Yelp increasingly cracking down on ‘review solicitation’ across the internet
The company wants to stop the practice of asking for customer reviews on its site, and third-party sites as well.
Yelp
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SEO ranking factors for 4 business verticals and what they mean for local businesses
As organic search becomes ever more targeted, SEO is evolving in ways that require more customization. Wesley Young explores a recent study on ranking factors and provides 7 practical takeaways to boost search rank.
The ever-growing local search universe
Columnist Adam Dorfman discusses the current local search ecosystem and emphasizes the need to regularly optimize your data and content so that your business can be found where people are searching.
Local SEO for service-area businesses requires a lot of servicing
What does it take to get noticed as a service-area business? Columnist Andrew Shotland explains some of the challenges facing these businesses and offers tips for how to approach your local SEO efforts.
Yext begins to verticalize local business listings syndication with ‘Yext for Food’
Moves seek to provide enhanced data with more vertically specific attributes to various consumer search and discovery points.
Google is making strides with Google My Business
Though Google My Business isn't perfect, columnist Brian Smith believes that recent updates and added features illustrate Google's commitment to making the platform work for local business owners.
SearchCap: Yelp hits Google again, link building & SMX East preview
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on and from other places across the web.
Yelp says Google violated ‘do not crawl’ provision of 2013 FTC settlement agreement
Reportedly, numerous Yelp business images were found in Google Maps.
SearchCap: Google iOS app trends, difficult clients & content SEO
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on and from other places across the web.
4 local SEO tips for restaurants
While general SEO wisdom is applicable if you're running a restaurant website, contributor Dave Davies digs into the details of the options available especially for this business category.
Optimized store landing pages: An important part of local search strategy
How can brick-and-mortar stores improve the online experience for both users and search engines? Columnist Tony Edward says the key lies in strong local landing pages.
6 tips for using location information to boost conversion
Columnist Wesley Young looks at how far consumers are willing to travel to shop at local stores and how to use your store’s location to boost conversion of your marketing campaigns.
Meet the fake news of the online marketing world (that Google loves!): Review sites
Move over, fake news. Columnist David Rodnitzky takes a look at fake facts about online marketing vendors and why Google’s SEO algorithm isn't separating the fake review sites from the real ones.
Amazon’s Echo Show is a ‘1.0’ device, both exciting and frustrating
The new device hasn't yet found the right balance between voice and screen.
Google home service ads come to the East Coast & open up to more service categories
The local home services ad product is now available in 5 metro areas in the US.
Key notes on optimizing for voice search: Conversation, content and context
Voice search is growing in popularity, yet many search marketers still don't have a plan for it. Columnist Jim Yu discusses the state of voice search and provides some tips for marketers looking to the future.
SearchCap: YP acquired, PPC trends & tennis Doodle
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Wimbledon championship Google doodle marks 140th anniversary of world’s oldest tennis tournamentJul 3, 2017 by Amy Gesenhues The animated image, designed by Gerben Steenks, leads to a search for Wimbledon championship. […]
What to make of the EU’s absurd antitrust ruling against Google
In its concern over Google's market dominance, the EU has focused on the wrong issue. Its ruling won't benefit consumers and isn't going to bring CSE business back.
Reviews & other UGC more influential for consumers than search engines & ads [Study]
After ratings and reviews, search engines had the greatest influence on buying behavior.
Dear Google: 4 suggestions for fixing your massive problem with fake reviews
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.
Do SMB websites matter anymore? YP doubles down on ‘yes’ with new ‘pro’ SEO product
Company says program resulted in a page one ranking on Google for 70 percent of keywords within a few months.
SearchCap: Google ends ODP description, EU fines Google & local best practices
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Business profile and review best practices from TripAdvisor and YelpJun 2, 2017 by Greg Sterling Businesses that complete their profiles see 5x the customer leads each month. Gilbert Baker Google doodle […]
Business profile and review best practices from TripAdvisor and Yelp
Businesses that complete their profiles see 5x the customer leads each month.
SearchCap: Google link warning, in-store sales & more SEM
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Top 10 agency considerations for marketing automationMay 25, 2017 by Digital Marketing Depot You’ve decided to implement a marketing automation platform…great! This white paper from SharpSpring details 10 things your agency […]
SearchCap: Bing local bots, Yelp conversion & Google I/O recap
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing launches bots for local businessesMay 22, 2017 by Greg Sterling Bots are created automatically from data in Bing Places and will soon work with Facebook Messenger and Cortana. [Podcast] The […]
Study argues Yelp drives higher conversions than Google and Facebook
92% of respondents said they made a purchase after visiting the site.
5 reasons why websites still matter to local search in 2017
More and more small local businesses are using social media profile pages, rather than websites, as the main face of their operation. Columnist Wesley Young explains why this isn't the good idea that it may seem to be.
A fresh perspective on SEO for B2B companies
It's no longer about optimizing your website to rank for keywords. Columnist Garrett Mehrguth explains why B2B companies need to think differently about SEO.
Google shortcuts use personalization and rich content to build next-gen local discovery tool
Machine learning-driven results entirely bypass the traditional search box.
IAC buying Angie’s List, will combine with HomeAdvisor into new public company
The two companies will create a home services lead-gen powerhouse.
4 ways brands are losing store traffic — and how to use location marketing strategies to reverse course
Many national franchise stores are failing to appear in Google Maps search results. Columnist Wesley Young's observations may help these brands improve their visibility.
Preparing for local reach in a ‘post-rank’ world, Part 2: Create content for local research
Columnist Megan Hannay takes a look at why big brands need to create in-depth local content to boost local reach, even in a world of "instant answers."
Google Maps Timeline finally comes to iOS
Feature available on Android and desktop since 2015 hits iOS; Google's main iOS search app also gets a small update.
5 ways your merchandising strategy is affecting SEO performance
How does your merchandising strategy affect SEO? Columnist Stephanie LeVonne describes the various challenges that can arise if you overlook the importance of communicating your merchandising strategy with your SEO team.
SearchCap: Bing chatbot, PageRank sculpting & RankBrain
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Why the future is all about PASO — personal assistant search optimizationApr 5, 2017 by John E Lincoln Have you started considering voice search in your SEO strategy? Columnist John Lincoln […]
Why the future is all about PASO — personal assistant search optimization
Have you started considering voice search in your SEO strategy? Columnist John Lincoln explains why this should be top of mind for forward-thinking search marketers.
SearchCap: Google search app, PPC titles & AdWords DSAs
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Search App for iOS gains Gboard, trending widget & 3D TouchMar 28, 2017 by Barry Schwartz An update to the iOS Google Search app gives you more features and bug […]
SMX West session: Harnessing the power of online reviews
Columnist Greg Gifford recaps a session by Thomas Ballantyne about the value of online reviews, showing why businesses need to start thinking about them if they aren't already.
Preparing for local reach in a ‘post-rank’ world: Get your data in line
How might voice search impact local businesses? Columnist Megan Hannay shares her predictions and provides some advice on how SMBs can prepare for a future without rankings.
Why and how entities are shaping location marketing
What are entities, and how are they impacting local search marketing? Columnist Adam Dorfman tackles these questions and provides advice to local businesses looking to capitalize on this trend.