If you wanted to boil down marketers’ fears in the digital economy to one single idea, you might argue it would be loss of control. How your brand is being presented and talked about across all the various sites, channels and platforms out there can sometimes feel entirely out of your hands. There’s always that […]
Google is making strides with Google My Business Read More »
I recently reported on an algorithm update impacting the local results that happened on August 22, 2017. This was a strictly-local update, from what I can tell so far, which means that it had no impact on the non-local organic results. What changed? The update, which I have dubbed “Hawk,” was a change to the
The day the ‘Hawk’ Google local algorithm update swooped in Read More »
In mid-August, Google rolled out a new feature on the Google Maps app for Android called Questions & Answers. This feature is currently also available on mobile browsers. Here are some aspects of this new feature that business owners and marketers may need to be aware of. 1. If you don’t see the feature, you
6 things you need to know about Google’s Q&A feature on Google Maps Read More »
If you’re a business which has brick-and-mortar store locations, you may know that having a local search strategy is crucial to your business. Most business owners are aware that building a local search presence requires having profiles on Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, etc., so that you may show up for local
Recently, someone emailed me some information about a private Facebook group run by an SEO company in Austin, Texas, that is encouraging businesses to “swap reviews” on Google. In the post, the SEO company owner said: “It’s that time again – Let’s swap Google reviews! I have a REAL level 5 Local Guides account with
What are the risks for businesses that are getting fake reviews on Google? Read More »
Almost everyone, it seems, has received one: a call falsely claiming that your business listing on Google is about to expire. Many people also receive deceptive robocalls from marketing companies claiming to represent or be authorized by Google. One such UK-based company, Movette, was just shut down by regulators for using fraudulent tactics to sell
UK local SEO firm Movette shut down by regulators for deceptive sales practices Read More »
If you own SEO at a multi-location brand (or an agency that works with them), it can be hard to sleep at night. Once upon a time, we were approached by a multi-location retailer about a Google My Business (GMB) problem. Apparently, at some point, Google updated the phone number on a decent percentage of
If your GMB page updates & no one knows, does it make a sound? Read More »
Summer conference season is in full swing, and this month I’m stepping off Greg’s Soapbox to share some in-depth knowledge. With the release of the 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors and several studies, local SEO sessions are all pushing the importance of building local links. Even when tips are shared that explain how to get
Google has been cranking out the updates this year for Local Search, and the latest thing to hit the SMB market is Google Posts. This new feature allows you to publish your events, products and services directly to Google Search (in the Knowledge Panel) and Maps. Here’s an example of what a Google Post looks like
