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Local Search predictions for 2022

…Local Search predictions for 2022 Introduction Any hopes of 2022 ushering in some semblance of a “new normal” have been dashed as the Coronavirus persists. Varying levels of vaccination uptake, the discovery of new variants, and ongoing travel restrictions and health regulations around the globe are all keeping local marketers on their toes as we plan for the year ahead. Consumer needs and behaviors are changing, and the sheer volume of content and informatio…

Local search ranking & conversion factors to know for 2022

…Local search ranking and conversion factors to know for 2022 Introduction We know that Google Search is the place to be when you want to be seen by local searchers in their moments of need, as 83% of local consumers use Google to find information about nearby businesses. These consumers are searching with the intent to take action, too, and 90% will make a purchase within one week of their initial search. However, the top of Google’s local organic search and MapPack …

8 Tips For Optimizing Yelp Listings for Social Distancing Terms

…s & safety measures. There are several safety attributes listed under the COVID-19 section on Yelp. Businesses can check off the appropriate protocols they are enforcing including mandatory face masks, contactless payment, and sanitizing high-contact surfaces between customers. New fields/attributes were added in late March at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow businesses to better highlight safety protocols they have in place and updates in their services to accommodate the need f……Consumers are on the hunt for clear COVID-19 protocols for any business they plan to visit. Optimizing Yelp listings for social distancing terms is now a must for all enterprise brands. Now, when searchers visit a location on Yelp, Yelp has prominently placed this information at the top of every business page. They’ll see a new informational section positioned between the company name and reviews, under “COVID-19 Updates”. This area highlights public health precautions and social dist…

Post-Vaccine Local Consumer Behavior Trends and Tips for Brands

…rmation up-to-date. Consider adding an FAQs page if you don’t already have one so customers can find all the important information in one spot. Customers may also be utilizing Google Q&A to ask your store questions regarding store policies, such as if masks are required. Ensure you’re actively responding to these queries to provide searchers with accurate information. Be active on social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media channels are a simple way to communicat……COVID-19 changed every facet of life for millions globally and disrupted local search trends for the majority of the past year. Businesses were forced to close their brick-and-mortar locations, workplaces went fully remote and consumers were subject to strict stay-at-home orders, and the world turned inward. Rio SEO has been tracking changes in local search behavior month-by-month and has noticed new trends as more people receive vaccines and global restrictions start to ease. You can find th…

Local Search Ranking Factors: What Matters Now for Enterprise Brands?

…A few months ago, we took a deep dive into Whitespark’s ‘2020 Local Search Ranking Factors’ survey results presentation from the brand’s Local Search Summit. Since 2008, Whitespark has compiled this analysis of survey results from recognized experts in local organic and Map Pack search on an annual basis. In this post, we’ll take a look at which of those local search ranking factors are most impactful for enterprise and multi-location brands—that is, organizations in any industry wi……ark’s ‘2020 Local Search Ranking Factors’ survey results presentation from the brand’s Local Search Summit. Since 2008, Whitespark has compiled this analysis of survey results from recognized experts in local organic and Map Pack search on an annual basis. In this post, we’ll take a look at which of those local search ranking factors are most impactful for enterprise and multi-location brands—that is, organizations in any industry with 100 or more locations. While there continues t…

5 Research-Backed Recommendations for Local Marketers Post-Pandemic

…The pandemic has without a doubt caused noticeable changes in consumer behavior. During the height of the lockdowns, consumers faced closed stores, reduced hours, and social-distancing requirements. As a result, they started to prioritize essential needs, bought fewer impulse items, and turned to e-commerce to transact. Research conducted by Google in the retail, travel, and finance industries revealed that: “...the pandemic has reinforced what brands and retailers should continue to focus …

Marketing Predictions for 2022 According to the Experts

… Google wants to know the most up-to-date information about your business as possible. Make sure you put the right answer in and not just once, but every time. That may seem like a daunting task or a ton of pressure, but the easiest way to do this is to have a team member scroll through each social platform, directory listing, and all pages of your website with a red pen ready to mark any inconsistencies. Another aspect that has been important for years, and whose importance se……Digital marketing continues to evolve, and if the past few years have taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected in every aspect of life. What's a common practice one moment may not be the next, which is why we continue to track what's new and what may come next. Recently, we reached out to several digital marketing experts to hear their marketing predictions for 2022. Their insights are meant to help guide your 2022 marketing strategy and help you keep a pulse on updates that may not……ery aspect of life. What's a common practice one moment may not be the next, which is why we continue to track what's new and what may come next. Recently, we reached out to several digital marketing experts to hear their marketing predictions for 2022. Their insights are meant to help guide your 2022 marketing strategy and help you keep a pulse on updates that may not have been on your radar. Here's what they had to say about what we can expect for the future of marketing. Providing…

Photo optimization for Local Search: Tips & best practices

…Photo optimization for Local Search: Tips & best practices Introduction We often talk in local SEO circles about the importance of relevant, top-quality written content for your local marketing strategy. But there’s another integral element, and you could be missing out on a good deal of online visibility without it: local photos. In our 2022 Local Search Consumer Behavior Study, we found that 83% of local consumers conduct online searches every day, and 74% fre…

4 On-Page SEO Best Practices for the Age of Social Distancing

…actless payment and delivery Online and phone ordering Virtual services such as banking, appointments, or consultations Telehealth and telemedicine services In-store sanitation Non-medical masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer Social distancing and physical distancing Help your customers understand exactly how to do business with you today, and reassure them with information about the steps you are taking to keep them safe. Not only does this verbiage improve the user experience, but ……COVID-19 dramatically impacted consumer behavior, from the widespread fear and anxiety caused to the very real impact of an extensive period of worldwide lockdown and social distancing. Naturally, many consumers utilized Google more extensively to research COVID-19 updates including business closures, hour changes, and reopenings. Customers now have a whole new set of considerations and needs when they are searching for information they need to make decisions that just last year were simple an…

8 best practices for creating an exceptional business listing customer service experience

…t your listings in the Map Pack are accurate and up to date. 2. Use Google Messaging – if it can be monitored at scale. Google Messaging gives customers the ability to reach out to your business to ask questions about your products or services. This can be a quick relationship-building method to connect with potential and current customers. But, it’s important to do it the right way. Since numerous professionals in your company will have the ability to respond, there must be a standard opera……Customer experience is everything, throughout every part of the sales journey and beyond. In fact, 86% of customers have stopped doing business with a company because of a bad experience. Even your most loyal customers could be just one negative experience away from switching to a competitor. Managing and exceeding customer expectations is crucial to building authority and sustaining lasting relationships. No matter where a current or potential customer interacts with your company, it must be a …

5 top local landing page features for enterprise brands

…ge features for enterprise brands We talk often about local listings, your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business), and improving search rankings at the local level. But once you've won the click in the search engine results pages (SERPs) and navigated a searcher to their post-click destination, what kind of experience does your brand offer? Your local landing pages play an integral role in your SEO strategy and serve as the next step in your…

5 CX + LX priorities for 2024 (and what to leave behind)

…riking discovery: 90% of local consumers are now using online search daily. It’s a significant increase from 83% in 2022 and 76% in 2021, and underscores just how essential search has become within the local customer experience. As we delve into the priorities that will shape CX (Customer Experience) and LX (Local Experience) in 2024, five key areas demand attention and investment. In this article, we’ll explore the rising significance of visual engagement, the pivotal role of AI in local…

The 4 key steps to aligning SEO and content for search success

… In your guidelines, provide clear instructions on incorporating keywords, optimizing headings, meta tags, and other relevant elements. Brands can also support local managers with templates for tasks such as online review responses, which helps with faster response times and also ensures consistency in tone and voice. 4. Provide local insights and data Give local content creators access to real-time, relevant data and insights in a shared reporting platform that includes inf……The 4 key steps to aligning SEO and content for search success Content Step 1: Perform keyword research and optimization Step 2: Plan and create content Step 3: Optimize on-page content Step 4: Optimize for the user's experience Tips for closer alignment between enterprise SEO and content creators In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) and content creation have emerged as powerful allies in driving…

10 Quick Fixes for Local SEO for Enterprise Brands

…Local search results are the new storefront, especially now that many shoppers have transitioned from street-level window shopping to online browsing due to the Coronavirus pandemic. If you're not appearing during consumers' time of need, your brand must implement quick fixes for local SEO to show up when and where you're needed. Even before COVID, Google research made clear the local opportunity for brands—and the cost of not appearing prominently online when customers are searching for prod…

Local customer engagement building strategies for enterprise brands

…More than ever, people want to feel connected. The past few years have felt isolating for many, and, in turn, consumers crave more and more personal connection and a sense of community in all their interactions. Throughout the local consumers’ decision-making process, your brand has myriad opportunities to make an authentic emotional connection that converts online community members into loyal customers. This happens with the right local customer engagement building strategies in place. The wo…

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…

The Effect of Duplicate Content on SEO for Multi-Location Brands

…We know that Google and other search engines want to show searchers reputable, relevant, and up-to-date content to help meet their needs. You've no doubt heard of the importance of uniqueness and originality in that piece of content, too. And yet duplicate content occurs in a number of different ways, not all of them malicious or even negative in nature. It's a reality for businesses of all sizes, but even more common particularly for enterprise brands and those with multiple locations. What i…

The Value of Specialty Pages for Multi-Location Businesses

…The Value of Specialty Pages for Multi-Location Businesses Chances are that your enterprise brand does one thing really well — but it’s not all you do. Often, brands offer a diverse selection of products and services. And although it may be possible to mention them all on a local landing page, only one set of meta tags, schema, and block copy can optimize these topical keywords. This can limit SEO opportunities to rank specialty keywords higher in search engines. After all, Google wants …

Reopening Local Businesses: A Checklist for Multi-Location Brands

… feel confident about returning right away. Build trust by providing precise and detailed information for each location — exact times and dates, store or restaurant capacity, capacity limitations, mask protocols, products and services available, etc. Demonstrating due diligence when it comes to keeping your customers safe is another crucial part of this. Highlighting measures that have been put in place is a great way to do this. Sharing photos and videos of the site and the people working ……With many states currently in the process of reopening for business as vaccines roll out to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses are likely to encounter unprecedented new challenges. The road to our new normal is looking to be an uncertain one, with businesses temporarily closing and reopening as local conditions require. Specific reopening strategies will differ depending on the business type. However, there are some areas of common ground for all multi-location companies that will h…

COVID-19 Listings Features for Enterprise Brands

…te and current so customers understand your current in-store experience. Some of these COVID-19-related amenities which all businesses should notate if they have them available include: "Staff wears masks", "Staff wears gloves", "Contactless payments", and more. Updates as of May 14, 2020 [/fusion_table] [fusion_table fusion_table_type="1" fusion_table_columns="4" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_directi……onveying critical information to your customers is now more important than ever, as regulations and restrictions change weekly. To communicate updates effectively, you must reach customers everywhere they’re looking for you and be aware of the features available to you at this time. But, as new features continue to be introduced to online listings frequently, it can become daunting to keep up with the latest and greatest. To keep your brand informed on the most pertinent COVID-19 listings feat…