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Aug 28 2024

Google Business Profile Video Verification Best Practices via @sejournal, @sherrybonelli

Google Business Profiles (GBP) are one of the best ways for a local merchant to get online exposure.

But before your GBP becomes visible to the public, you must verify it by clicking on the Get Verified link.

Screenshot from Google Business Profile, June 2024

When a business sets up a Google Business Profile, Google offers a method (or sometimes several ways) to verify the profile.

This verification process helps Google ensure that the business is a real and legitimate business that is eligible for a GBP and meets Google’s guidelines for representing your business on Google.

In an ideal world, Google would visit each location with a GBP to ensure that the business is real and meets all guidelines.

But that is not possible.

One of the ways Google can verify a business is through video verification. Video verification is the next best thing to visiting a business.

It’s almost like a “digital in-person” check-in on the business.

The video allows Google to actually see the company and more details about the business.

Google’s video verification method tries to authenticate and confirm legitimate businesses and (hopefully) weed out spammy and fake listings that could inundate the Local Pack, Local Finder, and Google Maps and confuse or hurt consumers.

Why Video Verification?

With video verification, Google is trying to ensure that the GBPs set up are legitimate businesses meeting Google’s guidelines.

With the video verification process, Google is trying to get the following information:

Existence: Is this a genuine/real business? Does it exist?
Geographic location: Is the business located where the Business Profile says it is located? (It isn’t easy to film a video of a bookstore in New York City and pretend that it’s a bookstore in London.)
User integrity: Is this an authentic company? Is it a real merchant? Google is trying to determine if someone is attempting to commit fraud.
Affiliation: Is this merchant actually associated with the business? Do they have the authority to represent the business?

When businesses submit video evidence that proves and shows these things, Google operators can review the video to determine if the evidence presented is strong enough to verify that the business is located where it says it is, performs the work it claims it does, and more.

To go through the video verification process, you’ll need a mobile device with a camera.

If you get this verification option, it’s important that you understand the rationale for the video verification.

You should understand what needs to be included in the video so that the Google operator reviewing it is convinced that your company exists and does what it says it does. The operator must also be convinced that the person taking the video is associated with the business.

They will also want to verify that the geographical location matches the location of the business as listed in its GBP.

It’s also important to follow the on-screen instructions and plan everything out before you start recording the video. Since the video must be done in one continuous shot, planning ahead is crucial!

In the video verification process, Google asks the business owner (or someone with authority to represent the business) to create a short, continuous video that provides evidence that the business is an actual, legitimate business.

The video should be short (approximately two minutes) and to the point.

Each video is manually reviewed by a Google employee and is meant to simulate an in-person visit to the business.

Google doesn’t ask you to share anything sensitive – like people’s faces or documents that contain confidential information.

These videos are kept private and are only used for verification purposes.

Don’t worry; It will never be published and can be deleted anytime.

Screenshot by author, June 2024

Planning Your Video For Business Profile Video Verification

Before you shoot your video, you should plan out what you will show in the video, who will be in it, and who will record it.

Next, you’ll want to ensure you cover the items necessary to convince Google that your business is legitimate.

Here are the types of things you want to be sure to show in your video.

Keep in mind that these items do not have to be shown in any particular order – they just must be shown in the video to prove that your business is real. Google does want you to show the outside first and then go inside the building, however.

Screenshot by author, June 2024

Show That Your Business Exists

For this part of the video, you need to show proof that your business exists, where it is located geographically, and other items that prove it’s a legitimate business.

It’s important to show the exterior of your business first and then go into the interior of your company’s building in the video.

If you’re a storefront business, you must show the outside of the building, as well as the permanent signage on the exterior and any signage/branding inside the building.

Also include the location, relevant street signs, and other nearby businesses, so Google can get an idea of where you’re geographically located.

Don’t show unmarked roads or land – that will not help Google establish your location.

Showing your outdoor signage is a must if you have a storefront location (i.e., a storefront location is when local customers visit your place of business, you have permanent signage, and you must have employees staffed at the business location during stated business hours.)

Permanent signage is a requirement for storefront businesses. Vinyl banners or other temporary signs do not count as permanent signage.

If you do not have permanent signage, you do not qualify as a storefront.

Pan your video next door and across the street to show the businesses nearby so Google can double-check with Google Maps and Streetview to ensure that your business is located where you claim it is.

Image from author, August 2022

It’s also vital to walk into your building and show the inside of your company so Google sees that it’s a legitimate business – and not just empty rooms.

Any time you can show your company’s branding on the walls – like in the lobby or entryway – it’s great to show those types of things in the video.

If you work in an office building with multiple floors and many businesses, be sure to show the office building’s business directory pointing out your company’s listing and suite number.

If you have any professional tools that you use, marketing materials, or company branding, be sure to show those in the video as well.

If you’re a Service Area Business (SAB), you will need to show any tools of the trade that you use to perform your work for clients in the video.

For instance, if you are a solar company, you should show the solar panels you install, any installation equipment you use, branded trucks, ladders, any heavy equipment you use, tools of the trade that you have stored, etc.

Are you a lawn care company? Show all your lawnmowing equipment, trimmers, leaf blowers, etc. (The average Joe at home won’t have 10 commercial lawnmowers, for instance – but you do!)

It’s also vital to show your service vehicles with the branding on them. (A video showing a plain white van will not be acceptable.)

So, ensure that your service vehicles are branded with your company name and logo and are seen clearly in the video.

Show Geographic Location

Google wants to know that your business is located where your GBP says it is located. The Google operator needs to be convinced that the company in the video is in the same geographical location as in Google Maps.

If you’re a storefront business, you can show street signs near your business, pan over, and show adjacent companies near your company. However, showing Google a vacant lot where your business should be will not instill confidence that you are a legitimate business.

Image by author, August 2022

If you operate your SAB out of your home, show the street signs, your home with your street number on it, your mailbox, and any other things that prove your address.

Show User Integrity: Prove You’re A Real Business

One way to prove you have a real business is by showing items in the video that only a real business like yours would have.

For example, showing a generic software application on your computer screen will not convince Google that you’re a legitimate business.

Show professional software and your setup

Image by author, August 2022

If your company uses specific software to operate your business, then showing that software on your computer screen and your audio/video setup in the video would help prove to Google that you are legit. For example:

You’re an accountant and you use professional accounting software.
You’re a veterinarian and you use software specifically developed for vets’ offices.
You’re a digital marketer or design firm that creates videos or podcasts for clients using a specialized tool.

If you’re a Service Area Business, showing your work van with equipment in the back of the truck in the video is very helpful for the Google operator as they review your video to determine the legitimacy of your company.

Affiliation: Is The Merchant Real?

For this part of the video, you need to prove that the company is real and that the merchant is actually affiliated with the company and has the authority to represent the business.

That’s why it’s so important that the person in the video is either the owner or manager.

If you have a storefront business, in the video, you need to show that you have access to employee-only locations or sections of the business.

For instance, show you opening the store/business using a key, operating the cash register, using the POS system, going into an area of the business where customers or the general public aren’t allowed, etc.

This part of the video aims to show that the person is either the owner or an authorized person who has authority over the location.

Showing the person unlocking the business door is a very important item to show in the video.

Image by author, August 2022

You also want to go to places in your business where the general public is not allowed.

For instance, if you own a restaurant, customers are not allowed to be behind the counter near the cash register or take out food. Showing this in the video is a great proof of management.

If you have a business license, liquor license, or any other official/legal document hanging on the wall, zoom in on it. This is especially important if the document shows your business name and address as shown on your Google Business Profile. (Ideally, everything should match!)

If you operate a Service Area Business, you will need to show access to any industry-specific software, open up your branded vehicle and show the equipment or tools you use to perform the jobs you do.

Image by author, August 2022

You can also show close-ups of any business licenses, Secretary of State documents, LLC or incorporation docs, or any other official documents that prove your company’s name and address.

Just zoom in on the documents so Google can see them. Again, the business name and address must match what’s on your Google Business Profile.

Note: If you get the video verification option and are not ready to do the video at that moment, no worries! You can complete the verification step when you’re able to – like in a day or so after you’ve had time to plan out what you’ll show in the video.

Completing The Video Verification Process

When you’re taking the video, it’s okay to put these items in whichever order makes sense for your particular situation – just make sure you cover all of the necessary requirements.

Remember, the video must be one continuous video. It cannot be recorded somewhere else and then uploaded.

The video must be created using the Google Business Profile video verification process.

If you started creating your Google Business Profile on a desktop computer, when you get to the video verification step, you will see a QR code that you can scan with your mobile device.

This allows you to continue the video verification process on your mobile device. Just make sure you’re signed in with your Google Business Profile email address on your mobile device.

Screenshot from Google Business Profile, July 2022

When you’re ready to start recording your video, tap Start Recording.

Screenshot from Google Business Profile, July 2022

And then, follow the steps to record your video.

After you have recorded the video, tap Stop Recording. The merchant can then choose to finish onboarding on a desktop or your mobile device. (Finishing on your mobile device is probably the simplest choice.)

Click the “Upload Video” button.

Since the video is all created in the app, you don’t have to worry about how large the video file size is. (Whew!)

Then click Done.

After you submit your video, it can take up to five days for the Google Business Profile support team to review your video. Do not delete the video until it’s been reviewed and you’ve received the notification that your Business Profile has been verified.

If, for some reason, the video verification method didn’t work, you will see the “Get Verified” button in your Google Business Profile. You will then need to re-do your video. Try to provide more proof in your video.

Once you’re done with your video, you can delete the video if you want to.

To delete the video, follow these steps:

On Google Search, go to your Business Profile. Learn how to find your profile.
At the top right, click More (the three dots) Advanced settings > Video uploads > Delete videos.

Then you’re done! You’re now able to continue optimizing your Google Business Profile and engage with your potential customers!

Help Videos

Google has created some help videos that walk you through the video verification process. These videos are meant to assist you in learning what’s needed in video verification.

It’s worth watching these videos before you start your video verification:

How To Get Video Verification Support

What do you do if you’re still having problems with video verification? If you need help with your video verification you need to go through the verification status tool. Here’s the process for getting Google Business Profile Support using the verification status tool.

You will be asked to verify that the email address you’re using is the correct one. Make sure you’re logged into the correct email address that is attached to the Google Business Profile you’re trying to verify.

Next, select the Business Profile that you’re having issues with.

Screenshot by author, June 2024

Depending on your status, you may be sent back to the Google Business Profile dashboard, but if you go back to the Verification Status tool you will see the option to contact support. Choose Yes and click Continue.

Screenshot by author, June 2024

Then click on the “Get in touch with our support team” link.

Screenshot by author, June 2024

In the “What is your issue?” section, choose “My business profile is not verified.”

Make sure you select “Yes” next to the radio button that asks if you have tried uploading a verification video. (Note: choosing “Yes” is very important!)

Screenshot by author, June 2024

Then, continue to fill out the rest of the form completely. You’ll be asked to upload proof that you have a legitimate business. Be sure to upload this information.

It’s very important that you provide Google with all the necessary information about your business when you complete this form.

Video Verification: A Better Way

Even though video verification may seem more cumbersome, it’s a much better way for Google to see whether or not a business is real – or not.

This will hopefully cut down on the spam profiles we see on Google.

What are your thoughts on Google Business Profile Video Verification?

More resources:

Featured Image: BestForBest/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Aug 20 2024

Utilizing Local Influencers For Digital Marketing Success via @sejournal, @JRiddall

Small businesses face the ongoing challenge of standing out in crowded marketplaces, both online and off.

One strategy that has gained significant traction in recent years is leveraging prominent, trusted local influencers to help boost online authority and visibility and grow the business.

This approach enables businesses to tap into established community voices, build trust, and reach specific local audiences through value-added partnerships.

Understanding Local Influencer Marketing

Local influencer marketing involves partnering with people who have significant followings and/or influence within a specific geographic area or community.

These influencers may not have millions of followers like national or global influencers, but their impact on local consumers’ searching and buying decisions can be substantial.

According to a 2023 study by Influencer Marketing Hub, 82% of marketers plan to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing. While this statistic covers influencer marketing in general, the trend is increasingly relevant for local businesses as well.

Why Local Influencers Matter For Your Local Businesses

Targeted Local Reach

Local influencers have an audience that is likely to be in the same area as your business.

This means your marketing efforts are focused on potential customers who can actually visit your physical location or use your local services.

It reduces wasted exposure to audiences outside your service area, making your marketing much more efficient and cost-effective.

Authenticity

Local influencers are often seen as more relatable and trustworthy by their followers. They’re part of the community and understand local challenges, needs, preferences, and culture.

This authenticity can lead to higher engagement rates and more genuine interest in your business.

Their recommendations often come across as personal endorsements rather than paid advertisements, though their support should be clearly indicated as paid/sponsored if this is the case.

Cost-Effectiveness

Partnering with local influencers is generally more affordable than working with larger, national-level influencers, who are used to charging a premium.

Most small businesses have limited marketing budgets, putting those larger influencers out of reach. You can often negotiate deals with locals involving product exchanges or experiences rather than large cash payments.

As noted, the ROI of these types of “paid” relationships can be higher due to the targeted nature of the audience and the influencer’s local credibility.

Increased Local Visibility

Local influencer partnerships can boost a business’s presence in local search results and social media.

When influencers provide backlinks to your content, tag your business on social media, or use location-based hashtags, it can improve your local SEO by transferring some of their established authority and “localness” to you.

This increased visibility can lead to more foot traffic, website or social media visits, and, ultimately, sales.

Timely Communications

Local influencers are often the first to know about and share local trends because part of their job includes being engaged and aware.

Partnering with them can help small businesses quickly adapt their offerings or marketing to new trends and customer needs.

Community Engagement

Local influencers can help businesses connect more deeply with the local community.

They can facilitate meaningful interactions, promote local events, and help your business become a more integral part of the community fabric.

This can lead to increased customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing, both online and off, beyond just the influencer’s followers.

Cross-Promotion Opportunities

A local influencer may already have existing relationships with like-minded businesses and be able to make valuable, trust-backed introductions for cross-promotion.

These types of relationships can be positioned as a win-win for all local parties and the community in general.

Further, local community engagement is another signal to Google of your business’s localness and can influence your online authority relative to your competitors, who may not be as engaged.

This trust factor is pronounced at the local level, where influencers are naturally viewed as neighbors and contributing members of the community.

Identifying The Right Local Influencers

Finding the right local influencers is crucial for the success of your campaign. Here are some best practices:

Define your target audience: Understand who your ideal customers are (demographics and psychographics), what types of local influencers they’re likely to follow, and in which channels. Many influencers appeal to specific niches, so be sure to determine whether or not they will reach your target.
Use social listening tools: Utilize social media listening tools or hire someone to identify local hashtags and active influencer voices in your community.
Check engagement rates: Look beyond follower counts and pay attention to how active an influencer’s accounts are. An influencer with 500-1000 engaged local followers is likely more valuable than one with 50,000 passive followers. A Rock Content study quoted by TechJury.net found micro-influencers account for 91% of engagement posts. Much higher than their larger counterparts.
Assess content quality: Ensure the influencer’s content style and values align with your business and brand. Be sure to research the influencer’s past activity and other local relationships they may have maintained.
Verify local presence: Confirm the influencer is genuinely active and influential in your specific locale. Review the influencer’s follower list, looking for friends you may have in common. Ask a few of your customers if they are familiar with the influencer.

Approaching Local Influencers

Once you’ve identified potential local influencers, the next step is to approach them to propose a partnership:

Engage authentically: You can start by following them on social media, liking/sharing their content, leaving thoughtful comments, and tagging them in your relevant posts. In other words, try to build a relationship before pitching a collaboration.
Personalize your outreach: When you do reach out, make it clear why you chose them specifically. Reference specific content you feel would resonate with your audience, and be sure to highlight the importance of local involvement.
Offer value: Clearly articulate what’s in the proposed relationship for them. This could be monetary compensation, free products/services, or exclusive experiences your business can offer.
Be clear about expectations: Outline what you’re looking for in the collaboration, but also be open to their ideas; this should be a mutually beneficial relationship, after all.
Start small: Consider starting with a small project to test the waters before committing to a larger campaign.
Ask for references and/or results: Professional influencers should be able to provide references to other local businesses they’ve worked with. You can also ask them to provide details on results they’ve delivered to other businesses in terms of new followers, website traffic, or actual sales.
Respect their audience: Remember, local influencers have likely taken significant time to build trust with their followers, which is why you should want to work with them. Be sure to respect this relationship and avoid pushing for them to endorse overly promotional content. They will likely let you know in any case, but it’s better not to start off a relationship on the wrong foot.

Case Studies: Local Influencer Success Stories

A Gardening Supply Company Partners With A Local Gardener

A local family-owned gardening store collaborates with a prominent local gardener with 5,000 followers across Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for a series of DIY gardening tutorial videos featuring their products and services.

Results:

Increase in website traffic from social media and organic search to key product and service pages.
Growth in email newsletter sign-ups.
Boost in sales of products featured in tutorials.

Key Takeaway: Educational content from a trusted local source drives both engagement and sales.

A Butcher Partners With A Local Foodie On A Charity BBQ

A new local butcher with three well-established competitors partners with a local food influencer with 15,000+ highly engaged followers on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to promote and host a charity BBQ at his location.

The event is very well attended and the butcher receives positive feedback from several attendees, as well as charity organizers.

Results:

Increase in website traffic and online purchases originating from social media and organic search.
Significant growth of the butcher’s social media following.
Single-day in-store sales record.
A new partnership formed with the local charity, and a link to the butcher’s website from the charity’s site.

Key Takeaway: Community engagement via a known and trusted influencer boosts visibility, traffic, and sales.

Best Practices For Local Influencer Campaigns

Having identified influencers, here are some recommendations for running a successful campaign.

Set Clear Goals

Define what success looks like for your campaign. Is it increased foot traffic, online sales, or brand awareness? Setting specific, measurable goals is critical for evaluating the success of your campaign.

For example, a local bookstore might set a goal to increase website traffic by 20% and online sales by 5% during a three-month-long campaign with a local book reviewer. This can easily be tracked via Google Analytics.

Allow Creative Freedom

While it’s important to have guidelines, you should enable influencers to have some creative control. Their authentic, trusted voice and approach are what resonates with their audience. Overly scripted content can come across as contrived and may not perform as well.

Example: A local yoga studio partnering with a fitness influencer might provide key points about their classes and facilities but allow the influencer to create content in their own style, whether that’s a day-in-the-life TikTok video or a series of yoga and personal wellness stories on Instagram.

Tip: Consider providing a creative brief with your key messages and any mandatory elements, but encourage the influencer to present these in a way that feels natural to them.

Leverage Multiple Platforms

Don’t limit yourself or your influencer to just one social media platform. A multi-channel and content-type approach can maximize reach and cater to different audience preferences.

Tip: Consider each platform’s strengths and how they align with the goals you’ve defined. Instagram or TikTok might be great for entertaining/visual impact, while YouTube could be better for more detailed product demos and information.

Foster Long-Term Relationships

Instead of one-off posts, consider ongoing partnerships with influencers who truly align with your brand messaging. This can lead to more authentic content and stronger audience trust over time.

Example: A local pet store might partner with a popular dog trainer for a monthly “Ask the Trainer” Instagram series, creating an ongoing valuable resource for local pet owners.

Tip: Start with a smaller project and, if it’s successful, propose a longer-term and more involved campaign. This approach will enable both sides to ensure there’s a good fit before committing to a lengthy partnership.

Measure And Adjust

Use unique tracking links, promo codes, and analytics tools to measure the impact of your campaigns and adjust your strategy accordingly. Unique links and codes are particularly important if you start working with more than one influencer, as you’ll want to understand which is delivering the best results.

This data-driven approach will enable you to refine your campaigns over time. Set up regular check-ins to review campaign performance with your partner.

Be prepared to pivot your strategy if certain approaches aren’t yielding the desired results. Taking a data-driven approach will no doubt impress your partner and solidify your relationship.

Comply With Regulations

Ensure all sponsored content is clearly disclosed according to FTC or other regulatory guidelines. This maintains trust with the audience and avoids potential legal issues. Provide your influencer partners with clear guidelines on how to disclose partnerships within the context of campaigns.

The FTC recommends disclosures are clear, conspicuous, and not buried in a string of hashtags. Example: An influencer posting about a local fitness apparel store should include clear language like “#ad” or “Sponsored by [Store Name]” in a prominent place in their post.

Remember, the key is to balance authenticity while also achieving your desired marketing goals. Regular evaluation and adjustment of your strategy will help ensure long-term success in your local influencer marketing efforts.

Challenges And How To Overcome Them

All digital marketing campaigns come with some challenges and there are some which will be specific to local businesses.

These should not, however, deter business owners from testing this potentially powerful approach.

Limited pool of influencers: In smaller locales, you might find a limited number of available or suitable influencers. If this is the case, expand your definition of influence to include local community leaders, business owners, or even enthusiastic customers. This may mean results will take a little longer to achieve.
Measuring ROI: It can be challenging to directly attribute sales and revenue to influencer campaigns. As noted, use unique promo codes and tracked links, custom landing pages, or in-store surveys to track your partner’s impact. You may also ask them to share the stats they obtain from social media or their website.
Maintaining authenticity: There’s a risk of the partnership feeling forced or inauthentic. Always focus on building genuine relationships with influencers and enable them, wherever possible, to speak in their own voice.
Budget constraints: Small businesses often have limited marketing budgets. Many small influencers are well aware and will consider non-monetary compensation like product exchanges or exclusive experiences. For others, this is actually their preference and perhaps why they became an influencer in the first place; to get cool stuff for free.

The Future Of Local Influencer Marketing

Local influencer marketing is likely to grow as a potentially lucrative option for local business owners.

EMARKETER’s July 2023 forecast predicts influencer marketing spending will reach $5.89 billion in the US by 2024, with a significant portion of this growth happening at the local level.

As consumers increasingly seek authentic, trusted, community-based reviews and recommendations, local influencers are positioned to play an even more crucial role in small business marketing strategies.

Conclusion

Utilizing local influencers for digital marketing success offers small businesses a powerful way to connect with their community, build trust, and drive growth.

By carefully identifying the right influencers, approaching them thoughtfully, and creating authentic partnerships, businesses can tap into the power of local influence to achieve key marketing goals.

Remember, success lies in authenticity, mutually realized value, and a solid understanding of your local market/audience.

Start small, measure your results, and be prepared to adapt your strategy as you learn what works best for your unique business and community.

More resources:

Featured Image: Chay_Tee/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Jul 2 2024

Organic Vs. Paid Search And Social Media: A Guide For Local Business Owners via @sejournal, @JRiddall

Local business owners consistently face a familiar digital marketing conundrum.

With a myriad of options available and seemingly growing daily, including the recent introductions of AI into the mix, how do you determine the best and most effective approach for your business?

To begin, most local businesses have two (or technically four) primary paths to consider: Organic and paid strategies for both search and social media.

In this guide, we’ll explore the nuances of each option, weigh the pros and cons, and offer actionable insights to help make informed decisions on where to invest your valuable time, resources, and funds.

Understanding Organic And Paid Strategies

Let’s start by defining the fundamental difference between organic and paid strategies:

Organic: Focuses on building long-term brand awareness, trust, and authority via the creation and distribution of consistent, high-quality, optimized content and community engagement. This strategy requires the careful cultivation of a loyal customer base, which naturally takes time and effort.
Paid: Involves investing in often online advertising campaigns to achieve immediate visibility and reach a broader audience quickly. A paid strategy offers a shortcut but requires balancing cost vs. lead volume and quality.

And so, with both search and social media, local business owners are faced with organic and paid options, each of which has unique time, resource, and cost considerations in terms of initial implementation and results.

Below, we’ll review the best practices required for success, along with the pros and cons of each strategy.

While not listed as a best practice, assume all strategies require ongoing monitoring and optimization based on desired outcomes and results – a must for all digital marketing efforts.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

The term search engine marketing is sometimes equated with paid strategies only, but it should really be considered the umbrella for both organic search (local SEO) and paid search (PPC).

Organic Local SEO

The goal of local SEO is for your business to appear prominently in the Local Map Pack and/or organic search results when your customers are looking for services or products you offer.

Google Local Map Pack and Organic Results screenshot

Screenshot from search for [barrie plumbers], Google, May 2024

Local SEO is much like traditional SEO but requires a few additional steps to be taken.

Best Practices

Keyword research: Identify keywords tied to your business’s services/products, location and competition, which potential customers will be searching for.
Website/on-page optimization: Build a mobile-friendly, responsive, locally-focused website. Optimize your website’s title tags, headings, internal/external links, meta descriptions, and content with relevant keywords.
Local listings: Create a comprehensive and active Google Business Profile (GBP) and ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is consistent across online directories.
Reviews: Positive, authentic customer reviews, particularly those on GBP, which have been responded to quickly, will go a long way towards establishing local dominance.
Backlinks: Identify relevant local and industry-specific sources to obtain inbound links from to boost authority.
Content marketing: Consistently produce and share high-quality, locally relevant content that answers your audience’s questions and provides consistent value.

Pros

Cost-effective: While SEO requires time and effort to conduct research, identify opportunities or gaps, implement best practice solutions, and monitor results, the overall cost (depending on several factors) tends to be lower than paid search.
Credibility: Organic search results are generally perceived as more trustworthy by users.
Long-term benefits: A well-optimized web presence (e.g., an optimized website, Google Business Profile, high-quality shared content, and relevant backlinks) can consistently attract organic traffic over time.

Cons

Delayed results: As noted, establishing authority and trust is a long-term game. It can take several months to see significant results from SEO activities.
Algorithmic and AI dependency: Search engine algorithms and now LLMs feeding AI-generated results (see Google AI overviews) are constantly evolving, which necessitates ongoing optimization.
Competitive: Establishing authority and visibility for popular keywords can be quite challenging, especially for local businesses in highly populated areas.

Some, including yours truly, will argue that establishing local authority and visibility is very much tied to running a solid business, delivering exceptional services, and engaging with your community.

Well-run local businesses are effectively engaged in local SEO and have an opportunity to be found by their customers via organic search.

Local Paid Search (PPC)

Paid search involves creating and distributing engaging text, image, or video (YouTube) ads on Google or Bing’s search or display networks linked to conversion-focused standalone or website landing pages.

At a local level, service businesses have the option of purchasing Google Local Services Ads, which require qualified businesses to go through a verification process.

Screenshot from search for [barrie plumbers], Google Maps, May 2024

Best Practices

Keyword bidding: Choose relevant keywords with relatively high search volumes and low competition.
Ad copy optimization: Write compelling ad copy highlighting your unique value proposition.
Landing page optimization: Create landing pages aligned with your ad copy and encourage conversions.
Remarketing: Target users who previously visited your website with ads tailored to products or services they may have interacted with.

Pros

Immediate visibility: Ads tied to keyword searches appear near the top of search results immediately.
Targeted reach: Ads can be precisely targeted to specific demographics and locations.
Easily measured results: Track impressions, clicks, and conversions to analyze campaign performance and adjust ad spend accordingly.

Cons

Costly: PPC advertising can be expensive, especially for competitive keywords, such as “plumbers in New York.” A Wordstream study found the average CTR across all industries in Google Ads is 1.91% on the search network and 0.35% on the display network. This means you need to pay for a lot of impressions in order to get clicks.
Quantity over quality: Lots of PPC traffic does not typically translate into lots of conversions.
Click fraud: Many clicks may come from bots or your competitions, thereby wasting a portion of your allotted budget.
Temporary results: Once you stop paying, your ads and traffic will disappear.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

I don’t need to tell you about social media’s pervasiveness in our modern world. However, many local businesses still aren’t quite sure how or if it fits into their marketing mix.

The answers to these questions often lie in the nature of your business and the behaviors and preferences of your audience. In other words, do you have or can you create content that lends itself to social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok?

Do you expect your audience will go to these channels or other social channels in search of this content?

Most local businesses certainly can benefit from a social media strategy as it’s effectively an extension of their community online.

Organic Social Media

Organic social refers to posting text, images, audio, video, and/or links to any social media channel.

In order for this content to be seen and engaged with, it’s necessary to build and nurture a social following (which is sometimes a missed step in the social media marketing process.)

Screenshot of Superior Plumbing & Heating of Barrie Facebook page/post, May 2024

Best Practices

Visually engaging content: Use high-quality images and videos to capture your consumer’s attention.
Content calendar: Plan and schedule your social media posts in advance.
Hashtags: Use relevant, keyword-rich hashtags to reach a wider audience who use them as a social search mechanism.
Calls to action: Encourage viewers to click, visit or buy!
Audience building: Follow, like, and share content from other relevant local businesses and content creators.
Community engagement: Respond to all comments, messages, and mentions promptly.

Pros

Cost-effective: Most social media platforms are generally free to use.
Brand building: Foster customer relationships, build community, and showcase your brand’s personality.
Customer engagement: Interact directly with customers, answer questions, and address their concerns.

Cons

Limited reach: Even if you establish a following, which takes time, organic reach on social media is declining, making it harder to reach a significant audience.
Social network dependency: Social media algorithms control the prioritization and display of content in user feeds, also limiting potential reach.
Time-consuming: Creating engaging content and managing multiple social media accounts takes time.

Paid Social Media

Paid social, much like paid search, offers the options of text, image, or video ads distributed via the social network where you expect your audience to be engaged.

Screenshot of mobile Meta/Facebook Ad, May 2024

Best Practices

Audience targeting: Create and target custom hyper-local audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors tracked and stored by the social networks.
Ad format: Choose the right ad format for your campaign objectives (e.g. image ads, video ads, carousel ads).
Ad copy: Write compelling ad copy highlighting your unique value proposition.
Landing page optimization: Create landing pages aligned with your ad copy and encourage conversions.

Pros

Targeted reach: The ability to reach very specific demographics, interests, and behaviors
Increased visibility: The opportunity to boost your popular organic posts to reach a larger audience.
Measurable results: Track clicks, impressions, and conversions to analyze and optimize campaign performance.

Cons

Costly: As with PPC, paid social media advertising can be expensive, especially when competing in competitive industries or highly populated locations.
Ad fatigue: Consumers may become annoyed or simply blind to excessive/intrusive advertising.
Algorithm dependency: Social media algorithms also prioritize paid content, making it difficult for posts to gain traction.

Local Challenges

Regardless of the tactic chosen, there are some challenges local business owners need to acknowledge and address.

Limited budgets: Local businesses often have smaller marketing budgets, making it difficult to compete with larger companies on paid search and social media platforms. Be strategic in your spending and focus on targeting the right audience with the right message.
Local competition: Local businesses face stiff competition from other businesses in their area, both online and off. Standing out from the crowd can be challenging, especially in saturated markets. Look for opportunities to differentiate your business through unique value propositions, exceptional customer service, and targeted campaigns.
Limited resources: Many local businesses have limited staff and digital marketing expertise. You may simply not have the time or knowledge to manage complex paid search and social media campaigns effectively. Consider outsourcing to a digital marketing agency or consultant, but do your homework and ask to see what results they have produced for other local businesses.
Keeping up with trends: It can be overwhelming for local businesses to keep up with the latest trends and best practices. Partnering with a digital marketing expert can help them stay ahead of the curve.

Choosing The Right Strategy For Your Local Business

The most effective approach for your local business will depend on your specific goals, budget, and target audience. In assessing your options, consider the following factors:

Goals: What are you trying to achieve? Increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, generate leads, or increase sales?
Budget: How much are you willing to spend on marketing? Monthly, quarterly, or seasonally?
Target audience: Who are the people you are trying to reach? What keywords do you think they are using when searching for your services or products? What social media platforms do they use?
Timeframe: How quickly do you need to see results for a particular service or product offering?

A well-rounded digital marketing strategy often involves a combination of organic and paid tactics – not organic vs. paid, but organic and paid.

A common and effective approach is to identify organic keywords or topics on which your business has some level of authority and/or visibility, from which you are already receiving traffic and upon which you can build.

Perhaps this represents a unique product or service you offer or one that your customers particularly favor. This is where you focus your local SEO attention.

Concurrently, you may also identify high-value, low-competition keywords you are willing to pay for either via PPC or paid social ads, provided they deliver quick, meaningful results.

Another strategy involves using paid search or social as a test to understand which keywords or topics resonate with your audience and on which channels before you devote time and effort to building and rolling out a full organic content strategy.

If you do have the budget for a comprehensive approach, consider integrating both paid search and paid social into your digital marketing strategy.

Use paid search to capture high-intent users actively searching for your products or services and paid social to build brand awareness, nurture leads, and reach a wider audience.

A Few Words On Analytics

One reason digital marketing has gained so much prominence, besides increasing consumer demand for immediate gratification, is the power of data underlying all online interactions.

While sometimes overwhelming, all digital marketing can be tracked, analyzed, and optimized based on what’s working and what isn’t.

Website interactions and inbound channel traffic can be tracked via Google Analytics, PPC ads offer detailed impressions, click and conversion tracking via Google Adwords and Bing Ads, and virtually all paid social platforms include detailed tracking options.

For small businesses, this may be as simple as understanding how many leads or paying customers are being generated from online sources.

However, the more detailed information you can get about the channels responsible for delivering actual customers to your online or physical door, the better.

The Holy Grail is to be able to understand the return you are getting on your investment in each channel, but at least getting close will help validate your strategic decisions.

The Decisions Are Yours

Ultimately, which strategies fit your specific needs will be up to you and will certainly require some fine-tuning over time.

By understanding the true costs, pros, and cons of each approach, you can develop a balanced approach which will deliver tangible results.

More resources:

Featured Image: chainarong06/Shutterstock

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Jun 5 2024

Your Guide To Dominating Local Search Marketing via @sejournal, @meetsoci

This post was sponsored by SOCi. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

As a marketer, you may feel like the ground is shifting under your feet with so many changes in the world of search. From Google’s recent announcement to release AI Overviews to all U.S. users to OpenAI revealing GPT-4o, there’s a lot to keep up with.

How will these changes impact your search efforts? Do you need to shift your search strategy?

We have the answers for you and more!

In this blog, we’ll explain how search marketing has changed, what this means for your brand, and share tactics to improve your online visibility. At the end, we’ll also introduce our new game-changer for local search management.

Let’s get into it!

The Evolution Of Search Marketing

As search evolves, many marketers are worried about their brand remaining visible online. While AI-generated search experiences are so new, we do know that now isn’t the time to make any drastic changes to your search marketing strategies.

You can test how your brand appears in generative AI (genAI) results (what we’ve dubbed GAIRs), but there’s no reason to sound an alarm — at least not yet.

Today, nearly three-quarters of consumers conduct local searches at least once a week. Similarly, in the U.S., over 800 million monthly searches contain some variation of “near me,” and more than 5 million keywords are related to “near me.”

Focusing on conventional local SEO efforts is the best way for your brand to ensure its visibility in traditional and GAIRs.

Local SEO for businesses with multiple locations involves incorporating a local SEO strategy for each business location. A multi-location SEO strategy, when done correctly, will boost your local search rankings, help you gain local customers, and improve brand awareness.

If your business doesn’t have multiple locations, you can still follow the tactics below to ensure your business is visible to your target audience in your specific area.

5 Ways To Improve Your Online Visibility

Now that you understand how search has evolved and the importance of local SEO, let’s dive into five local SEO tactics your brand can leverage to boost online visibility.

1. Claim & Optimize Local Listings

Local listings are online profiles of local businesses. They appear on search engines, local directories, and platforms like Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Bing, and Facebook.

To increase your visibility on Google and beyond, your brand must claim local listings across all major local directories and remove duplicate listings.

Additionally, you need consistent and accurate information across all listings. At a minimum, your local listings should include the following information:

Name, address, and phone number (NAP) citations.
Business categories. (Example: Sushi restaurant)
Business hours, especially during holidays and major events
Products and services your business offers.
Links to your website and social media profiles.
Attributes. (Example: Curbside pickup or wheelchair-accessible seating)
High-quality photos and videos.

After optimizing your local listings, you can focus on your local pages.

2. Create Local Pages For Each Location

A local page, sometimes called a local landing page, is a web page you create for an individual store location or franchisee. It’s similar to local listings but lives on your site rather than an external directory like Yelp or Google.

Your multi-location business might have dozens or hundreds of local pages, each containing specific information about that store and the surrounding area.

Local pages should contain most of the business information found on your local listings. However, they’re also high-conversion pages. Therefore, they should also contain calls to action (CTAs) such as “order now” buttons or promotional sales and discounts.

Well-designed and optimized local pages can help your business appear high in local organic search results. As mentioned, these higher rankings often lead to more conversions and business for your stores!

3. Leverage A Store Locator

Store locators are similar to local pages. A store locator is a web page that lists all of your local stores or third-party dealers that sell your products.

Store locators help move website visitors through the customer journey by displaying valuable location information and unique details about each store. They make it easier for customers to purchase online and to contact or visit local stores.

Well-optimized and compatible store locators and local pages will help improve:

Local search rankings.
Website traffic and online conversions.
Analytics, such as where visitors are searching and coming from.

4. Implement An Online Reputation Management Strategy

While reputation management might not be something you’d consider when you think of improving your online visibility, you’d be surprised. According to local SEO experts, high numerical Google ratings are the sixth highest ranking factor in Google’s local pack and finder. At the same time, the quantity of native Google reviews (with text) is the eighth ranking factor.

A high quantity and quality of reviews don’t just affect local search rankings — they also impact conversion rates. According to our State of Google Reviews research report, an increase in one full star on a Google Business Profile (GBP) corresponds with a 44% increase in conversions.

To improve your reputation management strategy and gain more reviews:

Respond to existing reviews in a personalized manner to show customers you value their feedback.
Utilize social media to encourage customer feedback, ratings, and reviews.
Make leaving a review accessible! Include links to your GBP on your website and in emails.
Monitor the feedback that your business receives from reviews and make adjustments accordingly.

5. Create Unique Content

Generating localized content for your local pages, website, and listings is also essential. You want to ensure that your localized content optimizes and targets specific areas.

For instance, if you’re targeting the keyword “sporting goods store Seattle,” you want to update your URL, title tag, meta description, and headings with locally relevant keywords.

You should also leverage local images, including photos of your stores and products. Remember to include geo-targeted meta descriptions, alternative text, and descriptions within your images.

Types of local content your brand can create include but are not limited to:

Blogs.
Surveys.
Infographics.
Whitepapers.
Social media content.
Neighborhood guides.
User-generated content. (UGC)

For a more in-depth look at what it takes to improve your brand’s local SEO strategy, download our Top 10 Things You Should Be Doing in Local SEO Now guide!

How SOCi Can Help

Now that you understand what goes into creating a solid local search strategy, it’s time to boost your brand’s visibility. As marketers, you get how crucial search marketing is, but let’s be real, coming up with a plan to roll it out on a big scale is easier said than done.

That’s where SOCi comes in! We’ve built SOCi for more than a decade to ensure multi-location businesses rank well on local search and social media platforms, can create engaging content, and have the ability to manage each location’s online reputation.

We’ve enhanced our CoMarketing Cloud with SOCi Genius, an AI automation layer to help automate all of your daily localized marketing tasks. As part of SOCi Genius, we recently released Genius Search, a game-changer in search marketing!

As the newest innovation within the CoMarketing Cloud, Genius Search transcends traditional listings management by offering a dynamic, data-driven local search strategy that aligns with evolving consumer behaviors and market trends.

Genius Search uses the top data signals, such as reviews, search keywords and volume, weather, holidays, and others to deliver monthly AI-powered recommendations that can be accepted with the click of a button. Once accepted, these optimizations instantly improve your business listings’ rankings to directly relate to each location’s community.

It’s time to level up your local search strategy, and SOCi is here to help. Request a personalized demo today for more insight on Genius Search and our other Genius products!

Ready to start optimizing your website? Sign up for SOCi and get the data you need to deliver great user experiences.

Try SOCi For Free

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by SOCi. Used with permission.

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May 28 2024

Google To Shut Down Business Profile Chat Feature via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has announced that it will discontinue the chat feature in Google Business Profiles.

The wind-down process will start on July 15, and the functionality will complete on July 31.

The news was emailed to businesses, acknowledging the potential difficulty of the decision and emphasizing Google’s commitment to remaining a helpful partner in business management.

Google’s email to businesses reads:

“We are reaching out to share that we will be winding down Google’s chat feature in Google Business Profile on July 31, 2024. We acknowledge this may be difficult news – as we continually improve our tools, we occasionally have to make difficult decisions which may impact the businesses and partners we work with. It’s important to us that Google remains a helpful partner as you manage your business and we remain committed to this mission.

Google will stop creating new conversations after July 15, and chat functionality will fully end on July 31. Please note, customers will still be able to find and contact your business via Google Search and Maps – and learn more information about you from your website links, business description, photos, and anything else you share on your Business Profile.”

Impact On Businesses & Customers

Starting July 15, customers can no longer initiate new chat conversations with businesses through Google.

Customers currently engaged in chat conversations will receive notifications informing them of the upcoming phase-out of the chat feature.

However, customers will still be able to locate and contact businesses using Google Search and Maps and access information through website links, business descriptions, photos, and other elements shared on Business Profiles.

Google’s Decision To Discontinue Business Chat

Google says the decision to wind down the chat feature is part of ongoing efforts to streamline its offerings.

To assist businesses in the transition, Google has provided guidance on the next steps:

Chat History Download: Businesses that wish to retain a record of their past Business Profile chats can download their chat history of customer conversations using Google Takeout.
Alternative Chat Solutions: Google suggests that businesses invite customers to alternative chat solutions to continue conversations seamlessly.

Background & Context

Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business, is a free tool for businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. The chat feature enabled customers to communicate directly with companies through their Business Profiles.

While the chat functionality will no longer be available, Google remains committed to providing a platform for companies to manage their online presence and connect with customers.

Featured Image: Vladimka production/Shutterstock

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May 9 2024

7 Automotive SEO Best Practices For Driving Business In 2024 via @sejournal, @AdamHeitzman

Whether you’re behind the wheel of a dealership, running a tire shop, or steering any other type of automotive business, mastering SEO remains an indispensable component of a successful marketing strategy in 2024.

Today’s automotive consumers are more connected and informed than ever.

Moreover, the preference for organic search results over paid advertisements remains strong, highlighting the critical importance of SEO in today’s digital-first consumer landscape.

However, staying up-to-date on Google’s search engine results page (SERP) and algorithm changes requires diligence.

To further illustrate this, consider these insights:

88% of potential car buyers now turn to digital channels to gather information.
Car buyers dedicate 14 hours and 39 minutes to online research and finding the perfect car for their needs.
95% of car shoppers checked social media platforms during their car-shopping journey.
81% of car shoppers find online activities improve their overall buying experience, citing both saving time (93%) and price transparency (valued by 78%) as key benefits.
Nearly half (46%) of car dealers surveyed made at least 9% of their sales through entirely online purchases.

Armed with these insights, let’s explore the top seven automotive SEO strategies for 2024, designed to put your business in the lead and drive it toward success.

1. Craft Compelling, Original Content And Leverage Rich Snippets

In SEO, content is still king. For automotive businesses, this means creating in-depth, informative content that engages and informs your audience.

Focus on valuable resources like blog posts, buying guides, and vehicle reviews that blend informative details with engaging storytelling.

Here is a great example of more informational content from a dealership in Miami. They do an excellent job of incorporating CTA’s within the helpful content to funnel users to their selection of vehicles:

Image from bramanmiami.com, April 2024

On individual car listing pages, they even add Dealer Notes to further add more uniqueness to their pages so it isn’t just a regurgitation of the manufacturer’s information:

Image from bramanmiami.com, April 2024

Rich snippets enhance your visibility in search results, providing a snapshot of your content’s value.

Implementing structured data markup also helps search engines understand and display your content more effectively, increasing the likelihood of clicks.

Screenshot from Google Search Central, February 2024

Helpful automotive-related schema resources:

2. Elevate Your Strategy With Video SEO

Video content has become an indispensable tool for businesses. It provides a dynamic platform to showcase vehicles, demonstrate features, and share customer testimonials.

A recent survey shows that, by leveraging video content, 86% of marketers experienced increased web traffic, and 87% saw a direct boost in sales.

As a brand, you should use this opportunity to embrace video SEO and amplify your visibility on search engines and social platforms.

Incorporate relevant keywords in video titles, descriptions, and tags to ensure your video aligns with search queries.

You may also use short, engaging videos that highlight your inventory’s unique selling points to captivate potential buyers and drive traffic to your site.

Look at this great example from Mazda of North Miami that leverages video on their car listing pages to show the car off to potential customers:

Image from mazdaofnorthmiami.com, April 2024

Even better, they marked up this page using structured data and are now benefitting from their listing page showing the video element in the SERPs which should only further improve their organic CTR:

Image from Google, April 2024

3. Optimize For Mobile-First Indexing

With the majority of online searches now conducted on mobile devices, a mobile-optimized website is essential for SEO success.

Google’s mobile-first indexing means the mobile version of your site is the primary version Google considers for ranking.

Make sure your website is responsive, mobile-friendly, and intuitive. This is crucial for capturing the mobile audience.

This is a perfect example of how a dealership should incorporate a mobile-first design. They do an excellent job of showing the most pertinent information for a consumer to browse (pictures, specs, pricing, CTAs).

2024 BMW for sale, mobile view of website

Screenshot from bramanmotorsbmw.com, April 2024

4. Boost Your Local Presence

Local SEO is vital for automotive businesses looking to attract nearby customers.

Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile.

Strategically include local keywords in your website content and engage with local community events to enhance your visibility in local search results.

Also, testimonials and reviews act as powerful social proof. In automotive digital marketing, 82% of consumers turn to online reviews for local businesses.

To help future buyers feel confident in their choices, encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews about their experience.

Google search for [st louis car dealerships]

Screenshot from search for [st louis car dealerships], Google, February 2024

5. Build Authority Through Strategic Link Building

Backlinks signal to search engines that your site is a credible and authoritative source of information.

Automotive businesses should aim to acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable automotive blogs, local business directories, and industry publications.

These backlinks not only improve your site’s SEO performance but also drive targeted traffic, enhancing your online visibility and reputation within the industry.

This dealership in Miami does a great job of leveraging sponsorships to local events in their community to capture additional inbound links to improve their authority:

Screenshot from Ahrefs, April 2024

6. Prioritize Technical SEO For A Healthier Website

Technical SEO ensures your website is accessible and readable by search engines, addressing issues that could hinder your site’s performance.

By conducting regular technical audits, you can identify and rectify problems such as slow loading speeds, broken links, and duplicate content.

A technically sound website provides a solid foundation for your SEO efforts, ensuring your content and keywords can be effectively indexed and ranked.

7. Enhance User Experience With E-E-A-T Principles

Google has placed increasing emphasis on experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) when evaluating websites.

For automotive websites, this means creating content that not only showcases your knowledge of the automotive industry but also provides users with valuable, trustworthy information.

This could include detailed guides on choosing the right vehicle, practical tips for car maintenance, or insights into the latest automotive technology.

By demonstrating firsthand experience and expertise in your content, you can significantly improve your site’s authority and trustworthiness in the eyes of both users and search engines.

Look at how Edmunds.com leverages authorship to further validate EEAT principles:

Image from Edmunds.com, April 2024

Example: You could share a series of blog posts written by your experienced mechanics on how to maintain vehicles during different seasons, offering practical car care advice. This would demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of the topic and position your brand as a reliable source for your customers.

Summary

In 2024, the importance of a robust, data-driven SEO strategy for automotive businesses has never been clearer.

Drive your organic presence to new heights by:

Creating high-quality content.
Optimizing for video.
Adopting a mobile-first design.
Managing your local listings.
Building a strong backlink profile.
Maintaining your website’s technical health.
Focusing on E-E-A-T principles to provide a positive user experience.

Implementing these seven strategies will not only enhance your visibility in search engine results but also position your business as a leader within the automotive industry.

More resources:

Featured Image: iQoncept/Shutterstock

Compelling content examples: Brannon Miami screenshots

Video SEO example: Mazda of North Miami screenshots

Google SERP & Ahrefs screenshots: Taken by author

EEAT image: Edmunds.com screenshot

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Apr 17 2024

Google Search & Maps Get Upgrades For Greener Travel via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google announced updates to its Maps and Search products on Monday aimed at helping users find and choose more sustainable transportation options over gas-powered vehicles.

James Byers, Google Search’s Group Product Manager, states:

“When it comes to traveling and commuting, we want people to have the right information to make more sustainable choices.”

Eco-Friendly Route Suggestions

A smartphone displaying Google Maps navigation centered on Paris, with several greener travel routes and estimated times to a destination marked on the screen.

Screenshot from: blog.google/products/search/, April 2024.

If travel times are comparable, one of Google Maps’ key new features will be the provision of transit and walking route suggestions alongside driving routes.

This update will be rolled out in over 15 major cities worldwide in the coming weeks, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, and Sydney.

Train & Bus Route Information

Google is expanding its ability to find long-distance train and bus routes through search.

Users searching queries like “Boston to Philadelphia train” will see schedules, prices, and direct links to book tickets on the results page.

Train route information will now be available for 38 countries, while long-distance bus routes will initially be added for 15 countries.

When users search for flights on Google’s dedicated Flight tool, they will see train route suggestions as an alternative for applicable routes.

“So it’s easy to find the more sustainable option no matter where you begin your search,” Byers stated.

Highlighting Lower-Emission Flights

In cases where flying remains the best option, Google will show you the environmental impact.

Byers explains:

“These estimates are powered by the Travel Impact Model (TIM), a methodology we published in 2022 for predicting per-passenger flight emissions.

To make this information even more accessible, TIM estimates are now also available through a developer API that allows any app or website to display flight emissions.”

Google is also releasing a Google Sheets add-on and online calculator to make the emissions estimates more widely available.

Looking Ahead

While Byers acknowledged “there’s still a long road ahead when it comes to sustainable travel,” he expressed hope that “today’s updates will give more people the information they need to choose lower-carbon alternatives.”

The new features come as consumers increasingly seek ways to make sustainable choices. By integrating these metrics into its flagship maps and travel tools, Google is nudging users towards greener options.

Featured Image: Screenshot from blog.google/products/search/, April 2024.

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Apr 13 2024

Google Limits News Links In California Over Proposed ‘Link Tax’ Law via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google announced that it plans to reduce access to California news websites for a portion of users in the state.

The decision comes as Google prepares for the potential passage of the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), a bill requiring online platforms like Google to pay news publishers for linking to their content.

What Is The California Journalism Preservation Act?

The CJPA, introduced in the California State Legislature, aims to support local journalism by creating what Google refers to as a “link tax.”

If passed, the Act would force companies like Google to pay media outlets when sending readers to news articles.

However, Google believes this approach needs to be revised and could harm rather than help the news industry.

Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s VP of Global News Partnerships, stated in a blog post:

“It would favor media conglomerates and hedge funds—who’ve been lobbying for this bill—and could use funds from CJPA to continue to buy up local California newspapers, strip them of journalists, and create more ghost papers that operate with a skeleton crew to produce only low-cost, and often low-quality, content.”

Google’s Response

To assess the potential impact of the CJPA on its services, Google is running a test with a percentage of California users.

During this test, Google will remove links to California news websites that the proposed legislation could cover.

Zaidi states:

“To prepare for possible CJPA implications, we are beginning a short-term test for a small percentage of California users. The testing process involves removing links to California news websites, potentially covered by CJPA, to measure the impact of the legislation on our product experience.”

Google Claims Only 2% of Search Queries Are News-Related

Zaidi highlighted peoples’ changing news consumption habits and its effect on Google search queries (emphasis mine):

“It’s well known that people are getting news from sources like short-form videos, topical newsletters, social media, and curated podcasts, and many are avoiding the news entirely. In line with those trends, just 2% of queries on Google Search are news-related.”

Despite the low percentage of news queries, Google wants to continue helping news publishers gain visibility on its platforms.

However, the “CJPA as currently constructed would end these investments,” Zaidi says.

A Call For A Different Approach

In its current form, Google maintains that the CJPA undermines news in California and could leave all parties worse off.

The company urges lawmakers to consider alternative approaches supporting the news industry without harming smaller local outlets.

Google argues that, over the past two decades, it’s done plenty to help news publishers innovate:

“We’ve rolled out Google News Showcase, which operates in 26 countries, including the U.S., and has more than 2,500 participating publications. Through the Google News Initiative we’ve partnered with more than 7,000 news publishers around the world, including 200 news organizations and 6,000 journalists in California alone.”

Zaidi suggested that a healthy news industry in California requires support from the state government and a broad base of private companies.

As the legislative process continues, Google is willing to cooperate with California publishers and lawmakers to explore alternative paths that would allow it to continue linking to news.

Featured Image:Ismael Juan/Shutterstock

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Apr 3 2024

How To See Google Search Results And Rankings For Different Locations via @sejournal, @lorenbaker

As a business owner or digital marketer, understanding your local search ranking on Google is crucial for attracting nearby customers and increasing your online visibility.

With so many consumers using search engines to find local products and services, optimizing for local search has become a key component of any successful SEO strategy.

In this article, we’ll explore various methods to check your local ranking on Google, ensuring that your business stays competitive in your target market.

Why Do Search Results Vary By Location?

Google prioritizes local relevance in its search results to provide users with the most helpful information based on their location.

The search engine uses various factors to determine a user’s location, including:

Device location (via Wi-Fi, cell phone triangulation, or GPS).
Labeled places on Google Maps.
Home address linked to the user’s Google account.
Previous activity across Google products.
IP address.

Google uses these factors to determine your location and provide search results that are relevant to your area. This means you and your neighbor might see different search results even if you search for the same thing.

Since most people only look at the first page of search results, ranking well in local searches is essential, especially if your business relies on customers visiting your physical location.

Optimizing your website is essential to ensuring your business appears in local searches. But how can you tell if it’s working?

It would be very time-consuming to travel to different places just to check how well you rank in various locations.

Fortunately, Google provides a way to check your local rankings without leaving your office. Here’s a guide on how to do it:

Add A Local Parameter To Your Search

Google has a useful search parameter feature that allows you to search for local businesses in a specific area, even if you’re not physically there. To do this, add “&near=cityname” to the end of the search URL.

For instance, let’s say you’re in Kansas City and want to see how a coffee shop chain called “Jitters” compares to its competitors in Seattle. You can start by searching for “coffee shops near me” on Google.

When the search results appear, look at the URL in your browser’s address bar. It will be pretty long, but don’t worry about that. Just scroll to the very end of the URL and add “&near=Seattle” (without the quotes).

Hit enter, and Google will show you the search results as if you were in Seattle. This way, you can quickly check out the local competition for Jitters in Seattle without traveling there yourself.

Screenshot from search for [coffee shops near me], Google, March 2024

Change Your Regional Settings

You can manually change regional settings on Google to view search results at a country level.

This gives you search results on a country level rather than providing results from your IP address or other sources.

To do this, click Settings on the bottom right corner of Google.com and select Search Settings. This will send you to the Search Settings page (obviously).

Screenshot from Google.com, March 2024.

Scroll to the bottom, and you’ll see a list of Region Settings.

Choose the region you want to use for search and save the settings. You’ll now see search results from the country you chose.

Continuing our coffee shop example, let’s say Jitters just opened a location in Lisbon. You’ll select Portugal as your region, allowing you to check the rankings of the new Portuguese beanery.

Note: If you don’t add the local parameter discussed earlier to the search URL, you’ll continue to see results based on your current location.

Manage Your Work & Home Locations On Google Maps

Google’s local search is helpful because it uses machine learning to identify the places you often visit, such as your home and workplace.

It learns your commuting patterns, which can save you time and give you more relevant search results.

It can be challenging, though. Sometimes, Google might think you work at a job you left a while ago. But it’s easy to set your home and work locations manually.

You can set and change your home and work locations in Google Maps. This lets you search for things using phrases like [near home] or [near work].

To do this, open Google Maps and click on the Menu. Then click Your Places and choose Locations. Select Work or Home and type in the address. Click Save, and you’re good to go.

Now, when you search, you can add [near home] or [near work] to find things close to either of those locations.

Delete Location History In Your Google Account Activity Controls

Google’s apps and devices often track where you go in the background if location services are turned on.

For instance, if Google sees that you often go to a martial arts gym, it’ll guess that when you search for something related to “boxing,” you probably mean the sport, not cardboard boxes.

You can delete this history manually or switch the tracking off.

Go to the Location History part of your Google account, and you can turn it on or off with a click. You can also choose which devices you want it to track. If you want to erase all or some of your location history, you can do that from your browser or Google Maps.

Remember that deleting this info means you’ll lose some personalized features, like suggestions based on where you’ve been, traffic updates, and auto-created Google Photo albums.

Override Your Location With Google Chrome Developer Tools

If you know your way around tech, you can also use developer tools in the Chrome browser to trick Google into thinking you’re somewhere else. This lets you see how search results look from different places.

To do this, open up DevTools and then open a command prompt. Click on Show Sensors and press enter.

Under Geolocations, pick one of the listed cities or choose Custom Location. If you select Custom Location, you can type in specific longitude and latitude coordinates.

You can also select Location Unavailable to see your site’s appearance when Google doesn’t know where someone is.

Change Location Settings On Your Device

Some smartphones and tablets have a setting that allows you to change your virtual location.

For devices that don’t have this option, there are other ways to trick your phone into thinking you’re somewhere else.

The simplest method is to download an app to change your GPS location. These apps are available for iPhones (from the App Store) and Android devices (from Google Play).

Most of these apps work by connecting to a different network provider, making your device believe it’s in your chosen location.

This way, when you search, the results will be based on the new location you’ve selected, not your actual physical location.

Experiment With Google Ads Preview And Diagnosis Tool

Google offers a handy tool called Ad Preview and Diagnosis that lets you see how your paid advertisements look when people search for keywords related to your business in their local area.

But that’s not all – this tool has another cool feature that allows you to simulate Google searches from various locations.

To use this feature, open the tool and look for the Location dropdown menu. Click on it, and you can enter any location, a whole country, a specific city, or even a precise zip code.

This way, you can get a broad overview or a detailed look at how your ads perform in different places.

Another great thing about this tool is switching between desktop and mobile views.

This helps you ensure that your ads look good and perform well on both devices, which is crucial since more and more people are using their smartphones to browse the web.

View Local Search Results With Valentin.app

Valentin.app is a simple and free website that lets you see how websites rank on Google for specific keywords in a particular location.

All you need to do is enter the keywords you want to check, choose the region and language, and provide an address. The website will convert the address into coordinates and send all the information to Google.

It then opens a new tab showing you the Google search results for that location, as if you were searching from there yourself.

You don’t need any other tools or data to use Valentin.app.

Use A VPN To Change Your Location

You can remove location data from your search results by changing your device’s location settings.

The most common and easiest way to do this is by using a virtual private network (VP).

VPNs connect your device to a remote server before your connection goes to the internet. By masking your device, they can help get around frustrating location-based restrictions and hide your activity from ISPs and public networks.

They’re also a great way to get search results as if you were in a different location.

The only downside is that most VPNs have limited IP locations from which to choose. If you want to see exactly how your coffee shop ranks in searches made in Vancouver, you might be out of luck.

Automate With Local Rank Checking Tools

Keeping an eye on how your business appears in local search results is pretty simple when you only have a few locations.

But imagine if our fictional coffee shop, Jitters, gets bought out by a bigger company that wants to expand the brand internationally.

Suddenly, you’re faced with the daunting task of monitoring local search results for all 315 locations worldwide.

Trying to handle that manually would be a nightmare! Luckily, there are tools out there designed specifically for this situation.

These tools, known as rank checkers, can automatically perform local searches and create reports for you.

With this information at your fingertips, you can quickly pinpoint where to focus your SEO efforts for maximum impact.

Some of these you may be familiar with include:

Location Is Everything

Google search results can vary depending on who is searching, where they are located, and what device they are using.

This makes it tricky to have a standard approach to optimizing your website for search engines.

Since Google prioritizes local search results, ensuring your business shows up for people in your area is crucial. This is true whether you’re handling a single location or managing a website for a business with several branches.

The good news is that you don’t need to be physically present in that area to check what local users see in their search results.

There are a few different methods for checking your rankings from various locations, each with pros and cons.

Regardless of which method you think works best for you, you can’t ignore the ability to adjust your SEO to focus on customers within a specific region.

More Resources:

FAQ

Why is local search ranking important for businesses?

Having your business rank well in local search results is essential because it significantly impacts how easily potential customers in your area can find you.

Most people use search engines to search for products and services nearby. So, if your business shows up at the top of those local search results, you’re more likely to get people coming into your store, making purchases, and becoming aware of your brand within the community.

When you optimize your business for local SEO, you have a better chance of attracting customers who are explicitly looking for what you have to offer, which often translates to more sales and a better return on your investment.

What factors does Google consider for local search relevance?

Google uses multiple methods to determine a searcher’s location, such as:

Pinpointing your device’s location through Wi-Fi, cell phone towers, or GPS.
Checking any places you’ve labeled on Google Maps, like your home or work address.
Looking at the home address connected to your Google Account.

Google also considers your previous interactions and activities across various Google services to better understand your preferences. Additionally, your IP address provides a general idea of your geographic location.

By combining all these factors, Google can:

Deliver search results that are most relevant to you based on location.
Offer personalized suggestions tailored to your needs and proximity.
Ensure that you receive the most helpful and localized information possible

Featured Image: Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Mar 14 2024

Why And How Local Businesses Should Use Video In Their Digital Marketing via @sejournal, @JRiddall

The popularity of digital video content is undeniable.

Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, all of which are heavily video-based, are at the top of the social media ladder.

For many younger audiences, these platforms, along with a plethora of streaming services, have usurped all others as their primary source of entertainment and/or information.

Some are even being touted as the next search engines. This is still hotly debated.

Likewise, video marketing is on the rise, and many marketers have come to see this as a preferred method of engaging with their target audiences.

However, at a local business level and for local business owners, it feels like there is still something of a reluctance to fully embrace this important medium.

Perhaps this is due to a lack of time or resources – a common challenge for small business owners who are busy just trying to run their business.

Or maybe, for some, there is a fear of not producing a “polished” product.

However, one of the important aspects of video marketing is its authenticity; it doesn’t need to be perfect. We’ll talk more about this shortly.

So Why Video?

Before we get into what type of video content local business owners might consider creating, let’s review why video has become such an important marketing tool for so many.

Video is easy to consume and highly visual by nature, making it an engaging and entertaining content format.
Because video is so engaging, it lends itself to being shared via social media and other channels, thereby extending the reach of your marketing message.
These days, video content is fairly easy to create. While you might need a script for some specific types of videos – which we’ll also discuss shortly – creating an effective message can be as simple as turning on the camera on your phone and starting to talk.
Video can easily be shared across multiple platforms and embedded into other content like web pages and blogs to enhance their appeal.
Digital video content can be a differentiator. Because, as discussed, many small business owners are slow or reluctant to adopt video marketing, this presents an opportunity for those who do to stand out.
Video, and particularly YouTube, content increasingly appears in Google’s organic search results, which isn’t surprising, given that Google owns YouTube. Further, YouTube itself is a search engine within which millions of users are conducting searches on a daily basis. Videos can and should be optimized to appear in search.
As mentioned, video content is authentic and enables business owners to demonstrate their expertise, both of which are important factors in Google’s E-E-A-T, a significant determinant of organic search visibility.
Video adds incredible value on many levels for those willing to explore and experiment.

Now, For The How

Having clearly established the importance of video in the marketing mix, the question some will have is, “What type of videos should I create?”

The answer to this question is that it depends on a few factors, as do all marketing decisions, including the type of business and services/products you offer, the target audience, budget, and your imagination.

What should not be a cause for concern is relative video quality. Gone are the days of videos needing to be overly directed, produced, or polished.

For many, and particularly younger audiences, low-budget, off-the-cuff video messages are seen to be more authentic and real – as they quite often are.

Do not be afraid to simply start recording and introducing your audience to your business and the products or services you offer. It’s a great first step.

Below are a few types of videos that may fit your local business and customer base.

Service Or Product Overviews

Any service or product-based business can leverage video to easily highlight and describe its unique offerings.

For example, a landscaper may create walk-through videos of lawns, gardens, or patios they’ve worked on, while a med spa owner may demonstrate how the latest and greatest skin-tightening treatment works.

Having willing customers appear in these types of videos to provide their authentic testimonials can go a long way to establishing trust with your audience and encouraging the sharing of your content across social or other channels.

Since the pandemic, there has been no shortage of consumers willing to support their local service providers.

Promotional Videos

Brand advertising lends itself naturally to video content.

Many local business owners are familiar with running TV or radio ads, but digital video platforms have opened the door to unlimited possibilities.

Have fun and create your own commercials, again incorporating customers, staff, or relevant business partners.

Use your imagination to create entertaining promos for your services, products, or special events.

Customer Testimonials

One of the most powerful types of video content you can create or obtain is a customer testimonial.

A form of user-generated content (UGC) – which is extremely popular on social media – a positive client review is a glowing stamp of approval on you and your business.

The effect of online reviews for local businesses is already well known, but acquiring, publishing, and sharing authentic video testimonials takes your trustworthiness to another level.

People like to buy from businesses they trust and many rely on reviews and testimonials as their proof.

How To Videos

Some businesses offer services that lend themselves well to creating value-packed how-to videos.

For example, a plumbing company may create and share a video on their website or social channels on how to prevent clogged or frozen pipes as free advice.

Then, when those pipes do get clogged or frozen, they will be top of mind for their viewers and just a click or call away.

How-to videos have the added benefit of demonstrating the expertise that Google is so fond of.

Ask Me Anything Or FAQs

Like how-tos, video can be a great vehicle for answering your customers’ common or most pressing questions and, where necessary, incorporating short demos or other relevant visuals for clarity.

And by recording a video, you can avoid having to answer the same or similar question repeatedly.

Here, too, you can consider getting your audience involved by having them pose the questions, with you or your appropriate staff members providing the answers.

Short video FAQs can be added to enhance the written FAQs on your website. FAQs, by definition, are solid SEO-oriented content providing a natural boost to your authority.

Behind The Scenes Footage

The popularity of television shows like “How It’s Made” proves people like to be able to pull back the curtain, go behind the scenes, and get a glimpse of how certain processes work – particularly those that result in a product or service they consume.

These videos are similar to a product or service overview but perhaps go a little deeper into details for those customers who need to know more.

Describe and demonstrate a technique, product, or process you specialize in or which is unique to your business. This can set you apart from your competition both online and off.

Webinars Or Live Event Recordings

Local professional services businesses can build important brand recognition and a sense of community by hosting or sponsoring live webinars or in-person events.

Anyone who attends these types of events will be interested in a recording for future reference.

These recordings can naturally be shared on a website events page and via appropriate social media channels.

When broadcasting and subsequently sharing these video events via social media, be sure to include unique hashtags, e.g., “#[Location]TaxAdvice2024,” as they serve multiple purposes: brand/event awareness, important search key, and an opportunity to incorporate product or service related keywords for SEO purposes.

Video Optimization

Digital videos, just like any other content, can be optimized for optimal organic search visibility. When creating, publishing, and sharing these videos, consider the following:

Incorporate relevant keywords into the video filename and then the title, description and hashtags depending on the platform the video is being hosted on or shared to.
Add a call to action and link to a related product or service page near the top of your video description on YouTube, where it can be readily seen and clicked on.
Include calls to action and embed links to relevant website products, services, and event pages or to other related videos within videos posted on YouTube, Instagram Stories, or other platforms.

One quick tip on video length: less is more.

Video, like images, are worth at least a thousand words, and we all know today’s consumers, especially those in the younger demographics, have limited attention spans.

Where possible, the length of most videos should be kept in the one to three-minute range, and the shorter, the better to ensure optimal engagement.

However, on platforms like TikTok, it is not uncommon for videos to be under 30 seconds, and YouTube now offers “Shorts,” which are limited to 60 seconds.

Further, one of the ranking factors on YouTube is engagement time, i.e., whether or not videos are viewed in their entirety, so you want to ensure your viewers are fully engaged from start to finish.

And — Action!

Knowing all of the potential, are you ready to start creating and sharing some videos?

As noted, the accessibility and preferred authenticity of video created on a mobile device enables virtually all local business owners to leverage this powerful medium relatively quickly.

Incorporating video into a local business’s digital marketing strategy is not just a trend; it’s a necessity.

Video content enables businesses to communicate their message more effectively, connect with the local audience on a personal level, and stand out in a crowded digital landscape.

Your first step, as in any marketing campaign, should be to get a feel for your audience along with the types of video and platforms they prefer.

Then go ahead and start recording, optimizing for search, sharing, and watching to see what resonates.

By being creative and authentic, you will set you and your business apart.

So, grab your camera or smartphone, start brainstorming creative ideas, and let the power of video propel your local business forward.

You may even find yourself going viral! #videorocksin2024

More resources:

Featured Image: Juan Pablo Olaya Celis/Shutterstock

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