Tag: Google

21Dec By Matt SouthernNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local Search, News, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO

Google Expands Live Busyness Information to More Places

Google’s live busyness information is expanding to cover more types of places, and becoming a prominent fixture in Google Maps.Live busyness information is a feature Google launched back in 2016 which informs searchers of how busy a place is expected to be at a given time.The data is typically surfaced when people look for a specific place in Google Search or Maps.Going forward, live busyness information will be displayed in Google Maps even when people aren’t looking for anywhere specific.In addition, Google is expanding its coverage of live busyness information to millions of places around the world.Here’s more about each of these updates which are sure to change how people interact with local search.Live Busyness in MapsThe pandemic has transformed live busyness into an essential tool t...

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20Dec By Colleen HarrisNo Comments

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

How to get started in Google Analytics 4

How to get started in Google Analytics 4 Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok

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20Dec By Jessie LowNo Comments

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

How to Create Location Landing Pages that Convert & Local SEO Reporting with Google Tag Manager

How to Create Location Landing Pages that Convert & Local SEO Reporting with Google Tag Manager - Whitespark That’s a wrap for Day 3 and our Local Search Summit is now complete!  Our last day included talks on reputation management, Local Services Ads, LinkedIn partnerships, analytics, link building, spam-fighting and more. Today...

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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 looked at Google My Business Insights for 110 different listings for various lawyer types.  We looked specifically ...

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20Dec By Barry SchwartzNo Comments

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

Google December 2020 core update is now fully rolled out

Google December 2020 core update is now fully rolled out Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok

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20Dec By Tom WaddingtonNo Comments

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

What is a Google Guaranteed GMB Listing? How Do I Upgrade my Profile to get the badge?

More importantly, from a consumer perspective the Google Guarantee acts as protection from poor quality of service, up to a lifetime maximum of $2,000. So if you hire a business and the work quality is extremely low and you can’t resolve it with the business, you can submit a claim to Google.  How much does it cost to upgrade your GMB profile? Google advertises Google Guaranteed upgraded business profiles for $50USD/month and is subscription based, so if you cancel – bye bye badge.  What are the add-ons that are included? Google mentions additional add-ons in their advertisement within the GMB dashboard, these include recorded phone calls and dedicated support. Enabling the upgrade creates a Local Services Ads account, so this will likely utilize the same interface as LSA offers to listen ...

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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 and phone support options in 2020 has remained fairly challenging. Phone support is gone and email support is f...

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20Dec By John VuongNo Comments

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

How to Recover a Google My Business Listing

September 10, 2020 John Vuong Business advice, SEO Google My Business is a crucial marketing tool for most small businesses, and if it’s not working you’re losing customers. If you’ve received an email or discovered that your account is suspended, getting it resolved quickly is a top priority. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to get your listing turned back on so businesses can resume as normal. Why Is My Listing Suspended? While you’ll get a notification that your listing is currently suspended when you try to log on, Google generally doesn’t tell you exactly why. Most of the reasons have to do with...

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20Dec By PhilNo Comments

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

Google Local Services Reviews Not Showing in Google Maps? Why That Happens and What to Do

Like my post? Please share! Many businesses use Google’s Local Services Ads (AKA “Google Guaranteed”) program to show up at the very top of the local results – above all the other ads, and above the local map (AKA the 3-pack). Local Services Ads (LSAs) are still not an option for every business, and they’re not a good option for everyone, but they often earn their keep for the businesses that do use them – if my clients’ experiences are good indicators.  By which I mean people see the ads, click on them, and in some cases become customers.  (If you’d like to know more, Tom Waddington did a great overview of LSAs.) Google even makes it extra easy to ask customers for reviews: Google gives you a special “write a review” link (different from the Google My Business one) and encourages you to ...

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20Dec By Allie MargesonNo Comments

googe optimize, Google My Business, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo services

2020 Holiday Guide to Google My Business

This year, the holidays will look very different for most of us. The pandemic has affected us all in different ways and its effects are far reaching across economies and consumer habits. Here at Whitespark, we love local businesses and strive to create useful free resources for small businesses owners and marketers on this blog. We know this has been a challenging year for you, your families, and your business. We wish you and yours a happy holiday season! Adapting Your Holiday Sales Strategy for COVID-19 According to Google’s latest consumer trend report, half of U.S. shoppers say the pandemic will affect how they’ll shop for the holidays this year. Shopping locally is more important than ever – but everyone’s looking for a deal. What’s a small business to do? We’ve created a new Holiday ...

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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 it also breaks a Google guideline, you will need to flag it to have removed. If flagging the pictures was unsuccessful after a few ...

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20Dec By PhilNo Comments

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

When Can Google Maps / GMB Content Cause Google Ads Disapprovals?

Like my post? Please share! Any restricted terms that find their way into your website’s source code can cause Google to disapprove your Google Ads (AdWords) ad – even if you didn’t personally add that content to your site.  That’s the short answer. “Banned” terms that show up on your Google My Business page (like in your description) or on Google Maps (in the form of Google reviews) won’t prompt Google to pull your ads, as long as that content stays on your GMB page(s) or in your reviews.  You run into trouble only if a person or piece of software puts even one of those restricted terms onto your site.   By the way, I find it tiresome to call them “restricted terms” or “disallowed content” or whatever constitutes Google’s huge no-fly list of search terms in AdWords.  So from now on I’ll j...

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20Dec By Barry SchwartzNo Comments

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

Google releases Google Ads Editor v1.5

Google releases Google Ads Editor v1.5 Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok

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20Dec By Loren BakerNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local Search, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO, seo services, Webinar

Local SEO Workflows to Better Manage Your Google My Business Listing

Want to learn how to keep returning customers engaged and convert new customers through your Google My Business listing?On October 28, I moderated a Search Engine Journal webinar sponsored by SEMrush and presented by Ross Tavendale, Managing Director at Type A Media.He walked through some simple workflows that small business owners can start doing today in order to work smarter with their Google My Business (GMB) listing.Here’s a recap of the presentation.Running a small business is hard.Often, as the owner of a small business, you are in charge of HR, finance, operations, sales, marketing and a million other things.In today’s fast-paced environment, if you’re just standing still and maintaining the status quo, that actually means that over time your business will experience attrition and ...

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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 edits. Which leaves us with the million-dollar question, where are these edits coming from? Why Do Unauthorized ...

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20Dec By George NguyenNo Comments

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

Google uses augmented reality to let users try on cosmetics

Google uses augmented reality to let users try on cosmetics Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok

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20Dec By Sherry BonelliNo Comments

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

How to Create Google My Business Posts That Get Results

Having a Google My Business (GMB) profile is one of the best ways to get attention for your local business and boost your rankings.With so many features, working with GMB can get overwhelming.One feature worth using: Google My Business Posts.Posts give you the ability to promote your brand, services, products, events, and offers.GMB posts are displayed at the bottom of your Google My Business Knowledge Panel and are a great way to show off what your business has to offer.Get Familiar with the GMB Posts PolicyCreating posts are fairly easy to do, but before you make posts, it’s important that you are familiar with Google My Business Posts content policy.You want to make sure that you know what is and what isn’t cool when it comes to posts.If you violate GMB posts policies, your post will ge...

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20Dec By Jessie LowNo Comments

googe optimize, Google My Business, google optimization, google seo, Local SEO, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO

Everything You Need to Know About Google My Business Posts

Image/Video: You can choose to represent your event with an image, GIF, or a 30 second video (max upload size is 100 mb). You can add up to 10 photos or videos. The image above is a perfect example of when a post photo doesn’t fit the ideal dimensions, and a black background appears from using the built in photo editor. Event Title (Optional): You can use up to a maximum of 58 characters (with spaces) for your title. If you are using all of the allowable characters, some of the text will get cut off in the thumbnail preview (more on that below). It’s not mandatory to add a title, but if you do add one your post will stand out in search results and the title will be bold. Currently you can’t manually bold any  text in posts, and so having a title does make it pop more. Event Details: You ge...

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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 (@JoyanneHawkins) August 13, 2018 How Does Google Penalize Businesses that Add Keywords to their Business Nam...

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20Dec By George NguyenNo Comments

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

Google accused of colluding with Facebook and abusing monopoly power in new lawsuit

Google accused of colluding with Facebook and abusing monopoly power in new lawsuit Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok

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20Dec By Matt SouthernNo Comments

googe optimize, google optimization, google seo, Local Search, News, search engine optimisation, search engine optimising, search engine optimization, SEO

Google Maps Rolls Out 4 New Features

Google Maps has four new features to improve the experience for users as well as businesses who use the platform to reach customers.Here’s a look at everything new in Google Maps and how it can be useful to you.Messaging From Maps & SearchTo facilitate easier communication between businesses and customers, Google is bringing messaging capabilities to Maps and Search.Businesses with a verified profile can now message with customers directly from the Google Maps app. Messages from customers will appear in the business messages section in the updates tab.Messaging can be turned on or off from the settings panel of the Google Maps and Google My Business apps.Google will soon be adding the ability for businesses to see and respond to customers on desktop by adding messages directly in Searc...

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20Dec By Colan NielsenNo Comments

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

How Proximity Impacts Localized Google Organic Results for Law Firms

Posted Dec 14, 2020 by Colan Nielsen Two Keywords, One City, 72 Postal Codes, Five Different Law Firms Earlier this year Juris Digital released a great case study on How Proximity Impacts Law Firm Rankings in Google’s Local Pack. This was one of the most insightful studies that came out in 2018 and totally changed how we analyzed our clients rankings moving forward. We wanted to do a case study in the spirit of the Juris Digital study but focusing on the localized organic results instead of the 3-Pack results. Given that the localized organic algorithm is separate from the local pack algorithm we hypothesized that we would see a much different result than what Juris Digital discovered. That is exac...

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20Dec By PhilNo Comments

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

Next-Level Google Maps Spam-Squashing Moves

Like my post? Please share! This is an unofficial sequel to my February 2019 post called “Google Maps Spam Patrol: Why You Need to Do It, and 10 Tips to Make It Doable.”  In that post I explain why you should keep your competitors’ Google Maps / 3-pack spam (or honest mistakes) from spinning out of control.  As I often tell my clients, if your competitors want to outrank you in the local search results, you might as well make them work for it and do it fair and square. If you’re not too familiar with the idea and practical SOPs of spam patrol – or spam-fighting, spam-hunting, or whatever  you’d like to call it – you’ll probably want to take a few minutes to read that post (and maybe this one and this one). Now, if you’re clear on why and how to do Google Maps spam patrol, and maybe...

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