Newsletter #4

Whitespark's Local Search Insider

April 15, 2015

Whitespark's Monthly Local SEO Newsletter

Local Insider

April 2015

Google's Mobile-Friendly Update & You On April 21st Google will release their latest algorithm update that expands the use of "mobile-friendliness" as a ranking signal coupled with App Indexing, which will feature useful content from apps for signed-in users searching on mobile devices. What Does This Mean for You as a Local Business? Well, there are a ton of theories out there and even more speculation. Bottom-line, investing in a website that caters to both desktop and mobile users is essential. Mobile usage is continuing to grow and evolve and as such businesses also have to adapt and grow with users if they want to remain in the search results. What You Need to Know 1. Local Pack Results Will Not be ImpactedAs of now, Local Pack Listings will not be impacted by the update. If your Google My Business listing is showing up in pack results and you're site isn't mobile friendly - don't sweat it just yet, your current rankings shouldn't be impacted (but who is to say this won't change in the future). 2. Organic Results AffectedIf your site isn't mobile-friendly and you currently rank in mobile-organic results (generally up to 10 results/page), you may not rank as well after the update. This update is intended to provide a better mobile experience for searches and give them what they want. Ultimately results that provide a positive user-experience that is mobile-friendly will receive rankings. 3. Update Targets Only Mobile ResultsWorried about your desktop rankings? Don't. This new index is specifically directed to mobile search results and not desktop. What Now? This update is targeting sites that provide mobile users with an awful experience. If your current site is adaptive or if you have a separate mobile site, you can still provide a positive mobile experience without going responsive. Start by finding out how your site favors, by using the Google Mobile-Friendly Test or searching your company on your mobile device, the results will return a "mobile-friendly" message. Take a look at your analytics data to gain a better understanding of your current mobile search visibility and user behavior. From here you should be able to determine the direction you need to take to provide a user-friendly, positive experience on all devices. Cheers,The Whitespark Team

Recent Blog Posts

Acceptable Google Maps NAP Abbreviations and Variations

In our daily citation audit and cleanup work we are often asked questions regarding address formatting, such as:

Does it matter if the street name of our business is “123 James Ave” instead of “123 James Avenue?

Have no fear, Goolge & Bing are smart enough to understand address abbreviations (and variations) and can associate them with their non-abbreviated counterparts. Read More.

Local SEO Around The Web

Google’s Mobile Friendly Algo Will Only Affect the “Ten Blue Links” & Not In the News, In-Depth Etc.

At the BrightonSEO conference last week, Gary Illyes revealed that local pack results will not affected by the new mobile friendly ranking algorithm that is due to arrive on April 21st. The new mobile ranking algorithm will only apply to the organic “ten blue links” and not any other results that are included within various search queries.

Take These 3 Actions To Ready For Google’s Mobile Search Update

Columnist Aleyda Solis provides recommendations to analyze, optimize, promote & monitor your mobile web search presence.

9 Things You Need to Know About Google's Mobile-Friendly Update

Rumors are flying about Google's upcoming mobile-friendly update, and bits of reliable information have come from several sources. Emily Grossman and Cindy Krum cut through the noise and bring online marketers a clearer picture of what's in store later this month.

Google's Mobile Update Doesn't Mean Be "Mobile-Friendly" Just Because

With the announcement of Google’s Mobile Update coming on April 21st, there’s been a strong movement in the last few months to make our sites “mobile-friendly“. And no surprise, when Google says sites don’t have a good mobile experience are going to get a traffic hit, it gets people moving.