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New LSA Digital Media Certification Program Seeks to Identify Ethical Sellershttp://screenwerk.com/2017/01/30/new-lsa-digital-media-certification-program-to-elevate-ethical-sellers/By Greg Sterling on Jan 30, 2017 08:23 pm How many small business owners have received telemarketing calls from marketing companies making spurious claims about a guaranteed ranking on Google? The SMB-digital marketing services arena is full of noise with almost limited transparency. Business owners receive a barrage of calls per month soliciting their marketing dollars. The process of “vetting” these firms is very […]Read it! »Video: Last Week in Local January 30thhttp://localu.org/blog/video-last-week-local-january-30th/By Mike Blumenthal on Jan 30, 2017 04:04 pm Join Local U for our fourth public episode of Last Week in Local, a weekly conversation about the articles that attracted our attention during the past week ending January 30th, 2017. This year we will be publishing our Last Week in Local video directly to the Local U blog. It will be published every Monday [...]The post Video: Last Week in Local January 30th appeared first on Local University.Read it! »If You Rename/Rebrand Your Business, Will You Lose Your Google and Yelp Reviews?http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2017/01/30/if-you-renamerebrand-your-business-will-you-lose-your-google-and-yelp-reviews/By Phil on Jan 30, 2017 03:02 pm Let’s say you’re considering renaming or re-branding your business.  Part of that will involve renaming your online “local” listings – including Google My Business and Yelp.  Easy enough, but what will happen to your reviews?  Google’s form doesn’t inspire confidence, nor does Yelp’s handling of reviews in general make it feel like anything but Russian roulette. Will […]Read it! »Apple Gets Into Position for the Voice Search Revolutionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UnderstandingGoogleMapsYahooLocalSearch/~3/uyzGBrxNHus/By Mike Blumenthal on Jan 30, 2017 01:17 pm Both David Mihm and I think that voice search will play a large role in Local Search and a component of that will be home based assistant searches. With Google’s release of Home and Amazon’s early success with Alexa, there is little talk of the role that Apple will play in the home search arena. … Continue reading Apple Gets Into Position for the Voice Search Revolution →     Read it! »Can a 5 Star Review Profile Backfire?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UnderstandingGoogleMapsYahooLocalSearch/~3/1fPXw1Ihfwg/By Mike Blumenthal on Jan 30, 2017 01:12 pm At GetFiveStars I just penned a post:   Can 5-Star Reviews Backfire?       And based on research published in the Harvard Business review I think it very likely that having a review profile that is “too perfect” can be bad for business. Let me know what you think.     Read it! »SMBs are overwhelmed with digital marketing choices. How to stand out and win their business.http://feeds.searchengineland.com/~r/channel-local/~3/U6SOuPtWQ-s/smbs-overwhelmed-digital-marketing-267985By Wesley Young on Jan 30, 2017 11:55 am LSA survey reveals important standards SMBs want from a provider that will help marketers stand out from the competition and reduce churn. Columnist Wesley Young elaborates.The post SMBs are overwhelmed with digital marketing choices. How to stand out and win their business. appeared first on...Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.Read it! »Let’s make 2017 the year of honest reviews!http://feeds.searchengineland.com/~r/channel-local/~3/-TQVsmXth0I/lets-make-2017-year-honest-reviews-268096By Greg Gifford on Jan 30, 2017 10:37 am Reviews can be an important part of a local SEO strategy, but columnist Greg Gifford warns that overdoing it can make your business look shady.The post Let’s make 2017 the year of honest reviews! appeared first on Search Engine Land.Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.Read it! »Google Becoming More Aggressive With “People Also Search” in Local Resultshttp://www.thesempost.com/google-becoming-aggressive-people-also-search-local-results/By Jennifer Slegg on Jan 30, 2017 07:45 am Site owners have become used to Google suggesting other businesses when viewing the local results for a business, but Google usually relegates that to the very bottom of the listing, after all the other details for the business such as reviews, ratings and other business info.  But looks like they are testing a more aggressive […]The post Google Becoming More Aggressive With “People Also Search” in Local Results appeared first on The SEM Post.Read it! »Apple Gets Into Position for the Voice Search Revolutionhttp://streetfightmag.com/2017/01/30/apple-gets-in-position-for-the-voice-search-revolution/By David Mihm and Mike Blumenthal on Jan 30, 2017 07:00 am As voice search becomes more prevalent, Apple will "retain an advantage over Amazon in 'on-the-go' searches, since our phones are always with us," David Mihm tells Mike Blumenthal. "Unfortunately for Apple, people overwhelmingly conduct voice searches at home. "Read it! »  10 More Local Search Posts You May Have MissedRelationship between Local and Organic SEO: a Simple DiagramIs Google My Business Cutting Back on Live Support?Local U Deep Dive: Bricks & Mortar Key Performance Indicators Case StudyGoogle Maps will tell you how hard it will be to find parkingLive Chat for Law FirmsGoogle Adds “Help Improve Accuracy” Box to Some Local ListingsVideo Deep Dive: Bricks & Mortar Key Performance Indicators Case StudyGoogle My Business revamps photo management for Google Maps listingsGoogle My Business Photos 3.0 Launches5 Ways Lawyers Can Get More Google Reviews