When it comes to digital marketing and search engine optimization, the devil is truly in the details. Seemingly trivial choices can have a dramatic effect on your web presence and search visibility, and nowhere is that more evident than in Google My Business (GMB). GMB optimization has quickly become something of a cottage industry within […]
Where to go next with your Google My Business listing Read More »
Is your online reputation fully optimized? Online reviews are a fundamental part of local search. That’s because 97 percent of consumers read online reviews for businesses, and 85 percent report that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey found. It’s not a matter of if your business will
Understanding the interplay of SEO and a 5-star reputation Read More »
Local SEO drives customer actions for businesses of every size, from local mom-and-pop shops to large companies with multiple locations. Local SEO is the new storefront, as search is now consumers’ top choice for finding local businesses. Local is a strategic investment within your sales funnel; it impacts your organic search strategy, content marketing efforts
Driving customer actions for enterprise-level brands Read More »
SEO for local business has gone through a number of changes. First, local businesses had to figure out Google’s algorithm so that their websites would appear in search results. Next came local search ranking factors that emphasized location-based factors. Now, it seems Google updates will require a new look at vertical-specific ranking factors. This isn’t
SEO ranking factors for 4 business verticals and what they mean for local businesses Read More »
A few months ago, I teamed up with Ben Fisher from Steady Demand to test whether Google Posts have any influence on ranking in the local results (the “3-pack”). The methodology We picked two different businesses to test this on. One was a garage flooring company that had been struggling to rank for their main
For those who missed it, Whitespark’s overhaul of the US Local Search Ecosystem interactive tool was recently released, and it does a fantastic job of showing how vast and complex the search industry has become. The ecosystem visualizes the web of search engines, data providers, publishers, directories and other businesses that use local data about
Deciphering the Google algorithm can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility. The search engine giant has made many changes over the years, keeping digital marketers on their toes and continually moving the goalposts on SEO best practices. Google’s continuous updating can hit local businesses as hard as anyone. Every tweak and modification to its
A brief history of Google’s most important local search updates Read More »
Halloween is just around the corner. Soon you’ll be seeing little ghosts, goblins, witches and Donald Trump wannabes wandering your street in search of treats. SEO is a lot like these trick-or-treaters: If you’re brave enough to go into the scary dark night and knock on strangers’ doors, you could be rewarded with goodies! The
Ignoring these 6 SEO strategies could come back to haunt you Read More »
After my column about Home Service Ads came out last week, I got a message from Google with some great news. They told me two things: Google plans to add pure service-area businesses (SABs) back into the local results — this includes home-based businesses. The disappearance of results for home-based businesses in markets without Home
Service-area businesses are coming back to the local results Read More »
In an age of artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) may seem like yesterday’s news, but, of all the technologies currently developing, it has the greatest potential for near-term changes that affect local search. While it remains murky how AI will benefit agencies, IoT is reaching a critical point in adoption and maturing
6 ways IoT will make local search for SMBs scalable Read More »
