Local Search Column
Local Search provides the latest news and information about the growing segment of local search marketing, including tips on how to take advantage of local directory providers and online yellow page listings, mapping tools and location based services to help users uncover real-world merchants, franchise locations, locally owned small businesses and community places. Columnists cover geo-targeting, zip code and map data being used by searchers and search engines to provide locally relevant results.
SMX Overtime: Managing Google My Business profiles, reviews and more
Local search expert Dan Leibson offers advice on how to manage GMB profiles and why it's important to implement a meaningful review...
Businesses need to think differently about customer feedback data in 2020
Improving the customer experience and improve your business operationally means keeping up with the many ways customers communicate with...
How verticalization and zero-click will impact local search in 2020
In the coming year it will be interesting to see how Google balances the priority of verticalization against the growing popularity of Google...
A wishlist of improvements for Google My Business in 2020
Joy Hawkins shares the top 5 features she’d like Google My Business to update or change this...
Good guides gone bad: How Google’s ‘Local Guides’ program fails businesses and consumers
Columnist Jamie Pitman talks to some of the leading figures in local search to find out what went wrong with the Local Guides program, and if...
SMX Overtime: Managing your online business reviews
Product management expert Adam Dorfman answers questions from SMX East about asking for, and responding to, reviews on Google and...
How to level up from a Google My Business apprentice to a GMB master
Your business page is a dynamic asset so prioritize these updates to gain a distinct advantage over those that do...
Google My Business phone support has ended, but help from the experts has not
Google's social media channels are reported to be helpful as well as connecting with local search...
Local SEOs still seeing volatility in ranking with Google’s latest algorithm update
The local search updates this month seem to be about relevance and how Google understands search terms for a business. But a lot of new spam is...
Here’s what you need to know about Google’s newest local algorithm update
Google’s biggest local algorithm update since 2016 will require businesses and agencies to be more vigilant about fighting spam in affected...
New SERP feature truncates title tag in favor of location
Google automatically adding locations to title tags can work well in local businesses’...
What does Google Maps ‘incognito mode’ mean for businesses?
Google is giving consumers more control to opt-out but likely priming the market for more ambitious advertising products in...
Which service-area business types perform best in local search?
New research from a dataset across seven industries that have a physical location were reviewed to answer this...
4 Things to know about Google posts in the 3-pack and local finder
We have not found content used in the Google Post has any impact on ranking so, focus on keywords you're already ranking for to boost...
Which local citation sources matter now?
An informal poll of local SEOs yields some answers -- and disagreements -- about spending time on...
The importance of an effective review management workflow
Brands are at the mercy of third-party review management sites so it’s important to monitor and manage this process as best you...
Google’s inconsistency with third-party reviews is a confusing user experience
Google would be better off removing “reviews from the web” because the lack of enforcement with their own guidelines makes it difficult to...
The convergence of data quality to consumer discoverability
Data cleanliness and accuracy must be a priority for brands because it will affect marketing performance at the local level....
Why is there so little innovation in local?
The alpha and omega of local is now...
New research shows strong link between Google My Business photo quantity and search performance
Here's what analyzing 580,853 images across 15,191 Google My Business listings taught us about how GMB images could be impacting user...