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.
The rise (and further rise) of Google My Business spam
Google's machine learning tool verification is just not working for GMB listings as spam is constantly slipping through the net. Here's how you...
How call tracking is becoming ‘conversational intelligence’
Marketers have really only scratched the surface of what call analytics can do....
What do the symbols mean in Google’s Map Pack and Local Finder?
Over the past couple of years, Google has been consistently expanding upon its functionality for extracting information and displaying in local...
SMX Overtime: The new realities of local search
SEO expert Damian Rollison offers insights into the sites that matter for local search and ranking besides Google My Business, and why you...
Google My Business messaging problems continue
When messaging is set up in the GMB app, it doesn't work for listings that belong to location groups in the...
How lucrative is local search?
A new report finds that while junior SEOs spend the most time on day-to-day SEO, senior staff need to keep their skills sharp so their agencies...
6 things you need to know about Google’s change for service area businesses
Google's new service area business set up cleared addresses. If you're a service business, don’t try to add it back. Here's...
Google My Business messaging via SMS to end, but where is the alternative?
The end of SMS messaging on the GMB dashboard will have a sizable – and negative – impact on marketing agencies and large enterprises....
Learn how to build an online to offline attribution model for local businesses
Offline pickup with online ordering and coupons are just a couple of ways you can build your ideal local attribution...
Don’t give up on Google Posts
Since a GMB listing is a major local ranking factor for a business, keeping listings fresh with content improves findability in...
7 things you might not know about Google My Business categories
I have found that Google My Business categories are often an overlooked tactic by many people that work in the Local Search space. According to...
Google Posts decline in traffic leave many to wonder if strategy is worth the time
After Google Posts moved to the bottom of the Knowledge Panel in September, many are reevaluating the strategy as...
Do men and women value online reviews differently?
New research suggests there is an opportunity for businesses to get ahead of their competitors by generating reviews from their female...
Massive fake review attack has big impact on small businesses
Business owners and Google product experts could not easily find all the businesses impacted during the recent attack because the profiles...
What should service area businesses be focusing on in search?
Here's some guidance for businesses to take advantage of a recent change in Google My Business to submit exact regions of operation rather than...
Developing a schema strategy for local business: An interview with Schema App’s Martha van Berkel
Semantic markup offers the most clear-cut opportunity to tell search engines about your small business website. Discover the benefits and learn...
3 reasons why Google My Business search queries don’t match Search Console
If you work in local search, are you regularly checking the Search Query report in Google My Business Insights? Here's why you should...
Are you guilty of these common SEO mistakes?
Mistakes happen. When they do, the best response is to learn from your errors, and those made by others, so you can turn them into...
How the hospitality industry should approach online reviews and citations
Looking for more positive reviews? Here are some smart ways to build citations and reviews plus tips to boost the visibility of businesses in...
6 ways the August core algorithm update impacted local business
Was your site affected by the recent core algorithm update? Here's a look at the changes made to local and small business sites after the...