Oh boy, here we go. Google I/O is one of Google’s big opportunities to make announcements. And, while it is often used to announce upgrades to tech (like the new Pixel phone), this year had some bigger announcements that will undoubtedly affect search and local business discovery. Unsurprisingly, these announcements centered around AI. Yup, it’s the bots again. It’s worth noting, though, that there were a couple of other things announced that weren’t specifically AI, but could be important to local marketers across the planet (starting in the USA, as is often the case). In this piece, we’ll cover everything you need to have on your radar. The Key Takeaways from Google I/O – May 2023
There’s a New Google Generative Search ExperienceUndoubtedly the biggest change for businesses and marketers is the integration of generative AI into the search experience. It’s powered by PaLM2, the Large Language Model underpinning Google’s AI efforts. While they’d been toying with Google Bard’s generative qualities, they were also developing this search experience. Previously: Google Announced Bard Crucially, it’s a generative AI that’s been specifically designed for search. It’s not just “Google Bard but in the SERPs”. Bard was designed as a showcase of logic learning machine (LLM) technology. What was announced yesterday is an entirely new approach to search. This new integration has been called Search Generative Experience, or SGE (yup, that’s another acronym you’ll need to learn; I’m sorry). It’s their direct rival to BingGPT, and it’s going to shake up how people can use search. Or at least, that’s what Google is saying. The goal appears to be to allow people to make granular searches, right off the bat, which could change the traditional search journey. A couple of key examples of what this means were highlighted in the talk. Google AI Search for E-Commerce and BeyondThe first was a more traditional e-commerce search, for dresses. It showed that, rather than doing a series of broad searches to answer a complex question, you could just do all of it at once. It then showed a slightly more local example, which we’ll come to shortly. Basically, rather than searching for each of these individually… e.g.
…they’re saying you’ll be able to do all of that in one giant, long-tail search and receive granular answers. i.e. “what’s better for a family with kids under 3 and a dog, bryce canyon or arches national park” Then you can then make it more granular with the click of a button. Whether that’s a ‘ask a follow-up question’ or selecting one of the suggested questions they offer up. As you can see, this is displayed front-and-center at the top of the SERPs. Although for anyone worrying that Google won’t want to take your money anymore, Google has confirmed that ads will still be displayed up there, too. Currently, there’s a waitlist in the US for the SGE that will eventually be rolled out to everyone. Google AI Search and Local Business DiscoveryAs ever with a lot of these announcements, Google used a couple of local search examples to highlight how it can look in those instances. Hospitality is always an example they jump to, as it has such broad appeal, and this time it really highlights how it could affect more local searches when consumers have a strong idea of what they are after. Here’s an example of them asking SGE to ‘compare two lunch spots near me that are good for big groups’ As you can see from what we’ve highlighted on that SERP, it surfaces key information from a business’s Google Business Profile, like reviews and particular dishes, as well as overall cost. Not only that, it’s letting people directly compare a couple of institutions. This is something that the traditional Local Pack did ambiguously. It showed you all that information but it wasn’t saying “Here’s how they compare, side by side”. With the generative aspect of the search, it also lets you dig even deeper. So if you wanted to add a specific business to this comparison, you can do that, as shown in the follow-up question above. And, if you wanted to search by a specific dish, somewhere that was good for groups or, by the looks of it, somewhere that just matches your vibe, you’ll probably be able to do that. Basically, the context is carried over each time you ask a question within this conversation. Google Has Learned, and Added Citations and Links to PublishersOne of the big annoyances (and concerns) that many people had about Google Bard was the lack of citations for their informational source. (For once, we aren’t talking about local citations, either.) For those that weren’t aware, Google Bard didn’t provide sources or links for any of the information it surfaced. The good news is that SGE absolutely does. Not only does it provide sources in the immediate SERP, as highlighted above, but there’s an option to ‘Toggle Deeper’ in the top right of the screen. This should help reassure people that a zero-click apocalypse is slightly further off than people feared. And it highlights that creating content will still be useful, as Google will be highlighting where they got the information, even if it then merges it in the SERP. It does still mean that zero-click searches will likely increase though, and even if you rank first you could still be a long way down the organic page due to all the non-traditional content.
Google Is Being CarefulUnsurprisingly, as the international mood around generative AI is yet to settle, Google is perhaps wary of a backlash, or of people making potentially risky decisions based on an answer generated by its own AI. This means there are certain types of questions that you can’t ask in SGE. Google has discussed responsibility at length in their documentation on SGE (which you can find here). But a quick snapshot of the kinds of things they aren’t allowing currently includes anything they deem as “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) content such as financial and health advice, which they touch on in the previously linked document. At the very least, if they are unsure about the safety or accuracy of something, they will include a disclaimer. Things you currently can’t ask SGE include explicit or dangerous topics, i.e. self-harm (where they’ll surface helplines instead) and medical advice queries, where a disclaimer will be displayed. The SGE Includes Vertical SearchWhile not specific to all local businesses, the inclusion of vertical search is an interesting one for anyone that offers e-commerce capabilities. Essentially, SGE will be able to include Vertical searches like Google Shopping and pull large lists of information that could help users find the right products for them that are available in real-time.
Reminder: SGE and Bard Are Two Different ToolsEssentially, SGE is Google’s attempt at catching up with Microsoft and OpenAI’s BingGPT, in order to offer generative AI within search. Bard, on the other hand, will be a completely separate thing, and be used more for content creation than search, in the same way that ChatGPT, which can do anything from writing scripts (and causing Hollywood writers to, quite rightly, strike) to website code. To summarise, then:
The above isn’t exclusive, but it should help us define their uses a little better, especially as we’re still in the relatively early days of generative AI being a popular thing and things are likely to get a lot more complicated still. If there’s a lot of goodwill behind Google on this, there’s a chance that SGE could nip that sudden increased market share Bing saw for a couple of months in the bud.
Google Maps Got in on the Action“What about Google Maps??” I hear you cry. Well, that got a little love, too. Not quite at the same level, with a lot of these updates being a bit smaller, but there are a few things to be aware of. There’s Now an Integration for Maps in Google BardWhile SGE and Google Bard are different things, people will still undoubtedly use Bard to perform some searches. The good news for local SEOs and businesses is that they’ve announced an integration to display Google Maps within the conversation on Bard. Here’s a screenshot of this captured by the good folks at Search Engine Land (excuse the low res image): As you can see, though, we’re not having quite so much luck over in BrightLocal HQ yet… Ah, well. As the (other) bard once wrote, “To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.“ Aerial View Offers an Immersive ExperienceWhile this won’t change the game right away, they’re something that some businesses may want to keep an eye on when it comes to their presence on Google Maps. They include:
These updates offer businesses new opportunities to try and stand out from the crowd in Google Maps. Everything Else Announced, From ‘About This Image’ to ‘Perspectives’Okay, deep breath, you’ve already taken in a lot of information, but there’s more to come. These ones may not require you to put so much thought into them at this stage, but are things you should keep an eye on. About This ImageIn its quest for accuracy and fight against misinformation, Google has introduced a new tool to add context to images. It will give you information on the following:
It’s also worth noting that they added a markup for AI-generated images that will appear in the original file when they are created through their platform. PerspectivesThis is something Google actually started testing a little while ago and was live in some places from March. However, it’s only now that they’ve officially announced it. It will highlight long-form written posts, videos, images, and even social media posts to help give people a diverse range of perspectives. It’s been added as part of Google’s desire to offer users better ways to understand a specific topic. The Helpful Content System is Getting an(other) UpdateSince the initial rollout of the Helpful Content Update last year, Google has made some updates. This next one is apparently to help surface content that Google sees as ‘hidden gems’ by focusing on individual contributors’ experience and expertise. This sounds like a boosting of the much-discussed E-E-A-T ranking signals, but it will be nonetheless interesting to see what that actually means. What do you need to do now?Right now, there’s not a lot you can do. For starters, this is all rolling out in the US first. Some of it, like the aerial views and Perspectives, is live and available to play around with. However, for the SGE you’ll need to wait a little longer to truly see it live and in action, regardless of where you are. If you’re in the US you can request to join the waiting list for Google Search Labs, which will give you access to play around with the new SGE before it goes live. Want more news like this direct to your inbox? Sign up to the BrightLocal Digest for a regular dose of local SEO news and insights. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/Rwih5Nl Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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Since it began in 1912, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has been one of the go-to resources for determining a business’s performance and trustworthiness. For instance, if you’re looking for a new software provider or a local hairdresser you might check out the BBB profiles of businesses you’re considering for added assurance. Businesses are required to meet and maintain certain qualifications to be accredited by the BBB. However, you can still list your business on their site even before you apply for accreditation. These listings can be done for free, unlike accreditation, which is a paid service. Here’s how. Adding a Brand New ListingDepending on if you’re adding a single business or a multi-location business, you’ll need to approach this process slightly differently. Both are outlined below. How to Add a Single Business ListingStep 1: Search for your business
Step 2: Add your business details
Step 3: Submit and verify your business details
Please be aware that BBB representatives may call the business to verify the information provided before publishing the listing. How to Add a Multi-location Business ListingIf your business operates under a parent location/headquarters with multiple locations instead of individual locations with separate owners, these need to be listed under the same profile. On BBB, all locations will be linked to the main HQ page. The profile will indicate this is a multi-location business with a specific tag. It will offer the option to see all locations linked to the main page via the “Find Locations” function. The “Find Locations” function on the profile will only display the list of all locations you can scroll through. Unfortunately, these can’t be viewed via separate URLs. If you would like to submit multiple locations for the business under the same brand name, you need to set up a listing for the primary location first. Step 1: Set up a listing for the primary location
Step 2: Send details of other locations to BBB representatives
How to Claim an Existing PageTo claim an existing page, you need to have a BBB.org account. To register for an account, you first need to set your location. This is because each US state has its own local BBB office responsible for business profiles operating there. Step 1: Set your location
Step 2: Create an account
Searching For an Existing Business PageStep 1: Search for your business
Step 2: Claim your business
How to Get HelpThe easiest way to resolve any issues with existing profiles on BBB.org is to contact their support team. However, keep in mind that BBB reps will always want to speak with the business owner or an authorized representative. If you contact them from an email that does not match the business website domain, they will ask you to prove your affiliation with the business. This can be done by providing the relevant paperwork or getting the business owner to confirm that you can work on their locations. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/hto62Km Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Competitive analysis is an integral part of any marketing campaign because it keeps your business ahead of your competition and allows you to maintain a consistent web presence. For local SEO, the competitive analysis aims at helping your business to get found in Google Maps as well as Google Organic, when search intent is locally driven. It will form part of the initial discovery phase of your local SEO project, but it should be something you keep doing. In this guide, we’re going to help you understand what local competitor analysis is, then cover how you can go about doing it to get ahead of your competition. What is Local SEO Competitor Analysis?Local competitor analysis includes all businesses that rank for your target (local) keywords in maps and organic results (including the local pack). For local SEO, the main goal of a competitor analysis is to identify why your local competitors are ranking high in the local pack, Google Maps, and Google local organic. Then, once you’ve identified who is ranking and how, you can see how to capture those opportunities yourself. Additionally (and simultaneously), any competitive analysis should be used for other important purposes:
How to Determine Your Local CompetitorsIt isn’t as simple as looking out the window at the business down the street, discovering your local competitors can take a little more effort. You shouldn’t assume you already know who your competitors are, as the businesses that compete online could be different to the ones you see on your street. Start with Local Keyword ResearchThe first step to determining your local competitors is knowing your keywords. I did a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to research your local keywords, in case you need a kickstart. Those are search queries people are using to find products or services your business is selling. Here we are going to deal with three search engine results page (SERP) sections:
Once You Know What to Search, Search GoogleYour first step to identifying your local competitors is searching Google using your target keywords. If you reside in your target location, Google will personalize results based on the (precise) location, so you will likely see similar results to what your target customers will. Additionally, you can never be sure what exactly your target audience will see when searching for those keywords:
Still, this is the best first step we can get, so start making a list of businesses you have found in search results with notes:
For organic competitors, to make this step easier, turn off Google’s infinite scroll and use this browser plugin for it to pull plain-text URLs of ranking pages and number search results. Obviously, ignore directory results (like Yelp or Tripadvisor) or note them elsewhere: These are marketing opportunities rather than competitors. I also tend to limit my organic competitors to about 5-10 URLs per keyword. After all, local SEO is mostly about showing up on maps. Organic competitors are not that important. It will be more obvious why we even need them in future steps. Top tip: Try a free location changer to check search results elsewhere If you are an agency doing this research that’s nowhere near the business, you can use a free tool like BrightLocal’s Local Search Results Checker to spoof your location. Another option is you can spoof your client’s location with a plugin like GS Location Changer which is a Google Chrome and Firefox extension. These tools will help you find more localized results based on a street address, so spend some time changing its settings. BrightLocal’s Competitor Analysis ToolsWhether you are using third-party competitor analysis tools or not, searching Google is a useful exercise because it gives you first-hand experience of buying journeys your target customers would have. You’ll get to interact with search results the way your customers are. BrightLocal’s Local SEO tools let you identify your local competitors using Google Business Profile Audit and compare them using a handy dashboard. BrightLocal uses your business location and type to identify the competitors which are showing up in the local pack and/or Google Maps for the search terms and search the location you’ve chosen: It is a nice way to verify your own list you created by searching Google and expanding it by finding more competitors. Not only that but BrightLocal’s Local Search Grid offers incredible ways to perform competitor analysis. Watch: BrightLocal Webinar – Live Google Business Profile Audit with Colan Nielsen Create Your SpreadsheetAssuming you are using at least two data sources, your spreadsheet will include a lot of labels, and you will be scrolling back and forth to find overlapping businesses that were able to rank for multiple queries, and even show up in organic search. To find competitors which are ranking for several keywords, sort your results by the first column. This is where you can calculate the “overlaps”, i.e. domains that show up for many keywords and in many SERP sections. Obviously, this spreadsheet will take some time to build. I suggest starting with 3-5 keywords at most. Once you have gone through the first batch of your competitors, you will be able to run more keywords and expand your list of competitors. Template: Want a headstart? Grab a competitor analysis spreadsheet template. Just ‘make a copy’. Analyzing Your Local CompetitorsCompare Google Business ProfilesGoogle Business Profiles (GBP) include more than many people think. Take some time browsing your competitors’ profiles and note anything extraordinary or worthy of attention:
Look through each profile carefully and note as much as you can. Tools like GBP Audit have much of that noted for you, so you can complete your task much quicker: Analyze on-site landing pagesOn-page signals are known to contribute to local rankings but here I suggest prioritizing pages that also rank in organic search. These are definitely competitors that are doing something right A tool like WebCEO’s SEO content assistant tool is the quickest way to compare your landing page to your competitors’ pages and identify what is missing: Schema analysis is another useful step here. Run your competitors’ pages through the Schema validator and note in your spreadsheet if they are using local schema, and add comments if the schema looks detailed. This is useful for finding any possible correlation between higher rankings and on-page optimization tactics. Note Conversion FunnelsThis is not part of a traditional SEO audit but being able to engage and convert customers is crucial for maintaining consistent organic visibility. Look through each competitor’s landing page noting if there’s any conversion optimization tactic to steal and experiment with:
There may be many more customer engagement methods your competitors are using, and you can never tell whether any of those is effective. But it is important to be aware of all of them, as many of your customers may expect certain customer support options from you based on what they experience on your competitors’ sites. Analyzing your competitors’ technology is important to keep yours innovating as well, so record everything noteworthy to research later. Audit Local CitationsLocal citation analysis is an essential part of any competitive analysis because local citations impact rankings. Google also relies on external citations to identify if a local business is trustworthy and if there are any red flags (e.g. customer review manipulation). You can grab your competitor’s brand name or address and search it in Google to identify their major citation sources (and rankings). You can use tools, like Local Citation Tracker, to make this step easier by grabbing and organizing your and your competitors’ citations for your further review: Review their Backlink ProfilesBacklinks are powerful organic search ranking factors but it is always a good idea to check how your competitors are generating backlinks and what they are doing to build links from local publications, blogs, and communities. Competitive backlink monitoring can help you enhance your own link-building strategy as well as build some local connections which may uncover new business opportunities for you and your brand. SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush can help here. Both tools allow you to filter backlinks by a keyword in a domain or anchor text, so you can quickly find links from local publications: Start Monitoring Your Local Competitor’s RankingsWhile identifying and analyzing your local competitors can be done manually, for monitoring their positions you’ll likely need a standalone dashboard because it will hardly be possible to do manual searches on a regular basis, especially if you target more than one search query and more than a single location. This is where BrighLocal’s local search grid will turn out to be a lifesaver. It gives you a bird’s-eye view of what searchers see in your neighborhood, town, or city and allows you to measure the share of search visibility across the map for your most important keywords: ConclusionCompetitor analysis for local SEO takes a lot of time and effort but it can be incredibly rewarding, especially if you take time to take a thorough look at each of your competitors and record all kinds of aspects that may have moved the needle for them. Local search is not straightforward. In many cases, you’ll find yourself wondering why Google would choose to surface some local businesses over others but a thorough analysis will let you understand more about your market than you ever thought possible. Good luck! via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/yOToMNa Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Welcome back to the Local Search Roundup! This month, we saw changes to Google Business Profile (GBP) and Microsoft Bing, and tests to local search results pages. From personal reservations now showing on GBP listings to local finder images only being shown for ad content (what?!), let’s dig into some of April’s biggest stories in search. What’s new with Google Business Profile (GBP)?Google (Appears to be) Testing Text Communications to Verify GBP InformationGoogle may be moving to text to communicate with business owners. Molly Youngblood shared screenshots (shown below) on her Twitter when she received a message from a verified Google Support number requesting verification for the information shown on her GBP.
Other business owners have started to receive similar messages, and while the texts are coming from a real Google Support number, some local SEOs are concerned that these messages aren’t really coming from Google, and Google has not publicly confirmed whether it’s them sending these messages.
While this could be a handy feature one day, right now we don’t know enough to feel anything except a little perplexed by the phantom messages. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Molly Youngblood on Twitter Local Search Testing New Placement for “Request a Quote”The “Request a Quote” button has moved in local search results, now located next to the Website, Directions, Save, and Call buttons, putting a new emphasis on the function:
One small step for Google Search Results, one giant leap for… those requesting quotes. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Joy Hawkins on Twitter New Overlay Interface for Business Profile Listings Being TestedGoogle seems to be testing a new overlay interface for business profile listings. With this function, clicking on a business listing in the local pack prompts an overlay with more information to appear in the web search results rather than redirecting the user to Google Maps. Colan Nielsen, who spotted the change, speculates that this could have an impact on the Google Map views metric in Google Insights.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Colan Nielsen on Twitter Personal Reservations Showing on GBP ListingsReservations made through ‘reserve with Google’ via the local pack or Google Assistant now may show on the Google Business Profile listing.
Big news for those of us who stare longingly at the GBP of a restaurant we’re due to visit. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Krystal Taing on Twitter GBP Adds Copy Menu FunctionWhen going to add or edit a GBP menu, restaurants will be prompted with the option to copy a menu associated with their business from elsewhere on the web. Once copied, each menu item can be individually edited.
While the function may not be perfect, it provides a foundation for restaurants to build out their full menu off of existing ones.
Hopefully this feature, in addition to being a massive timesaver for restaurants, will lead to more complete menus available in the local pack. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Lluc B. Penycate on Twitter New Tips to Avoid Bulk GBP Verification DelaysA Google help document focusing on “Common issues that delay bulk verification” has been updated with new tips including using official domain emails, making sure all listed addresses are on (and matching those on!) the business’s website, and always using exact addresses—including suite numbers, floor numbers, etc. Krystal Taing (@krystal_taing on Twitter), who spotted the changes, summarized them in a Tweet:
For those out there working with bulk verification, hopefully these new tips will help cut back all that waiting time and get those GBPs up and running smoothly. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Krystal Taing on Twitter What’s new in local search?Yelp Hones In on User Experience and EngagementYelp has announced 3 new features aimed at improving user experience and boosting business/user engagement. The first feature, known as Yelp Guaranteed, is a satisfaction-guaranteed program for users requesting quotes from home service providers; the program offers up to $2,500 back in the event that something goes wrong with their home improvement project. The program is available to users who got into contact with an eligible business through Yelp’s “Request a Quote” feature. Yelp has also introduced advanced search functionality based upon Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). This new search model offers a variety of functions, including clickable category tags on business profiles, search suggestions based on search intent rather than location, and a “Surprise Me!” feature for finding new restaurants. Finally, Yelp is tackling user engagement features, adding video capacity to reviews, review topics such as “food” and “service,” and new review reactions such as “Helpful,” “Thanks,” and “Oh no.” According to Yelp, these new reactions have increased their review engagement six-fold. Source: Search Engine Land via Yelp Google Prioritizing Primary Categories as a Ranking FactorFollowing the March 2023 rollout of the broad Google Core update, certain businesses are finding their visibility being impacted in a big way. According to an analysis by Sterling Sky, the primary category has been prioritized as a ranking factor. In addition to this, the analysis suggests that query matching has broadened, roping more loosely related queries to search results and that some categories are now matching to more related keywords, increasing competition. Source: Sterling Sky Grid Format for Local SearchUsers have spotted a grid format being used to showcase local search results on mobile, indicating that Google might be playing with a new layout. We’ve seen the grid format for some time now in the form of product and shopping search results, however, this is the first time we’ve seen it applied to the local search results. Twitter user @Beymour, who first pointed out the new setup, noted it seemed to be especially prevalent in “best” queries (such as “best dentist near me”):
And that in some cases, the first or second result displayed as a full-width image:
Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Brandon (@Beymour) on Twitter “Often Searched Together” Added to Local Search PanelGoogle has added an “often searched together” section to the local search panel, offering businesses a glimpse into who their top competitors might be while making search results more comprehensive for users. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Mordy Oberstein on Twitter Local Finder Images Only Showing for AdsIn somewhat disappointing news, Google may be testing only showing local finder images for ad content. While there is some speculation that this may be a bug, others believe that this could be a new approach that Google is taking to the local finder. In this format, all non-sponsored results show up with only a map image.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Justin Mosebach on Twitter Blended Local Finder Query ResultsWhile blended query results aren’t new, users are noticing a new trend in local finder results. Google, in some instances, is now displaying two or more different (but still similar) queries together and accompanied with a short line of text explaining the match.
While there is speculation around how new this is, SEOs are agreeing that this format effectively makes sponsored content appear organic. Source: Search Engine Roundtable via Mordy Oberstein on Twitter What’s new with Microsoft (and Bing!)?Microsoft Rolls Out Professional Service Ads GloballyMicrosoft has announced that their Professional Service Ads for their vertical ad suite are now available globally. This announcement comes on the tail of their beta for doctor and clinic ads, and is designed to “help consumers connect directly to professionals in a variety of industries such as insurance, real estate, doctor & clinics, tax services, and home services.” Source: Microsoft Site Names and Favicons Added to Search ResultsFollowing in Google’s footsteps, Bing has just site names and favicons to their search results… in some cases. A search completed by Search Engine Land showed these changes in action: However when we tried it for ourselves, we were met with the classic Bing format: We’re looking forward to seeing if Bing continues to roll this out here in the UK—that BrightLocal green just adds a certain something to the SERP, in our opinion. Source: Search Engine Land Updates to Bing Chat FunctionsBing’s chat function has been taking big steps to ensure better user experience. The latest? Image and video, improved local search, more robust summarization, and more inter-product compatibility. Specifically:
And there are more changes to come, of course. Talk of Bing Translate integration, the use of inline images, improved copy and paste, and a potential text-to-speech function are swirling around. Bing certainly seems to be listening to user’s concerns, and is ready to continue rolling out changes to ensure the best possible experience for them. Source: Search Engine Roundtable But Wait, There’s MoreFinally, while it may not be all new information, we want to give a quick shoutout to this piece from Local Guides Connect, which highlights five ways you can use Google Maps to help the environment. That’s it for this roundup! For the very latest in local SEO, updates to Google Business Profile, and more, don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled on our Twitter account! via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/KqoM5XV Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Texting has now become our number one communication channel in all aspects of life. It makes communicating easier and faster, and we desire that efficiency whether connecting with friends or finding a contractor for a home repair. Business text messaging is here to stay, and businesses that adopt it now will have an early advantage over competitors late to the party. With that in mind, let’s explore the benefits and considerations of business texting. What the Numbers SayA recent survey showed an eye-popping 89% of consumers want to initiate and reply to two-way conversations with brands via messaging channels and apps. 76% of consumers currently receive text messages from at least one business they work with. Leadferno’s survey of 2,000 consumers surfaced that SMS is the most popular communication channel — topping calls, emails, and other messaging channels. The adoption numbers and trends show that it’s time to leverage text messaging to grow your local business and for your agency to recommend it to clients. 7 Ways Your Local Business Can Benefit From Text MessagingThe benefits of communicating with your prospects and customers using SMS are many, but let’s focus on the seven that can have the most impact on businesses. The great news is that it’s not just your customers that benefit, it’s your team and company too. 1. Real-time CommunicationText messaging allows businesses to communicate with their customers and team members in real-time, enabling quick response times and faster decision-making. Compared to email, SMS replies, on average, are 60 times faster. Just 90 seconds for texts and 90 minutes for emails. Text messages also boast an open rate of 98% so leveraging this real-time communication channel is important. It’s always with customers on their phones, and in the app they use most. 2. Lead Capture With Web-to-textYou’re already spending time and money on driving traffic to your website with SEO, local SEO, social media, paid ads, and traditional marketing. You want to maximize conversions of that traffic to leads and a web-to-text widget can help you. A web-to-text widget allows your visitors to immediately start texting with your business. Connecting via SMS might be the lowest barrier to entry for prospects to ask questions and start a conversation. Web-to-text offers advantages over live chat for many businesses because it’s familiar to your customer, personalized, fast, and easy to manage. They’re not stuck in a chat window on a web page where they started the conversation, and they aren’t waiting for an agent to help them. It’s an easy-to-manage asynchronous conversation where they get reply notifications, can think through responses, and engage on their schedule. A web-to-text widget is always available to collect leads on desktop, tablet, and mobile websites. There’s no “Agent offline” message typical of chat widgets. Our survey found 57% of users left a website when clicking a live chat button that then stated the chat agent was offline or unavailable. That’s an incredibly leaky conversion funnel. Texting is also easier to manage for your staff. As consumers’ reply expectations move from just minutes with live chat to same-day responses with texting. That leaves your team more time to delight your prospects and customers and use a channel both sides are already familiar and comfortable with. Lastly, texting, unlike chat, allows you or the customer to restart the conversation at any time. Texting becomes an ongoing connection, live chat is just a session that has to revert to email once the moment has passed. 3. Updates and RemindersReminders are where SMS proved its value early on for business communication. Appointment reminders from your dentist or an update on your appliance delivery have been very handy. Don’t limit your business use case to just reminders. You can grow to accommodate two-way communication and reminders. Texting is a great way to keep customers updated on any process. An email might get lost and a phone call might be an inconvenience all the way around. Texts are a fantastic way to keep customers updated on any meeting, needed information, or other details. Texting can increase the quantity and quality of your customer touchpoints and processes. Better yet, as you’re using them for reminders, with a two-way texting solution, your customers can start a conversation with you about the reminder you just sent. 4. Customer ExperienceWhen you’re easy to work with you become a business that customers want to rave about, refer, and review. Being easy to work with is the new golden rule of business. Offering 2-way texting for your customers makes working with you easy and supports a solid customer experience. Just look at this review: When users are willing to note the benefits of texting in a review, you can clearly see the impact. Great communication is a differentiator that can bolster your reputation and brand, especially as a small business. 5. ConnectionHumans crave connection, text messaging can help to improve connection with customers by providing a convenient, personalized, and instant form of communication that can help to build stronger relationships and increase customer satisfaction. Building and maintaining a great connection with your customers is especially important during an economic downturn. As many businesses found out at the height of the pandemic, being connected to your customers is a lifeline. Connection can help rally the support of your customers and take their loyalty to new levels. These strong connections to your business will lead to repeat purchases, referrals, social media mentions, positive reviews, and more. 6. Requesting Feedback and ReviewsOnline reviews and customer feedback are incredibly important to local businesses. They build trust with prospects, improve Google rankings, influence decisions, and help businesses understand their customers better. Following up with customers and asking for reviews with a text message is both easy and efficient for the business and the consumer. When you have already been communicating by SMS with your customers, requesting a review over text is both personal and natural. They’ve already communicated in this channel with you, and you’ve likely delivered a great experience, leading to that 5-star Google review. 7. Improved Staff EfficiencyBusinesses look to technology and software to help save time and increase productivity for their teams. It’s a double bonus when it saves your company AND your customer’s time. With text messaging your customers win by communicating in their most familiar way, and the channel is easy to manage for your team. A true win-win scenario for both. Sales teams can engage with more prospects, service reps can handle more customer needs, and technicians and installers can spend more time on their work than tied up on calls. A study from Benchmark Portal showed that the average sales and services call time is 5 minutes and 58 seconds. In that time frame, a team member can engage with anywhere from 6 to 10 text conversations. All without a decline in service levels or customer satisfaction. The increase in productivity with texting compared to emails as well as phone calls is similar. On average text replies are 60x faster than emails averaging just 90 seconds for a text reply, compared to 90 minutes for email replies. Text messaging as a channel and business through software like Leadferno offers features that scale communication and save time. What Do I Need to Know to Start Texting With My Customers?Permission and Opt-in For TextingFirst of all, you need to get permission to text your customers. If you are planning to send text blasts or do SMS marketing (more on that next), you absolutely need to get permission. These text campaigns are often sent in weekly or monthly intervals for special offers, sales, and updates. Because you are sending to many recipients at an interval you decide, you need consent. If you are texting using 2-way text messaging where the prospect or customer has initiated the communication, consent is now implied, and you don’t have to do anything special in the US. Many web-to-text widgets that allow consumers to text you from your website have a disclaimer that sending the first message is consent. The standard of implied consent was upheld in a recent legal ruling involving Facebook where the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that companies engaging in text messaging from their website or platform when the customer initiates the communication don’t violate the TCPA in the United States. The TCPA protects consumers from auto-dialing and mass messaging when they have not given consent. Getting permission is still your best move in texting. Here are the most popular ways to get permission to text your customers:
Once you have received consent you want to store it in case you would ever need to review it or prove that you obtained it. If you are gaining consent for text marketing or blasts you will also need to provide an automatic way to unsubscribe, just as you do with email marketing. For SMS, this is most often letting the consumer know they can reply with STOP or QUIT to stop receiving your messages. Lastly, keep in mind that regulations and laws vary by country. For example, Australia requires a double opt-in process for business texting, so do your research on consent before starting. SMS Marketing BlastsSMS marketing or text blasts is a way of sending a message to many recipients at once. It’s similar to email marketing but sees a higher open rate and engagement when done right. SMS marketing is popular in retail and e-commerce to drive interest and purchases with offers and sales. One thing for sure is that your business needs to have permission from your customer to send them marketing texts as we outlined before, along with the ability for subscribers to opt-out. Your consent process and policies need to be airtight. Is SMS marketing right for local businesses? That answer has a few layers to it, so let’s take a look at them. On the pro side, the ability to reach many customers at once is always appealing. A local business with the right content, offers, and timing can be successful with text blasts. On the con side, there is a very real risk of our customer unsubscribing or worse marking your text as spam. Your direct connection is cut off. Many small businesses are challenged with actually delivering valuable content and offers. Just like email marketing, campaigns without value eventually are unsubscribed. While the business feels it’s the message of “buy now and save 10%” that will generate new business, the consumer might feel annoyed and opt out of you being able to text them. A local business should strongly consider these strategic items when deciding on whether to send text blasts or not:
In the end, if you can’t succeed with the elements that SMS marketing requires, focusing on 1:1 text communication will be far more effective, without upsetting your customers. Data SecurityIt can be hard for small businesses to plan for data security, but they are just as vulnerable to data breaches as larger companies. While it might not make the news, the impact of a breach can be just as devastating. Instead of employees using their own SMS app on their phones and having conversations, contacts, and customer data outside of your control, a business texting app centralizes and secures your data. In addition to the physical security of customer data, protecting valuable customer and prospect contact information centralized when a salesperson or team member joins or leaves the company is a must. Data security and centralization are a big benefit to using a business text messaging app when using text messaging for business. Industry Regulation and VerificationThe text messaging industry continues to evolve quickly. One can only look at the abuse and spam of email and phone calls to see why the SMS industry is looking to work faster to prevent and manage spam and bad actors. In the last year, both local (10DLC) and toll-free numbers that wish to text now have to go through a verification process when activating the number for SMS use. Carriers like AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon, and others continue to tighten their delivery of messages from unauthorized numbers and are trending to zero tolerance. The number verification process should be part of any business texting solution you utilize. Depending on the number type and other factors this third-party verification process can take a few days or up to many weeks, but once completed it ensures delivery of your text messages to customers. This space will continue to change and ultimately is for the good of the industry to preserve texting as the valuable business communication channel it is. This is Your Notification, Business Texting is HereThere is no doubt that consumers desire and some even expect text messaging to be a communication channel option with your business. How and where you deploy it can make a big impact in growing your business. SMS can help you capture more leads, and improve communication, connection, and customer experience. These benefits can be had and even reduce effort and workload on your business and staff when planned and executed right. So all that’s left to do is check your text messages because business texting has arrived. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/JvS4iBl Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ In the last few years, I’ve taken Google’s monopoly in search for granted, and indeed I have cemented that dominance by turning to Google to help me out in a personal capacity many many many times a day…
Chatting with my daughter I’ll find that I’ll quite naturally use Google as a verb in terms of solving any conundrum—from ‘do sloths explode if they don’t fart?’ through to ‘is there a Studio Ghibli world in Japan?’ to name just a couple from the last week. In a professional capacity, to say I’m ‘cemented’ in the Google infrastructure would be an understatement. Let’s gloss over the reliance on various Google hardware and software and focus on my primary professional offerings—the things that pay the bills, and keep my mental cogs whirring. On each and every work day, I without fail, think about Google Search, I read about Google Search, I write about Google Search and I work with businesses to ‘make the most of the opportunities provided by Google Search’. I encourage businesses to think about their customers and potential customers and how they search on Google. I work with them to improve their rankings on Google, and to improve their visibility in the search engine results page (SERP) in terms of rich elements. I encourage them to have website content that will meet the needs and intent of the visitors that they get from Google, and website content that can be crawled and indexed by Google. And I don’t need to describe to you the focus that I give to Google Business Profiles (GBPs) and their importance at all stages of the customer journey. This is my bread and butter, this is what I DO! And for good reason. Every day Google processes over 8.5 billion searches (source) and Google is the most frequently used search engine worldwide, with a market share of around 84.69% (source). But wait a minute. Did someone mention eggs and baskets, and how one should not place all of their zygotes in the same receptacle? Is the Sky Really Falling Down?As SEOs, we’re pretty used to the at least annual ‘SEO is dead’ conversations. Voice search killed it, and now AI. But we’re still here, aren’t we? But what if Google does lose the monopoly on search? What if our potential customers start to (or continue to) commence and continue their purchase journey somewhere other than Google when they’re looking to meet their ‘know, go, do, and buy’ needs? Various Google antitrust concerns and their related investigations rumble on—the most concerning of which (to us as local SEO and local business owners) is that related to Google’s ‘sprawling mapping service’. In my monitoring of the local knowledge panel in the SERP, on some devices and browsers, I started seeing a pared-back panel for the business—a click to call, a click for directions, and a click to the website only, rather than the plethora of GBP features and functionality we have come to expect (and indeed rely on): The ‘European Digital Market Act’ could also spell huge changes in the SERP. This piece suggests that the visibility of Google Business Profile listings could be impacted from 90% to 95% (in terms of not actually being visible in the SERP), as in the example below: Source: Journal Du Net © Nicolas Chevallier. Image translation: Current Display > March 2024 Moving forward the likelihood of a less rich SERP experience in Google, or indeed a move away from Google altogether, should be considered and planned for. So, let’s get to it! People Before PlatformsReliance on the behemoths of online platforms (Facebook, Google, YouTube, and the like) can often be a ‘default’ setting for many small and medium-sized businesses and their marketers who, in my experience, often mistake tactics and channels for strategy. We need to revisit some of the primary marketing tenets before we dive into thinking about life beyond Big G. In order to consider which platforms and channels could replace Google we need to get back to the ‘people’. Who Are the People?In the first instance, they’re our customers and potential customers. They’re the people for whom we solve problems; they’re the people that have, and could have, their wants and needs met by our products and services. We need to know what these people are looking to solve. What is the itch that they need to scratch? What are the factors that will influence their choices? Which of the features and benefits of your product or service will be most attractive to which types of customers and potential customers? Another set of people are our competitors. They’re the people we are up against when we compete for the hearts, minds, and wallets of our customers and potential customers. What do they do better than us? What do we do better than them? What are the features and benefits of the products and services? Where Are My People?When you’ve attended to the above you’re going to be in a much better position to explore channels and platforms that might be new to you as a business, or that you’ve explored a little but know that you’ve not totally made the most of the opportunities. A Few Tried and Tested Ways to Connect With Your CustomersTake it OfflineNot everything needs to take place online. Go old skool and start to think about how people go about solving their problems and finding a product or service provider that can make their heart sing, or at least fix their car’s suspension. I’m thinking of word-of-mouth referrals, I’m thinking of loyalty schemes, I’m thinking of ‘refer a friend’, I’m thinking of local pamphlets, posters, and community newsletters. I’m thinking about leveraging offline relationships to explore partnerships, and dare I say it, ‘synergies’. It just feels so damn wholesome! Other Search Engines are AvailableI’m not sure if you’ve heard of Apple Maps? Or Bing? I joke. Seriously, make sure you have at least the basic and correct presence in these places, and keep an eye on any new opportunities as new features and functionality are added—maybe we’ll even see an Apple Search Engine at some point in the future? Read more: Alternative Search Engines to Google Your WebsiteThis is a bit of a no-brainer really. If you’ve been treating Google as ‘your new home page’ (hat tip Mike Blumenthal, as ever) and letting your actual business website gather dust like a succulent on a window ledge, it’s time to dust that thing off, give it a drop of water and expose it to some sunlight. Your website is your business entity’s ‘home’—and you need to treat it as such, keeping it up to date in terms of the products and services you offer, your important business details, and anything else that is essential to help your potential customers choose you, and your existing customers continue to choose you. Segway to my BrightLocal Academy courses on location pages, and other content for local business websites. You’re welcome. Referring SitesWhen I talk about ‘referring sites’, I’m talking about websites that refer traffic to your website. I’m not explicitly talking about ‘links’ here or the value of links from an algorithmic perspective. I’m talking specifically about websites that link to your website that refer visitors (AKA the actual people that are looking for a solution to a problem that you can solve via your products and services) to your website where they’ll be able to find the information that they need to make a decision about whether or not they want to do business with you, and then take the next steps in actually actioning that decision. Make sure you know which sites already refer visitors to your website, and how those visitors convert, and always be thinking about building and developing relationships with other websites that could also refer potential customers. Get on the SocialsTikTok is the new Google anyway, supposedly. Except it’s not. Jokes aside—social channels can be a useful way to connect with people that are looking to solve various problems. Just make sure that you adhere to good social etiquette—don’t spam platforms with self-congratulatory or over-promotional content. Listen first. Be helpful. Be real. Be a friend. After the flurry of creating a ‘newsletter sign up’ option on your website and sending a few half-arsed, overly promotional emails, many smaller businesses that don’t have the luxury of a dedicated marketing team decide that email marketing just doesn’t work for them. Think again. Email is your chance to develop relationships with your existing and potential customers through on-brand personalized messages that will meet the needs of these engaged users—users who are likely to be at all stages of the buying journey, but who have actively ‘opted in’ to receive your messages. Through email, you get to have conversations and be authentic with people who have signed up and have given you access to their inboxes. And There’s MoreAmazon, Reddit, Meta, Nextdoor, Video, YouTube, Influencer Marketing, Sponsorship, Display, Events, Content Marketing, Online Ads, Offline Ads, Public Relations, and Partnership Marketing—there are a plethora of channels and platforms that any business (small or otherwise) can employ to help them reach their target market. Google hasn’t gone anywhere… yet. If organic search is delivering for your business—great stuff. Make the most of the organic opportunities offered by Google, but I suggest you have a little think about diversifying your marketing efforts so that if things do go tits up you’ve distributed your marketing eggs between a range of promising baskets. Final ThoughtsBefore you dive in, make sure that you have the answers to these questions:
When it comes to marketing superpowers, small and medium-sized businesses can win big beyond Google and beyond those behemoth platforms we mentioned. The power of ‘actually giving a shit’, the power of knowing (and I mean REALLY knowing because you meet them day to day) your customers, the power of caring, the power of being committed to building authentic relationships in your niche and geographic area, the power of being committed to listening to feedback, to continuously improve your product and service offerings and to staying agile in a changeable marketplace where ‘doing a Google’ might not always be the first step on a potential customers purchase journey, are the superpowers that I encourage you to explore and develop. Go forth and diversify! via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/8XaDN9l Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ This April’s BrightonSEO was an incredible few days. Held in BrightLocal’s HQ hometown of Brighton, this search conference has grown year after year, becoming one of the most popular events to go to for all search marketers. This time around, though, we wanted to do something a little different. So we hosted a stand in the exhibition area, complete with awesome swag to give away, a stand design that represented Brighton and our diverse local SEO community, and a game (Pin It to Win It) to play for the chance to win £5,000 to split between the winner and a charity of their choice). Thank you to everyone who came to see us, and a huge well done to everyone who played Pin It to Win It and took home a piece of BrightLocal swag. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! We created a short video to show you our experience at BrightonSEO, so even if you missed it, you’ll get a taste of what the BrightLocal team got up to! So Many Talks, So Little Time…As always, BrightonSEO was full of SEO experts delivering talks on a variety of topics. Between us, we went to a number of inspiring talks and came out of the event having learned something new and practical to input into our daily marketing activity. Here are some of our favorite talks, why we loved them, and why we think you will, too.
Mike Hawkes Senior Content Marketing Manager, BrightLocal
Cut the CRAPtions: How *real* captions can take your videos to the next levelAhmed Khalifa, Digital Experience Manager and Owner, Hear Me Out! [CC] (@IamAhmedKhalifa) Talking with real passion and humor, Ahmed used real-world examples to highlight just how bad closed captions on videos can be. With 40% of Netflix users using closed captions by choice, he emphasized just how important accuracy is. You wouldn’t leave a spelling mistake or factual error in your social media posts, or on your blog, so why aren’t you correcting the errors that have been generated in your captions? If you’re not careful, you could be alienating your brand or even providing completely false information. Not only that but when brands invest the proper time into their closed captions, they can make them truly impactful. This gives everyone a better experience of interacting with your brand and content. Check out Ahmed’s slides to learn more. How to turn an unloved corporate YouTube channel into a traffic generation machinePhil Nottingham, Video Strategist (@PhilNottingham) Phil talked everyone through some home truths about their forgettable and forlorn YouTube channels. What really hit home is the lack of time people put into their video content. Not only that but how they lump everything they create into one channel, no matter who they are targeting. He covered using Google’s EEAT but made it more relevant for YouTube as EEAATT; Expertise, Authority, Aesthetics, Trustworthiness, and Thumbnail. What a lot of it boils down to though, is not being afraid to make additional channels attached to your business that each target a specific area of your audience. Then, when you create that targeted content, do it in a way that really adds value. His presentation used specific examples that showcased how businesses could do this and is well worth checking out.
Jamie Pitman Head of Content, BrightLocal
Where does equality fit in your marketing strategy?Andi Jarvis, Founder, Eximo Marketing, (@AndiJarvis) Andi’s talk on equality in marketing strategy was equal parts inspiring, eye-opening and entertaining. If you’re looking for ways to get buy-in from senior leadership to invest in more diverse thinking for your organisation, this is the talk for you. Starting by reminding the agency staff in the audience that they’re all “weirdos” by pointing out that they’re often nothing like their target audience yet often think they are, Andi proceeded to prove that we all need to stop making assumptions about our markets and instead do some actual g*ddamn research. Using stories from his time working in the whisky sector, Andi was able to show us all what the landscape of equality looks like, where marketers make dangerous assumptions, and most importantly, how we can go about proving the importance of equality and diversity in our marketing strategies. You can download Andi’s slides here
Jenny Bernarde Social and Community Manager, BrightLocal
Opportunity is knocking: How to identify growth and expansion opportunities with local SEO dataAmanda Jordan, Director of Digital Strategy, RicketyRoo (@amandatjordan) Amanda’s talk was full of actionable advice. For anyone looking to expand their, or their client’s local business, there are a number of things to look out for and consider whilst making a business case for expansion. Amanda drew out a solid process for local SEOs to run through; from finding the right market to narrowing down location opportunities, and winning over your client. She shares the dos and don’ts for filtering locations, ways to identify opportunities for growth, and what to consider with competitors. Google’s local knowledge panel – the CMS you never knew you hadClaire Carlile, Local Search Expert, BrightLocal (@clairecarlile) Have you considered just how powerful Google’s local knowledge panel is? Claire Carlile looked at the different ways the local knowledge panel shares information about your business with your customer, and how to ‘log in’ to make crucial ‘edits’ when Google decides to share the wrong info. Depending on your business category, Google pulls in data and information about your business from multiple sources. In her talk, Claire takes you through her experience with attempting to influence the local knowledge panel. Starting with the New Merchant Experience (NMX), working closely with Google’s support team, and finally using knowledge around schema to update information, Claire’s journey proves a fascinating inside into something we quite often look past! Want to learn more? View Claire’s slides here
Sammy Paget Content Marketing Manager, BrightLocal When links aren’t enough – showing the value of link acquisition beyond coverage and linksIsa Lavahun, Freelance Digital Strategist, Digital PR Services (@IsaLavs_) As someone who has a lot to learn about digital PR and link building, I really liked the way Isa broke down the different ways you can present results and relevant metrics to different stakeholders. Isa also reinforced the importance of setting campaign objectives, which may sound obvious, but in the digital world, we can get very caught up with chasing links! There were some great tips for building an outreach list, and the talk highlighted the importance of aiming for a variety of Authority, Diversity, Quality, and Relevance—essentially, yes you want to aim for authoritative and relevant links, but you should also be putting efforts into diversifying and tapping into potential new audiences.
Brighton SEO Apr23 – Showing The Value of Digital PR beyond coverage and links IL.pptx from Isa Lavs
Abigail Leow Content & Marketing Executive, BrightLocal
Neuroscience of SearchGiulia Panozzo, neuroscientive, (@SequinsNsearch) In her talk, Giulia used her fascinating background in neuroscience to bring a new perspective to SEO. Diving into some of the core principles of human psychology, Giulia described the science behind our brain’s processing mechanisms to remind marketers who it is that they’re optimizing for: the users. Emphasizing the importance of heuristics in decision-making, social proof, and the role of emotions, Giulia led the audience through some of the key psychological principles to keep in mind when optimizing your business’s site. A passionate and knowledgeable speaker, Giulia’s talk presented a fascinating side of SEO in an approachable, digestible way, offering a glimpse into one of the key factors marketers should—but often forget to—consider when optimizing. All in all, we had a blast at BrightonSEO. We’ll be back in September with another awesome stand, and can’t wait to see you all there! via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/R0BLelF Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Imagine you’re a dog owner and you’re out of treats. You check the pet store’s business listing on Yelp, which says it’s open. You drive across town for treats, but find that the pet store is CLOSED. Now imagine you’re the pet store owner. You just made a dog sad. What’s more, you made a pet owner angry. They just wrote you a 1* review on Google and maybe you’ve lost their ongoing custom. In BrightLocal’s Business Listings Trust Report, we found that finding incorrect information on a business listing would stop 63% of consumers from using that business. That’s a lot of potential customers lost just because a business didn’t update its business listing profile. From this example alone, you can see the importance of having business listings that are correct and up-to-date at all times. Our new BrightLocal Academy course--How to Clean Up and Manage Business Local Listings—will teach you all you need to know about keeping your local listings up to date and accurate. We’ve created this course in collaboration with Local SEO Specialist, Claire Carlile. During the six lesson videos, she covers:
You’ll also gain access to a workbook that you can use to help you keep track of your local business listings, plus much more! Here’s Claire with an overview of the course: Who is this course for?This course has been created for agency SEOs who work with local businesses and want to feel more confident cleaning up and managing local business listings. It’s also a great fit for small business owners looking to establish and execute their own business listing process. How can I join?Whether you’re a BrightLocal customer or not, you can get access to this course. You can also 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 log in, click ‘Learning Resources’ at the top of the screen, and select ‘BrightLocal Academy’ from the dropdown menu. You’ll need to create a free BrightLocal Academy account before you can enroll in the ‘How to Clean Up and Manage Local Business Listings’ course. If you’re not a BrightLocal customer, you can join BrightLocal Academy for free and follow the same steps above to enroll in the course. Want to know more about BrightLocal Academy?Check out the official BrightLocal Academy FAQs here: What is BrightLocal Academy, how does it work, and how can I enroll? What courses does BrightLocal Academy offer and how long do they take? 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 this fresh new course useful, and can’t wait to hear how it’s helped you improve your local SEO skills. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/jcohkXl Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Google may claim the lion’s share of search traffic, but it’s not the only search engine in existence. Several other search engines can also claim to handle billions of searches each month. Knowing what those other engines are, who their users are, and how you can maintain a strong search presence could lead to more traffic, more inquiries, and more sales. A good search marketer who specializes in local SEO won’t simply put all their eggs in one basket. It’s called ‘Search Engine’ Optimization rather than Google Search Optimization for a reason. What Do We Mean by an Alternative Search Engine?Quite simply, an alternative search engine is one that isn’t Google. There are around 160 search engines in existence today. Of course, you probably won’t be developing a local SEO strategy for every search engine in the world, but several alternative engines are well worth a second look. The most obvious example of an alternative search engine to Google, is Bing. Out of all of the other search engines, it should be the next in line for your attention. And it’s become even more important with recent developments. Since the launch of ChatGPT, Bing has surged in popularity and now welcomes more than 100 million daily active users. Although that may be small compared to Google’s market share, consider what an enormous difference even a tiny percentage of that traffic would make to your local business. Other mainstream examples include Yahoo! (yup, it’s coming back), Baidu, Yandex, and DuckDuckGo. Alternatives you may not be familiar with include You, Naver, Yep, Startpage, and Brave. Why These Google Alternatives MatterThere are several reasons why it’s advisable to incorporate alternative search engines into your marketing strategy. They Have Unique User TypesDifferent search engines have different types of users. Understanding those user types and aligning your local SEO activity to their needs is essential. Understanding where your users are searching, and how, offers you the chance to grow your presence in the right places. As an example, Bing is becoming more popular with users who want a cutting-edge search experience thanks to its AI innovations. As a result, if you provide tech-led products or services, you’ll naturally want to boost your Bing search visibility so you appear more prominently to those users. Similarly, SwissCows is a G-rated search engine. It omits results that may cause offense or be unsuitable for some audiences, including adult content. If you’re a family-friendly local business, targeting enhanced search visibility on SwissCows could result in more high-quality traffic to your website. Trust and Privacy ConsiderationsA growing number of Internet users are jumping ship from Google to other engines because of trust issues and privacy considerations. For those who don’t want their search history to be tracked or stored, several engines are built specifically to offer users anonymity. Geographical and Demographic PreferencesGoogle isn’t the number one search engine for all countries and demographics. In China, for example, Baidu is the most popular engine. So if your local business is targeting a Chinese demographic in your local area or wishes to sell to Chinese consumers in China, you’ll need to have a strong search presence on Baidu to be in the running. Likewise, Yandex is the most visited search engine in Russia, with Google second and Ya.Ru third. If reaching Russian consumers is a priority, you must ensure a solid organic presence on those two engines. Too Many Eggs in One BasketRelying too heavily on only one search engine for website traffic makes little sense when other engines also handle billions of monthly search queries. If you only focus on Google, you could be placing all your eggs in one risky basket. Should your site suddenly fall foul of a new Google algorithm, your rankings would plummet. This could mean a total loss of search traffic if you focused only on Google rather than building organic visibility on other engines such as Bing. The same can be said of almost any marketing tactic. Over-reliance on one tactic makes for weak foundations. Do I Need to Invest Lots of Time in These Search Engines?If you’re concerned that optimizing your search presence for alternatives to Google could be too time-consuming, don’t be. You don’t need to invest lots of time to achieve results, as there will be a lot of overlap in the tactics and algorithms between options such as Bing, Yahoo!, and others. That said, be mindful that specific engines will have their particular quirks. Especially for local. For example, you’ll need to claim your Bing Places for Business listing, even if you already have your Google Business Profile optimized. Likewise, understanding how to claim your Apple Maps listing will ensure you can compete for Apple search traffic. On Baidu, you’ll need to obtain verification. The good news is that many of the best practice tactics you’re already using to rank well on Google will aid your rankings elsewhere. Things like unique page titles, good quality content, reviews, and a non-spammy link profile are pretty much universal, regardless of which search alternative you’re focusing on. Read more: How to Improve Local Rankings Alternative Search Engines to Google You Should Consider, and Tips for Local BusinessesBing
Local search on Bing looks and operates similarly to the Google local pack but there are a few notable differences in ranking factors. Results are displayed on a map, with features such as images, star ratings, and opening times. Local Search Tips for Bing
With Bing starting to implement ChatGPT for AI-powered search, you need to be aware of how that works too. We’re still in the early days of AI search, however, with changes coming almost weekly. This means that, right now, trying to make a deliberate play for something in Bing’s AI search is difficult. As it stands you currently have to use Microsoft Edge to access their AI features. Yahoo!
Yahoo! exited the search landscape a few years ago and has been powered by Bing since 2018. That all looks set to change as it has been teasing a big return in recent months. A reactivated Yahoo Twitter account hints that the engine is working on a new search product behind the scenes. It’s also been actively recruiting so stay tuned for a new Yahoo engine in the future. Local Search Tips for Yahoo!Yahoo! search is currently powered by Bing so just follow the tips above for now. If and when Yahoo! brings back its own search engine, we’ll let you know. YandexRussian search engine Yandex has the fourth largest market share globally, behind Google, Bing, and Yahoo. However, a large chunk of those users is based in Russia. While it’s also very popular in Eastern Europe, it’s not an engine to necessarily dedicate huge amounts of time to if you’re a local business in somewhere like the United States. Its local search function is also map-based. One of the major differences with local optimization for Yandex is that you can tell the search engine which geographic region you’re targeting via its webmaster tools interface. Yandex strongly emphasizes geotargeting, and its search results are split between geo-independent (location doesn’t matter) and geo-dependent (location is important). What’s more, a ‘leak’ in January 2023 revealed a full 1922 ranking factors, which gave SEOs an unprecedented look beneath the hood of one of the major search engines. Local Search Tips for Yandex
Baidu
Baidu is unequivocally the number one search engine in China. It handles more than three billion searches daily but differs significantly from Google on local ranking factors. You’ll need to pay a fee to improve your domain ranking. You’ll also need to avoid sharing any content on your site that could be considered to be anti-government sentiment or adult themed, as that would result in your domain being blocked from search results. Local Search Tips for Baidu
Other Search Engines to ConsiderDuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo was one of the original pioneers of private search. It promises no tracking and is popular with more tech-inclined search users. It crawls over 500 sources to return search results that closely match the search intent, so the standard rules of optimization apply. One important thing to note: because DuckDuckGo doesn’t collect data about its users, it doesn’t know where a search user is searching from. You’ll therefore need to add clear location markers to your website. This includes having your full business address and contact information present, plus using locally related keywords in your page titles, meta descriptions, and website content. Swisscows
Swisscows is another search engine allowing users to search anonymously. It doesn’t use cookies or tracking technology or record search history. One thing that sets Swisscows apart is its position as a family-friendly engine. It won’t return any offensive or potentially objectionable content, such as pornography or gambling, in search results, so it’s safe for the whole family to use. Swisscows uses Bing to serve search results, so you’ll need to rank well in Bing local search for Swisscows visibility. StartpageStartpage is another privacy-forward search engine that doesn’t track search users. Instead, consumers looking for local businesses and services must specify a location with their search term, for example, “coffee shop near Bourbon Street, New Orleans”. The standard local SEO rules for Google local search optimization apply. GibiruLaunched in 2009, Gibiru doesn’t use cookies, log IP addresses, or record searches. As a privacy-first engine, it doesn’t share its ranking factors. But, having a similar mind for visitor security will likely help. It’s advisable to activate HTTPS, use secure encryption for form processing and payment process, and follow Google best practices. Naver
Naver is South Korea’s search engine of choice and that’s because it’s highly focused on South Korea. Its search results are localized because Naver spiders don’t crawl the whole of the Internet. If South Korea is a key market for your local business, you’ll need to create a strong pool of unique content, written in Korean. Your site should also be very mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and load quickly. Ask
Previously known as Ask Jeeves, the Ask algorithm works a little differently from other search engines. Intended to be the engine users visit when they need a question answered, Ask prioritizes expertise in its search results. Local listings aren’t presented on a map, they’re simply included in the main search results. In addition to the standard SEO tactics of using localized keywords on the site and growing your link profile, sharing knowledgeable, useful content can help to boost search visibility. Dogpile
Growing your local business presence on Dogpile depends on your rankings elsewhere. Dogpile pulls the top results from other search engines to create its own search results. That means you’ll naturally gain good visibility on Dogpile if you rank well on alternative search engines such as Bing and Yahoo. Diversify Your OptionsAs you can see from this list, there are plenty of other search engines for potential clients to discover your business through. The good news is that you don’t need to worry too much about lots of fiddly optimization that’s unique to each one. We’d definitely recommend spending some time making yourself familiar with other search engines to Google though, because you could be missing out on customers you were previously ignoring. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/UokxRY2 Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ Active Sync is here, and with it, the local listings management game has changed for good. We’re thrilled to announce the full launch of Active Sync and unveil the first-of-its-kind hybrid listings management solution. Watch the launch videoThis is a significant moment for us, and our customers, and we’ve had an interesting journey to get here. Before we dive into what Active Sync is and how it can help you manage listings more effectively, let’s start by taking a look at the local listings landscape. Shift HappensOver the past decade, the local listing landscape has undergone a significant transformation. Previously, consumers used hundreds of sites to discover local businesses. But now, just a few major players dominate consumer engagement. Our research shows that Google, Bing, Apple, and Facebook account for 92% of online engagement with local businesses. That’s quite a seismic shift. All that seismic activity meant the local listings landscape split into two distinct layers. We have dubbed them the Engagement Layer and the Authority Layer. A New Listings LandscapeThe Engagement Layer is made up of Google, Bing, Apple, Facebook, and the places these publishers push their data. They’re your primary digital storefronts where customers discover, evaluate, and engage with your brand. The Authority Layer comprises hundreds of listing sites that still exist on the web today, including Manta, Merchant Circle, Hotfrog, and Superpages, among others. While customers rarely visit these sites directly, they still help you build authority and trust with search engines.
But there’s a problem: the technology designed to help marketers manage their local listings treats both layers identically. Traditional API Solutions Got Stuck in the PastTraditional API solutions offer the dream of managing your data on every imaginable site from one place. But it’s just that, a dream. They often come with a one-size-fits-all network, charge huge fees, and force you to “rent” your listings. Not only do you struggle to get ROI, but you also risk listings reverting back to inaccurate data if you leave. They can be an expensive trap that’s tricky to escape. Citation Builder, our manual submission service, has been a successful alternative for many businesses, offering a broader network of sites in different niches, control over site selection, and no recurring fees – all at a fraction of the cost. Last year alone, our team handled over 1.4 million site submissions for over 72,000 locations. Still, we understood the appeal of API solutions, with the speed and protection they offer. Making updates is quick and easy. And they’re the first line of defense against external edits. As the local listings landscape changed, we realized that the technology needed to change too. That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of Active Sync, our very own API solution that’s purely focused on the sites that actually matter to consumers. And the best part? It’s designed to work in combination with Citation Builder. You get the speed and control of an API solution, with the reach and flexibility of a manual submission service, at a fraction of the cost of traditional API solutions. How unbeatable? Consider this: if you’re a marketer working for a 10-location business and you go with Yext, Synup, or Moz, you could end up spending anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 per year. With BrightLocal, you’ll likely pay just $1,800 in the first year (which covers a Citation Builder campaign) and as little as $800 each year after that. Over the course of five years, you could save anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 – that’s up to 75% saved. See how much you could saveUse our calculator how much you could save by switching to BrightLocal. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/WJVEdZb Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/ |
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