NEW Local Ranking Factors!

and more content from last week

August 08, 2024

Hello hello! I’m back with another recap of my best content from the past 2 weeks 👇️

1. NEW local ranking factors!

Claudia Tomina recently published some fascinating research on Google Business Profile ranking factors for restaurants.

She had so much to say about menu items and highlights, keywords in reviews, and GBP photos that I couldn’t fit it all in this email, but here’s a detailed LinkedIn post I wrote about her most fascinating discoveries.

Click on the image to read it 👇️

Read the full post here.

2. I made you a free local SEO tool!

Your client is in Denver, but you’re in Chicago. How can you see what THEY see when they check rankings?

Well, I made you a free tool that lets you check rankings from any location.

It’s called the Free Local Ranking Checker (how original), and I love that it works on mobile, unlike so many others. We really should be checking on mobile these days.

Honestly, the other tools out there that do this are so janky and annoying. That’s why I built this one!

You may want to bookmark this as your new favorite free local SEO tool.

Here’s a quick video of it in action 👇️

And you can try it yourself here 👇️

3. Three out of the top four conversion factors are review-related

Here’s how to make sure you cover all of them:

1. Factors #1 and #4: Profiles with high ratings and a high number of reviews draw people in.

Say you’re looking for a new hairdresser. You’re scanning the local results, and you see two businesses:

  • One has a 4.8 star rating and 315 reviews.

  • The other has a 4.6 star rating and 41 reviews.

Which one would you click on to learn more? 🤔

Chances are, you’re going to pick the first one because:

  • People like it more (it has a higher star rating).

  • More people like it (it has more reviews).

✍️ Takeaway: Ask every single person for a review, and be persistent with follow ups.

2. Factor #2: Profiles with positive sentiment in their reviews get more customers.

Back to the hairdresser analogy: If you click on a Profile and see review after review talking about the incredible haircuts people got at this place, your search will be over.

You’ll make an appointment because the reviewers sold the business to you so well.

✍️ Takeaway: Get more positive reviews than your competition (aim for ~30% more). If you stand out with glowing reviews, you will get more clicks and conversions.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn and Threads.

4. Did you sign up for my free email course yet?

In case you missed it, I published two free local SEO email courses recently.

You can join more than 1,700 subscribers in learning local SEO every day.

Here are the deets:

🔹 Local SEO 101: A beginner course that covers all the fundamentals of local search — for both your Google Business Profile and your website. If you are a beginner digital marketer or a business owner, this course will teach you everything you need to know to rank and convert locally.

🔹 Local SEO 401: An advanced course that goes beyond the basics and covers next-level ranking and conversion strategies, lesser-known tips, and new research.

Both courses are 100% free and take 20 days to complete.

5. Are your Google reviews missing?

Joy Hawkins has uncovered the most common reasons why this may be.

Scroll through this carousel to find out what they are 👇️

See the carousel on Instagram.

Also, I’m off Twitter for now. You can find my content on Threads instead.

And, as always, follow me on all the platforms so you don’t miss anything:
LinkedIn
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Darren

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