Mind your business: Our top local search columns of 2017

Local SEO practitioners have an increasingly important role to play in the digital marketing mix as searches with local intent continue to grow at a fast pace — particularly on mobile devices. Google has responded to this shift in consumer behavior accordingly, releasing several updates in 2017 that have allowed business owners to enhance their local listings.

This year, our readers seemed especially interested in learning more about new Google My Business features, particularly Google Posts, Questions and Answers and the new website builder. This interest may reflect increased competition for a limited number of spots in the local pack: When all of your local competitors have the basics down, utilizing new and advanced features is a great way to make your business listing stand out.

Although articles about Google dominated the top local search columns this year, there was one notable exception, by Local Search Association’s Wesley Young, that focused on how Facebook is solidifying its place in the local search ecosystem. Young’s column provided a compelling case for expanding your local marketing efforts beyond Google’s local pack.

Top honors this year go to Joy Hawkins’s excellent and thorough coverage of Google’s “Hawk” algorithm update, which impacted how local listings are filtered based on their proximity to similar businesses.

Wondering what else local search marketers were excited about this year? Check out our top 10 most popular Local Search columns for 2017:

1. August 22, 2017: The day the “Hawk” Google local algorithm update swooped in by Joy Hawkins, published on 9/8/2017.
2. Local SEO in 2017: 5 simple ways to dominate local search by Sherry Bonelli, published on 2/9/2017.
3. 5 ways you can improve your new business’s visibility on Google Maps by Wesley Young, published on 2/27/2017.
4. 7 unannounced updates to Google My Business we’ve seen in 2017 by Joy Hawkins, published on 5/18/2017.
5. Hyperlocal marketing will soar in 2017: 5 tips to stay on top by Jim Yu, published on 2/21/2017.
6. Google My Business website builder SEO review by Tony Edward, published on 6/27/2017.
7. 3 local SEO tips that deliver business results by Ryan Shelley, published on 2/7/2017.
8. Do Google Posts impact ranking? A case study by Joy Hawkins, published on 11/2/2017.
9. 7 changes by Facebook that make it a real local search player by Wesley Young, published on 6/19/2017.
10. 6 business types that reap the most reward from local SEO by Pratik Dholakiya, published on 2/20/2017.