by Cynthia Sener, VP of Operations and Product at Rio SEO Recently, my colleague Chad Klingensmith and I had the opportunity to participate in the Local Search Association’s information and takeaway-packed webinar, How to Use Organic SEO to Rank in Google’s Local 3-Pack. Joined by co-host Joy Hawkins, the incredibly sharp and talented founder of
As search results get more and more crowded, it’s more important than ever to stand out. How can you break through the noise and prove to Google that your location’s result should feature prominently on a local query? Search expert Mary Bowling shared her five steps to standing out in the SERPs via richer, more
There has been a recent Google algorithm update that lit up the SEO community with chatter and speculation (although it has yet to be officially confirmed). It started March 8th, with a great deal of activity on SEO forums, as reported by Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable. The update dubbed ‘Fred’ was the suspected
As some observant clients have noted this week, it’s no longer possible to edit your business description in the Google My Business dashboard. But what does this mean for businesses and marketers, particularly those managing hundreds or even thousands of location listings? Google Confirms Removal of Editing “My Business” Description In an August 1 update
It’s getting more and more challenging for brands to ensure they’re being found online in the moments that matter. Increased competition, exploding mobile media consumption and evolving consumer preferences are among the factors driving the need for local marketers to connect on a more meaningful level with their local consumers. In a recent webinar hosted
Last week, we joined 1,600 of our fellow search marketers in Seattle for the sold-out SMX Advanced conference. It’s tough to summarize the best that came out of the conference in just a few takeaways given the amount of tactic-rich, jam-packed information that was shared, but we did our best! Highlights from #SMX Advanced 2016: Google
Structured data -- it may sound like drab geek speak, but when local marketers learn the extent to which structured data can increase traffic, improve visibility in search, and make websites more attractive to Google, the term suddenly becomes a lot sexier. By definition, structured data refers to any data that resides in a fixed
A battle is being waged online, as independent merchants struggle for top billing in local search results. According to Street Fight’s Local Merchant Survey, one-quarter (25%) of SMBs say search engine optimization is the area of marketing where they need the most help. Part of the challenge for Main Street merchants has to do with
Smartphones have become ubiquitous in the shopping process, from discovery to comparison-shopping to actually completing transactions. The trend to mobile has dramatically and permanently changed the way shoppers look for local business information. People are increasingly searching for local business data while they’re on the go and even while in-store considering a purchase. In fact,
Earlier this month, Google modified the map results to render three local business results rather than the seven that have graced desktop local search for the past several years. The ‘map pack’ terminology used by the search community has been degraded to ‘stack pack,’ ‘snack pack’ for restaurants or for those more upset at the