Local businesses trump big businesses when it comes to delivering on-site updates
Columnist Myles Anderson shares the results of a recent BrightLocal survey about the impact of on-site SEO on rankings for local businesses.
Myles Anderson is Founder & CEO of BrightLocal.com. BrightLocal provide a unique and specialised set of local SEO tools for SEO Agencies, Freelances and & local business owners. See their Local SEO Research Section for the latest research & survey findings about the local search market.
Is selling SEO services getting harder or are SEOs just not good at it?
In light of recent survey data from BrightLocal, columnist Myles Anderson shares tips for local search marketers looking to acquire new business.
60% of local SEOs are outsourcing more tasks in 2016 vs. 2015
What is the current state of outsourcing in the local search world? Columnist Myles Anderson takes a look at the results of a recent BrightLocal survey on the topic.
What different consumer groups really want from local business websites
Columnist Myles Anderson takes a look at what consumers in different age groups are looking for when it comes to local business websites. Local SEO practitioners, take note!
Do SEOs At Larger Agencies Earn More Than Those At Smaller Agencies?
Local search practitioners, how do you stack up to your peers in the industry? Columnist Myles Anderson sheds some light on this topic based on data from BrightLocal's recent annual Local SEO Industry Survey.
78% Of SEOs Believe That 2016 Is Going To Be A “Great” Year For Business
What does this year have in store for local search engine optimization professionals? Columnist Myles Anderson shares results from BrightLocal's Local SEO Industry Survey, which may provide some insights.
Local Resource: 50 Top International Citation Sites
Doing SEO for a business in another country and not sure where to start when it comes to local citations? Luckily, columnist Myles Anderson has put together this great list of sites for you as a starting point.
Young Consumers Read More Reviews & Are More Likely To Write Reviews
Columnist Myles Anderson shares key findings from a recent BrightLocal survey on the effects of age on consumption of online reviews.
Local Search Voted Most Powerful Channel For Local Businesses
Columnist Myles Anderson shares key insights from BrightLocal's 2015 "Local Clicks & Calls" survey, which asks local business owners and local search marketers about which digital marketing channels are the most effective.
87% of Potential Customers Won’t Consider Businesses With Low Ratings
Columnist Myles Anderson shares key findings from BrightLocal's 2015 Local Consumer Review Survey.
Local Businesses Squeezed Out Of Organic Search By Larger Websites
Columnist Myles Anderson shares the results of a recent BrightLocal study measuring how much page-one real estate the three major search engines are giving to local businesses for various types of search queries.
Is Local Directory Traffic On The Rise Again?
Is it time to give local directories a higher priority as you plan your search marketing strategy? Contributor Myles Anderson shares results of his recent traffic data analysis.
Local Search Marketers: 83% Of SEOs Believe Focusing On Reviews Delivers Good ROI
Columnist Myles Anderson explores insights gleaned from a recent BrightLocal webinar on reviews and reputation management for local business marketers.
Local Experts Say “Relevance” Of Citations More Important Than “Authority”
Columnist Myles Anderson shares findings and insights from BrightLocal's 2015 Expert Citation Survey.
SMBs Divided On The Effectiveness Of Google My Business
Columnist Myles Anderson digs deeper into BrightLocal's 2014 SMB Internet Marketing Survey to learn more about the attitudes of small and medium sized businesses.
75% Of Small & Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs) Say Internet Marketing Is Effective
Columnist Myles Anderson shares key stats from BrightLocal's most recent annual SMB Internet Marketing Survey.
Citation Inconsistency Is No.1 Issue Affecting Local Ranking
This post is a follow-up from my November post, in which I shared some interesting findings from the current InsideLocal webinar series. During InsideLocal webinars, we survey the audience, which consists of 500+ local search consultants and SMB owners. The vast majority of attendees are search consultants/agencies, with 90-95% located in USA and Canada (so the data are skewed to […]
58% Of Local Marketers Will Change Tactics After Pigeon Update
Columnist Myles Anderson shares the results of an InsideLocal survey detailing the impact of Google's recent local algorithm update, Pigeon.
Using The Past To Predict The Future For Local Search
What does local SEO have in store for us? Columnist Myles Anderson takes a look at how local ranking factors have changed over time.
Understanding Sales, Conversion & Revenue For Local SEO Agencies
Contributor Myles Anderson takes a deep dive into the stats BrightLocal collected in a survey of more than 1,700 local SEOs.
How To Conduct A Winning Local Search Audit
Every week, our support team at BrightLocal fields numerous questions from our customers about how best to conduct a local search audit. The questions range from the type and quantity of data to include, to what processes and tools can be used to speed up the audit. This topic is well covered on many blogs, […]
88% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal Recommendations
We at BrightLocal have released the findings of our annual Local Consumer Review Survey, which reveals the growing importance of online reviews in the purchasing decision. About Local Consumer Review Survey 2014 This is the 4th year we have conducted this study into consumer usage and attitudes toward online reviews. In May-June, we sent a questionnaire to our […]
Survey Finds Organic Search Delivers The Best ROI For Local Businesses
We at BrightLocal recently conducted a survey that examines the sources of traffic and leads to local businesses. We had 288 SEOs and SMBs complete the survey. Combined, this group claimed to have optimized over 7,000 locations in the last 12 months. (That’s a whopping 24 locations per head — good effort!) We asked this […]
How To Build A Local Brand Through Online Marketing
The terms Brand and Brand Marketing are usually associated with large businesses. Having a brand is seen as something significant — something that only businesses with big ideas and even bigger wallets can afford to invest in and create. But that’s not true. Businesses of all sizes can be Brands. A brand can’t be built in […]
Survey: 85% Of SEOs Shoot For 1-5 New Local Reviews Per Month
Managing reviews and reputation isn’t a new discipline for search consultants and agencies to focus on, but it is gaining prominence as reviews take on more significance in the world of local search. Consumers consult online reviews more regularly in their research process and put an increasing amount of trust in ratings and review sentiment […]
Which Is The Most “Generous” Search Engine To Local Businesses?
Earlier this month, one of our customers asked an interesting question in a training workshop. They wanted to know which search engine displayed the most local results for different types of search terms. Google gets the lion’s share of focus in the SEO world, particularly in Local. They also have the most developed local search […]
Products, Prices & Proximity Are Most Important Info On Local Business Websites
Historically, website design and optimization have been uncomfortable bedfellows. The structural and content requirements of SEO were seen to restrict the fluidity of design and user interaction, while a narrow focus on website style often meant that the need to gain visibility in search and convert clicks into customers was overlooked. While these reluctant friends […]
Health & Medical SMBs Spend More On Marketing Than Other Industries
When we conducted an online survey of 668 US small and medium-sized businesses in October 2013, a large number of these businesses (just over 20%) classified themselves as belonging to the Health & Medical Industry. This group consisted of a wide spread of specialists, including chiropractors, dentists, mental health practices, medical family practices, pharmacies, psychologists and […]
62% Of Marketers Say Local Search Is Getting Harder
During the recent InsideLocal webinar series, I’ve had the chance to gather the opinions and feelings of the hundreds of search agencies, consultants, “in-bound” marketers and business owners who logged in to listen. We ran a number of on-the-spot surveys (or polls) during each webinar, which helped to complement the expert views provided by our […]
SMBs Spend An Average 46% Of Marketing Budget On ‘Digital’
In October 2013, BrightLocal teamed up with ChamberOfCommerce.com to conduct an insightful piece of research into the attitudes toward and usage of Digital Marketing by SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses). (In the survey, we used the phrase “Internet or Mobile Marketing” to make it clear to survey respondents what we mean by Digital Marketing.) The objective […]
34% Of Local SEOs Make Less Than $30,000/Year. Why?
As the local search industry evolves and becomes more complex, the role of local search consultants and agencies becomes more critical. Complexity is increasing across most areas of our fast-growing industry, which makes “local search” all the more confusing for local business owners. This complexity is driving increased demand for local search services. SMB owners […]
Survey: Quality Of Citations Matters More Than Quantity
At the start of August, David Mihm published the findings of the latest installment of the Local Search Ranking Factors Survey. This year, the breakdown & presentation of survey results has been taken to a new level. Ranking factors are grouped by signal type (e.g., Place Page Signals), then further broken down by result type […]
Keys To Working With New Search Clients: Planning, Communication & Setting Expectations
I recently conducted a series of interviews with four successful and respected local search experts. The interviews focused on the all-important client-agency relationship and examined four key stages, from winning new customers to retention of long-term clients. The objective of the interviews was to understand how each consultant/agency approaches the different relationship stages and to […]
2013 Study: 79% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal Recommendations
Today, we at BrightLocal released the findings of our 2013 Local Consumer Review Survey. This is the third wave of this study which explores consumer consumption (aka “reading”) of online reviews and how these influence their opinions and purchases from local businesses. More People Reading Fewer Reviews The results of this year’s survey show that more consumers […]
93% Of Local SEOs Expect To Grow Their Business In 2013
Last week, we published the findings of the BrightLocal Local SEO Industry Survey 2013. The objective of this survey is to gain greater understanding about the health and nature of the local SEO Industry. Through this survey, we aim to find out what life is like “on the ground” for those in the local SEO […]
10 Things SEOs & SMBs Should Know About New Google Places Dashboard
Recently, Google announced some significant changes to their Google Places dashboard. The wires have been humming ever since, and the reaction has ranged from fall-off-seat excitement to ‘humph, is that it!?’ Whatever the opinion, the truth is that these changes signify a big development in the way Google handles ‘Local.’ Google has been talking up […]
Only 29% Of Consumers Regularly Use Mobile Devices To Find Local Businesses
The staggering growth in smartphone and iPad/tablet usage is changing the way consumers behave. Having these powerful devices glued to our hands 18 hours a day changes how we manage our lives, stay in touch with friends and consume media. It also affects how we find and engage with businesses and services, and no more […]
Top Tips For SEO Agencies To Find & Convert New Local Customers
While many industries and businesses are struggling to survive and grow right now, that can’t be said of the SEO or online local advertising industries. It’s boom time for our sector as more and more businesses turn to the Internet and mobile as their primary marketing channels. But, it’s not just businesses that are wising […]
How To Create Your Local SEO Roadmap Through Research, Benchmarking & Tracking
During the regular online training sessions which I deliver to our customers, I inevitably get asked the same question. Actually this question comes in a few guises. What should I focus on more – citations or links? Are reviews an important factor for local ranking? How many citations should I build for my client? How […]
Insiders Guide To Selecting The Right Local SEO Tools
Last week’s announcement by Raven tools that they would remove all ‘scraped data’ (e.g., ranking reports) from their toolkit came as an unwelcome surprise to many of their customers. This action effectively makes a big portion of their service redundant, and the reaction to this news hasn’t been all positive for Raven. This must have […]