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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…

Best Practices for Preparing for Google Search Algorithm Updates

5 Best Practices for Boosting Your Reputation Management Post-Pandemic

…ble. A notification system should be in place for these types of reviews, and you should have a strategy in place for how to respond to negative reviews and how they will be escalated if necessary. Ask Happy Customers to Leave Your Business a Review Satisfied customers are your best resource for building a stellar online presence. They’re happy with your customer service, have a positive perception of your business, and are likely to be an advocate for your product or service. Reach out to t……and boosting your reputation management efforts is a key area of focus for local marketers, however, best practices for doing so are constantly evolving. Shopping experiences have vastly changed over the past year, and in turn, so have customers' expectations of local businesses. Review sentiment has shifted based on updates to store hours, closures, health safety measures, and more. While your online reputation management strategy may not have been a top priority amid the pandemic, now is the …… local businesses refine and rebuild their brand’s online reputation as pre-pandemic consumer shopping behavior begins to resume. We were joined by a panel of local marketing and Google My Business experts who shared their insights into how brands can build a stellar online reputation post-pandemic. The panel included Sherry Bonelli, Owner of Early Bird Digital Marketing, Jason Brown, Founder of Review Fraud, and Nigel Atkinson, Account Director at Rio SEO. [fusion_button link="https://go.ri…

7 Women in SEO Share Inspirational Stories and Advice

…e of women in American history.” In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve reached out to influential and successful women who are trailblazers in their careers in digital marketing and SEO. We asked these women to share their personal stories about: How they broke into the digital marketing or SEO industry Any challenges they’ve overcome in their career that could serve as growth opportunities for others Any advice they have for those looking to start a career in SEO Each contri……s became acceptable to debate and discuss. Both good and bad came from a largely tumultuous year, yet as we begin a new year, it’s crucial to continue those tough discussions and bring awareness to them. One of those discussions is women in business, particularly women in SEO, a topic we’ve been interested in tapping deeper into. This discussion felt even more appropriate to surface given March is Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month “commemorates and encourages the study, o…

5 Local Marketing Trends to Watch in 2021 [Webinar Recap]

…y September to better equip searchers with the information they’re actively seeking when trying to understand how a business currently operates. These new attributes include: Appointment required, Mask required, Temperature check required, Staff wear masks, Staff get temperature checks Secondary hours: More businesses began to take advantage of secondary hours to share information regarding their special hours for at-risk customers. Online care links: Virtual appointments became more promi……Over the past year, businesses across all industries have had to change the way in which they operate. From communicating shifts in-store hours, temporary closures, updates to your safety protocols, and more, consumers are now expecting businesses to share accurate information and they’re turning to a business’s local listings and local pages to find this information. Local marketing trends shifted dramatically, evolving to meet the new normal. Technology also evolved quickly to accommodate……umber of new features and enhancements. Many of the changes, to both technology and consumer purchasing habits, are powering the future of local marketing. In a recent webinar, a panel of industry experts discussed the five local marketing trends to watch for in 2021, to better equip local marketers with the information they need to start the new year off right. Let’s dive into what Lauren Abramson, Account Director at Rio SEO, Doug Gargaro, Account Director at Rio SEO, and Ryan Weber, D…

Local Ranking Factors Breakdown: What you Need to Know to Jumpstart Your 2021 Planning

…ng able to showcase if you’re a women-led or black-owned business. Some of the latest GMB attributes available to businesses to better help promote safety precautions you are taking include: Mask required Staff get temperature checks Staff wear masks Temperature check required Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits Local Reviews Are Proving to be a Powerful Ranking Signal In an era where fear and anxiety are consistently perpetuated by social media and news outlets……Twelve years ago, local search expert David Mihm published the first iteration of Local Search Ranking Factors, in which he polled 20 experts active in the Local Search Marketing community to glean their insights into what were the most impactful local ranking factors for that year. Each year since he’s conducted the same survey and shared his findings with the wider audience. These findings better equip local marketers with the knowledge and tools they need to better refine their marketing st……Twelve years ago, local search expert David Mihm published the first iteration of Local Search Ranking Factors, in which he polled 20 experts active in the Local Search Marketing community to glean their insights into what were the most impactful local ranking factors for that year. Each year since he’s conducted the same survey and shared his findings with the wider audience. These findings better equip local marketers with the knowledge and tools they need to better refine their marketing st…

Why Local Reviews Matter in the Restaurant Industry

…our restaurant at all. How can you ensure consistency in responses to both positive and negative reviews at scale? Who will be responsible for monitoring new reviews, and will that person also tasked with answering each one? When should an issue raised in a review be escalated, and how will your team make use of all of the data these interactions produce, anyway? These are important questions and they are worth getting right. Local reviews are an extension of your customer service chan……Managing reviews for multiple restaurant locations comes with unique challenges. Which begs the question, do local reviews matter in the restaurant industry? What your customers are saying about you is indicative not only of their own experience but can influence whether others are willing to dine with your restaurant at all. How can you ensure consistency in responses to both positive and negative reviews at scale? Who will be responsible for monitoring new reviews, and will that person a…… would be full at peak meal times. Over on Google, reviews are the second-most important Local Pack ranking factor and influence organic local search rankings, as well. We asked enterprise marketing experts to share the importance of reviews for restaurants as well as a few tips to get you prepared for the upcoming holiday season 2020. Here’s what they recommend: Cook up a delicious local listings profile. Your search presence across engines, directories, and networks sets an expectation fo…

Top 2020 Local Ranking Factors for Map Pack & Local Organic Search

…Fisher had to share with the industry this year. Here are just a few of the key highlights from Darren’s presentation. Top Local Search/Map Pack Ranking Factors in 2020 The expert contributors were asked, “For Local/Pack rankings, to what extent do each of the following thematic areas of local search contribute to rankings at Google?” The seven thematic areas in question are Google My Business, Citations, On-Page, Links, Reviews, Behavioral Signals, Personalization. This is similar to the……Darren Shaw, founder and president of Whitespark, shared new insights in his recent presentation at the Whitespark Local Search Summit. In his 2020 Local Search Ranking Factors deck, Darren shared the results of his organization’s most recent local search ranking factors survey. Developed by David Mihm in 2008, this survey is unusual in that it polls recognized experts in the field (as opposed to soliciting a larger volume of responses from a broad field of those in the industry). As Shaw p……Factors deck, Darren shared the results of his organization’s most recent local search ranking factors survey. Developed by David Mihm in 2008, this survey is unusual in that it polls recognized experts in the field (as opposed to soliciting a larger volume of responses from a broad field of those in the industry). As Shaw put it, this is more an opportunity to “download their collective local search knowledge to your brains.” Ready to see their insights? Let’s dive into what loc…

12 Tips to Maximize Local Revenue Digitally Amid a Pandemic

…to customers at this time. Prioritize your local reviews management strategy. Ideally, you will have the capacity to respond to every single customer review within 24 hours. Sound like an impossible ask? This guide will help you get started. Optimize for long-tail keywords and unbranded searches. An estimated 85% or more of all search queries are long-tail queries with three or more words. Long-tail keywords are typically less competitive and demonstrate greater purchase intent, while unbrande……Holiday shopping this season promises to be one of the most unusual in recent memory. Businesses can no longer expect door crashers and overnight lineups this year; nearly half of US adults surveyed by Salesforce in May said they are more interested in online shopping for the 2020 holidays than last year. In fact, 71% of adults plan to do more than half of their online shopping in digital channels this year. Knowing this is the case, how can enterprise local brands make the best use of digital c……ss your digital channels this holiday season. Don’t miss these helpful resources as you strategize for the upcoming shopping rush: Join us in an upcoming webinar and see what our local marketing experts have planned next Browse our full library of COVID-19 Local Marketing Resources for enterprise brands Get a 100% free Custom Local Search Audit to find out where you stand and discover your most lucrative local opportunities ahead of the holiday season…

Best Practices for Positive and Negative Review Responses

…ere the negative review involves policy that will not be changed, explain the rationale so other readers understand. For example, you may receive complaints about physical distancing requirements or masks. In that case, it is appropriate to explain the way: that customer safety is your top priority. Make sure that your review response strategy and training are industry-specific and take into consideration the unique nuance of public communications in your vertical. In finance, for example, tr……Across Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp, and other vertical-specific review platforms, positive and negative review responses are a key factor in searchers’ decision-making process. Review signals are also a top factor when determining search ranking. Additionally, 90% of consumers go online to find local businesses, and 82% read online reviews as part of their search. While reviews help local searchers understand the experiences others are having at any given location, how the company re…

11 Tips for Enterprise Local Holiday Marketing Success Despite COVID-19

…x of a certain type of review—on your locations’ social distancing practices, for example, or about temporarily closed locations. Update your pre-approved response templates, assign team members tasked with responding, and make sure your triage and escalation expectations are clear. Learn more in How to Pivot Your Local Reviews Management Strategy in a Crisis. Equip your team with the technology needed to manage listings, reviews, and pages at scale. Multi-location retail brands must hav……It’s difficult to even hazard a guess as to how consumers will behave leading into and throughout the critical holiday shopping season. As we’ve learned throughout 2020, the state of affairs can change near-instantly. What is certain is that enterprise brands will face unique challenges in connecting with consumers at the local level and will need to pivot their local holiday marketing strategies as we near the holidays. As Lauren Freedman mused recently in DigitalCommerce360, “It’s har……h setup where everything we need to collect and interpret our data for over 100,000 locations within a single platform was massive. We have access to a full team of proactive, passionate local search experts, which is huge when challenges and questions inevitably come up.” Update your review management strategy and prepare for a possible increase in review volume. You might experience a period of paused reviews, as we saw this spring. Or, you could have an influx of a certain type of revie…

Leveraging Local Pages At Scale: Expert Panel Webinar

…ocations include: Are you fully open? Are you offering online orders or to-go orders? What are your guidelines for visiting your stores? Are you allowed inside? Do you need a face mask to enter your stores? Is contactless payment an option? Tell your customers how you’re handling COVID-19 by adding a small banner on your landing pages and a jump-to link that takes readers directly to the COVID-19 section of your landing page. To make the most of your COVID-19 section, bra……In many of our previous webinars, we’ve talked extensively about the challenge and importance of optimizing and managing your local listings at scale. Yet, Local Pages is an often overlooked component of a comprehensive local marketing strategy that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. Local Pages present numerous opportunities for enterprise brands, but at a high-level, they allow your users to engage directly with your brand and, when done well, can prompt online conversions and/……r users to engage directly with your brand and, when done well, can prompt online conversions and/or drive in-store traffic. During our most recent webinar, we assembled a panel of digital marketing experts to discuss how enterprise brands can leverage local pages at scale. Our panel included Lauren Etter, VP of Client Services at LSM, Steve Wiideman, Senior Search Strategist at Wiideman Consulting Group, and Dani Owens, Local SEO Consultant and Owner of Pigzilla, and was moderated by Scott McN…

10 Common Enterprise Local Marketing Questions Solved

…nterprise marketers are wondering how to build visibility and improve rankings where it matters most: in local search. In this post, we share the 10 enterprise local marketing questions most commonly asked by multi-location brands looking to substantially improve local performance. Don’t see your question below? Get in touch and our local search experts will be happy to help you out. Why is local listings management important? Managing, monitoring, and optimizing your brand’s local……Today, nearly 46% of all Google searches are conducted by customers looking for information about products, services, and businesses nearby. More often than not, searchers find the information they need to make a decision without ever visiting a website—in fact, our own research has shown that just 1 in 60 local pack views results in a click. As Google increasingly becomes the transactional layer between brands and the customers they serve, enterprise marketers are wondering how to build visib……prise local marketing questions most commonly asked by multi-location brands looking to substantially improve local performance. Don’t see your question below? Get in touch and our local search experts will be happy to help you out. Why is local listings management important? Managing, monitoring, and optimizing your brand’s local listings is critical to each of your location’s discoverability in search. What’s more, the quality of your local listings can have a major impact on…

Rio Release Notes (August 2020): Local Manager Bulk Updates and Improving Listings Health Just Got Easier

…Managing hundreds or thousands of locations may sound like a daunting task for any enterprise brand. At Rio SEO, we are dedicated to making continual improvements and enhancements to our products that take the burden off our customers, simplifying their local marketing efforts when and where possible. Recently, we rolled out a number of new features and wanted to call attention to a few existing features in Local Manager. In this post, we’ll highlight and dive into the new multi-edit function……ng hundreds or thousands of locations may sound like a daunting task for any enterprise brand. At Rio SEO, we are dedicated to making continual improvements and enhancements to our products that take the burden off our customers, simplifying their local marketing efforts when and where possible. Recently, we rolled out a number of new features and wanted to call attention to a few existing features in Local Manager. In this post, we’ll highlight and dive into the new multi-edit functionality,……t is released in the future. Want to learn more about these updates? Reach out to your Account Director for guidance or, if you’re not yet using Local Manager, get in touch with our local search experts to schedule a quick demo and have a free local audit conducted to analyze your current local presence and identify opportunities for improvement. MktoForms2.loadForm("//app-ab34.marketo.com", "425-FDD-771", 1612);…

How to Ace Your Restaurant’s Local Marketing Strategy [Guest Post]

…pular dishes, and your reservations link. It’s also critical to you keep all your information updated and complete across all your local listings to build trust and credibility with your customers. Ask for Reviews Ask your most loyal customers for an honest review. Highly reviewed restaurants are most viewed in Google than the restaurants that don’t prioritize their reputation management. You can read more about the power of reviews in the restaurant industry here. Set Up Google Alerts Googl……"How to Ace Your Restaurant's Local Marketing Strategy" is a guest post by Envato, the world's leading marketplace and community for creative assets and creative people. The way restaurants once operated has radically changed over the last few years as technology continues to advance. An industry that once thrived on word of mouth marketing now must turn to other promotional methods to entice customers to dine with them. However, many restaurant owners are unaware of the plethora of digital opp……ll. Videos are also a powerful, often under-utilized tool that can help you drive conversions. Top publishers are ramping up Instagram video posts by 90-100% each year. A few other Instagram tips our experts recommend include: Post at a regular cadence Interact with those who comment on your posts Create unique stories and videos Follow and support similar businesses 2. Create a Website A professionally polished website is something all restaurant brands must-have. Customers have com…

GMB Partner Links and Food Ordering Updates For Restaurant Brands

…rketing best practices: How to Perfect Your Local Strategy for New Restaurant Services How Restaurants Can Drive Sales During COVID-19 Through SEO Restaurant Brands: 3 Critical Local Presence Tasks for Coronavirus-related Restaurant Closures……Quick-service restaurants and restaurants alike continue to muddle through the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic. As closures and reopenings for businesses continue to waver at both the county and state levels across the board, the restaurant industry has been particularly hit hard as shut down orders for indoor dining have once again affected many parts of the nation. Inevitable closures necessitate creativity--prompting many restaurant brands to adopt new services, such as ghost kitche……the number of partner links per section (Menu link, Order ahead links, Reservation links). For restaurant brands that have their own ordering, reservation, and menu services, our local marketing experts recommend adding these links to your listing and mark them as preferred to ensure customers engage with your brand directly rather than a third-party application. Preferred links will then display first in your listing in the specified section along with the text “preferred by this busines…

How financial services brands are using online reviews to build trust

…unities to improve customer service and operations. Embrace them! Invite customers to leave reviews and make the process seamless for them. Sixty-eight percent of customers will leave a review if you ask. However, to avoid going astray of GMB’s review solicitation guidelines, you should never offer money or merchandise in exchange for a review. Businesses are not permitted to: Offer incentives in exchange for reviews Author positive reviews in an attempt to boost their star rating Attempt to ……Trade war concerns, uncertainty over Federal Reserve rate policy, mid-year market panic, and a sharp decline in the Bloomberg U.S. Financial Conditions Index kept financial services brands and their customers on their toes throughout 2019. Even before COVID-19 hit, experts had predicted that the financial services industry was in for a similarly bumpy ride in 2020. Now with the economy upside down and consumers scrambling to find solutions and information they can trust, financial services brand……mid-year market panic, and a sharp decline in the Bloomberg U.S. Financial Conditions Index kept financial services brands and their customers on their toes throughout 2019. Even before COVID-19 hit, experts had predicted that the financial services industry was in for a similarly bumpy ride in 2020. Now with the economy upside down and consumers scrambling to find solutions and information they can trust, financial services brands have a pivotal role to play. Trust, communication, and reputatio…

Leveraging local reviews for retail brands: expert insights and best practices

…kings in the SERPs Which search results get surfaced The way consumers find and choose your business If a consumer will complete a purchase Local reviews best practices for the retail industry We've asked our experts how retailers specifically can benefit from placing an increased focus on their reputation management strategy, and actionable steps to consider as you progress your reputation management strategy. Here are our reviews best practices for the retail industry. Respond to every revi……The strength of the retail industry cannot be ignored. In fact, total retail sales in the United States were projected to amount to 5.94 trillion in U.S. dollars in 2024, up from around 5.47 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019. While the coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly skewed this projection, it's still clear retailers are critical to fueling the global economy. To continue to build both your brand and trust with customers in an uncertain world, retailers and other businesses alike must focus on……he SERPs Which search results get surfaced The way consumers find and choose your business If a consumer will complete a purchase Local reviews best practices for the retail industry We've asked our experts how retailers specifically can benefit from placing an increased focus on their reputation management strategy, and actionable steps to consider as you progress your reputation management strategy. Here are our reviews best practices for the retail industry. Respond to every review You lik…

What’s New With Google: Review Attributes, Top-Rated Labels, Hotel Attributes

…minently highlight both the positive and negative feedback your business receives to better inform potential customers. In an effort to do bring this critical information to the surface, Google began asking customers to select both positive and negative attributes any time they leave a review for your business (unless they leave a 3-star review). When a customer leaves a 4 or 5-star review for your business. Google will then prompt users to select positive attributes to better describe their ……Google continues to focus on being the first and only destination searchers need to turn to during their time of need. In order to achieve this, they must, in turn, consistently refine their technology to better meet consumers’ evolving needs. Lately, it appears Google has been hard at work doing just that, quietly pushing out new functionality with Review attributes and in the Local Pack, as well as adding new features for the hospitality industry. In this blog post, we will dive into what ……ocal Pack, as well as adding new features for the hospitality industry. In this blog post, we will dive into what each of these new updates entails, as well as recommendations from our local search experts on how to make the most of Google’s latest enhancements for local businesses. Let's find out what's new with Google. Review Attributes Expand Google seeks to prominently highlight both the positive and negative feedback your business receives to better inform potential customers. In an e…

Supporting Multi-Location Businesses Through COVID-19

…ntinue to make changes in order to support these efforts. We've worked with our local marketing experts to round up some of the most impactful updates from the past week, and answer the most commonly asked questions we've been receiving. In this week’s update, we’ll cover the following local marketing updates from the past week: GMB temporarily suspends new reviews, review responses, and Q&A Yelp updates review guidelines for COVID-19 mentions New COVID-19 Google Post type New ……Updated May 26, 2020 As the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to evolve rapidly and new information is emerging constantly, we will be continuously updating this post with the latest information and recommendations. For a current list of platform updates, blogs, resources and other useful links, please visit our COVID-19 Local Marketing Resources page. COVID-19 Local Search Updates (Week of May 25) May 26, 2020 As businesses begin to reopen their do……r doors, they must consider how to communicate and market new services and safety practices to local consumers. In last week's webinar, COVID-19 and the Future of Local Marketing, our local marketing experts Krystal Taing, Director of Local Strategy, Lauren Abramson, Account Director, and Tyler Ludwig, Director of Enterprise Solutions, shared their insights regarding which COVID-related trends are impacting brands and how local marketers can prepare for ongoing or intermittent business interrupt…