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An enterprise brand guide to building memorable local experiences

…ience (UX) focuses on all of the user’s interactions with your product or service. A good UX ensures that users are satisfied before, during, and post-purchase. When evaluating a website, you could ask the following UX questions: Does this website look professional? Are the navigation links clear and intuitive? Do I understand how to access the information I am seeking? Is there a way for me to contact you if I have any issues with my order? Can I find what I need quickly and e……erience vs. local experience What is user experience and how does it differ from customer experience? How brands can create optimal local experiences How does your brand stand out from the competition in each community it serves? What makes your shops, offices, or branches unique? How do you create memorable local experiences for your customers any time they interact with your business? The answers to these questions help define your customer’s experience in each of your loca……ging once you’ve developed a brand-wide strategy for monitoring and response. Creating a customer experience strategy at the enterprise level is no simple undertaking. In this blog post, the CX experts at Forsta share helpful tips for building executive support, breaking down silos, innovating your CX program quickly, and more. You might also find these resources helpful: What is the Ideal Customer Experience Model? Revolutionizing the Local Search Experience [Webinar] A New Era …

Local listings FAQs to improve your franchise marketing strategy

…Local listings are an integral part of a franchise marketing strategy. Managing them at scale comes with its own unique set of challenges. You may find yourself asking, who should own and manage local listings – the franchisor or franchisees? How can you give them the autonomy to create rich, local content without sacrificing brand quality standards? How can you set franchisees up for local marketing success? These are just a couple of the questions we’re often asked by enterprise franchi……Local listings are an integral part of a franchise marketing strategy. Managing them at scale comes with its own unique set of challenges. You may find yourself asking, who should own and manage local listings – the franchisor or franchisees? How can you give them the autonomy to create rich, local content without sacrificing brand quality standards? How can you set franchisees up for local marketing success? These are just a couple of the questions we’re often asked by enterprise franchi…… of the location data? This is where having not only a technology solution but also a dedicated full-service support team comes in. No matter the state or volume of your location data, Rio SEO’s experts will meet you where you are and help bring the necessary data together to claim all of your listings. What website address (URL) should we use in our local listings? Ideally, you’ll send searchers to a local landing page, not the corporate website. Think in terms of the local custome…

Google Helpful Content Update: Tips for Enterprise Brand Success

… crap “trying to game the system” and write quality content for your customers that answers questions and provides quality information they care about! Two of the questions Google says you should ask yourself are: Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge? Does your site have a primary purpose or focus? To me this means that the days of writing random content about the latest “hot” topics that don’t particularly relate to your core business a……Google Helpful Content Update: Tips for Enterprise Brand Success A new Google Search update is rolling out, and, understandably, enterprise brands have questions about if it will impact their local search visibility. Google updates are no cause for panic. The search giant is constantly updating its algorithms and testing hundreds of thousands of improvements each year, sometimes daily. However, when it publicly announces an update as they recently have with its Google Helpful Content updat……erience-centric approach to begin with. This update will have the greatest impact on websites and pages designed and optimized to appeal to search engines at the expense of human experience. What the Experts Are Saying There has been a lot of speculation as to how big of a deal the Google Helpful Content Update will actually be, says Sherry Bonelli, SEO & Digital Marketer, Google Business Profile Platinum Product Expert. So far, most SEOs have not seen many changes in their clients’ ranki…

Key Holiday Marketing Insights to Consider for 2022

… How can you stand out in this environment where customers are determined to evaluate their options and seek out multiple brands? The value you offer in each searcher interaction is imperative. Ask yourself: Are you creating content for the sake of creating content? Does your content deliver relevant information to the end-user? Is it unique and does it speak directly to users of that platform? Does your content educate, entertain, or engage those who discover it online? A……The last few years have been nothing short of tumultuous for retailer brands. Unexpected closures, confusion around health safety best practices, and a sweeping shift to ecommerce all presented new hurdles. Now that the holiday season is approaching, marketers are wondering, what will holiday shopping look like this season? This year, retailers are set to contend with not only the lingering effects of the pandemic (and all of the consumer behavior changes that came with it) but also a looming re…… this season? This year, retailers are set to contend with not only the lingering effects of the pandemic (and all of the consumer behavior changes that came with it) but also a looming recession. Experts predict that the holiday shopping season ahead will begin early (if not already). They also predict that the inflationary pressure effects of higher prices and fewer orders will persist. And, that inflation rates will outpace U.S. retail sales growth by far. In this post, we’ll explore …

Debunking the Top 16 Common SEO Myths Once and For All

…n, or worse. Additionally, as Jason shares keywords in the reviews itself can also help boost ranking. To do so, first, your business should have a review acquisition strategy in place. Next, you can ask leading questions to encourage your customers to naturally use your desired keywords in reviews. For example, say you're a San Diego-based barber shop targeting the term "men's haircut San Diego". You could ask your customers, "How would you describe your men's haircust experience today at our S……s are persistent and are too often believable. Once a myth is born, it spreads like wildfire and can cause destruction across an entire site, leading to a lower organic ranking and worse, lost sales. These common SEO myths are further perpetuated by Google's ongoing search ranking algorithm updates. This begs the question, how do you know if these misconceptions about SEO are fact or fiction? To help you discern which myths to worry about and dispel the myths you shouldn't pay attention to, we p……know if these misconceptions about SEO are fact or fiction? To help you discern which myths to worry about and dispel the myths you shouldn't pay attention to, we put together a panel of SEO industry experts for an in-depth discussion. During the webinar, we discussed 16 common SEO misconceptions, to put these myths to rest once and for all. Panelists included: Jason Brown, SEO Manager for Over the Top Marketing and Founder of Review Fraud Chad Klingensmith, Senior SEO Strategist at Rio SEO Le…

Local Consumer Search Behavior Trends April 2022

…cs and pharmacies who were providing these services. Multi-Family Multifamily rents aren’t seeing a slowdown yet, according to the latest Yardi Matrix Multifamily Report. The average U.S. asking rate for rentals grew $15 in April – $30 over the past two months and $50 year to date, marking an all-time high of $1,659. YoY, asking rates remain high at +14.3%, which may be contributing to a rising interest in clicking to call and clicks for driving directions for multi-family properti……How does your local search performance stack up against other brands like yours? Each month, we analyze aggregate Google Business Profile (GBP) insights from over 170,000 enterprise brand locations that use Rio SEO’s solutions for their local marketing needs. How these metrics trend offers a unique look into how local consumer behavior is impacting search views, volume, and listing conversion actions. Google Business Profiles are one of the heaviest weighted local search ranking……Single-digit declines across the board are to be expected. Meanwhile, strong growth in all metrics except clicks to call shows that the ongoing recovery for the travel industry continues. Industry experts report that U.S. hotel occupancy dropped 1.4% the week ending April 2, which makes sense given the spring break travel trends. Weekly occupancy has held steady at above 60% for six weeks now, although it’s still averaging lower than in the same six weeks in 2019, before the pandemic. …

Solving The Mystery Behind Measuring Local Marketing Success

…Who else wants to know the mystery behind measuring local marketing success? Measuring the success of your local marketing campaign performance can be a difficult task even for the most seasoned of marketers. Measurement becomes increasingly burdensome when tasked with providing tangibile proof of performance at scale. Traditional marketing metrics--such as leads, conversions, and searches-- all tie into how customers are engaging with you business, but what metrics are most important to measur……Who else wants to know the mystery behind measuring local marketing success? Measuring the success of your local marketing campaign performance can be a difficult task even for the most seasoned of marketers. Measurement becomes increasingly burdensome when tasked with providing tangibile proof of performance at scale. Traditional marketing metrics--such as leads, conversions, and searches-- all tie into how customers are engaging with you business, but what metrics are most important to measur…… are engaging with you business, but what metrics are most important to measure? To answer this question, we turned to a panel of digital marketing gurus and veteran search engine optimization (SEO) experts to gather their insights. Our panel included: Jeff Ferguson, Head of Production at Amplitude Digital Greg Gifford, Vice President of Search Marketing at SearchLab Noah Learner, Product Director at Two Octobers Tyler, Director of Enterprise Solutions at Rio SEO Together, the panel s…

What Everyone Must Know About Local SEO Solutions

…ervation or other paying customer directly from the listing in search. These profiles are dynamic and constantly changing as customers leave reviews, suggest different business hours, upload photos, ask questions for the brand to answer, and more. It takes a robust local SEO solution to monitor these at scale and surface opportunities to improve rankings. Learn more about optimizing your Google Business Profiles here. Local Pages Local Pages are an extension of the search experience. From each……usinesses of all sizes. Enterprise brands, in particular, face unique challenges in managing an online presence and business listing across many physical locations or service areas. This often raises the concern of how to get in front of a target potential customer in search and Google Maps to drive foot traffic, bookings, or sales in many different local markets. Local SEO solutions can help by making quicker work of managing online reviews, social media platforms, search engine optimization, ……ls that help Google understand precisely which business result might best meet the searcher’s needs. Each year, Whitespark conducts an industry survey to evaluate the local ranking factors that SEO experts believe are most impactful in determining rankings in organic and local search results. The most recent results, released in November 2021, consider over 130 different potential local ranking factors organized into 7 broad categories. These include: Google Business Profile (formerly Googl…

Local SEO Spring Cleaning 101: SEO, Content, and Technical Issues to Fix

…ur webinar audience said their SEO efforts could use a spring refresh. And 27%, said their content efforts specifically are the first effort they’re looking to refresh this spring. Content Fixes We asked our panel to share their top fixes, both short-term and long-term, they’d recommend businesses focus on improving the user experience, and boost their natural search performance in the process. Sherry recommends refreshing older website content and starting by targeting pages that are close ……Spring has sprung, and there is no better time than now to revisit and revamp your local presence. Just as you’d deep clean your house or plant your garden for spring (and hopefully at least a few other times of the year), your SEO strategy needs routine maintenance too, and refreshing to yield long-term results. Your local SEO spring cleaning can start today, with the strategies shared during our recent webinar. To help your business improve your local rankings, rise in the Search Engine Res……ar. To help your business improve your local rankings, rise in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS), and start spring off right we assembled a panel of local marketing and Google Business Profile experts to discuss essential updates to make to your existing marketing campaigns, and sound SEO strategies. During the webinar, our panel also discusses: The current local search ranking factors driving listing views and conversions Simple SEO fixes you may be overlooking in your current mark…

2022 Hospitality Local Consumer Search Behavior Breakdown

… during the global financial crisis in 2009. In March of 2020, listing views for hotels were down 53% MoM, and by April 2020, they were down even further by 63% MoM. Hospitality brands in 2021 were tasked with making necessary COVID-19 adaptations to accommodate evolve, virtual tours, creating a digital environment for consumers to picture themselves in the hotel, and limited cleaning services for multi-day stays. Google also enabled 100 new ‘Hotel attributes’ with the GMB API 4.8 update ……Consumer behavior shifts occur often, given economic changes, current affairs, and other unforeseen disruptions. However, the shifts seen in hospitality local consumer search behavior over the past two years are a reminder that your hotel's local strategy must continually evolve. Keeping a pulse on how others are performing in your industry is one way to recognize ongoing trends and benchmark your success. That’s why each year, we release an annual study on how COVID-19 and other extern…

2021 Google Business Profile Insights to Guide Your 2022

… comprehensive view of all metrics measured, we saw metrics closely mirroring all of the major COVID-19 themes, such as: Upticks when the COVID-19 vaccine became widely available Upticks when mask restrictions are lifted in most states Declines at the start of the pandemic around March 2020 Declines when the Omicron variant sweeps the nation around late November 2021 Our panel notes that pre-pandemic, clicks to websites from a local listing weren’t a metric that most verticals……2021 Google Business Profile Insights to Guide Your 2022 Monitoring Google Business Profile insights on a regular basis can give important context to consumer behavior trends and how the economy, healthcare concerns, and other external factors contribute to your sales. For most businesses, fluctuations in sales are often predictable, given holidays, peak seasons, and more. However, the past two years were nothing short of predictable. That's why we've monitored 2021 Google Business Profile in……ocal marketing strategy and may shed light on how your business stacked up against others in your vertical. To help break down our findings, we assembled a panel of digital marketing and SEO experts for a webinar. Their insights will help provide key takeaways for your business withstand and weather future catastrophic events that could significantly impact your business, such as the pandemic did for many. Here is what they had to share during the webinar. [fusion_button link="ht…

How to Select the Right Local SEO Services for Your Business

…ts that, if used correctly, can help you rank higher on Google and drive engaged traffic to a landing page of your choice. In addition, local online communities can reach you directly in real-time to ask questions, message, and leave reviews of your business on the Google listing. It’s crucial to respond to these customer interactions in a timely manner since it not only helps your business rank on Google but helps build brand awareness and trust and grows your audience. Not only is prioritiz……You’ve probably heard of local search optimization (SEO) services, but what exactly do they entail? How does local SEO help your business? If you want to get found online by local customers looking for products and services like yours, you need to be visible on Google, Bing, and other major search engines. Figuring out the right strategies and methods to improve the online visibility of all of your business locations can be challenging. A knowledgeable enterprise local SEO company can help yo……reating and promoting local content across channels, measuring and reporting on local performance, and more. Local SEO services can augment the marketing resources you have in-house. They can provide experts to analyze your results and share back actionable insights. In addition, they can help create a scalable strategy and the technology infrastructure required to undertake local optimization and marketing across hundreds or thousands of locations. Why does my business need local SEO services…

The Evolution of Google AI in Local Search

…reates. But how does Google AI impact local search? Let's take a look. What Is Google AI in Search? Artificial intelligence is integral to the way search engines like Google function today. AI takes tasks that have historically required human energy and intelligence to complete and automates them. Its earliest applications were fairly simple automations but now, with machine learning, algorithms can be "trained" to make complex decisions, recognize speech, and more. AI is used by search algorith……Google Search has become increasingly complex, and it's no wonder. The informational needs of constantly connected consumers continue to evolve, and search algorithms must adapt to keep up. And do they ever; Google's algorithms are updated hundreds to thousands of times each year. Google's mission is simple: "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Google delivers on that mission in a world where 59% of shoppers use Google to search and compare their o……and will be able to find the answer to a complicated search query using multiple sources and mediums at the same time." See Google’s MUM Update: What This Means For Local Marketers According to the Experts for more insights from SEOs. Other Ways Google Uses AI Google is using AI in numerous ways outside of Search, as well. Google Assistant is one great example. You might already be using the AI-powered voice assistant at home, on your smartphone, in your car, on your TV, or even on a wearable …

10 Expert-Driven Reputation Management Recommendations for 2022

…Your online reputation matters now more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shifted customer expectations, and in turn, businesses have been tasked with meeting those new expectations. Businesses in every vertical have been tasked with adapting and working to protect their online reputation, understanding their customers' challenges, and mining for common sentiment to improve their operations. Taking the time to truly understand customer concerns and leading with empathy has become co……Your online reputation matters now more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shifted customer expectations, and in turn, businesses have been tasked with meeting those new expectations. Businesses in every vertical have been tasked with adapting and working to protect their online reputation, understanding their customers' challenges, and mining for common sentiment to improve their operations. Taking the time to truly understand customer concerns and leading with empathy has become co……r to the pandemic. Tailoring your customer service strategy across all channels is key to retaining and gaining happy customers. Recently, we were joined by a panel of online reputation management experts to help us discuss how to create an exceptional online brand presence by building your online reputation. Our webinar panel included: Karen Pace, Director of Social and Content Marketing at Randstad US Nigel Atkinson, Account Director at Rio SEO Scott McNulty, Regional Director …

9 Key Takeaways from the 2021 Local Search Ranking Factors Report

…so you’re not using the same keywords every time Reviews Are Rising in Importance Reviews and specifically the content within those reviews are becoming an increasingly powerful ranking factor. We asked our panel for advice on how brands can get reviewers to mention specific keywords in their reviews while still adhering to Google’s guidelines. Amanda recommends prompting your customers with questions or statements that will help them think of their entire experience with your brand rath……Whitespark published its 2021 Local Search Ranking Factors annual report at the tail end of last year. Recently, we were joined by a fantastic panel of digital marketing and SEO experts to answer some of the top questions that have come from the report live on a webinar. [fusion_button link="https://go.rioseo.com/2021-local-search-ranking-factors-january-2022-OnDemand.html" text_transform="uppercase" title="" target="_blank" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment=""……Whitespark published its 2021 Local Search Ranking Factors annual report at the tail end of last year. Recently, we were joined by a fantastic panel of digital marketing and SEO experts to answer some of the top questions that have come from the report live on a webinar. [fusion_button link="https://go.rioseo.com/2021-local-search-ranking-factors-january-2022-OnDemand.html" text_transform="uppercase" title="" target="_blank" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment=""…

Local Link Building 101: Best Practices and Strategies for Success

…enders. Do your research, see who has resource pages, and then reach out and see if they’d add you. Search For Online Mentions Find places people are already talking about your company or brand and ask them to link your business. Some sites may have misspelled your business or quoted it but haven’t linked it yet. Sponsor Teams & Events Many teams and events link to their sponsors, which is a great way not just to get a link but build brand awareness and loyalty in the community. Create a……Google My Business (now known as Google Business Profile) and other online business listings are essential aspects of your local SEO strategy – but they're not the only game in town. Although the MapPack results are prominent when Google perceives local intent behind the query (especially on mobile), you can't ignore those traditional ten blue links. Links are still an important ranking factor in Google's organic search results. That makes having a link building strategy for your brand a must…… offers its Disavow Tool as a way to let the search engine know when you do not want your website associated with an incoming link. When the tool first launched, there was a flurry of activity as SEO experts raced to disavow spammy links and those from websites with lower Domain Authority. However, the best practice today is to only disavow links when there is a solid indication that the links in question are harming your SEO. If Google believes you may have purchased links, for example, you ma…

5 Local Marketing Predictions for 2022

…ding a reviews platform that enables you to aggregate and respond to reviews when managing multiple locations, to ensure a review is never overlooked. Q&A: Google’s Q&A allows a searcher to ask your business any question. Anyone has the ability to answer the question. However, if the business owner answers the question themselves, this helps build your authority and trust with your customers. Brands should be actively monitoring any questions they receive and should respond accordingly……likely already well into planning your 2022 marketing strategy. From drastic shifts in consumer behavior to technology advancing, it’s safe to assume your 2021 strategy will look much different for the new year to come. Taking current trends into consideration, our experts’ local marketing predictions for 2022 can help you solidify your strategy. Our own research we conduct for 8 different industries on a monthly basis paints a clear picture of just how many changes have taken place in the l…… drastic shifts in consumer behavior to technology advancing, it’s safe to assume your 2021 strategy will look much different for the new year to come. Taking current trends into consideration, our experts’ local marketing predictions for 2022 can help you solidify your strategy. Our own research we conduct for 8 different industries on a monthly basis paints a clear picture of just how many changes have taken place in the last year alone. When comparing year-over-year trends from 2020 to 20…

New Google Business Profile Identity Attributes Now Available

…nesses Schwartz also noticed in October that a new purple heart label to indicate that a business is women-led seemed to be in testing. “I wonder if this is all some type of weird bug?” he asked. It doesn’t seem to be a bug, as Google does have an initiative dedicated to helping women grow their businesses. On its Grow With Google page for women-led businesses, Google says, “Identify your business as owned, led, or founded by women by adding a ‘Women-Led’ attribute to your Bu……Google is constantly testing and adding new features to help local searchers find the best answer to their questions or need. And, while you don’t need to stay on top of every single update, some can directly impact your business and should be on your radar. New and updated Google Business Profile (GBP) identity attributes are one of those important features to stay current on. These attributes are displayed prominently on your business listing in Search and Maps, helping local customers quic…… has been removed. New Attributes for LGBTQ+ Friendly & Transgender Safespace Although Google announced the launch of LGTBQ+ Friendly and Transgender Safespace attributes in 2018, local marketing experts found they became far more noticeable recently. BrightLocal’s Claire Carlisle mentioned she had never seen the attribute before it was mentioned by Andrew Bullimore in October 2021: This look like a new @GoogleMyBiz attribute to me here in the UK - Transgender safe space - @GuideTwit @cl…

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 …

5 Strategies for holiday local marketing success in 2021

…oliday season and ensure you have the staff on hand to meet customers where they are reaching out to your business. To reduce the level of inquiries your company receives, share answers to frequently asked questions on your landing pages. This may include information on shipping timeframes, any delays in shipping, when to order items in order to arrive by Christmas, as well as health and safety information. Personalize the sales journey 66 percent of consumers expect a business to understand the……The holiday season is quickly approaching, and undoubtedly, your holiday local marketing strategy likely looks different than it did a few years ago. While the pandemic continues to affect business operations, early predictions for the holidays show it won’t have a heavy impact on sales. Sales are anticipated to rise 2.7% compared to 2020, with e-commerce sales predicted to rise an impressive 11.3%. Considering an increase in sales this holiday season, your brand must be armed with sound tact……th sound tactics to stand out from your competition and streamline the customer experience. To help you propel your holiday local marketing strategy, we assembled a panel of digital marketing and SEO experts from three leading performance marketing agencies to discuss how consumer behavior has shifted, what brands must take into consideration to keep up with current trends, and where to allocate your budget this holiday season. Our panelists included: Richard Mastriani, Vice President of SE…