GMB

How to Track Google Posts in Google Analytics & Search Console

31Mar

By Joy HawkinsNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, Tips

How to Track Google Posts in Google Analytics & Search Console

Posted Mar 30, 2021 by Joy Hawkins We have a big study on Google My Business posts that I’m presenting at LocalU on April 7th. While doing that study, there were several things we learned about Google Posts. Clicks in Google My Business Insights Don’t Match Clicks in Google Analytics. If you’re looking inside Google My Business, they have data showing you how many clicks your posts received.The numbers you see here will not match the numbers you see inside Google Analytics. There are many reasons for this which I have highlighted in this post. How to Track Google Posts in Google Analy...

[2021] How to Interpret Google My Business (GMB) Insights

5Mar

By Joy HawkinsNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company

[2021] How to Interpret Google My Business (GMB) Insights

Posted Mar 4, 2021 by Joy Hawkins Updated March 4, 2021 There are many questions that often come up about how to properly interpret Google My Business Insights. I’m going to break down the different sections and explain what they mean. For an overview of the new Mobile vs Desktop breakdown and the upcoming display to track driving directions, website clicks, and bookings via GMB, check out this article about the 2021 GMB Insights Update. How Customers Search for your Business This chart is only reporting on impressions (not clicks).Direct = People that are searching for your business b...

How Much Do Local Rankings Fluctuate in Google? How Can You Rank Higher in Local?

16Feb

By Joy HawkinsNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company

How Much Do Local Rankings Fluctuate in Google? How Can You Rank Higher in Local?

Posted Feb 16, 2021 by Joy Hawkins It’s pretty common to see threads at the Local Search Forum like this one where a business owner is wondering how they can rank higher on Google. The challenge I see most often is that a lot of business owners seem unaware of how much rankings in the local search results fluctuate. There are 3 principles that I’ve observed in the last decade that summarize what people should be aware of. The top positions seem to be more stable. If you’re in the top 3-5, you will likely see less fluctuation than positions 5-10. For example, we o...

Are Coworking Spaces Against the Google My Business Guidelines?

3Feb

By Joy HawkinsNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company

Are Coworking Spaces Against the Google My Business Guidelines?

Posted Feb 2, 2021 by Joy Hawkins Recently I have seen more and more discussions around coworking spaces and how Google My Business deals with them. We actually use co-working spaces here at Sterling Sky for meet-ups regularly and love the flexibility they provide. But are you allowed to use a coworking space for your address on your Google My Business listing? The answer is “it depends”. In February of 2021, Google updated their guidelines and added a section addressing coworking spaces. The following section is new: “Businesses can’t list an office at a co-workin...

[Quiz Result] Are Appointment-Only Businesses Allowed a GMB Listing?

2Feb

By Colan NielsenNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, Strategy

[Quiz Result] Are Appointment-Only Businesses Allowed a GMB Listing?

Posted Feb 2, 2021 by Colan Nielsen We had 817 people answer this question in our 2020 Local SEO Blackbelt Quiz. The correct answer is yes. Here’s how the answers broke down.Google My Business currently doesn’t have an option for hours to allow businesses to indicate they are available by appointment only. If a business is appointment-only, Google states that it shouldn’t provide hours on their listing. For example, the home-based massage therapist can set themselves up as a storefront as long as they don’t set business hours because they don’t want people walking u...

[Quiz Result] Can a Food Truck Have a GMB Listing If They Don’t Have a Permanent Location?

22Dec

By Colan NielsenNo Comments

Advanced Local SEO Training, GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo services

[Quiz Result] Can a Food Truck Have a GMB Listing If They Don’t Have a Permanent Location?

Posted Dec 22, 2020 by Colan Nielsen This is part 1 in a series of posts that will dive into the questions, and answers, from the 2020 Local SEO Blackbelt Quiz. If you haven’t taken the quiz, head over there now and give it a shot. Here are the scores from the following quiz question. Can a food truck have a GMB listing if they don’t have a permanent location? We had over 900 respondents answer this question. Here’s how the answers break down. The correct answer is Yes.Food Trucks are businesses but are often unable to use Google My Business due to their inability t...

Are Local Services Ads Stealing Clicks from Google My Business? A Case Study of 110 Listings

20Dec

By Joy HawkinsNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services

Are Local Services Ads Stealing Clicks from Google My Business? A Case Study of 110 Listings

Posted Dec 8, 2020 by Joy Hawkins In September 2020, Google rolled out Local Services Ads (LSA) to lawyers across the United States. The rollout happened fast and since lawyers generally focus a lot on marketing, we weren’t surprised to see so many law firms sign up for the platform very quickly. I have heard many people ask if Local Services Ads (LSA) are essentially stealing clicks that would have otherwise gone to the local pack results (Google My Business listings) if the ads weren’t present. We wanted to see what the data is telling us so far. Methodology In this case study, we look...

How do I Contact Google My Business Support?

20Dec

By Joy HawkinsNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Uncategorized

How do I Contact Google My Business Support?

Posted Dec 14, 2020 by Joy Hawkins Updated June 29, 2020 If you’re looking in your Google My Business dashboard and no longer seeing a call button, you’re not alone, many in the local SEO industry have been frustrated by the recent changes in how to contact GMB support. Over the last few months, Google My Business has consolidated virtually all of their support contact forms into one single form. As of today, the only way to contact GMB support is through this form. Alternatively, you can still find that same form inside the GMB dashboard, which we will outline below. Email Finding email ...

Can I Stop People From Adding Images to My Google My Business (GMB) Listing?

20Dec

By Yan GilbertNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO

Can I Stop People From Adding Images to My Google My Business (GMB) Listing?

Posted Dec 14, 2020 by Yan Gilbert In most scenarios, businesses cannot block people from uploading photos to your GMB listing via the “upload to public” feature. The one exception to this is if the business is getting slammed with tons of inappropriate photos from users due to a public media incident. For example, the stone supplier referenced in this article had the ability to add a photo disabled after users uploaded tons of statues of genitalia after the social media scandal.If a public user has uploaded an image you would like it removed from your listing, and...

Who Keeps Updating My Google My Business Listing?

20Dec

By Nikki BrownNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, NAP, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Tips

Who Keeps Updating My Google My Business Listing?

Posted Dec 14, 2020 by Nikki Brown We often see posts on the Local Search Forum from people wondering why business details on their Google My Business (GMB) listings (name of the listing, categories, business hours, phone number, etc.) have changed without their knowledge or consent. Unauthorized changes on GMB (no matter how minor they seem) can lead to major issues with ranking and tracking. It can also show customers the wrong information about your business. The best way to make sure you’re sending the right message to your clients on GMB is to monitor your listings for unauthorized e...

How Does Google My Business Penalize Keyword Stuffing: 50 Examples [Case Study]

20Dec

By Colan NielsenNo Comments

GMB, googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Maps Spam, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Tips

How Does Google My Business Penalize Keyword Stuffing: 50 Examples [Case Study]

Posted Dec 14, 2020 by Colan Nielsen What is Keyword Stuffing? Keyword Stuffing is the practice of adding keywords to your name in Google My Business to help it rank higher. It’s still a very common practice in Local SEO because it gives you a ranking advantage on Google Maps and in the 3-Pack. The study that came out from Local SEO Guide as well as the Local Search Ranking Factors confirms that having keywords in the name of your Google My Business (GMB) listing does help it rank higher.A seriously legit looking business name. #StopCrapOnTheMap pic.twitter.com/GJLFacma4t — Joy Hawkins ...