Now That We Know Google Is Using Chrome Data...

Some important takeaways

June 17, 2024

Hello hello!

Here’s a little local SEO to get your week started 👇️

1. Now that we know Google is using Chrome data in the ranking algorithm, you NEED to do this:

Ensure your content is scannable and engaging.

We know that Google ranks pages based on their engagement signals. This makes sense: Google wants to give its users what they are searching for.

If Google notices that people stay on your page for longer, interact with it, scroll through it, and click things on it, then those are signals that your page was a good result that the user liked, so they'll likely rank it higher.

So, do not write walls of SEO text on your page. Make it human-readable and engaging:

  • break up your text into paragraphs

  • use headings and bullet points

  • insert images, videos, and other sections between paragraphs to make the page more pleasant to read.

☝️ One more thing:

The text does not need to be long. That’s old-school SEO thinking.

Google is happy to rank content of any length if users send the signals that they like it. So, take a pass through your important pages and spice them up!

See what others had to say about this on Twitter and LinkedIn!

2. This is what happens when you start working on your SEO strategy before you open your business 👇

Most people get this wrong. They open their business first and then create a Google Business Profile. But our client NYC BUD came to Whitespark three months before they officially opened their business.

Because of that, we got them ready to hit the ground running.

Here’s what we did:

  1. We completely optimized their Google Business Profile (added business hours, social links, etc.).

  2. We created custom review templates that matched the tone of a modern, trendy cannabis dispensary.

  3. We updated the anchor texts of their links to emphasize that they offer delivery service too and focus on Long Island and Manhattan, instead of the broader Queens area.

  4. We set an official grand opening date on their Google Business Profile and made sure to promote it.

Also, did you know that you can set an opening date on your GBP up to one year in the future?

90 days before the official opening date, you can even start creating Google Posts and adding photos to your Profile with information about your business. This is a great opportunity to start engaging with your potential customers.

In the case of NYC BUD, Posts, Products, and Services couldn’t be added to their Profile since their category is 'Cannabis Store’. That’s why we mainly focused on the small details within the Profile, which made a significant positive impact.

Everything was personalized to attract potential customers, build hype about the grand opening, and keep them aware of the cool new subway-themed dispensary.

And it worked! Since they started working with us, NYC BUD has received:

  • 47 reviews (4.8 star rating)

  • 2692 total actions

  • 1592 website clicks

  • 110 phone calls

If you want this for your business, check out our SEO Services Team!

3. Are local citations dead? Or more important than ever?

The recent Google leak covered by Michael King and Rand Fishkin provides new insights into how Google may be using citations in the local algorithm.

Greg Sterling wrote about this in the Near Media newsletter, claiming that links from long-tail business directories provide zero value.

I fully agree. Those are useless links.

But I’ve long thought that the value of a local citation is not in the link and never has been. The value comes from the entity mention — this is the definition of a citation.

In his analysis of the leak, David Mihm talks about how entities are everywhere in the documents:

With so many mentions of entities throughout the leak documents, I wonder if citations are actually more valuable than we were thinking, not less.

This begs the question, does the information in the leak indicate that citations are useless? Or does the leak potentially provide new evidence for their value that we could only speculate about previously?

Rand had an interesting thought about how YouTube mentions could be a ranking factor. See it on LinkedIn!

4. How to find the centroid on Google Maps

When people outside of your city search for businesses in your city, Google will show them results close to the city’s centroid. This is why it’s important to know where your area’s centroid is.

So if you were opening a new location, you might want to select one close to the centroid.

Here’s how to find it 👇️

5. Why Google Posts can sell more than social media posts

I explain in this video 👇️

@darrenshawseo

THIS is why you need to use Google Posts for your business: Your Google Business Profile is this incredible place where you get to show yo... See more

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok for more local SEO content!

Enjoy your week,

Darren

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