Last week in local SEO

Here are the best posts I shared last week, plus the announcement of my new career as a TikTok influencer at the end 😉 

1. New bookable services on the Google Business Profile

The Services section of the Google Business Profile is now separated into two sub-menus on mobile:

• "Bookable services", where you can find a "Book" button next to each service

• "Additional Services", the standard services section on your GBP

I assume you have to have a booking integration to get these bookable services, which is totally worth it if you are a service-based business.

Speaking from personal experience, the fewer steps I have to take to book my chest waxing appointments, the more likely I am to book them! 🤪

This was first spotted by Claudia Tomina on Twitter.

Join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.

2. Should you track rankings on desktop, mobile, or both?

In my opinion, it doesn't really matter 🤷

Here's why ⬇️

It's true that on mobile you might rank #4, and on desktop you might rank #2. The rankings are different, so you might think you need to track both.

But the reality is that local rankings are different every time you look at the search results. They vary by device, by location, by browser, by time of day, and by the whims of Google.

Local rank tracking is directionally accurate.

• Are your rankings generally going up or are they generally going down? And for which keywords/locations?

• Did those changes you made to your GBP have an impact? How much of an impact?

Rank tracking answers these questions. And it will answer them whether you track desktop, mobile, or both.

So, don't focus on the specific ranking values for keywords searched in specific locations. That single data point isn't overly insightful or helpful.

You should be looking at your local ranking trends over time, whether it's on desktop or mobile.

And if you need a great rank tracker that shows you that directional accuracy, you should check out the Local Rank Tracker 👇️

3. Hotels now get website links in the local pack

Last week, Lluc Penicate spotted direct website links in the local results for restaurants and hotels (see screenshot below).

This is exciting because Google has never shown website links in the local hotels' packs before.

They didn't want to send you directly from the local pack to the business' website because Google makes money if you book through their platform.

Well, not anymore (or at least not in Europe).

Click on the photo to find out why 👇️ 

I discuss the possible reasons behind this on LinkedIn and Twitter.

4. Can you solve this Google murder mystery? ☠️

Click and swipe through to see the evidence 👇️

See the full carousel on Instagram.

5. I’m on TikTok now!

Ok, wow, there is a lot of local SEO misinformation on TikTok. So I had to get involved over there before millions of dancing teens start geotagging images.

I post informative, funny (and sometimes informative and funny) videos on there every day.

Here’s one of my favorites from last week:

@darrenshawseo

If you’re a local business owner looking for sustainable tips on growing your small business, avoid these 5 local SEO “hacks” that will ju... See more

Join me on there 🫶 

Thank you for reading! If you don’t want to miss any of these posts, make sure to follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok to catch everything I put out!

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

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