Your Google Business Profile needs a business continuity plan
Reduce the business impact of suspensions, verification issues, and missing reviews with practical preparation before problems occur.
Topic: Better Business Bureau
The new playbook for localized AI search optimization
Learn how to influence the reviews, citations, and third-party mentions AI search engines use in local business recommendations.
Fintech in AI search: How to be the trusted and featured brand
Learn how fintech brands can improve AI visibility in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode through trust signals, reviews, citations, PR, and consistent messaging.
How to fix a suspended Google Merchant Center account
Identify why your Merchant Center was flagged, audit your site and feed, and fix issues before requesting a review.
Why no amount of SEO can fix a broken brand
Traffic loss isn’t always technical. See how reputation, inventory decisions, and leadership missteps quietly erode rankings and conversions.
Are low-quality listicles about to lose their edge in Google Search?
Google says it's aware of weak 'best of' lists and said it 'works to combat that kind of abuse' in Search and Gemini.
How AI is impacting local search and what tools to use to get ahead
Understand AI’s role in local SEO: See how AI is changing local results, user behavior, and optimization strategies — and explore the top tools to use now.
The perfect local business contact page built for Google and conversions
Google crawls and parses your contact page. Structure it with the right signals and trust factors to drive rankings and real leads.
Why ad approval is not legal protection
Section 230 shields ad platforms from liability, while FTC enforcement holds advertisers strictly responsible for deceptive ad claims.
How to get your service area business verified on Google
Master Google verification for service area businesses. Prepare documents, ace video verification, and keep your profile compliant.
“Near me” SEO: Optimize for local searches that convert
Capture high-intent local traffic. Learn how to rank in “near me” searches with smart SEO tactics, GBP tips, and hyperlocal content strategies.
7 ways to grow brand mentions, a key metric for AI Overviews visibility
To show up in AI search, you need to be mentioned – credibly, often, and in the right places. These tactics will help you get there.
Types of backlinks explained: How to drive SEO, traffic, and authority
Understanding which types of backlinks are most valuable to your domain will help you develop the right content and target audiences.
Ad strength in Google Ads: Why Average is better than Excellent
Google recommends unpinning headlines for better ad strength, but does that improve performance? A data-backed look at what actually works.
Key PPC ad strategies for home services
Optimize your PPC budget and get high-quality leads in this competitive niche using strategies tailored to short and long sales cycles.
How to reappeal a Google Business Profile suspension
Follow these steps to appeal your GBP suspension and increase your chances of getting reinstated on Google Maps and local search results.
What to do when Google changes your GBP information
Learn how to effectively manage and protect your Google Business Profile from unexpected updates by Google.
How schema markup establishes trust and boosts information gain
Learn how schema markup offers a potential cost-saving solution for Google while establishing trust in your content and improving visibility.
How to establish your brand entity for SEO: A 5-step guide
A well-known, top rated and trusted brand entity is the cornerstone of organic visibility. Here's how to build yours in five steps.
Why search marketers don’t think a dedicated four-year degree is necessary; Thursday’s daily brief
And, PPC pros, say goodbye to the standalone Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value strategies.
Check your YoY reporting and how to set HARD, DUMB or FAST search marketing goals; Monday’s daily brief
Plus, ORM strategies when attack sites strike and Facebook says the algorithm isn't the ONLY one to blame
Reputation attack sites have plummeted in Google, but can still harm
Sites like Ripoff Report, Pissed Consumer and Complaints Board are still a danger for businesses and people with a low online presence. Here's what you can do to decrease the threat.
Social Shorts: Snapchat’s TikTok rival is here, Facebook teams with BBB for ad reviews
Snapchat puts the “Spotlight” on top Snaps, will pay creators Snapchat has launched Spotlight to feature the best Snaps in a new feed aimed squarely at countering rival TikTok. Creators whose videos are selected can “earn a share of more than $1 million that we’re distributing to creators every day!,” said the company. Creators can […]
SEO myth-busting: What is not a Google search ranking factor
Google has said it doesn't use these signals to inform where your site ranks in organic search 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 system.
Local SEOs mixed, some peeved at idea of paying for Google My Business services
They recognized the logic – but many had strong criticisms.
SMX Overtime: What really matters for SEO success
SEO expert Lily Ray offers advice on how small websites can build credibility, why depth above breadth is a good philosophy and the reason ad transparency is important.
SearchCap: Bing Ads Editor, Chrome HTTPS, HomePod & Google Home
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Report: Google Home making gains on Alexa, Apple HomePod in 4th placeMay 18, 2018 by Greg Sterling Even if Apple’s smart speaker sales don’t grow, they could still generate $800 million […]
SearchCap: AdWords parallel tracking, negative SEO, Yext with TripAdvisor
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: AdWords sets parallel tracking deadline & will warn advertisers using HTTP landing pagesMay 17, 2018 by Ginny Marvin Advertisers using third-party click measurement systems need to prepare for parallel tracking. AdWords […]
Google is sunsetting AdWords Review extensions
The text ad extension will be removed from AdWords entirely next month.
iAcquire Banned From Google After Link Buying Allegations
The search marketing agency, iAcquire, that was allegedly responsible for buying links for clients was just banned from Google’s search results. iAcquire was cited as the agency behind Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corporation’s link buy request emails. For more on that see our story named What Can We Learn From The Latest Brand To Be […]
Goodbye “Ads By Google” & Hello “AdChoices” As Google’s Backs Industry Label Effort
Those “Ads by Google” and “i” labels on AdSense ads will soon be replaced by an “AdChoices” triangle icon and label, as Google moves to comply with an industry initiative from the Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. It will be the single largest roll-out of the “AdChoices” label to date, giving significant momentum to […]
A Link Building Blueprint: The Foundation
Over the next several months, I plan to use my column here at Link Week to lay out a link building blueprint you can use as a guide in your linking efforts. We’ll start with foundational tactics and some of the side opportunities they offer, and keep going into the more detailed “advanced” techniques toward the end. If you […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 21, 2010
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 Google Can’t Count Results Properly It’s a long-standing complaint of mine with Google. You can do a search, then repeat the same search and “subtract” a word from your original […]
Google Goes From C- To A- Rating At BBB In 10 Days
About 10 days ago, we reported Google had a C- rating on the Better Business Bureau web site. In fact, for years, Google held a D rating on the BBB web site. But a couple hours ago, Mike noticed Google’s BBB rating jumped to a B+. So I checked just now, 8:15am EST and it […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 11, 2010
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Hot At Sphinn: Google’s BBB Grade, Google’s Keyword Research Tool, Social Media Professionalism & More Google dominated the discussion on Sphinn this past week. Stories about Google’s “C-” rating from the […]
Google Improves From ‘Unsatisfactory’ To ‘C-‘ Rating At BBB
Is Google getting better at customer service? To the degree that you rely on Better Business Bureau ratings as an indicator of customer service, the answer might be “yes.” Over the past 27 months, Google’s BBB rating has gone from “unsatisfactory” — when the BBB used a pass/fail grading system — to a “C-” in […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 8, 2010
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Time To Think Carefully About Which Country Hosts Your URL Shortener In my “how to choose a URL shortener” article last year, I warned that the country domain that a shortener […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 7, 2010
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Close-Up With Google’s New QR Code Generator At first blush, generating a QR code while shortening a URL seems like a great idea. If you need to generate unique QR Codes […]