Google’s Changes for Local Search

October 2015Joy Hawkins, Google My Business Top Contributor

7-Packs became 3-packs

August 2015

➔ Link to G+ page is gone➔ Google adds a link to directions (not for Service-Area Businesses)➔ Google removed the “A, B, C” pins➔ Google adds hours of operation

August 2015

August 2015

Google Adds a New Branded Search LookBranded Non-Branded

NO Review Stars!!

Some Industries got PicturesAugust 2015

Google Introduces the Local FinderAugust 2015

Click This!

➔ The Local Finder lists 20 businesses per page➔ When you click a business, it shows

information about the business➔ Businesses with reviews are the

ones that stand out.

August 2015

(Mostly) No Organic Above the PackAugust 2015

The pack went from being the first result 25% of the time to being the first result 93% of the time*

* http://www.seoclarity.net/how-googles-local-pack-update-has-reshaped-the-organic-landscape-12952

What Happened as a Result?➔ Almost all clients saw a decrease of 30-50% in impressions ➔ For most businesses, the amount of clicks on their listing did not decline➔ For businesses ranking in the top 3 for some terms, many saw an increase in

clicks.

Example 1: (business who has some ranking in top 3)

Impressions Clicks

Before 12,351 137

After 7,251 206

Example 2: (business who was mostly in spots 5-7)

Impressions Clicks

Before 6,591 174

After 3,169 116

September 2015

Google Changes their GMB Dashboard

http://imprezziomarketing.com/seo-blog/google-my-business/google-my-business-gmb-dashboard-gets-a-facelift/

Design Change for Business Listings on Google Maps

New information card provides more details on the business

October 2015

October 2015

Service-Area Businesses have their service area highlighted on the map.

10 Things Business Owners Should do Now

1. Don’t Write Long Descriptions➔ The description shows up nowhere. Almost no one

will see it unless they actually use Google Plus and are viewing your page there.

➔ Don’t list your cities you service, don’t list a long list of products you offer or marketing slogans.

2. Use the Description for Things that Aren’t Covered in Categories ➔ Google *might* still use the description as a signal for things that don’t fall

into a business category.➔ Examples:

◆ Insurance: There is no category for commercial insurance so putting that you offer “commercial insurance” in the description could help

◆ Dentists: There is no category for invisalign (since it’s a product) so listing that you offer it could help.

◆ Lawyers: List any niche types of law you practice that aren’t covered by the categories

3. Change your Video Strategy ➔ There is a Videos tab on a Google Plus page but

like the description, it doesn’t show up anywhere.

➔ Videos need their own strategy and need to be treated separately (not just posting them on your G+ page and thinking people will see them)

➔ Tip: “How To” videos can get a lot of traffic.

4. Getting Reviews is Not Optional

➔ Getting more reviews from customers needs to be built into your business strategy.

➔ Note: Having the most reviews does not mean you will rank first. It does mean more people will likely call you and convert to customers (the ultimate goal).

5. All Negative Reviews Should have Appropriate Responses

Don’t be Defensive!

Don’t Ignore It!

Try and Fix the Issue. Respond Calmly

Read This: http://blumenthals.com/blog/2010/03/16/responding-to-negative-reviews-the-real-audience-is-your-prospects/

Don’t Stress about Negative Reviews. At least you’re not this guy...

6. Invest a Few Dollars into Reputation Management➔ You can’t respond if you don’t know it’s there.

7. Take More Photos➔ Google hates logos➔ Include all types of pictures

◆ Interior Photos◆ Exterior Photos◆ Team Photos◆ Product Photos (if applicable)

8. Rethink your Hours of OperationAny call tracking test I’ve seen shows it’s extremely unlikely that a new lead/prospect will leave you a voicemail if you don’t pick up the phone.

9. Tell us About Competitors Who have Incorrect Listings➔ Are they keyword stuffing in

their business title?➔ Are they listing themselves at a

fake address?➔ Are they listing themselves as

open 24 hours a day if they are not?

➔ Do they have multiple listings?

10. Write Business 2 Business Reviews➔ Instead of writing a review as “Joy Hawkins”, I can leave reviews as

“Imprezzio Marketing”.➔ No one does this - great visibility.

➔ Work together with your marketing consultant to make sure your strategy is better than your competitors’ (we work so much better together…)

➔ Stay 1 step ahead, not 1 step behind➔ SEO will continue to become more competitive so getting ahead & staying

ahead are both equally important.

The Future of Local SEO