2020 has nearly come to an end (cue sighs of relief!) While this year presented many challenges, especially for local businesses, it also created the opportunity for triumph. Google My Business introduced more new features than ever, and we saw the good side of many organizations that strived to provide extra resources and relief to those in need. Although we may all be glad to see the back of what’s been a pretty hectic year, we’d be remiss not to look back on all the exciting things that have taken place. For us, it’s been a year filled with GMB news, updates, and changes, and we even had some laughs along the way too, (Four Season Total Landscaping anyone?) So, before we say “so long” to 2020 for good, we invite you to join us in reflecting upon the year in local search. What would a year in review be without GIFs? Keep your eyes peeled throughout and let us know how many TV shows or films you recognized in the comments below! JanuarySuffice to say, the year started out strongly, if not a little stressfully (when isn’t that the case for local SEOs?) We saw the introduction of new features in Apple Maps, as one of Google Maps’ biggest rivals strived to achieve feature parity through the introduction of “Collections”, real-time transit information, and indoor maps. Arguably, what shook the local SEO community more though, was news of a featured snippets shakeup. Originally spotted by Mark Barrera, it was later announced by Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan that sites ranking in a featured snippet position would no longer be able to rank with that same URL on the same page of SERPs. Sure, this is old news now (literally), but at the time it shook the local SEO community and raised a whole host of questions, such as “are featured snippets worth getting?” Here’s what local SEO Twitter had to say at the time:
FebruaryIn the month of Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, and of course, National Ukulele Day (yep, it’s a thing apparently!) local SEO news was uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps Google was recovering from the unprecedented excitement that the featured snippets shakeup caused? What we did notice, however, was a big change in the local SERP display for users in Europe. On February 21st, what’s known as the “find results carousel” was spotted across European SERPs. This new feature saw third-party directories such as Yelp, Yell, and Tripadvisor appear front and center in local search results, like so: At the time, there was some speculation that this update might have been Google’s response to the EU’s hefty antitrust fine. So far, this SERP feature has stayed firmly in Europe, but one BrightLocal reader did suggest they’d like to see it rolled out elsewhere:
MarchAs Spring rolled around, so too did the first effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on local businesses. While the month got off to a positive start with the launch of our very own Local Search Industry Survey, we were soon brought down to earth as Google announced the suspension of many of its most popular features. In a post published on Friday, March 20th, Google announced that it was temporarily disabling and limiting some key features in Google My Business.
Among the features suspended were: new reviews, review responses, Q&A, adding/claiming/verifying listings, and editing business information. At first, it’s safe to say that this came as a huge blow to local businesses, many of which were relying on new reviews to help tide them over and keep them front of mind in hopes that they’d be a top choice to customers when they reopened. (See the #5starchallenge below…)
Additionally, GMB Product Expert Jason Brown noted at the time that Google Posts were also “failing”, due to being disabled.
That said, GMB by no means left us high and dry. While some features were suspended, new ones were introduced, such as ‘mark this business as temporarily closed’.
AprilSadly, we’re now firmly into the Covid-19 territory of the year. As the impact of March’s news and local business closures worldwide continued to be felt, we reached out to our customers to see how they had been impacted. We don’t need to tell you, but at this point, the landscape was looking pretty bleak. Additionally, local marketers were now feeling the effects of nationwide business closures, with many of our respondents reporting losing clients and revenue. Despite these dark times, our poll respondents remained optimistic and full of insightful tips to help each other out. Just take a look at some of the responses we received:
Fortunately, things didn’t stay this way for too long. But it’s important to look back and see just how far we’ve all come despite the obstacles thrown our way. Here’s to the resilience that local businesses and marketers alike have shown this year! MayIn the month that we saw Google reviews begin to return (hooray!) Google My Business rolled out three new attributes for local businesses to take advantage of. Potentially another way to help local businesses bounce back amid difficult times, the attributes allowed local businesses to highlight how they were adapting and continuing to provide services with stay-at-home orders (and the like) in place. Tip: Check out Ben Fisher’s guide to setting your GMB attributes. As of May, businesses – namely restaurants – were able to specify whether or not they provided curbside pickup, no contact delivery, or dine-in. Sure, this may not have been the most exciting update of the year, but it provided a great deal of help to keep consumers informed and help to keep businesses in service! Plus, we were kept busy with news of the second broad core algorithm update of the year and high flux caused by a bug with Google. JuneAs June rolled around, along came more features provided by Google to help local businesses in a continually challenging time. In an attempt to help businesses speed up their recovery from the impact of Covid-19, several new features and support measures were introduced, including:
Since Google’s announcement in June, there hasn’t been a huge amount of chatter about these items. That said, this change definitely did signify the start of Google’s big push in getting consumers to shop local (see: the ‘Shop Local’ adverts airing in the UK right now). JulyRemember when local SEO expert and contributor Andrew Cock-Starkey predicted that Google My Business would introduce paid aspects in 2020? It may have seemed less likely to some at the time, but in July of this year we saw a pretty controversial test taking place on GMB profiles. On July 22nd, GMB Product Expert Tom Waddington spotted that GMB was offering the opportunity to upgrade your listing for $50 per month and get a coveted Google Guaranteed badge.
In what was arguably the biggest news of the year thus far, this news did not come as a welcome surprise to many… In fact, the controversial test sparked concern that this potential paid option would lead to businesses not worthy of ranking simply “buying” their way into the top slot.
Meanwhile, some thought that this option could give Google too much power:
That said, the reaction wasn’t all bad. This change did spark some thought that paid-for Google Guarantee profiles could help to reduce spam somewhat, which I’m sure we’d all agree would be welcome. AugustAfter lots (and lots, and lots…) of Covid-19 related-local SEO news, August finally brought with it some good old fashioned Google My Business news in the form of GMB’s direct edit. Interestingly though, this feature wasn’t entirely new. In 2017, Google announced that users would have the ability to edit their GMB listing without leaving search. In August 2020, we simply saw an update to this existing functionality. So now, without needing to login to the Google My Business site, GMB owners can do the following directly from search results:
While a version of this feature had existed for a while, news of the Direct Edit experience did seem to raise some concerns, such as “does the Direct Edit experience pose a threat to agencies?” It seemed that some feared this could lead to clients trying to make edits to their listing more frequently, as well as blurring the agency/client relationship line. Fortunately, any concerns were soon put to rest and seemed to blow over pretty quickly. SeptemberSeptember was yet another filled month for local SEO news, with the highly anticipated Local Search Ranking Factors survey being released by Whitespark. We also witnessed many changes to the fast-evolving Local Services Ads by Google. Google’s Local Services Ads have been around for a while now, and they continue to be a popular choice for local businesses to gain more paid exposure in SERPs. And if 2020 showed us anything, it’s that LSAs are showing no signs of slowing down. During September we saw two major changes to Google feature… Firstly, bidding was introduced to a select few beta testers. While LSAs had previously been available at flat sums — making them an affordable and accessible option to many SMBs — this news meant that LSAs became even more competitive. It’s safe to say that this news wasn’t welcomed with open arms by the local SEO community, who often found LSAs to be an affordable, low-maintenance way to help local businesses gain visibility. By some, the move to auction-based bidding seemed like Google prioritizing profit over user experience:
Soon after, LSAs were finally rolled out across Europe. Previously, the ad option had only been available to the US but as of September 2020 LSAs are now available to 10 countries throughout Europe: Germany, UK, France, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain. In 2020, it’s clear that Google’s been placing even more emphasis on LSAs, so keep your eyes peeled for yet more changes in 2021. OctoberIn the spookiest month of the year, yet more exciting GMB news emerged. Spotted by Sterling Sky’s Colan Nielsen, Google began beta testing ‘Preview Call History’ in the GMB dashboard. In the past year, call tracking has become even more popular and encouraged, with services like CallRail fast gaining popularity. And, although call tracking is important, it’s definitely a function that has caused some confusion in the past (Where does the call tracking go? Does it interfere with NAP? And so on.) So, the introduction of native call tracking (even if it does have limited reach) could be very much welcome. Regardless, it seems like this is very much early doors right now, but watch out for call history previews next year. NovemberAs if 2020 hadn’t been stressful enough, in November we had elections, holidays, and lots and lots of local ranking fluctuation. While November might have been a pretty quiet month for local SEO, there was one local business that took center stage, occupying headlines globally… Enter: Four Seasons Total Landscaping. The unsuspecting gardening firm based in Philadelphia made headlines when it was chosen to host a press conference by Donald Trump and his team on November 7th. Naturally, that’s not where the press conference was supposed to be hosted – but somewhere along the line it had gotten mixed up for the Four Seasons premier hotel chain. What might have been an awkward scheduling snafu for one ex-president was an absolute success story for this small business. Sure, it might have resulted in some negative GMB reviews (which have since been dealt with) but the press that Four Seasons Total Landscaping received was priceless.
And, as we know, press pays! According to Business Insider, the small gardening firm has made a whopping $1.3 million in merch sales alone. In what’s been a testing year, this piece of lighthearted news among tense times can surely be seen as a triumph for SMBs. DecemberWith the holiday season upon us and the end of year in sight (cue more sighs of relief) you’d think that local SEO news would take a day off and give us a rest, but alas! Always trying to keep us on our toes, Google rolled out its third and final broad core algorithm update of the year on December 3rd, leading to rankings flux and all-around stress from the local SEO community. Although the dust hasn’t quite settled yet, we can expect that (as always) there will be winners and losers from this algorithm update. In the meantime, all we can do is hold on to our hats and not make any drastic decisions before we know what’s changed (however tempted we may be!) Here’s to 2021!So, among everything else, it’s been yet another busy year for local SEO. But importantly, it’s heartening to know that in testing times the local SEO community, agencies and SMBs alike, are able to overcome the hurdles thrown their way. From all of us at BrightLocal, we sincerely hope that 2021 brings with it a brighter, better year for local businesses and marketers. No matter what, we’ll be here bringing you the latest news, guides, and support through it all. What was your favorite news item of the year? Let us know in the comments below! P.S. Want to test your local SEO news know-how from each month? Check out our Local Quizness series – the ultimate challenge for local SEO news lovers. The post The Year in Local Search – 2020 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2KzRo4g Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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As we approach Christmas, there seems to be no let-up in the fast pace of updates and tests in Google My Business. At BrightLocal, we may have been busy releasing a detailed piece of research, a complete guide to local SEO and an entire learning Academy, but that won’t stop us catching you up on the goings-on around Google My Business over the past month. Between official updates, rumored tests and new features, there’s a lot to cover, so strap in! Google launches Small Business Advisors programIn Mid-November, Google served up a new program designed to assist small businesses in the United States with their online marketing (using Google tools throughout, naturally). For $39.99 per session, a small business owner can discuss a maximum of two Google tools with an official advisor, and get the tips they need to perform better online using those tools. Wondering who’s eligible for the SBA program? Google says it’s specifically designed for business owners who:
The appointments last 50 minutes, are performed over screen-sharing, and are staffed by Google personnel who will perform pre-appointment research on your business. Users are encouraged to “share their goals” with Google in advance so that both parties can make the most of the session. Why is this important? While the program is not open for use by agencies, if your preferred client type is the very small business owner with limited marketing experience, there’s a chance they might be a little more informed the next time you speak to one. ‘Google Guaranteed’ badge comes to some Google Maps listings in new “experiment”Back in July, we reported that Google was testing an upgraded Google My Business profile for $50 per month. What these fifty bucks got you was a GMB profile that was verified by Google and included a ‘Google Guaranteed’ badge (previously only seen on Local Services Ads). According to Tom Waddington, who originally spotted that upgraded profiles were being offered to those outside the LSA program, those badges are now being seen out in the wild, in the local pack and in Google Maps listings, though Google has labeled this an “experiment.” Source: Tom Waddington In the test that Tom spotted, above the badge (and mention of Google screening) appeared in the Google Maps listing but not in the local pack or in the business’s LSA listings. Google appears to be A/B testing this placement, in the hope that more visibility will equal more adoption. Why is this important? Local Services Ads are a highly disruptive, and potentially very lucrative, listing type for Google – and one which has more recently hit the shores of the UK (see Tim Capper’s excellent guide on getting started). The fact that Google is testing more visibility of their Google Guaranteed badges suggests that the pay-to-play avenue, widely discussed this year and last, is one Google has no intention of turning off from. Google Local Packs show ‘X Years in Business’ labelInitially reported as a test in September by Search Engine Roundtable, the inclusion of an ‘X Years in Business’ label on Google My Business profiles seems to have more recently started properly rolling out to local packs. Source: Search Engine Roundtable As SER’s own Barry Schwartz himself showed above, the ‘opening date’ you set in your Google My Business has a chance of showing in the Google local pack. Others across Twitter soon started seeing these labels appearing for their clients and other businesses in the local pack, ranging from ‘<1 year in business’ right up to ’50+ years in business’. Why is this important? Business longevity is a big factor in consumer trust and reputation, and showcasing this as one of the few things you get to show potential customers in the local pack could be a big win for longstanding businesses. On the other hand, those fresh on the block might find themselves struggling without other strong signals such as average review rating. Google Maps launches ‘Community Feed’One of the biggest official announcements from Google over the last month was the launch of what it calls the ‘Community Feed’, ostensibly the next step in Google’s continuing attempt to socialise the local experience for businesses and users alike. Source: Google The new feed, available only in the Google Maps app, contains reviews and updates from users and businesses you follow, as well as reviews from Local Guides and posts from select local news sources and Google News. Google says that the feed is initially focused on highlighting posts from food and drink businesses, but wider usage could see this expand to live venues, community centers, and beyond, providing they’re using Google Posts to update followers and searchers on activities and promotions. Why is it important? While much of what’s available in the community feed already appears in Google Maps in some form or another, what should really stand out for local SEO agencies and local businesses is the potential much wider visibility of Google Posts, previously only visible on the business’s own profile. This new feed provides a very strong argument for investment in, and focus on, this part of the GMB experience. Google launches expanded messaging featuresHot on the heels of the Community Feed launch, Google provided details of an expansion to where you can respond to customer messages. Previously only available via the Google My Business app, the new functionality brings messaging to Google Maps (and, according to Google, soon to Google Search), provided you have the messaging functionality switched on in Google My Business. Google have been monitoring how consumers get in touch with businesses and say that, with the current pandemic, they’ve seen more people reaching out to businesses before making a trip outside:
It’s interesting to see Google think outside the app with this update, particularly in light of their move to bring more functionality to Google Search with the recent upgrades to the direct edit experience. It’s clear that there’s an intention to make Google Search the only place business owners (and consumers) need to go for all their online needs, particularly when coupled with the introduction of passage indexing and the rise of the zero-click search. Why is this important? Whereas before businesses could only to respond to messages via the Google My Business app, now anyone logged into the right Google My Business account can see and respond to messages in Google Maps and search. This brings added visibility on customer service performance for agencies, and could provide the opportunity to improve interactions with consultation, or even take over the role entirely. “Suggest an edit” process for Google My Business adds new optionsAfter moving the placement of “Suggest an edit” in Google My Business profiles a couple of times this year, Google has introduced a range of new options to this critical tool for spamfighters. First seen by Amy Toman in early December, this update makes it easier to select a reason for your edit, allows you to add photos to back up your case, and even does editors the courtesy of explaining that these photos will be posted “publicly under your name” as well as providing explanatory information that makes the process easier for first-timers, according to Amy.
Why is this important? Anyone who’s had to manage spamfighting for a client will know how critical the “Suggest an edit” feature is, and this new update makes the process a lot more user-friendly, hopefully allowing vigilant Google users to more easily set the record straight on those breaking Google’s business guidelines. On the other hand, though, this does make it easier for the same people to make malicious edits to your own page, so it’s critical that you get on top of these suggested edits as soon as they come in. Google Reviews test label highlighting reviews as “NEW”In a move that’s set to delight anyone trying to convince potential clients of the importance of online reviews, Google is testing the placement of a prominent label stating that a review is “NEW” in the reviews section of a GMB profile. This label is visible to searchers, and is not designed specifically to provide information to business owners. Source: Darcy Burk / Search Engine Roundtable It’s not known precisely what the cutoff point for recency is, but Darcy’s followup research strongly suggests that it’s around the 4-week mark.
At present this seems to be a test, but its rollout would make sense, given the importance of reviews to local search rankings. Let us know in the comments below if you start seeing this test in your reviews or reviews you manage! Why is this important? Our Local Consumer Review Survey this year showed that recency was the third most important factor of reviews for consumers (above even sentiment and quantity), and that 50% of consumers only pay attention to reviews left within the past two weeks. This new label test only reinforces that importance for both Google and consumers. It’s always been important to build a steady pipeline of good reviews, but this test really hammers that point home. Google My Business phone support returnsFinally, in a move that will be most welcome to businesses and agencies struggling with Google My Business during the pandemic (particularly in light of a spate of profile hijacking and an increase in suspensions), Google has reinstated its popular phone support option. Phone support was switched off early during the pandemic, and for quite some time users had to deal with using just email and social support (with differing levels of success). Now, as spotted by Ben Fisher, phone support has been reinstated. Why is this important? While social and email support have their ups and downs, and allow for easy sharing of screenshots, phone support is just far quicker and easier to use, and has long been missing from the Google My Business experience. This is the Christmas miracle many have been waiting for! Spotted a test? Have news of your own?If you’ve spotted something odd in the waters of Google My Business, Yelp, or anything else locally-focused, get in touch! We’re significantly upping our news game in 2021 and want you to be the focus when we report your discoveries to the world. We’re looking forward to hearing from you! In the meantime, if you’ve spotted any of the above tests in the wild, or have been using or affected by the above updates, drop a comment in the box below! The post Google My Business: New Features, Updates and Tests Roundup appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2WhaxKN Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ If you’ve stumbled upon this page in a bid to learn more about local SEO and local search marketing, then congrats! You’re in the right place. In this guide to local SEO, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of getting your business found in local search results, from online reviews to citations, local link building to content creation, and beyond. Read on to discover how local SEO can benefit your business, who local SEO is for, and how to execute the key tactics and strategies required to succeed in local search. The post Local SEO: The Complete Guide appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2Uvuf5E Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and are thrilled to announce the arrival of BrightLocal Academy; a free online school dedicated to teaching you all about local SEO. Built with busy professionals in mind, it will help you to:
The first course we’re launching is Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal which uses the power of interactive content to guide you through the theory of local SEO and shows you how to put its awesome powers into practice with confidence. So if you’re not sure where to start with BrightLocal, or want to uncover new insights in your data to improve results quicker, then this is the course for you! We’ve got some other great courses from industry experts in the works, too. Each will tackle a different aspect of local SEO so that the BrightLocal Academy will ultimately bring all the local search knowledge you need under one roof. How can I join?Whether you’re a BrightLocal customer or not, you can get access to the first course and be among the first to find out when new courses drop by enrolling for free. Here’s how… If you’re a BrightLocal customer, you can access the academy via your BrightLocal account. Simply login, click Learning Resources and select BrightLocal Academy from the dropdown menu that appears. You’ll be taken straight to your academy account page where you can enroll on the ‘Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal’ course. If you’re not a BrightLocal customer, you can enroll in BrightLocal Academy for free here. Want to know more?Check out the official BrightLocal Academy FAQs here:
If you have any questions of your own, feel free to get in touch with us or leave a comment below. We hope you find BrightLocal Academy useful, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts. The post Take Your Local SEO to the Next Level with New BrightLocal Academy appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2VZlj8a Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Every year, the Local Consumer Review Survey explores the ways in which local business customers use online reviews to choose, trust, and understand businesses offering services in their area. Since its inception in 2010, the report has aimed to help local businesses, consumers, and marketers understand the impact customer reviews can have on consumers, and see which trends change each year. Of course, 2020 was a year like no other, and it would be amiss to start this annual comparison without an acknowledgment that nothing was normal this year. On top of the usual statistics exploring star ratings, the number of reviews, and how local businesses are asking for reviews, we also asked consumers how Covid-19 impacted usage of online reviews and local businesses. This should give context to changing trends, as well as help readers understand how the ongoing effects of the pandemic may be impacting local businesses. Customer Review Trends 2020Reviews can be an incredibly useful tool for attracting new customers, not only through the psychological effect they have on the reader, but by boosting local rankings so that businesses are more likely to show up for searching consumers. How often consumers used the internet for local business information in 2020Over the decade of the Local Consumer Review Survey, we’ve tracked how consumers search for local businesses online every year.
Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, and other sites are always adding new features that help connect potential customers with nearby businesses, so it’s no surprise that consumers are becoming even more likely to search for local suppliers online. The proportion of consumers that read online reviews for local businessesOnline reviews are continuing to grow in importance, despite the obvious impact of Covid-19 on the local economy. 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020. This is an increase from 81% last year, 86% in 2018, and a huge increase from 67% back in 2010. However, while the overall number of consumers looking at local business reviews grew, there was a small dip in the proportion “always” looking. Whether this reflects a trend of some consumers checking reviews less frequently (perhaps in line with diminished demand for local businesses this year), or whether those that have just started reading reviews have joined the “occasionally” group, it’s hard to say! The devices consumers used in 2020 to read reviewsFor the first time, consumers seem to be favoring mobile devices over desktop when viewing reviews. 57% of consumers looked at reviews on a PC or Mac this year, down from 66% in 2019. But again, perhaps with the year we’ve had, this is not necessarily indicative of a lasting trend. Consumers that have seen work closures may have spent less time on desktop computers this year, or those working from home may not be as inclined to log on to a big screen in the evenings or weekends. The proportion of consumers reading reviews on a mobile browser grew a little, with 60% of consumers saying they had read reviews on mobile this year. Mobile review reading has seen steady growth over the last few years as consumers are given more features to aid their local business searches that aren’t available on other devices – whether they’re on the move or not. The Impact of Covid-19 on Local BusinessesWith Covid-19 shuttering many local businesses across the world, consumers were forced to choose businesses in different ways. Feeling able to trust a local business became more important than ever – with online reviews playing a key role in whether some consumers felt safe enough to use a business. Back at the beginning of April, we asked BrightLocal users how the virus was impacting local businesses and marketers. In this, we heard how many local businesses were losing customers, pausing marketing, or having to temporarily close – so it’s no surprise that behavior among consumers saw changes in 2020.
Local Search and Covid-19Among the US consumers in this study, it is clear that there is no universal outcome for how consumers were impacted by Covid-19, with people undoubtedly having vastly different experiences based on how the pandemic is affecting their town. 37% searched for fewer local businesses online due to the pandemic, which is to be expected in areas where many businesses had to close. However, a further 28% of consumers searched online for more businesses than they would in a ‘normal’ year. Many customers undoubtedly wished to find out which businesses were open nearby, which had additional measures in place such as curbside delivery, and if the businesses that were open had sufficient measures in place to help the customer feel comfortable visiting or having the business come to their home or business. Online reviews and Covid-19It’s a similar story in reviews. Covid-19 caused 34% of consumers to read fewer reviews than a ‘normal’ year, while 31% read more reviews. With Google temporarily stopping new reviews between March and May, Google reviews may have been a little less used in this time, as there were fewer fresh reviews to read – not to mention lower demand for businesses in the first place. A quarter (23%) said that they had chosen not to use a business as it didn’t have health and safety measures – showing that customers really do take the content of reviews to heart. And it’s not just how consumers read reviews that changed during the pandemic. 17% of consumers said they had written negative reviews for businesses that did not have health and safety measures in place for Covid-19. Those not taking steps to make consumers feel safe could be opening themselves up to negative reviews that could impact consumer opinion long past the peak of the pandemic. But it’s not all bad news. 22% wrote customer reviews to support struggling local businesses. With Google adopting a high-budget advertising campaign in the UK urging consumers to support local businesses, Google’s message has been to encourage local reviews, so it’s great to see this echoed in consumer action. How Reviews Impact BehaviorReviews play a key role in helping consumers to feel able to trust a business. Online reviews are an incredibly useful tool in influencing opinions, with many potential customers making decisions on whether to use or avoid a business before ever getting in touch with them. Companies with a poor review profile could be denying themselves a vast number of new leads without ever knowing a consumer considered them. Negative reviews can have a significant impact on consumer behavior, making 76% of consumers less likely to use a business. Of course, negative reviews can happen. Maybe your team is just having an off day, or a reviewer is proving particularly hard to please? One negative review is unlikely to completely ruin your chances in local search, though, so don’t fret too much at the occasional one-star rating. However, if a business receives frequent poor feedback, or bad reviews are showing up among their most recent reviews, they could be risking a lot of potential business. Negative reviews can’t be the sole reason a company fails, but now that consumers have better tools that show them what sort of service to expect, they are better knowing which businesses to avoid. You’ll likely have heard that unhappy customers tell 9-10 people about their experience – a statistic based on a study of Coca-Cola customers in the 1970s. Now, with reviews being so well-trusted and accessible, local businesses must be aware that one poor experience could have a far wider effect than ever before. An average local business’s Google My Business listing is viewed 1,260 times each month, meaning that a negative set of reviews could have a huge impact.
Positive reviews also have a big impact on consumers, with 82% of consumers saying positive reviews make them more likely to use a business. Reviews with a high star rating or a positive sentiment have a significant impact on consumers’ decisions to use a business, so it’s vitally important to ensure your reviews are in top shape. What consumers do after reading a positive review for a local business
Since our 2019 report, how consumers behave after reading positive reviews hasn’t changed drastically – they’re still most likely to turn to the business’s website next. While some consumers may opt to visit or contact the business immediately after being dazzled by their reviews, it’s still important that businesses have a working website to back up their brilliance. Whether consumers are looking for more information on the services or products a local business offers, to find out pricing, or merely ways to contact or book time, the website needs to carefully match what potential customers may need. How different industries use customer reviews
Click Next on the table above to see more industries. To avoid lesser-used services such as senior living services or photographers being unfairly skewed, the data in the final column only looks at consumers that have ever seen reviews in this industry. The industries for which reviews are most viewed
Different industries see vastly different proportions of consumers using reviews when choosing a business, with some not being as universally needed (such as wedding services or childcare services). Some industries for which consumers are highly likely to view reviews are restaurants, hotels, and clothing stores – all of which are used fairly frequently, and have broad appeal. Medical and automotive businesses also see a high proportion of consumers reading reviews. This makes sense, because every American may need a healthcare professional at some point, and 93% of American households have access to a car. The industries for which reviews are most important
Reviews for medical and automotive businesses are also very important to consumers when choosing a business, likely due to the higher stakes involved in picking a trustworthy provider for you, or your vehicle’s health. Likewise, reviews play a key role in whether consumers feel able to trust a dentist.
Interestingly, ‘pubs and bars’ is the industry that consumers are least likely to think reviews are important for. While these are highly-frequented businesses, I must admit that I can’t think of a time I’ve ever looked at a review for a pub – instead relying on what’s recommended by friends, or merely what’s nearby! What Review Readers Care AboutAs we’ve seen above, there are many ways for consumers to view reviews. When it comes to individual aspects of reviews, such as recency and sentiment, there are plenty of factors that could cost local businesses customers if not focused on. The review factors consumers care most aboutTo note, this year we asked consumers to rate the importance of the above factors, and the above data reflects those that said a factor was ‘fairly important’ or ‘very important’. In previous years, respondents were only asked to pick factors they believe are important.
Interestingly, the recency of a review was considered less important to this year’s respondents than last year’s, who deemed it the most important factor. While this may be down to the slight change to the question this year, perhaps recency has become a little less important in line with a different demand for businesses in this ‘new normal’. But, with 80% of consumers seeing recency as an important feature of reviews when choosing a business, it’s by no means something to ignore! This year, we asked respondents whether it is important for a business to be on multiple review sites. 72% said yes – meaning it’s crucial to spread your reviews across all of the places your potential customers may be looking. Start by finding the sites your competitors are listed on, and ensure you have a full and positive profile on both general and industry-specific sites. The star rating that local businesses needMany a marketer will be familiar with the question from clients: “What star rating do I need?” But, as with any good local marketing question, the answer is, of course, “it depends.” We know there’s a huge difference between a 4 and 5-star rating in the eyes of consumers, so this year, we included half-star options to try to better fit consumer expectations. We found that 12% of consumers will only use a business with a perfect 5 stars.
How recent reviews need to beThe recency of reviews can have a big impact on whether or not a consumer chooses a business, but different people have differing ideas about how recent reviews need to be. 86% of consumers say they only look at reviews from the past three months, while a huge 73% say customer reviews must be from the last month to influence their choice to use a local business, up from last year (69%). And, a whopping 50% only take into account reviews from the past two weeks. This means that older reviews may get less of a look in among consumers, and have diminishing returns as time goes on. While older reviews aren’t completely worthless (to readers or search engines), if consumers do not see any recently posted reviews, they may not trust that their experience would match the reviewer’s. Local businesses should aim to get a steady stream of reviews over time – rather than making a big push and then forgetting to ask for further reviews later down the line. How many online reviews customers read before trusting a businessFor the third year running, we’ve found that the average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business. Local marketers should therefore make sure the 10 visible reviews on each key review site are indicative of the business experience they want to portray, and make sure these have been responded to, in order to maximize the chances of impressing potential leads. But, remember this is an average. 20% read more than 10 reviews, with 8% reading more than 20, so it may be worth scrolling back a little further if you want to appeal to everyone! Which sites consumers use to find local business information
Respondents were asked which of the above five sites they had used in 2020 to find information about a local business – whether that was reading reviews, or finding additional information such as opening hours, contact options, and how to book. Google reigns supreme, with 63% of respondents saying they’d used the site this year. With Google receiving 88% of search engine market share, Google My Business results for local searches can be hard for consumers to miss. Operating directly from the SERP, Google My Business adds new features for consumers all the time, from the new community feed, to additional features aimed at helping consumers understand the Covid-19 measures businesses are taking. In second place is Facebook, which, despite deviating from the norm of review star ratings in favor of recommendations, still plays a key role in connecting local businesses and potential customers. However, when we come to consider how much consumers trust reviews on each site (as you’ll see below), Facebook is actually the least trusted. In fact, more consumers distrust Facebook reviews than actually use it for local business reviews – indicating that many have turned away from the social media giant in favor of other sites.
How consumers trust reviews on each key siteThe Better Business Bureau (BBB) prides itself on being a trustworthy source of information on businesses. According to the BBB’s own research, there was a 97% increase in business profile searches year-on-year. While this was actually the least used site for local business information among our respondents, it is actually seen as the most trustworthy source of reviews – despite the number of reviews generally being lower than on other sites. Though BBB ratings aren’t a local ranking factor, they are widely seen as a source of truth – and less easy to manipulate than some other sites. This is because, as part of the reviews process, BBB first confirms that a marketplace interaction took place between the reviewer and the business, then BBB gives the business an opportunity to respond to the review.
In 2020, there has been an abundance of articles discussing fake reviews on Amazon in the British press, so it seems surprising that US consumers are far more trusting than I am. If you have any theories on why Amazon may be more trusted than local sites, please let me know in the comments! It’s also interesting to see that 60% of consumers trust reviews on the company website. In this question, we purposefully didn’t differentiate between a website showcasing reviews from third-party sources and first-party reviews created and displayed by the business itself. This could have had an impact on whether consumers said they were able to trust reviews displayed on the website. The types of local business review sites consumers useAlthough we’ve mainly focused on the key general review sites in the survey so far, there are many niche review sites worth building a presence on, too, we asked respondents about these in the question above. We found that, in addition to the 80% of consumers that look at general review sites, 33% also use industry-specific sites such as Healthgrades, Avvo, and Booking.com. The prevalence of fake reviewsAs was shown earlier in this report, perceived ‘legitimacy’ plays a big part in what consumers consider when reading reviews. It’s no surprise, then, that we also found that fake reviews remain a key issue in the world of local marketing: 80% of consumers believe they’ve read a fake review in the last year, with 33% saying they’d spotted multiple. This is actually a small drop from last year’s 82% believing they’d read a fake review, though that doesn’t necessarily mean there are fewer around. Fake reviews might be better hidden, or consumers may have been behaving a little unusually this year, so stay vigilant!
Responding to ReviewsOver the last few years of running this survey, we’ve been tracking how important it is for local businesses to respond to reviews they receive. But for the first time, this year we asked respondents how quickly they believe reviews need to be responded to. How many consumers read responses to reviewsWhen looking at consumers that read online reviews for local businesses, 96% also read businesses’ responses to their reviews – with 40% saying they ‘always’ read the responses.
But, don’t be tempted to create a one-size-fits-all message to reply to every review. 70% would be put off if a business responded to a review with a templated response. Listen to feedback, address any issues publicly and professionally, and be sure to give your side of the story. It’s always important to remember that responses could impact a potential customer’s behavior, so keep it clean! How many consumers receive responses to reviewsDespite review responses clearly being an important decision-making factor for consumers, review responses are by no means as widespread as they could be: among consumers that have written a local business review, 77% recall receiving a response to their review. Pleasingly, this is up from 72% last year – suggesting that more businesses are taking responsibility for responses. But it’s not all good news, as fewer people received a response to every review (35%, down from 40% in 2019). There is still a way to go to ensure all consumers feel listened to – and the first step for businesses is to closely monitor reviews across every review site, and respond to as many as possible. How quickly consumers expect reviews to be responded toSo, we’ve shown that responding to reviews is important, but how quickly are consumers expecting responses? Of course, it varies from consumer to consumer, with 9% saying they don’t expect a response, and a further 5% saying they have no expected timeframe. At the other end of the scale, though, we can see that the majority of reviewers expect responses quickly, so there’s no time to waste when responding to reviews! 20% expect a response within a day, while only 39% would be happy to wait for more than three days. Just 24% have timeframe expectations of two weeks or longer, meaning those that only schedule in time to respond on an irregular basis may be causing damage to their customers’ perceptions of their businesses. Writing ReviewsBack when I took over the Local Consumer Review Survey in 2017, I assumed that consumers would be far more likely to write negative reviews than positive ones. However, this is not the case – with consumers being far more driven to leave feedback for positive experiences. In fact, in 2020, the proportion of consumers that have written a positive review outnumbers negative reviewers nearly two to one! With more review sites prompting consumers to write reviews for businesses they’ve used (as we’ll come on to below), consumers find themselves reviewing businesses they might not have previously considered writing reviews for. The trend of businesses asking for reviews has the impact of ‘normalizing’ the act of giving reviews: a win-win for everybody! How many consumers have written a review for a local businessWhile reading reviews is now commonplace, the number of consumers actively writing reviews is lower (though growing): 72% of US consumers have written a review for a local business – a notable increase from 66% in 2019. Among these, 63% say they have written a review for a positive experience, up from 60% last year. The biggest increase we’ve seen is among consumers who have written negative reviews – growing from 25% in 2019 to 32% this year. This increase could be partially down to consumers that have written negative reviews as a result of Covid-19 health and safety. Looking beyond those that have already written a customer review, we can see that 88% of consumers would consider writing a review for a local business. Just 12% say they never would – though this is a little lower than last year, so perhaps minds can be changed! Asking for ReviewsGetting more reviews can feel like an uphill struggle, but the secret is very simple: you just have to ask! In this survey, we found that 73% of consumers have been asked to write a review for a local business – up from 67% in 2019, and 68% in 2018 – illustrating the growth in business owners requesting feedback. We can see that just asking for a review can have a big impact on whether a customer writes one, as 72% of those that were asked to write a review went on to do so. It’s worth noting, though, that consumers may have received multiple requests for reviews, and may not necessarily go on to write a review every time.
How Consumers Have Been Asked for Reviews
From in-store signage to electronic receipt, there are many ways for local businesses to ask for an online review. We asked consumers in which ways they recalled being asked for a local business review, and you can see that there are varying levels of recognition. In many cases, it may be that few local businesses are employing this tactic, but it could also indicate that consumers may be more likely to remember an in-person or email request than they are to spot in-store signage or review devices. How Many Consumers Are Offered Incentives to Write ReviewsIn addition, we asked respondents if they had been asked to write a review in exchange for a discount (12% said yes), for cash (9%), or for a gift / free services (8%). This is against many review sites’ guidelines and should be avoided if you don’t want to invoke the wrath of Google, Yelp, or others. Offering freebies or discounts in exchange for positive reviews can make a business’s online reputation seem untrustworthy, and could put off potential customers that become aware of the request. Stick to asking customers for feedback in legitimate ways. In SummaryOnline reviews in 2020 were largely dominated by the impact of Covid-19, with many looking to customer reviews to help feel safe to visit a business, while others may have used fewer local businesses than in a usual year. But, despite the strange set of circumstances, online reviews remain a vital source in connecting local businesses and possible customers. The vast majority of consumers look to online reviews to help choose a nearby business, and with high expectations for star ratings, the number of reviews, and a presence on multiple review sites, this isn’t a channel businesses can safely ignore. And as we move to 2021, we expect reviews to be more important than ever to local businesses. Online reviews present a great opportunity to attract potential customers, improve local rankings, and tell your side of the story. Every business should be closely watching their online reviews, and responding quickly to feedback – good and bad. We’d love to hear your predictions for what could change in the world of online reviews over the next year – let us know your thoughts in the comment section. MethodologyThe 2020 Local Consumer Review Survey explores trends in online reviews for local businesses over the past year. It is based on the key SEO and local business reviews seen throughout the year to provide local marketers the information needed to maximize the impact of their online reputation management. The statistics and findings are focused on local business reviews on sites such as Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Yelp etc. Based on the views of a representative sample of 1,013 US-based consumers, the Local Consumer Review Survey was conducted in November 2020 with an independent consumer panel. Age group breakdowns are representative of those in the US population. In order to provide a better understanding of those that use reviews during a purchasing decision, consumers that said they do not read online reviews were not asked questions around their review behavior. Publishers are welcome to use the charts and data, crediting BrightLocal and linking to this URL. If you have any questions about the report, please get in touch with the content team, or leave a comment below. Thanks for reading this year’s Local Consumer Review Survey! The post Local Consumer Review Survey 2020 appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/2yRLh1O Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ It’s time for the last Local Quizness of the year! Every month, we pay close attention to all of the new features, bugs, and trends affecting local marketers – so you don’t have to. Answer 10 quick questions to find out if you spotted some of the biggest stories in local SEO from November, and catch up on any you might have missed in the complete reading list below. Only the most vigilant local news-readers can score more than 6/10 – try your luck, and share with your colleagues and peers to find out who’s the highest scorer! Refresh your memory with all the news below, and don’t forget to share your score on Twitter using #LocalQuizness.
We hope you enjoyed this month’s Local Quizness. We’ll be back in the New Year with another challenge! The post Local Quizness December 2020 – Put Your News Knowledge to the Test! appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3qlEVS1 Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ If you’re looking for information on how to add your business to Cylex or claim an existing listing on the Cylex business directory, you’ve come to the right place! This guide to adding or claiming your Cylex business listing focuses on Cylex US, but for the most part, the process is the same wherever you are, whether that’s cylex-canada.ca, cylex-uk-.co.uk, or cylex-australia.com. You can see at Cylex’s worldwide directories here. Ready for our step-by-step guides to getting a Cylex business listing? Here we go! If you have lots of citations to submit to Cylex or any other business directory, check out BrightLocal’s incredibly popular Citation Builder service, the pain-free way to get accurate listings set up or cleaned without the hassle of recurring fees. The post How to Add or Claim Your Cylex Business Listing appeared first on BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/39K6YVB Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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