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Best Practices for Selecting Your Google My Business Category for Your Business Type [Guest Post]

…“Best Practices for Selecting Your Google My Business Category for Your Business Type” is a guest post by Sherry Bonelli, and is the second post in a two-blog post series on Google My Business category selection. You may view the first blog post in this series here. This post is a continuation of a previous post, where Sherry discusses why selecting the right Google My Business (GMB) category is important as well as things to take into consideration when representing your business online. I…… for your GMB listing is crucial if you want Google to show your business for the keywords you are trying to rank for in your local area. Select wisely and work with a trusted team of local marketing experts, such as Rio SEO, to ensure you're properly optimizing your GMB listings. Author Bio: Sherry Bonelli, owner of early bird digital marketing, is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and digital marketing professional with 23+ years of experience. Her digital marketing agency, early bird digita…

4 Proven Strategies to Secure the SERPs and Conquer Google Updates

…at impact both consumers and businesses. For consumers, Google continues to take actionable steps toward better understanding searchers’ queries and website experiences – from individual pages to the whole site, as evidenced by the recent core updates and the Page Experience update. For businesses, this can result in fluctuations in search ranking, which often cause concern and raise questions regarding how long they can expect to see a positive or negative impact. Being able to secure the S…

8 Top Google Business Profile Updates of 2021

…porarily closed for short-term closures, or permanently closed. Next, Google added new COVID-19-specific attributes for hotels. A few of these health and safety attributes include: Employees wear masks, face shields, and/or gloves Hand-sanitizer and/or sanitizing wipes in common areas Guest occupancy limited within shared facilities In-room hygiene kits include masks, hand sanitizer, and/or antibacterial wipes No-contact check-in and check-out Additional safety measures during food ……Google continues to evolve and enhance its technology to better meet the needs of searchers and businesses alike. This year there was no shortage of new features and enhancements. In fact, the updates came fast and furious and continue to roll out even as this year quickly comes to a close. With all the abundance of new updates, it was easy to miss some of the most impactful changes made. We recently gathered a panel of Google Business Profile (GBP) Product Experts to dive deeper into the……ckly comes to a close. With all the abundance of new updates, it was easy to miss some of the most impactful changes made. We recently gathered a panel of Google Business Profile (GBP) Product Experts to dive deeper into the noteworthy updates your business needs to know. These updates may present your business the opportunity to further enhance your Google business listings and help you prepare your 2022 marketing strategy. During the webinar, we were joined by: Colan Nielsen, VP of …

Older Google My Business Posts Are Resurfacing: The Pros and Cons

…We’ve had several reports that older Google My Business (GMB) Posts have been displaying for clients in recent months. These have been coming up for a while—at least since the beginning of 2020—and unless you delete existing Posts, there is a chance that they could be triggered and reappear in Search on your listing at any given point in time. What does it mean for brands to have GMB Posts reappear after the period in which you expected them to display? And, is there any value in older GM……ing to use Posts at some point, and reward those who do.” If you are featuring evergreen content in brand Posts, the additional visibility is certainly not going to hurt. However, our local search experts recommend using evergreen links as well to ensure searchers aren’t taken to a broken page. Resurfacing Google My Business Posts: The Cons Many brands don’t want old promotions resurfacing, though. Showing customers promotions they can no longer access is a poor user experience and can le…

Lessons Learned From the Top Google Searches of 2021

…s were wide-ranging as work interruptions and supply chain issues drove both reduced incomes for some and increasing prices at the gas pumps and tills for many. In fact, Google reports that “how to ask for a raise” was the top “how to” query of the year. In September, “why are people quitting their jobs” began trending in the U.S., alongside “back to work bonus.” Employers looking to hire in the current market must keep these ongoing trends and concerns in mind in order to craf……What were consumers most interested in last year? The top Google searches of 2021, an annual compilation from the search giant, gives us some valuable insights into the topics and trends that dominated consumer culture. Google provides an entire mini-site of these insights to explore. In Year in Search from Google Trends, you can explore: A trending search list for the entire world, as well as for 68 different countries. Search trends across 9 categories including Entertainment, News &…

Maximize your online presence and reach with the power of Google Business Profile API

…ofile API There comes a time in each enterprise brand’s local marketing strategy when you outgrow manual location listing management, and sometimes even bulk uploads for some tasks. Google’s Business Profile Application Programming Interface (API) is built specifically for multi-location brands and enterprises for simplified location management at scale. This isn’t another tool or dashboard for your marketing team to add to their stack. Rather, the Google Business ……Maximize your online presence and reach with the power of Google Business Profile API There comes a time in each enterprise brand’s local marketing strategy when you outgrow manual location listing management, and sometimes even bulk uploads for some tasks. Google’s Business Profile Application Programming Interface (API) is built specifically for multi-location brands and enterprises for simplified location management at scale. This isn’t another tool or dashboard…

Top Google algorithm updates brands need to know

…Top Google algorithm updates brands need to know Google tests hundreds of thousands of potential search improvements each year. The most successful of those are introduced to the live web via its algorithm and systems updates. The search giant is notoriously secretive about most of these updates, revealing only what it believes marketers need to know. Each serves to assist Google in its never-ending quest to improve the quality of its results. Google shares some major up…

Top 4 Google Reviews updates you need to know now

…Top 4 Google Reviews updates you need to know now Google Business Profiles (GBPs) are an essential tool for businesses looking to increase their visibility online. Formerly known as Google My Business (GMB), this tool allows businesses to create a free account and manage their information across multiple platforms—including Google Maps and Search. With over 20 million businesses listed on Google Maps, ensuring your brand appears at the top of the map pack when motivated c…

Do Unconfirmed Google Algorithm Updates Really Matter?

…If you've suddenly lost traffic to key web pages and can’t find a reason for it, you may need to consider whether your website has been impacted by unconfirmed Google algorithm updates. Google updates its algorithms constantly and most of the time, these happen quietly without any official confirmation by the search engine. While many SEO experts estimate that Google changes its algorithm about 500 to 600 times in a year, Google let us know it updated its search algorithm 4,500 times in 2020 ……ed by unconfirmed Google algorithm updates. Google updates its algorithms constantly and most of the time, these happen quietly without any official confirmation by the search engine. While many SEO experts estimate that Google changes its algorithm about 500 to 600 times in a year, Google let us know it updated its search algorithm 4,500 times in 2020 alone. Why do these updates happen so often? The Google Search index contains hundreds of billions of web pages and is well over 100,000,000 gig…

Google Local Services Ads 101: Best Practices and Tips for Getting Started

…The way consumers find products and services has massively changed over the years. Currently, 46% of all Google searches are consumers looking to find things locally to meet their needs. It's up to brands to make sure their local stores, offices, and other locations have a visible online presence when and where these customers are searching. Local SEO helps you appear in the organic search results and MapPack. However, augmenting these organic results with Google Ads can help improve visibility…

Google Title Tags Update: What Enterprise Marketers Need to Know

…nd how title tags were sometimes appearing differently than intended in search results, Google confirmed it is rewriting title tags. In An update to how we generate web page titles, a recent post on the Google Search Central Blog, Google’s Search Liaison Danny Sullivan explains: “Last week, we introduced a new system of generating titles for web pages. Before this, titles might change based on the query issued. This generally will no longer happen with our new system. This is because we th…

Local Food Banks Given a Google Search Visibility Boost

…er two months to ensure that food bank Google Business Profile listings are verified and that key business information, such as their phone number and website URL, are correct. This has been no easy task; according to Google, its own team members have made over 85,000 phone calls to obtain this information. New Google Business Profile Features for Food Bank Listings Google has established a portal for food banks and pantries to claim their business listing, with step-by-step instructions to get ……Google has launched a new tool that helps people find food support in their local community. It’s a cause that has long been close to the search giant’s heart – so much so that in his 2013 Google I/O keynote, co-founder Larry Page said, “You know, people are starving in the world not because we don't have enough food. It's because we're not yet organized to solve that problem.” The new tool gives local food banks increased visibility, right in time for the holiday season. With its new…

Latino-Owned Attribute Added to Google My Business

…Each autumn, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates Hispanic Americans who’ve inspired others to achieve success. This year, Google took extra steps to support the Latino community with free tools, skills training, and hands-on coaching, as well as the launch of a Latino-owned attribute on Google My Business (GMB). The assistance comes at a crucial time for the Latino business community, as 32% of Latino-owned businesses were forced to close during COVID-19. It’s not all bad news, though. Resea…

Fighting Google My Business Spam Listings: Top Q&A

…It might be hard to believe, but Google My Business (GMB) spam listings have been affecting search rankings for well over a decade. While some business owners make a few honest mistakes on their GMB profiles, many unscrupulous individuals and marketers are inventing completely fake businesses or editing legitimate business listings as a way to redirect leads. However earnest Google’s efforts are to rid spam, it still happens and spammy listings acquire valuable ranking spots that take custo…

Best practices for maintaining and removing Google Posts

… Google Posts can give your brand’s local listings an extra shot at visibility and interactivity in search results. They show up in the local panel on Google search and on Google Maps and are prominently displayed – especially on mobile devices. Local business queries grew by more than 200% in 2019, even before the impact of COVID-19 made supply chain fragility, shopping closer to home, and supporting local businesses top of mind for all kinds of consumers. Designed to target close-proximi…

Google My Business Adds Place an Order Link for Retail Brands

…We’ve talked quite a bit lately about how Google is positioning itself as the transactional layer of the web. Travelers can book flights and hotels, order food, and even book appointments with service businesses such as barbershops right from the search results page by clicking business URLs. Aside from your primary website link, other types of quality links are available to your business. This may include a virtual care link for telehealth appointments and another appointment link type. Now,…

Anatomy of a Google My Business Listing [Infographic]

…e yours. Optimizing for local search is critically important—so much so that Google has dedicated an entire platform to help local businesses connect with consumers looking for nearby solutions for their every need. Google My Business (GMB) enables local businesses to control key business information such as name, address, phone number, hours of operation, business description, and more. It’s important that these basics for your Google My Business Listing are accurate, complete, and up-to…

Yelp & Google My Business Features for Reopening Business Locations

…mong the general public, many may be reluctant to return to old consumer shopping behaviors just yet. GMB is helping with this by assisting organizations in emphasizing protocols in place, including mask-wearing, social distancing, and temperature checking. See how to add health and safety attributes to your GMB listing below: Yelp has gone one step further by adding 'Proof of vaccination required' and 'All staff fully vaccinated' to their attribute list. Users can filter by these attribut……To address the struggles businesses were having to connect with their customers and meet the ever-changing consumer demands during the global pandemic, platforms such as Yelp and Google My Business (GMB) developed a series of features to make life easier for all. As we move onwards with reopening in some areas and potential temporary store closures looming for others, keeping on top of your online presence is a top priority and likely will be for the foreseeable future. To help your business …

Best Practices for Preparing for Google Search Algorithm Updates

…formation than a government website that covers the same topic. Focus On Easy Wins When Improving Page Experience Optimizing each of your web pages for the Page Experience update can be a daunting task for local marketers and agencies. However, our panel agreed that although this update has been highly publicized, they don’t anticipate this update will be as significant as marketers are predicting it to be. For example, minor improvements in site speed won’t necessarily be rewarded with th……Google recently announced two back-to-back core updates that rolled out in June and July 2021, as well as the highly anticipated Page Experience update, which is rolling out through August 2021. These Google search algorithm updates are often noticeable to local marketers as they can cause changes to their rankings in search results. Google also recently announced the upcoming MUM update, which will help deliver even more relevant results for complex search queries. With the bevy of recent Goog……e updates. And, what action, if any, do they need to take should their search rankings suffer after one of these updates. We recently assembled a panel of local search and Google My Business (GMB) experts to help us answer your pressing questions, break down what these updates mean for marketers and how to solidify your local marketing strategy for the future of search. Our panel included Joy Hawkins, Owner of Sterling Sky, Inc., Ezekireal Thomas, Senior SEO Strategist with MediaHub, and Aman…