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Google introduces three new travel products for hotels
Hotels will now have a much easier streamlined process for adding room rates and availability to their Google Business Profiles.
New Yelp feature: Request a Call
Missed phone calls are lost leads. Yelp's new feature could help generate more qualified leads for local service businesses.
Surprise: ‘Near me’ brand names don’t rank higher for ‘near me’ searches
'Near me' searches continue to grow, but the tactic of optimizing for these terms can now do more harm than good for local search rankings.
Google multisearch to gain near me support
Soon you will be able to search by image for matches of places, stores or restaurants near you.
Google now allows virtual food brands to have Google Business Profiles
Google has updated its business profile guidelines to allow some delivery-only food brands.
Business redressal complaint form adds option for ‘This business doesn’t exist’
You can now identify the content on Google Maps that you claim might lead to fraudulent activity by saying the business doesn't exist.
Is the Google Business Profile Manager going away for multi-locations businesses as well?
Previously Google said the Google Business Profile Manager will remain for larger businesses that manage multiple locations but maybe that is not true?
How to get reviews for local SEO: The must-do list
How do you go about knowing who and how to ask for a review? Here are some top tips on how to secure reviews for local SEO.
Yelp adds searchable eco-friendly business attributes
The new sustainability attributes will appear on Yelp business pages. In addition, Yelp will highlight attributes in search results.
Google may update business hours in local listings with AI
So make sure to routinely review your business hours to ensure they are accurate.
The right approach to multilingual marketing strategy
Is your brand lost in translation, missing out on opportunities or revenue? Learn how to correctly do multilingual marketing.
Google Business Profile review management tool expands support to those with many local listings
Previously, this tool only let those with a few listings manage their reviews.
Google Business Profiles add new recycling attribute
This new attribute may help your business stand out from the competition in the Google local results.
Google Search adds booking and appointment availability for healthcare providers
This is a pilot with a limited number of providers including MinuteClinic at CVS.
Google Maps blocked 100 million abusive business profile edits in 2021
Less than 1% of the content viewed on Google Maps was fraudulent or abusive, Google said.
Google Business Profiles new emergency help attributes for Ukraine support
Google also added hotel attributes to define if your hotel offers support to those displaced from Ukraine.
Google business profile reviews posting bugs should be resolved soon
Google has confirmed there was an issue with some reviews not posting and those reviews should be processed the end of this week.
Google’s free hotel booking links arrive on Search and Maps
The expanded capabilities may be good news for hotels, but not so much for online travel agencies.
Google ‘Confirmed by phone’ label in local panel may add trust to local listings
This label seems to be based off of Google Duplex calling businesses to verify their business operation details.
Google may require double verification for some business profiles
Google updated its help documents to say that it may require you to verify your business with an additional method.
How to use Google Business Messages to talk to your customers
Google's Business Messages is one of the best ways to connect with your customers and future customers.
New business openings nearly match pre-pandemic levels, Yelp says
However, most major cities actually experienced a decrease in openings.
Google Search local pack’s map is now interactive
The new map lets you zoom, pan, hover and click to see more details on the map.
Google testing questions and answers in the Google Maps interface
This feature first launched in 2017 in the local panel and Google appears to be testing it in Google Maps.
Google dropping follow and welcome offers in local listings
Soon, you won't be able to follow local businesses in Google anymore.
Google launches Google Business Profiles calls API
Businesses can pull call history data from this API and into their CRM software.
Yelp introduces Keyword Boosting, rolls out Custom Location Targeting to all advertisers
Keyword Boosting may help local businesses achieve better campaign performance and reach higher intent audiences.
Google opens up about how Maps review moderation works
Google’s overview details why it might update its policies, how it enforces them and the role of machines and humans in content moderation.
New lawsuit targets Google over location data
Google is accused of using dark patterns to get more location data from its users and profit from better search results and Google Ads.
Google Business Profiles sets waiting period for new owners and managers
Newly granted users now must wait 7 days before they can manage all the features of the profile.
Apple Maps: What a maps web snapshot can do for your online content
Apple lets you create a static map image from a URL with chosen parameters and characteristics.
Google now lets you place products at the top of your local and Maps listing
Google Business Profiles now let's you mark a product as special to pop it to the top.
The ‘Vicinity Update’: Winners and losers from the November 2021 local update
This update seemed to be focused on changes around proximity and distance.
Bing launches travel-oriented results pages and a trip-planning hub
The new features may make it even harder for OTAs to compete in the search results.
Google Maps adds dock to bottom
Searchers can now dock places they find in Google Maps to the bottom of the map interface.
Google also had a local search update from November 30 through December 8
This overlapped other ranking updates and a Google map and local pack update design change.
YouTube to automatically link to places mentioned in videos
Places Mentioned will be available on the Android and iOS YouTube apps for food and drinks videos where YouTube can detect places.
Google Posts open to hotels for update notices but not promotions
Hotels can now officially use Google Posts in their local listings but in a limited way.
Exclusive: The most popular Yelp search filters
While the most common filter, “Open Now,” isn’t surprising, the data can inform local business owners of what consumers prioritze as they browse different business categories.
9 in 10 customers more likely to overlook a negative review if the business responds adequately, Yelp says
Half of survey respondents said they don’t trust reviews if they know the business asked customers to leave them.