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New Google Maps Functionality: Improved Navigation and Social-Distancing Features

…Google Maps continues to elevate the user experience and their technology. In their latest announcement, the search giant shared what users can expect to come in 2021. Stating that they are “on track to bring over 100 AI-powered improvements to Google Maps” in the next year in an effort to simplify the Maps experience. In this blog post, we will share the top new Google Maps functionality and features and how they impact multi-location businesses. Minimize In-Person Contact with Curbside Gro…

Getting Started with Your Local Marketing Partner: What Happens After Implementation?

…Relevant and accurate local listings and pages have never been more important for multi-location brands. However, managing these is no easy feat for companies with hundreds or thousands of locations. Increasingly multi-location brands are enlisting the support of a local marketing partner who provides them with the technology, process, and people needed to manage and optimize local marketing at scale, but what does that look like in practice? Previously we've shared tips on finding the right…

How ChatGPT impacts SEO: A guide for enterprise local brands

…ble it to remember language prompts and generate answers fast. These features have already been exploited by SEOs for content and students for essays. Some marketers are also using it to automate tasks such as keyword research or to simplify complex research publications. Others are calling it one of the most helpful planning tools ever to cross their desks. Conversely, Google’s rush to get its conversational AI, Bard, into the marketplace was not as well-received. Is conversational AI t……uide for enterprise local brands OpenAI's language model ChatGPT hardly needs an introduction. You're likely already very well aware of its capabilities and how its transforming the way we draft content. Since its launch, it has gone viral, and ChatGPT became the fastest-growing platform to acquire 100 million users in just 2 months. It's commonplace to find machine-generated content peppered across websites, social media, and email newsletters. ChatGPT is a conversat……xperience, perspective, and expertise ChatGPT doesn't have unique experiences, perspectives, opinions, or expertise of its own to share. It doesn't have its own stories to tell, unlike human topic experts. It can only produce generic material by scraping other sources. In a competitive market, average and generic content is insufficient to stand out in search results. Enterprise brands must take steps to ensure the content generated by the model is unique, offers a new perspective, and add…

Google Bard: How and why the AI impacts content marketing

…Google Bard: How and why the AI impacts content marketing Google’s experimental conversational AI, Bard, didn't have a seamless launch. The astronomical buzz around Open AI’s ChatGPT undoubtedly created a sense of urgency at Google to get its alternative out the door. However, the promotional video for Bard contained misinformation that was quickly and easily disproven. Consumers and stakeholders were unimpressed, and the gaff caused a $100 billion loss in market val…

Recent Apple Maps Updates and Impacts for Enterprise Local Brands

…Apple Maps strives to give Google Maps a run for its money and with recent updates to its local experience, MacWorld predicts it’s becoming a “viable alternative.” Together, Apple and Google share the North American mobile operating system market. As of September 2020, iOS claimed over 53% of mobile operating system market share while 46% of Americans chose Android. Local listings in both Google Maps and Apple Maps—that is, how your locations appear to on-the-go consumers looking for …

8 Most Impactful Local Ranking Factors for Brands

…Google is surprisingly open about the most impactful local ranking factors, considering how secretive the search engine has been about its organic algorithm. Many of the most important factors are controlled within the Google My Business dashboard; in fact, Google flat out states that “You can improve your business’s local ranking by using Google My Business to claim and update your business information.” Of course the more locations you are responsible for, the more challenging it become…

Do Local Reviews Impact Google Search Rankings?

…tify and address the bumps and frustrations that customers face when interacting with your brand regularly. Handling Reviews When Managing Multiple Locations Handling reviews at scale is not an easy task. You need an online review management platform that keeps track of new reviews in one place and notifies the right people so they can act accordingly. Customers may be reviewing your business on a dozen or more different third-party review sites. At an enterprise scale, manual monitoring is imp……Do Local Reviews Impact Google Search Rankings? Before the rise of digital advertising, word of mouth was the single most important factor in the success or failure of a business. The reputation of a business could take a serious hit if too many people complained about it. These complaints would spread and, in turn, tarnish the business' reputation within the local community and beyond. The impact of word-of-mouth on businesses has only grown stronger over time. The only difference is bran…

Do Special Characters Impact Search Results?

…f you use accidentally use these Boolean operators in an effort to optimize your content, anyone who then uses those in a search will likely see the results of the operation Google believed they were asking it to do, instead. That won’t hurt your rankings but it won’t help you out any, either. And finally, marketers must be aware that Google may rewrite page titles for search results and more often than not, doesn’t use the meta description provided by the site as the search snippet. Even……People use special characters in everyday conversations over text, messenger apps, and e-mail. These non-alphanumeric symbols, such as – % > ! * $, have many valid uses. But, over the years, there’s been much debate over whether they should be used in web content. Sure, symbols and emojis can help draw the reader’s eye and add visual cues to your messages. But do they actually have an impact on your rankings in search? It’s becoming increasingly more acceptable to use special charac…

GMB API 4.8 Update: The Impact on Hospitality & Healthcare Brands

… in mid-December, 2020. What does this update mean for enterprise and multi-location brands? In this post, we’ll take a look at what this update impacts enterprise brands, specifically focusing on the two verticals it affects most: hospitality and healthcare. What’s New for Hospitality Brands? Historically, hospitality listings have been more generic in GMB than on other hotel comparison and booking sites. With the GMB API 4.8 update, hotels and other lodging brands now have access to 100 n…

Successfully implementing healthcare local listings & reputation management strategies at the enterprise-level

…TPMG Successfully implementing healthcare local listings & reputation management strategies at the enterprise-level Tools used Local Listings Local Reviews Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group (TPMG) was formed in 1992 with four primary care medical groups in Newport News, Hampton, and Yorktown, Virginia. Today, TPMG includes over 220 primary care, specialty physicians, and advanced practice clinicians who provide care to patients throughout southeastern Virg…

A Digital Marketer’s Guide To Google Image Carousels

…n a sudden influx of carousels across many social media platforms? Image carousels are a 4-5 slideshow of impactful content, with some images and videos peppered in, helping businesses communicate to their buyers in an effective visual format. A study of over 22 million Instagram carousel posts showed that posts with carousels were the most successful. Carousels help businesses establish themselves on Instagram as they boost organic search traffic. But, image carousels are not just limited to ……nail, so the user picks your video from the rest in the carousel. Time-stamp the video and add relevant markers and captions to make it easier for Google to understand what your video covers. SEO experts also note that you should check the usual length for high-ranking videos for a particular topic. Interesting Finds Interesting Finds are relevant listicle articles that appear as an interactive carousel list when a user makes a query for which there are blog posts around the topic, such as…

Pop-up retailer drives search visibility, rankings & in-store traffic for 1,400 short-season locations

…Pop-up retailer drives search visibility, rankings & in-store traffic for 1,400 short-season locations Tools used Local Pages Local Listings Local Reporting The pop-up store industry, once considered little more than a fun trend, has grown to $10 billion in annual sales and may well be the future of a large segment of retail. Brands looking to offer unique shopping experiences are using stores-within-stores, kiosks and even mobile retail units to provide shoppers …

Local Search Metrics: What Should I Be Measuring to Determine Performance?

…Your brand’s local search performance is key in converting online searchers to real-world customers. And when it comes to how people discover nearby solutions to their needs, Google dominates with 70% of all desktop queries and commands 93% of mobile. As we return to in-person shopping experiences, consumers are looking to spend money in their own communities. Supporting local businesses has become an important value to many; in fact, Google reported a 20,000% increase year-over-year in “…

Revolutionizing the Hyperlocal Search Experience [Webinar Recap]

…mportance that was brought up in the webinar was mobile. Mobile has become an increasingly popular search tool over the past year, as consumers were spending more time indoors. During the webinar, we asked the audience what percentage of their website traffic is entering via mobile. 62% of the respondents indicated that over half their traffic enters via a mobile device, further highlighting the importance of optimizing your mobile presence. Consumers are also interested in whether you offe……The past year has caused massive disruptions in your local marketing strategies worldwide due to shifts in consumer shopping behavior, making local marketer’s jobs increasingly difficult and the search ecosystem more complex. Due to the pandemic, new and existing local marketing challenges are affecting your customer’s path to purchase. In turn, your business must create new commerce opportunities that benefit both in-store and online channels and cater to hyperlocal search queries. Recentl…

National beverage brand makes a big splash in local markets across the US

…National beverage brand makes a big splash in local markets across the US Tools used Local Pages Local Listings A major beverage brand needed to get in front of residential and commercial buyers thirsty for beverage delivery services across the nation. The company turned to Rio SEO to boost its online visibility in over 3,500 local markets, achieving #1 rankings in organic search results for over 75% of its pages. The challenge Our case study subject delivers a…

Google’s New Ranking Algorithm: What to Expect in 2021

…Google is once again making changes to its ranking algorithm “for a better web”. Starting in 2021, a user’s experience with a web page will play a crucial role in determining page ranking. In other words, if Google perceives a user’s interaction with a web page is poor, the page ranking will drop. The announcement comes on the heels of the years of building up towards improving the overall experience consumers have on the web, with first adding mobile optimization in April 2015, followed……ost your local landing pages. If you’re looking to revamp your local landing pages to better prepare for the Google ranking algorithm update, we are here to help. Get in touch with our local search experts today, to learn what you can improve upon to gear up for your most profitable year yet come 2021.…

How to boost local search visibility with unique hyperlocal web copy

…How to boost local search visibility with unique hyperlocal web copy Content Who are the local customers reading your web copy? Does word count matter for local SEO performance? What does hyperlocal content look like? Does it matter where hyperlocal copy appears on a local landing page? Will Google penalize AI-generated copy? Key takeaways You’ve done everything technically possible to optimize your local landing page, ensuring: local landing p…

How to use organic SEO to rank in Google’s local 3-Pack

…How to use organic SEO to rank in Google’s local 3-Pack As a marketer, the great mystery behind Google’s consistent algorithm updates can be both frustrating and intriguing at the same time. Google typically announces large algorithm updates in advance which, in turn, prompts discussion and speculation among SEOs and website owners. This can lead to misinformation, confusion, and false guidance. It’s crucial to pinpoint how these updates impact your organic search …

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…

Local Search Discussion: COVID-19’s Impact On Consumer Behavior

…Over the past year, we’ve seen first-hand from our own client data the dramatic and long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these changes are due to drastic shifts in consumer behavior and consumer needs evolving beyond shopping at traditional brick-and-mortar locations. To more narrowly define the true impact of the pandemic on the local search landscape, we analyzed over 200,000 Google My Business (GMB) listings across seven diverse verticals from February 2020 to December ……hat outlines our key findings. When reviewing the data, we saw the dramatic effects of the pandemic, and not a single industry was left unaffected. In a recent webinar we hosted, our panel of search experts discussed those insights as well as key takeaways to empower local marketers to leverage these changes for better economic performance amid uncertain times. This local search discussion included Mick Wilson, VP of Client Success at Rio SEO, Marshall Nyman, an Account Direct at Rio SEO, and R…