Whitespark Weekly

10May

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

How to Get Social Media Links on Your Google Business Profile

How to Get Social Media Links on Your Google Business Profile - Whitespark Want to know how to get your social media links on your Google Business Profile? Google doesn’t provide a way for you to add or edit these, so you have to help it connect the dots on its own. Here’s how to do it. Add Social Media Links to Your Website The number one place that Google looks to make these connections is your website, so make sure that you have the links prominently placed in either the header or the footer. If you’re linking with icons, make sure you add descriptive text to t...

Rank All Over Your City With This Strategy (Major Competitive Advantage)

4May

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local Insider, Local SEO, On-page SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Rank All Over Your City With This Strategy (Major Competitive Advantage)

Rank All Over Your City With This Strategy (Major Competitive Advantage) - Whitespark There’s an incredibly valuable local ranking strategy that can get you ranking in a wide radius in your city for your most valuable keyword. And the best part? Barely anyone knows about it. In this video, I will show you an example of a business that uses this strategy very well, and then I’ll take you through the process of doing the same for your business. The strategy in action I came across this Google Business Profile that’s ranking for a super valuable term for dentists: “in...

6Apr

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local Insider, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Easily Boost Local Rankings with Google’s Predefined Services

Easily Boost Local Rankings with Google's Predefined Services A few weeks ago, the SEO world was shooketh by Joy Hawkins’ discovery that adding predefined services to your GBP significantly improves rankings. I had to see for myself, so I set up a test. You won’t believe these results! Video Transcript If you follow local SEO, you’ve probably seen Joy Hawkins’s recent research where they showed that adding predefined services to a GBP seems to have a positive impact on your rankings. I even made a video about it not too long ago. Well, it’s always a good idea to t...

10Mar

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local Insider, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Why is Google Rejecting My Google Business Profile Photos?

Why is Google Rejecting My Google Business Profile Photos? - Whitespark 1. Google has a bug where photos show as rejected, but if you wait 24-48 hours, they actually publish. So, as Mike Blumenthal likes to say, “drink 4 beers and come back on Monday.” It’s likely that the issue will fix itself. 2. If your Profile is less than 2 weeks old or was recently reinstated, you can’t publish images. This is because new GBPs are “sandboxed” for 2 weeks until they have built up some trust.Wait at least 14 days after you have been verified/reinstated before you upload images. 3....

7Mar

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Increase Local SEO Rankings With Predefined Services

Increase Local SEO Rankings With Predefined Services - Whitespark Huge local SEO news! Adding predefined services to your Google Business Profile can now significantly impact rankings. Until now, services have NOT been a ranking factor. In fact, the idea that services impacted rankings was the #4 local SEO myth in the latest Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors survey. They were still valuable for other reasons: they drove more conversions and they triggered eye-catching justifications in the search results. But rankings? No. However, new research by Sterling Sky shows that selecting Google’s pr...

How To Do Google Posts the RIGHT Way

15Feb

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local Insider, Local SEO, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

How To Do Google Posts the RIGHT Way

Video Transcript Most businesses are doing Google Posts all wrong. They look at it as like a social media channel. But let me tell you, it is definitely not a social media channel. Someone scrolling through social media is looking to be entertained, learn something new, or see what’s going on with their friends. In general, the audience on social media doesn’t want to be sold to. Your audience for Google Posts, however, is in a transactional state of mind. They’re actively looking to be sold to. Google Posts should not be about entertaining the reader, they should not be about educating the reader, and they should not be about what happened at your holiday party. Instead, your Google Posts should talk about your services, your products, and your specials and offers. Let me show you some ex...

Geotagging Photos is a Local SEO Myth

9Feb

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local Insider, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Geotagging Photos is a Local SEO Myth

Geotagging Photos is a Local SEO Myth - Whitespark It’s infuriating that many local SEOs are still telling people to geotag their Google Business Profile photos, when research has shown time and time again that IT DOES NOT WORK. In this video, I explain why it doesn’t work, bust some myths and present a couple studies that have concluded that geotagging is a waste of time. Video Transcript I’ve been getting into TikTok a little bit lately, and I am ANNOYED. So, I keep seeing all these local SEO people on TikTok shilling this advice, li...

Does Google Penalize AI-Generated Content?

8Feb

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local Insider, Local SEO, On-page SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, Whitespark Weekly

Does Google Penalize AI-Generated Content?

With the rise of AI, many businesses and SEOs are turning to Artificial Intelligence for generating SEO-optimized website content. However, Google is constantly rolling out new updates to combat spam, and they can and do sometimes crack down on AI-generated content. Watch my new video to find out how AI-generated articles may hurt your website. Video Transcript Case Studies on AI-Generated Website Content I saw this comment on LinkedIn. Graham had talked about how they were generating AI content at scale, 50 pages generated in one click, and how these pages are actually performing pretty well. Then, Mark Williams Cook, a very smart SEO, replied and said: “well here’s what happened when we did it on 10,000 pages.” So, it was going really well, ranking really well. An...

How to Rank Your Website for More Keywords with Service Pages

26Jan

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, On-page SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

How to Rank Your Website for More Keywords with Service Pages

How to Rank Your Website for More Keywords with Service Pages - Whitespark If you watch my videos, read our blog, or follow me on social media, you will already know that I’m a HUGE fan of adding additional categories to your Google Business Profile. You can apply this same local SEO advice to your website, too. In this video, I show you how you can rank your website for more keywords by adding more service pages, and I give you 4 ways you can find content inspiration for them. Video Transcript Hey! In a recent video I talked about ho...

Do Service Areas Impact Rankings for Local SEO in 2023?

25Jan

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Uncategorized, Whitespark Weekly

Do Service Areas Impact Rankings for Local SEO in 2023?

Do Service Areas Impact Rankings for Local SEO in 2023? - Whitespark I recently made a video presenting some new evidence that service areas might impact rankings in local SEO. However, upon further investigation, I realized that I was wrong. In this new video, I go over an update to this case study and discuss a surprising discovery related to the address your business was verified at. Take a look. Video Transcript Hey everybody, I recently published a video where I talked about how service areas seem to be impacting rankings. This wa...

STOP Ignoring This Free Keyword Research Tool For Local SEO

21Jan

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Tools, Whitespark Weekly

STOP Ignoring This Free Keyword Research Tool For Local SEO

Very few businesses take advantage of the Searches Breakdown feature in the Performance section of their Google Business Profile, which is a shame because this tool is incredibly valuable and FREE. So, I decided to make this video outlining all the reasons why this feature is useful, and the best ways to use it for improving your local SEO. At the end, I share an awesome hack to make everything easier. Video Transcript Hey, there’s a free and awesome keyword research tool for local, but many businesses and SEOs are completely ignoring this. It’s the “Searches breakdown” feature in the Google Business Profile’s performance section. How to find this data So, if you click on the Performance section of your GBP and scroll down, you can see all of these keywords that your Google Bus...

NEW! Take Your Competitive Analysis to the Next Level

16Dec

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, Google Business Profiles, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Tools, Whitespark Weekly

NEW! Take Your Competitive Analysis to the Next Level

NEW! Take Your Competitive Analysis to the Next Level Say hello to the new competitive analysis features of our Local Rank Tracker! With our updated software, for each competitor you can: See what categories they are using See how many photos they have See their review ratings and number of reviews See their UTM tags And for all the spam-fighters out there, you can: Identify competitors that are keyword-stuffing their business name Identify businesses located at virtual offices And you can see this data for the top 100 ranking businesses for EVERY keywo...

Why Do I See Different Rankings Than What My Rank Tracker Reports?

12May

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Why Do I See Different Rankings Than What My Rank Tracker Reports?

Why Do I See Different Rankings Than What My Rank Tracker Reports? - Whitespark When it comes to rank tracking, the data is often misunderstood. A very common concern amongst business owners is, “I checked my rankings and see different results than my rank tracking report. Your tool is inaccurate.” In this Whitespark Weekly episode, Darren discusses this common concern and breaks down the top 4 factors that impact ranking results. If you’ve ever struggled with seeing different results or fluctuations in your ranking campaigns, don’t miss the video below. Video Transcript Hey there, Darren here from Whitespark. Have you ever looked at the results ...

Title Tags for Local SEO: Increase Your Local Traffic and Click Through Rate

21Apr

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

Title Tags for Local SEO: Increase Your Local Traffic and Click Through Rate

So this business here, their title tag is actually Angels Moving Company in Vancouver | Fast, Friendly, Professional Movers. Fast, friendly, professional movers, that’s what you want to catch. You want them to see that. But it’s been cut off because Angel’s moving company in Vancouver, they’re stuffing those keywords in the beginning and it’s actually taking up space, removing those sort of compelling words. And so, this is where you’ve got to think about what is going to fit in the search results. Okay, with this in mind, how can I make Jim’s title tag even better? We had all the keywords in it. Now let’s make it catchy. I’ve updated his title tag, to Jim’s Plumbing in Salem, OR – Plumbers You Can Trust and Count On. So I’ve got plumbing, Salem, Oregon – that’s his primary market that h...

10 Common Local SEO Myths Debunked

17Mar

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

10 Common Local SEO Myths Debunked

There are many strategies and tactics that you can implement to help your business increase rankings in local search results. But for every well-known and proven ranking strategy, there is an equally well-known unproven strategy masquerading as an effective local SEO tactic. In today’s Whitespark Weekly episode, Darren is busting 10 common local SEO myths! Stop wasting your time implementing these tactics in the hopes of positively impacting your rankings! Video Transcript Hey there, Darren here with another way Whitespark Weekly video. These videos are to help you understand local SEO, give you optimization strategies, and keep you up to date on the latest in local search. If you’re new here, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up for our newsletter. We will send you an em...

What Happens to Your Rankings if You Do No SEO Work for Over a Year?

10Mar

By Darren ShawNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, pagerank, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo company, seo services, Whitespark Weekly

What Happens to Your Rankings if You Do No SEO Work for Over a Year?

What Happens to Your Rankings if You Do No SEO Work for Over a Year? - Whitespark Today, we are revisiting a case study that we did for MozCon 2019 on the process of going from zero web presence to ranking hyper-locally, From Zero to Local Ranking Hero. This was an 8-month-long journey of a business growing its digital footprint and analyzing what worked (and didn’t) along the way to discover exactly what impact different strategies have on local rankings. Over a year later we want to know, where are their rankings now? In this Whitespark Weekly episode, we’re investigating what happened to their rankings after the local SEO work was done and NO additional ...