It’s Monday! You know what that means…

It’s recap time 🕺

Here is the top content we published last week 👇️

1. How to get INSTANT verification

Google's Video Verification is the worst 😩 But did you know you might be able to skip it and get instant or email verification instead?

Scroll through the carousel below to see my theories on how to sidestep the dreaded video verification process 👇️ 

Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and Twitter!

2. NEWS: Custom GBP Services Impact Rankings

Last week, Colan Nielsen from Sterling Sky confirmed that custom GBP Services do impact rankings 😱 But not as much as pre-defined Services.

Another overlooked benefit of adding custom Services to your Profile is that you can add emojis to them. Look how eye-catching this “Provides” Justification is:

So, if you haven't added custom services to your GBP yet, do it!

See the full post on LinkedIn or Twitter.

3. Local SEO vs. Ads

You DO NOT need to invest in ads to get more leads for your local business.

If you're investing in ads, that's great. Ads drive revenue for your business. You should probably do them.

But if you're a small business owner on a budget, investing in your Google Business Profile can be much more beneficial in the long run 🏃

Once you put in the work to optimize your GBP, you're all set. You don't have to keep paying for every click. Your GBP will keep paying dividends forever.

My co-host has a different point of view — read his comment on LinkedIn.

4. Your questions about unverified GBPs, answered

Can you edit the info on your Profile if it’s not verified? What is the best strategy for tackling video verification?

We answer 4 of the most common questions about unverified Profiles in this carousel 👇️

Catch the next helpful post on Instagram!

5. Getting #1 in the Local Pack

We don’t brag often, but when we get results like these, how can we not?

Here's how we got our client to show up in the Local Pack for "mover seattle" (search volume of 5.4K) in just a few months ⬇️ 

The client signed up with us in July 2023. Since then, our team has:

1. Completed a website audit, revised the client's title tags, internal linking, and alt-text, and spent a lot of time ensuring that each page has proper heading structure;

2. Optimized their GBP and continued to post frequent content updates (photos, Google Posts, etc)

All this led to the client ranking #1 in the Local Pack for some zip codes, and #2 for other ones 🎉 

Do you have any additional tips for getting into the Local Pack? Let me know on LinkedIn or Twitter!

I post helpful local SEO content (and memes!) every day. If you want to catch everything, not just the highlights, make sure to follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram!

PS: Whitespark can help you ⬇️

🚨 Get notified when Google updates your GBP and reject unwanted changes

🚀 Increase your local rankings and conversions

📈 Track rankings across different zip/post-codes

⭐️ Get more reviews

🧹 Clean up and build citations

🔍 Find citation opportunities

Did you know we have a referral program?

🤑 Refer to Whitespark and earn big!