help businesses located within malls or shopping centres get found more easily. In general, whenever there’s a new feature, it’s worth seeing if it applies to your business. 2-Packs appeared in Google mobile SERPsArguably, this was the biggest Google local news of the year: who would have thought the iconic 3-Pack would change? Well, in March, it did. LocalU spotted mobile SERPs with no 3-Packs. We then did our own tests and lo and behold, 2-Packs were being found for multiple local searches performed on mobile. Since the initial news broke, there’s been little buzz, but we have noticed that 2-Packs are still present for some queries. Why is this important? This news could mean that Google is creating more space for ads. But even if not, if there’s going to be even less real estate available in local SERPs then that’s important to know about. We recommend doing a local search for keywords relevant to your business and seeing if the 2-Pack is effecting your results. GMB gets a new ‘new’ label for recent reviewsAt the beginning of April, Google put even more importance on GMB reviews and their recency by introducing a ‘new’ label. This update means that searchers are alerted to new reviews, which are given more prominence. Source: Search Engine Roundtable Why is this important? We’ve long known about the importance of recent reviews but this label shows Google placing more emphasis on review recency. To make sure you benefit from this feature, continue regularly asking for reviews and make sure you have reviews left within the past two weeks. Google says phone numbers aren’t allowed in Google PostsOne to pay attention to for Google Posts fans; back in April, Google clarified that businesses should not include phone numbers in Post updates. LocalU reported on this at the time, after noticing that GMB had clarified its Posts guidelines to account for “phone stuffing”. Google states that it’s put this rule in place to avoid “risk of abuse”. Why is this important? Also this year, we saw GMB begin showing old Google Posts (which initially would expire after 7 days). This means that you might have Posts you don’t remember or aren’t aware of showing on your listing. If these include your phone number, you could be penalized. If you think you might have included phone numbers in old Posts, set aside some time to check and edit if necessary! Google reviews went missingIn April we saw many Google reviews go missing. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, but there didn’t seem to be a clear reason or resolution to the issue. Just this week, however, LocalU faculty member Jason Brown shared a workaround he’d found to make seemingly “missing” reviews reappear. According to Google My Business, the review filter is working as intended.
If you’ve experienced this issue, you can join in the conversation at Local Search Forum. Businesses that have used Posts recently get rewardedAlways keeping her eye on the ball, Joy Hawkins spotted a Google Maps test whereby businesses that had recently shared a Google Post were being highlighted. Source: LocalU Why is this important? That little red dot could help your business get seen and stand out in SERPs. This update definitely gives more prominence to businesses that use Google Posts, so it could be worth giving them a go if you haven’t already. Bookings data available in GMB InsightsA recent update to GMB Insights sees data about bookings become available. Colan Nielsen first spotted this and shared his findings on Twitter:
According to another user, the bookings info is showing up for hotels as well (an industry that often goes at a very different pace to others). Interestingly, in the BrightLocal Google My Business Insights dashboard, it’s also showing the option to see ‘bookings’, even though we don’t have the option to ‘Book an Appointment‘ enabled right now. This is a relatively new development so we’ll keep tabs on this story and update you as needed. Wix integrates with GMBIn an effort to become even more of a one-stop-shop for SMBs, Wix announced its latest integration with Google. The new GMB/Wix partnership means website managers can handle their GMB tasks directly from their Wix account. Tasks such as updating hours, uploading photos, and responding to reviews can now be done directly from the Wix dashboard. Why is this important? This update might encourage small business owners who weren’t previously using Google My Business to begin making the most of its features.
For agencies, this new update is definitely something to be aware of, but it looks unlikely that the integration will pose any threat to experienced local SEOs. GMB Call History feature showing live dataMost recently, Google’s long-awaited Call History feature (that was in Beta until just this week) has begun showing live data. You’ll now be able to see a history of who called your business and when. Plus, you’ll have the option to view the individual caller’s history and call them back directly. We’re not yet seeing this option in our own Google My Business profile, but it looks like this update is gradually rolling out, so keep an eye out for it in your GMB dashboard. Why is this important? Call tracking can be a great way to measure the success of your local SEO efforts and capture hot leads. This new feature from GMB should make it easier than ever to get an overview of who’s called you, without the need for a specific tool. What Google My Business news has captured your attention? Will you be taking action based on any of these news stories? Share your thoughts in the comments section to let us know! The post Google My Business News: New Features, Updates and Tests from March-May appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2SG3VHb Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Many agencies aspire to move upmarket and work with bigger clients – and for good reason. Bigger clients lead to larger retainers, better budgets, and impressive client logos to show off to prospects. But what exactly does moving upmarket look like? And is working with big clients all it’s cracked up to be? That’s what I wanted to find out from Jordan Choo, Managing Partner of Kogneta – a digital marketing agency for franchises and multi-location businesses. In this episode, Jordan shares his experiences of moving his agency upmarket and the possibilities and perils that this presents. Listen to learn:
Resources:Want to learn more about effective marketing strategies for franchises? Then be sure to listen and subscribe to Jordan’s podcast: The Franchise Marketing Podcast. Subscribe todayIf you like what you hear and want instant access to the latest episodes, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
Tell us what you think:This marks episode ten of the podcast – where has the time gone?! As always, we’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions for topics to cover in future episodes, so head to the comments and let us know! The post on How to Land Bigger Clients appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3taltI0 Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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April 2023
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