sem - Digital Marketing Journals Hong Kong - Search Engine Optimisation News

10 Great Comments from the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey

8Nov

By PhilNo Comments

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

10 Great Comments from the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey

The 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey is as full of insights as ever. It was published yesterday, over at Whitespark. (As always, a big thanks to Darren for organizing it and herding the cats.) If you do nothing else today to improve your understanding of local SEO and ability to get more visible in local search, pour yourself a mug of your finest moonshine and read through the survey or watch the video recap. There’s a ton of useful info, whether you like to get into the details or just want a quick gut check. In case you don’t have time to read the full survey, at least you’ll want to skim through the comments. That’s always been my favorite part of it anyway. Sometimes you find gold nuggets in there. Even the comments section is a long read, though, which is why I’ve rounde...

Review Requests Should Be Treated Like Customer Service [Data Study]

Want to get rid of that sinking feeling of looking with envy at the high review volumes and star ratings of your top local competitors? You already know that both review count and ratings are contributing to these brands’ dominance in Google’s Packs and Maps. Today, I’ll share some good news that could help the local businesses you market catch up and compete. A major report just published from GatherUp has studied 23,000 locations, and from this, I have three key actionable highlights for you. My favorite overall takeaway from this interesting study is that improving your review volume, Net Promoter Score (NPS), and ratings may involve a slight adjustment in how your local business thinks about reputation management. The data indicates that this powerful user-generated content (UGC) in th...

A Guide For Local Business Owners

Local business owners consistently face a familiar digital marketing conundrum. With a myriad of options available and seemingly growing daily, including the recent introductions of AI into the mix, how do you determine the best and most effective approach for your business? To begin, most local businesses have two (or technically four) primary paths to consider: Organic and paid strategies for both search and social media. In this guide, we’ll explore the nuances of each option, weigh the pros and cons, and offer actionable insights to help make informed decisions on where to invest your valuable time, resources, and funds. Understanding Organic And Paid Strategies Let’s start by defining the fundamental difference between organic and paid strategies: Organic: Focuses on building long-te...