Newsletter #38

Whitespark’s Super Fantastic Guide to Optimizing Google My Business

Whitespark's Monthly Local Search Newsletter

Local InsiderJune 2018

 Whitespark’s Super Fantastic Guide to Optimizing Google My BusinessLearning the ins and outs of Google My Business can be overwhelming, especially with the continual addition of new features. Get the most out of GMB with our guide.

We hope this guide helps make it easier for you to navigate current features, fully optimize your listing, stand out in search results, and improve your local visibility. Cheers,Team Whitespark

From the Blog

Review star rich snippets are a rather poorly understood feature of Google’s search results, especially for local businesses. There’s not a lot of clear information about how to trigger them, and what rules and guidelines you should be considering in your implementation.

If you're still trying to understand how these results are triggered, or how to implement this review markup, read this post.

In April, Google updated their Terms of Service (TOS) for online reviews. The refreshed TOS indicates that all requests for online reviews from customers must be unbiased. If you're using a review platform to encourage customer feedback and third-party reviews, make sure you're complying with these new guidelines. 

Around The Web

Tracking calls from your Google My Business listing is a fantastic way to measure the impact of your local search efforts; however there is a right way to do it. Check out how, in this post Darren wrote for CallRail, and start implementing call tracking in your local campaigns.

While this resource from the Nifty Marketing team is targeted to law firms and based on data collected on top ranking legal websites across 50 different metros in the USA, most (if not all) of the recommendations can/should be applied to other local businesses. Check out the recommended page elements you should be incorporating on your local landing pages for 2018. 

If you're considering adding Local Service Ads to your PPC campaigns, here's a guide from WordStream that breaks down what industries and regions have access to these ad types, how to get started, managing leads, and more. 

This is one resource you will want to bookmark for future reference! Cyrus Shepard has put together the top SEO success factors that help improve traffic and rankings, and recommendations for how to learn more about each factor and leverage it for your business. 

If you're interested in targeting Google Answer Boxes and want to know what's ranking in positions 2,3,4, etc, then use this search tip to find out. Read the comments as other users share some of their go-to advanced search operators that can help you refine search results further or save and use for future reference.   

Tim McLain discusses a recent survey that Netsertive published in which they found that 8 out of 10 consumers always research big items online before making their purchases in-store. “In a few short years, 100% of retail purchases will be influenced by the internet." The importance of an established digital presence is only going to grow.

Upcoming Conferences 

MOZCONJuly 9 - 11, 2018

Seattle, WA

CALL TO ACTION CONFERENCEAugust 27 - 29, 2018Vancouver, BC