Joy is the owner of the Local Search Forum, LocalU, and Sterling Sky, a Local SEO agency in Canada & the USA. She has been working in the industry since 2006 and enjoys speaking regularly at marketing conferences such as MozCon, LocalU, Pubcon, SearchLove, and State of Search. You can find her on Twitter or volunteering as a Product Expert on the Google My Business Forum.
Creating fake reviews might seem like a great way to boost your business's local profile, but columnist Joy Hawkins warns that the consequences far outweigh the benefits. After all, you're not just violating Google's guidelines -- you're breaking the law.
Local businesses, are you utilizing Google Posts? Columnist Joy Hawkins shares her observations from several months of testing this new feature.
Columnist and local search expert Joy Hawkins notes that unless Google My Business gets serious about addressing fake reviews, it will suffer a loss of credibility. Here are her suggestions for tackling this ongoing issue.
Google has been quietly rolling out new features and updates to Google My Business over the last several months, and columnist Joy Hawkins has compiled these underreported changes.
A recent study released by Google claims that fewer than 0.5% of local searches lead to fake listings. But is this number misleading? Columnist and local search expert Joy Hawkins takes a deep dive.
Contributor Joy Hawkins warns about the likely unintended consequences of Google's impending shutdown of Map Maker, calling for the search giant to create more transparency.
Columnist and local search expert Joy Hawkins shows the results of a recent Google My Business advanced verification test and explores the new home services local pack.
How significantly did the Possum update impact local search results in Google? Columnist Joy Hawkins shares data and insights from a study she did with BrightLocal, which compared local results before and after the update.
Wondering what's up with local search rankings lately? Columnist Joy Hawkins has the scoop on a recent local algorithm update that local SEO experts are calling 'Possum.'
Seeing a shift in Google's local results? It's not just you. Columnist Joy Hawkins documents what appears to be a recent refresh to Google's local ranking filter.
It can be difficult for businesses with multiple locations to craft unique, rich content for each individual location page, but columnist Joy Hawkins has some advice for how to do just that.
You may have a strong Google My Business listing, but what happens when individual practitioners at your location have their own listings? Columnist Joy Hawkins shares a case study detailing what happened when one such practitioner left her practice to go work elsewhere.
During this SMX Advanced session, panelists discussed what SEOs need to know about Google's Search Quality Rating Guidelines, created for the human beings who double-check that the Google algorithm is performing as designed. Columnist Joy Hawkins recaps.
What are the differences between branded and non-branded local packs in Google, and how might ranking factors be weighted differently for each? Columnist Joy Hawkins shares her observations.
Seeing lots of spammy local listings on Google? It's not just you! Columnist Joy Hawkins notes some of the problems with Google's enforcement of its Google My Business guidelines.
Has your business listing in Google been suspended? Not sure what happened? Columnist Joy Hawkins discusses the likely causes and how to address them.
Columnist Joy Hawkins gives a lesson in what NOT to do when optimizing Google My Business profiles, based on her experiences cleaning up spammy listings.
Columnist Joy Hawkins discusses how you can fix issues with old business locations being marked "Permanently closed" -- and what Google may be doing to address the issue.
You've done everything right in terms of local SEO -- you're even ranking high in organic results -- but you just can't seem to get a place in the map pack. What's wrong? Columnist Joy Hawkins explores.
Wondering how to identify and clean up your duplicate map listings? Columnist Joy Hawkins has you covered.
Columnist and local search expert Joy Hawkins outlines some differences between two of Google's local/maps services, discussing which might come in handy based on your situation.
Is your business moving to a new location? If so, check out columnist Joy Hawkins' guide to ensuring a smooth transition in Google.