In this Local Search Clinic, Schema App’s Founder Martha van Berkel will tackle your questions on schema markup. Join us to ask your questions and find out how schema markup can help your local SEO. 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 each week for an hour of expert insights with new topics each week. 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: Schema Markup with Martha van Berkel – Coming Soon appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3g7yX1m Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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Looking to get a local business listed on a host of relevant citation sites instantly? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve collated all the citation sites that require no verification for listing publication and separated them by country (UK, USA, Canada, Australia) below. These are the sites that upon submission, the listing will go live right away. You don’t have to wait hours or days before your listing will go live. You should see your listing live right as you hit the ‘Submit’ button. Want a truly hassle-free way to build new citations for your or your client’s business? Check out BrightLocal’s fast and accurate service, Citation Builder.
The Quickest and Easiest Citation Sites to Submit to in the USA
The Quickest and Easiest Citation Sites to Submit to in the UK
The Quickest and Easiest Citation Sites to Submit to in Canada
The Quickest and Easiest Citation Sites to Submit to in Australia
The post The Top Citation Sites That Publish Your Listing Instantly – Updated 2020 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2VihCea Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Founder and VP of marketing at Steady Demand, Ben Fisher, is a well-trusted expert when it comes to local SEO. And as a Google My Business Platinum Product Expert, Ben is the ideal candidate to share his experience and knowledge on the world of GMB categories. Read on to find out why GMB categories matter, how to pick the right one, and how to test GMB categories. What are GMB categories and why do they matter?A Google My Business category helps Google Search understand what your business represents and then, by using this information in conjunction with many other ranking signals, it displays your business in search to any user whose search query matches your content. To put that simply, categories help Google show you to the right people at the right time. Where can I set and add categories in Google My Business?This is actually very straightforward. You visit business.google.com or open your listing on your mobile app. On desktop click into your listing, then click on the info tab. Once there, under your business name, there is the place to add/edit categories. Click on the pencil icon and now you can change your primary category, or add additional categories. It’s worth bearing in mind that:
How can I determine the best primary and secondary categories for me?Choose the best primary category that represents your business as a whole. If you have other services that you offer, that is fine, just make those sub-categories. Google does a really excellent job of explaining how to properly use categories: On this page, they use an example of how to pick a category for a pizza restaurant. If this is your primary category your listing may be able to surface for ‘restaurants’, ‘Italian restaurants’, or even just ‘pizza’. The search intent is aligned with categories and since they are all semantically connected this makes sense as to why Google could make a connection between the searches. Let’s look at a few other primary categories and search terms that they display for. (In each example, they only have a primary category set, no secondary categories).
How can I tell if I chose the right categories?Recall about how earlier we were talking about choosing the category that most appropriately describes your business? I recently had a client of mine who is a lawyer and the primary category was ‘Personal Injury Attorney’. They wanted to rank for ‘Insurance Attorney’, as well. So we added this to the subcategories and within 48 hours they were ranking for insurance-related terms. This is the power of good category choice and good website content working together. If you are a seasonal business it is a good idea to change your primary category to highlight what is most important at the time, since the primary category has more ranking authority. A classic example of this is HVAC companies. Having your primary category as a heating contractor in the winter and an air conditioning repair service or air conditioning contractor would make the most sense. I get asked all the time if having too many categories that are related to your business will hurt your rankings. This is a myth and has been dispelled in tests. However, adding categories that have nothing to do with your business will negatively impact your rankings. So it is best to stick with categories that represent what you do and are also complementary to the content on your website. If in doubt, test your GMB category choices. Source: Sterling Sky Here are a bunch of resources that you can use to help you look for the right category and also one in particular that will analyze your listing and suggest categories:
When all is said and done in SEO there is no magic bullet, however, with categories, you can gain a huge edge on your competition. Play with them, test them, pick a great primary category that encompasses your whole business, analyze your competition, and add/remove subcategories. In other words, test test test GMB categories. If you add a subcategory and in GMB Insights, you are seeing more traffic, keep it, and if queries show words that do not relate to you, remove it. The addition of a category that represents what you do can be a make it or break it factor. The post The Best Practice Guide to Setting and Testing Your GMB Category appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2Yv6OeC Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Welcome to ‘Adventures in Local Marketing’ – the podcast that tells the stories from the front line of local marketing. Each episode, we’ll be chatting with an industry expert about their journey through local marketing. We’ll learn from their first-hand experience, with engaging conversations to deepen your strategic knowledge and uncover new ways of thinking. In our first episode, we sat down with local SEO expert, Greg Gifford, to chat about, well… everything! Listen along to learn:
Listen to the episodeHere are the resources Greg recommended in today’s episode: 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 thinkWe’d love to hear your feedback on our first episode and suggestions for people you’d like to hear on a future episode. Drop a comment below to let us know. And if you’re feeling extra generous, a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen would be really appreciated. The post The Adventure Begins… The BrightLocal Podcast Has Landed appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2A6JeeM Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Last week, Google announced it was releasing a whole host of new or updated features in an effort to support local businesses’ recovery after Covid-19. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, given how reactive Google My Business has been throughout the entire Covid-19 pandemic — including the temporary restriction of features such as reviews and Q&A, providing new attributes like ‘curbside delivery’, and incorporating integrations with sites like GoFundMe. Arguably though, this is Google’s biggest response to the real-world consequences on local brick-and-mortar stores presented by Covid-19 yet. On Wednesday, June 17, Google released its ‘Helping businesses and nonprofits recover’ resources. So, what were the main headlines? International Small Business WeekFirst and foremost it looks like we ought to wish you a very happy Small Business Week! Along with the introduction of new features, Google also announced it was declaring the week of June 22nd to June 27th as International Small Business Week:
Google didn’t go into a huge amount of detail about what this week might entail, but it looks like you ought to keep your eyes peeled for unique tips and tricks from the search engine giants. This may not be the most exciting news for our US-based readers, as National Small Business Week already exists in the States. Nonetheless, this week provides an opportunity to celebrate the small, local businesses that are cornerstones of communities and economies across the world. After a pretty turbulent past few months, let’s take this moment to say a big old “thank you” to the businesses that have persevered, adapted, and pivoted to continue to serve us and those most in need. It may be some time before all local businesses are able to return to (relative) normality and for those unable to adapt to the recent restrictions, this will have been an even tougher time. It wasn’t easy, but we’re grateful, and we’re ready to support you while you get back on your feet. New features and toolsThe long and short of Google’s announcement is that it’s helping local businesses largely in regards to ads. These newly announced features are designed to support local businesses as they begin to reopen and return to “business as usual” — whatever that may look like.
Although Google has packaged these features up into one handy “for local businesses” announcement, it looks like some of the capabilities have been in play for a few weeks, if not longer. Regardless, below we’ve compiled the list of “new” features that local businesses will be able to make use of from now on: Changes to Google’s Shopping tabThe shopping tab will feature local store information from Google My Business, such as product availability, locations, and other options like dine-in or curbside pickup. New processes and capabilities for Local Service AdsGoogle also took a look back at its recent change to Local Service Ads on mobile. As of May, users can also now book appointments directly from clicking on a Local Service Ad — this expands on the previous functionality of sending messages to hot leads. To enable direct bookings, businesses will need to liaise with one of Google’s many booking partners. Businesses will also need to have been approved by Google’s guarantee consumer protection program. Smart campaigns reach more countriesGoogle’s Smart campaigns have long been a way for less technically savvy or under-resourced businesses to set up ad campaigns with a clear goal in mind, such as wanting more phone calls, website clicks, or bookings. Now, Google is expanding its ‘Smart campaigns’ to 150 countries. It will also be more accessible than ever, as Google allows users to quickly set up campaigns through its Ads app. Free promoted pinsIn addition to expanding Smart campaigns to more countries, businesses that use Smart campaigns will now benefit from promoted pins on Google Maps for free. Source: Google Promoted pins provide businesses with more visibility. Usually, advertisers would be charged for each click on a promoted pin (just like your classic PPC campaigns), but if a business has a Smart campaign running, there will be no cost per click. With this in mind, Smart campaigns may sound like the ideal fit for local businesses, but some experts have been critical of their appearance:
Increased functionality from ‘Grow My Store’Google’s ‘Grow My Store’ website has been updated to help businesses boost their success rates online and in-store, depending on the business’s specific industry. Once you’ve entered all your relevant business information and signed up for a profile, Google will provide you with a full report complete with industry benchmarks, such as how many users have used a Google Product and more. The report can take up to a few hours to run, but I was pleasantly surprised that mine took around thirty minutes or so. In this next section, we’ll take a look at exactly what the ‘Grow My Store’ report gives you. What’s in the ‘Grow My Store’ report?While most of the features listed above are fairly self-explanatory, one thing you may want to know more about is the ‘Grow My Store’ report. ‘Grow My Store’ has been available to users in most of Europe since last year but is brand-new to US users. Here, we’ll take a look at what’s included, using an example of a local Brighton (UK) restaurant. The first thing you’ll see in your report is a website score, pictured below. Next, Google provides a breakdown of the results across six main categories: product information, store details, personalization, customer service, security, and mobile. The product information section unpacks product details, product reviews/ratings, product search, and product prices. Unfortunately, while you do get a more detailed score at the top of the report, these sections simply show a tick or a cross. So if you have product ratings/reviews, even if they’re not well optimized or executed well, you will receive a tick. If you don’t have any, for whatever reason, you will receive a cross. It’s no indication of how successfully you’re performing the task. Next, the store details section shows how clearly you’ve presented information about your store, including opening hours, directions, and geolocation. Looking at the personalization section shows if your site enables users to create personalized accounts and wishlists or favorites. Customer service is also factored in, showing the success of elements like contact phone, live chat, returns policy, and social media. The security section is fairly basic, and simply gives a tick or cross depending on whether or not your site is HTTPS secure. Then finally, the report reflects mobile support, including mobile speed and mobile-friendliness. You can check how friendly your site is on mobile with Google’s mobile-friendly test tool, and compare your mobile site speed with ‘Test My Site’ to benefit from further suggestions. Though this report is certainly helpful and provides local businesses with some simple steps to improve their online presence, it could be argued that it limits the initial role of agencies in pitching to SMB clients. Even though it’s a fairly basic report and very Google-focussed, the ‘Grow My Store’ tool does replace a very basic site audit, meaning agencies wouldn’t need to provide this service at a cost. That said, in times like these, providing under-resourced local businesses with free tools to increase their visibility can hardly be a bad thing. What does the industry think?Whenever some big news update occurs in the world of local SEO, we like to take a look at how the industry has reacted. So, what do local SEOs think of Google’s new features? Well, interestingly, the local SEO community has been very quiet on the matter, and conversation across social media and local SEO forums seemed to be lacking. Most likely, this could be attributed to the fact that local SEOs have been aware of these feature updates coming out in dribs and drabs, and simply reacted at the time — so Google’s “announcement”, as it were, wouldn’t have caused quite such a stir. What do these updates mean for local businesses?For local businesses, it’s certainly worth bearing these new features and updates in mind. But if you’re not planning to invest in Google Ads any time soon, then these may not be of much consequence. That said, I would recommend running a ‘Grow My Store’ report — it’s always worth checking out whether or not you could be taking simple steps to improve your online presence, especially when the tool is free. What do you think of Google’s latest changes? Will they help local businesses recover in a post-Covid-19 world? Does ‘Grow My Store’ pose a threat to agencies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! The post Google Adds New Features to Bolster Local Businesses Covid-19 Recovery appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3hPoqJG Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ This week, Sterling Sky’s Carrie Hill will be heading up Local Search Clinic to answer your questions about localized content. Join us to ask your questions and find out how localized content can help your SEO. 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 each week for an hour of expert insights with new topics each week. 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: Localized Content with Carrie Hill – Coming Soon appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2YhC6FD Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Bumping up local visibility has never been more important than it is right now. With 9 out of 10 consumers going online to find a business in the last year, being present in local search results is critical to getting customers through your doors. It’s no secret that Google My Business is a major local SEO ranking factor but, are you missing a trick by overlooking Bing Places listings? While it may not get quite as much air time as Google My Business, Bing Places is very much a relevant, worthwhile addition to your local search engine optimization campaign, especially if one of your current business goals is to generate more orders and sales from potential clients in your town or city. Contents
What is a Bing Places for Business listing?A Bing Places for Business listing is just that – a listing about your business which can appear on Bing search results and Bing Maps for desktop, voice and mobile devices. Much like Google My Business, your Bing Places listing is an outlet to share key information about your business, including physical address, phone number, website URL and opening hours. As with Google My Business data, Bing Places information is used by the search engine to help it return the most relevant search results to Bing search users. Your business listing helps Bing to understand your business and as such, it is a confirmed Bing local ranking factor. The search engine says,
There are other similarities with Google My Business too, which makes life easier if you haven’t used Bing to boost your local presence before. Bing Places for Business can be managed online or via an app for example, you’re able to select a primary business category, you can upload images, share offers and you can link to your social media profiles. When you verify your listing, you’ll also be able to access data such as search impressions (how many times your listing appeared in Bing search results over the last 12 week period). Bing Places doesn’t boast quite as much functionality as Google My Business however, so that is worth keeping in mind. You can’t share updates for example (Posts on Google) and there is no option at present to showcase specific products (although restaurants can link to their menu and hotels can list amenities and star ratings). Despite these differences, Bing Places is still highly relevant and a vital component of your local search visibility on Bing. Why should you set up a Bing Places for Business listing?Although there is no denying that Google remains the dominant search engine, it’s important to remember that search behavior is constantly evolving and, as I’ll cover below, millions of internet users do turn to Bing to help them navigate the web. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking Google has so much of a head start that other search engines aren’t worthwhile but, as the third most popular search engine behind Google and YouTube, the reality is that Bing still handles billions of queries each month. You could be in the running for some of those clicks, calls and sales with a Bing Places listing. Bing’s parent company, Microsoft has invested heavily in new functionality over the last few years, including rolling out a Search Entity API which brings “rich contextual information about people, places, things, and local businesses to any application, blog, or website for a more engaging user experience.” It’s also continued to make advances in visual search, with thumbnails for video results and the ability to perform searches based on images snapped on a smartphone, revamped its advertising offering, acquired LinkedIn and partnered with the likes of Amazon to power searches on Amazon Silk. Bing’s market share has grown as a result of these advances, with a 17% year-on-year increase in 2017-18. According to Microsoft’s own data published in March 2020, its search network handles 12.2 billion searches from desktop users alone per month, globally. 54% of search users are conducting product research while 43% use search for brand discovery. If you’re still not convinced, consider this; Bing is the default search engine for all Windows devices (and there are over 1.5 billion of them worldwide), meaning your audience doesn’t even have to consciously choose to use Bing, it’s simply there waiting when the browser window is opened. This is true not just of domestic settings but in the workplace too, where Microsoft software and cloud solutions are commonplace. With a DA of 94, Bing is also a valuable citation source – which can help you with your Google visibility too. While its market share percentage is unmistakably dwarfed by Google’s dominance, Bing still commands billions of eyeballs and high-intent searches per month. Could having a presence on just a fraction of those searches thanks to a Bing Places listing be transformational for your business? Of course it could. Setting up a Bing Places for Business listingIt’s quick and easy to set up a Bing Places for Business listing (we have a detailed guide on doing so here). After signing in or creating a Bing Places for Business account, you can check if a listing already exists and claim it as your own if so and then add any missing details. If you have already spent time optimizing your Google My Business listing, there’s also an option to import all of your information to Bing Places with just one click. If neither of those is an option, you can simply work through the wizard and input your business details when prompted. Where is Bing Places for Business data used?Just as Google Maps and Google Assistant are powered by Google My Business, Bing Places for Business provides data for Bing Maps and any Bing-powered voice device. This covers more territory than you may think as Bing is used as the default voice search engine for Amazon Alexa devices, including the Echo family. This gives substantial reach, with Amazon confirming that it had sold over 100 million voice assistants at the start of January 2019 and double that by January 2020. In addition to the Echo line, Alexa is pre-installed on a range of other products, including Fire TV sticks, Fire tablets, smart TVs, wearable devices and more than 100,000 different smart home products from over 9000 brands. At the CES tech trade show at the start of 2020, Amazon hinted that other partnerships are in the works which would see Alexa powering voice search in cars (this is especially pertinent for local businesses, with the majority of drivers using voice to find a local business nearby when at the wheel), TVs and other devices. In addition to Alexa, Bing of course powers its own Cortana search, which is the default assistant for all Microsoft devices, spanning everything from the Windows operating system to the Xbox gaming console. Bing data is additionally used in Yahoo! search results, so setting up a Bing Places listing means you’re covered for Yahoo! local search results too. In fact, Yahoo! search results are entirely powered by Bing (this is why we stopped reporting Yahoo results in our tools in February 2020) so one Bing Places listing gives you twice the bang for your buck. Where do reviews on Bing Places for Business come from?We all know that reviews are a must-have digital currency and a core component of local search visibility. Of course, they are also essential for building consumer trust. As with your Google My Business listing, Bing Places displays relevant reviews, which it pulls in from trusted third-party platforms to the local search results. Unlike Google local search, Bing shows reviews from a couple of different sources in its Explore panel. In addition to the information pulled from your Bing Places listing, your local panel may display a recent review from TripAdvisor right next to your latest Facebook review for example. In both cases, the reviews are showcased in a box with an average star rating where applicable and a link to read further reviews from each source. Is Bing Places for Business important for SEO?There is no doubt that Bing Places is key to better visibility in Bing local search results. Bing confirms that its local ranking algorithm “is primarily based on relevance, distance and popularity.” It also says that, “Adding detailed business information in Bing places helps the Local ranking algorithm to accurately match your business listing to user searches.” On the subject of improving your rankings in local search Bing advises that,
If you are eager to improve your rankings for any tool or search engine using Bing data (such as Amazon devices and Windows desktops), optimizing your Bing Places listing is a non-negotiable first step. On the flip side, if you are absolutely certain your desired audience doesn’t touch on the typical Bing user (aged 55-64, married and with an average household income of $100,000 or more) then optimization for Bing could well take your focus unnecessarily away from Google. Bing’s own search ranking algorithm is generally considered to be less intricate than Google’s. It is known to favor certain things that Google has evolved from (such as keyword density, and the more basic elements like H1 and H2 tags), so optimizing your web site for Bing to back up your Bing Places listing could actually undo some of your Google optimization and may even harm your Google rankings. What are the main differences between Google My Business and Bing Places for Business?Aside from the obvious fact that Bing Places powers Bing local search results and Google My Business is used by Google, there are other subtler differences in the way the two are known to work:
Bing Places and Data AggregatorsLocal citations remain an intrinsic part of any locally focused SEO campaign but, manually creating listings can be an arduous, time-intensive process. Data aggregators streamline the task of building larger volumes of accurate citations. An aggregator is effectively a large scale data gatherer. It collects information on businesses which it then passes to other sources, such as search engines. Bing Places act as a source of information for three of the major data aggregators, Localeze, InfoGroup and Factual. With some aggregators, such as Factual, no longer taking individual submissions from businesses, your Bing Places listing ensures that your information can be gathered and distributed by data aggregators, helping to strengthen your local search position. ConclusionBing Places is a smart addition to your local SEO toolkit with very few barriers to creation. The quick and easy submission process, which allows you to import your existing Google My Business listing, makes claiming your listing something of a no-brainer. While it’s easy to compare market share and regard Google as the clear winner, Bing still does handle millions of search queries each day and welcomes search users from a range of devices – traffic your business could benefit from. The post Bing Places for Business – Bing Local Listings Explained appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/30XNE2p Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ With so much of life operating out of our phones these days, it’s a surprise that some marketing practices still rely on old methods. Sure, email marketing has its uses, but when it comes to generating reviews, SMSes are a natural fit. Think about it – how much of the day does the average person spend on their phone? According to my screentime report (thanks, Apple) I’m sitting at an average of about four hours. And even when I’m not physically on my phone, it’s never further than an arm’s reach away. Given how embedded phones are into our everyday lives, it only makes sense that they’d begin to encroach into the world of marketing, and local SEO, too. One of the most important aspects of local SEO is generating online reviews and, as we’ve established previously, the best way to grow your reviews is to ask. In this article, I’m going to explain just why SMSes are the perfect fit for generating online reviews and performing review outreach. Read on to find out why you should add SMS Mode to your marketing toolbelt, and how you can make SMSes work for your business. Email is tried and true, but have its benefits plateaued?Data source: Gartner Email marketing is praised for a reason — it’s a tried and true method of engaging with your customers and keeping them informed. But have your email efforts begun to plateau? If open rates are no longer on the rise, and you’re running out of email inspiration, it may be time to switch to SMS. While we’re not recommending that you give up on email entirely, incorporating the use of SMS into your marketing communications can boost response rates. When it comes to engagement, the figures speak for themselves… While open rates for emails average at just 20%, SMSes enjoy a 98% open rate. It makes sense when you realize that the average office worker receives a whopping 121 emails per day, compared to just a handful of SMSes. So, if you’re looking for a way to re-engage customers, SMSes provide the perfect fit. Receiving an SMS feels personalBy now we’re all used to our email inboxes being filled up with company spiel, discount codes, and brands looking to get your buy-in. SMS inboxes, on the other hand, are generally reserved for friends and family. As such, sending review outreach through SMS gives your business that personal touch — especially for those who communicate via SMS to begin with. Service-area businesses, such as locksmiths, plumbers, and window cleaners, and any business that communicates with its customers over the phone, will hugely benefit from this more personal approach. After all, if you’re only ever communicating with a customer via SMS, why would you then take to email to ask for a review? Most SMS outreach tools allow you to personalize your message, too, so you can ensure the tone suits yours. SMSes reach more peopleSource: Statista (cell phone, email) As I mentioned earlier, whether you like it or not, we’re now a world filled with people who rely on their phones to get through the day-to-day of life. And, as a result of that, almost everyone has one. In the USA, 96% of the population has a cell phone — 80% of which have smartphones. And guess what? All you need is a good old-fashioned cellular device to receive an SMS. No fancy apps required! Meanwhile, just 76% of US citizens have an email account – and, as we established earlier, that’s no guarantee that they’ll be responsive to the emails they receive. As a result, using SMS for review requests means you’re going to reach even more people, and so the chances of customers leaving a review are even higher. Notifications are your friendWhile some people do have email notifications enabled on their phone, they’re in the minority of users. Meanwhile, almost everyone has notifications for SMSes enabled. That means that as soon as you’ve sent an SMS review request to your customer, they’ll be notified about it – meaning they can act quickly and while your great services are still clear in their mind. In fact, it’s likely that you’ll have these notifications to thank for those sky-high 98% open rates. Customers want you to text themOne of the most important things to bear in mind when considering new marketing communications is whether or not your customers will want to be contacted in this way. In an age of annoying pop-ups, notification requests, and false browser alerts, you don’t want to cause more annoyance to your customers than they’re already enduring. But, fear not, according to a whole host of studies, customers actually want brands to text them. In a recent survey by Yotpo, 51% of respondents said they wanted to have a text relationship with their favorite brands. So, if you were holding out, anxious that SMSing might be more of an annoyance than a convenience, this is the sign not to. Sending review requests via SMS not only solidifies your relationship with the customer, but it also makes their life a lot easier by streamlining the review-leaving process. You’re going to get more reviewsThe bottom line is, using SMSes to ask for customer feedback is going to result in your business getting more reviews — especially if you develop a sophisticated strategy and combine email and SMS marketing together. Performing review outreach via SMS is:
All of these reasons I’ve outlined here today just go to show – SMSes are a perfect fit for review generation. And if you’re not utilizing this 21st-century method, you could be missing out on boosting your online reviews, as well as your local search ranking. See for yourself — take Reputation Manager’s SMS Mode for a spin today and see how it transforms your online review presence. Ready to dive into SMS marketing? Don’t forget to read up on the guidelines for getting consent and sending SMSes across the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. The post Why SMSes Are a Perfect Fit for Review Generation appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2YDbeis Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Growing your online visibility via local business directories (also known as building citations) is integral to your local marketing strategy. Using a business directory list like the one below helps to increase search rankings, build trust and authority with search engines, and gives potential customers a greater chance of finding you online. There’s a wealth of free business directory lists out there (many of which we’ve published ourselves), but we’re confident that this list of the top 50 is the very best place to start. Top 50 Free Business DirectoriesThe following local business directories have been selected based on Domain Authority (DA) gathered in June 2020.
If you need further clarification of what an online directory or local business directory is, here’s a quick explanation:
Submitting your business to local business directories with consistent information and links helps you build citations. Citations help search engines such as Google identify your business and can help to increase organic rankings in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Consistent NAP provides a trust signal to Google, whilst the backlink to the business’s homepage benefits SEO. If business directories rank above your website in SERPs, then it makes sense to be listed in those directories too, right? Now that you’re clear on the importance of adding local businesses to online directories, don’t postpone it – work through the table and begin the process today. Not enough time on your hands to sort it? Let BrightLocal build and fix your listings on top business directories – quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively. The post The Ultimate Free Business Directory List – Updated 2020 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2KVvU0r Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Top 100 Free International Citation Sites – Updated for 2020 Citation Builder has been nurtured and developed over the years to provide you with the best, most efficient service. However, whilst we’d love to achieve world domination, expanding our citation building service on an international level takes time. That’s why we’ve set you up with the next best thing in the meantime: a comprehensive list of 100 international citation sites that can be used to build citations across nearly 200 countries. We’ve conducted extensive research into both international citations and local seo citations for each country listed in the table, and while we found a few helpful blog posts and lists along the way, there was nothing very extensive or broad in its geographic coverage. We know how helpful such lists can be when SEOs and marketers are conducting citation research, so we’ve updated our free resource of international citation sites for 2020. What are international citations?International citations are sites and mapping services that cater to business listings in multiple countries. There are multiple national or local citation sites that cover one to two countries (e.g. the USA and Canada), but there are not as many sites available which have global coverage. However, these international sites are very useful for local SEOs and marketers who wish to work with businesses in different countries across the globe. How to navigate the tableThe table below displays 100 top citation sites and their Domain Authority. We have listed the exact number of countries per citation site in the table. Some of these sites serve dozens of countries, which is obviously too many to show in a table, so we’ve hidden the countries served in this display. It’s easy to see the sites that serve a particular country, though! Use the search box at the top right of the table to filter by country. The table will automatically filter the sites and remove any that are not applicable. Click here to see the full list of countries included. When searching, just enter the country name or standard abbreviation, e.g.
Search Help: Please note that you don’t have to press ‘Enter’ in the search box. The table will automatically update as you start typing, even if the change is a subtle one. Please Note: Citation sites listed here aren’t necessarily ones we can submit to using Citation Builder. Click here for more information. The post Top 100 Free International Citation Sites – Updated 2020 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2BOMID1 Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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