{"id":117345,"date":"2020-02-27T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/february-2020-lpm-roundup\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T09:23:22","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T14:23:22","slug":"february-2020-lpm-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-ca\/insights\/blog\/local-search\/february-2020-lpm-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"February 2020 LPM Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"

February was a tumultuous month for Google. Multiple updates, minor tweaks, and even a couple of glaring errors saw much change in the local search ecosystem this month\u2014especially in Europe. Here’s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

Google links to third-party rivals on European SERPs<\/h2>\n

In a move that can only be detrimental to Google, branded buttons for its rival directories are being displayed above the map in some Google search results in Europe. Why? Because Google needs to comply with several European antitrust lawsuits.<\/p>\n

In 2017, it was subject to a $2.7 billion antitrust fine<\/a> for favoring its own content in search results. Then, in 2018, the EU antitrust unit began exploring broader local search complaints against Google. In an attempt to avoid further penalization from the EU, Google has begun to show its competitor’s directories prominently in search results.<\/p>\n

It’s clear that this change is going to increase the exposure of directories outside of Google. The links are very prominent and will lead to more businesses listing in places such as Yelp and Cylex. But those additional listings will need to be maintained by businesses so that users aren’t suddenly subjected to poor user experiences.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

But how are these directories are selected? There is no “sponsored” or “ad” designation, so it can only be assumed they are chosen organically (paid placement on Google for competing directories would also not in any way assist in their attempts to avoid further antitrust lawsuits!). Google has not given away its exact criteria, but in some cases the directories appear on the first page of the organic results, below the map; in other cases, they do not.<\/p>\n

This change may be permanent if it appeases the EU commission, but you can be sure that Google will quickly backpedal if it doesn’t steer them clear of yet more antitrust accusations. This will partially depend on if these SERP results drive meaningful traffic to these other directories. If it is seen as a token effort by the EU commission and doesn’t curb Google’s monopolistic practices, then Google will have to find different means of compliance or otherwise suffer another hefty fine.<\/p>\n

Yelp launches Showcase Ads and store visits attribution<\/h2>\n

Yelp has launched two new features to its platform: Showcase Ads and Yelp Store Visits (YSV) attribution. Both are intended for national and multi-location brands.<\/p>\n

Showcase Ads<\/a> are marketed as “video-centric”, meaning video content is mandatory to take advantage of this ad space. It is a slideshow of images (or short videos) which can be used to promote limited-time offers or specials. Anyone who has scrolled through their Twitter feed or other social platforms can attest to how a moving images catch the eye much more effectively than a still picture or plain text. Yelp has claimed that Denny’s and other large brands have tested this new feature prior to the announcement with successful results. They did not, however, offer any specifics.<\/p>\n

\"Animated<\/p>\n

Yelp Store Visits is a new first-party attribution tool that provides businesses with an accurate picture of how their ads are performing on Yelp. The YSV will report a cost-per-visit metric, which in turn will hopefully lead to more accurate ROI estimates for ad spend.<\/p>\n

The new ad format and attribution tool shows Yelp’s intent to compete more with Google (while adopting some of their monetization practices). The Showcase Ads are strikingly similar to Google Posts and the UI of a Google My Business (GMB) profile. Attribution tools are, of course, very important when focusing on this ad-based strategy: without proper attribution, paying for ads can be like throwing money down the drain. Yelp also has the advantage of having “high intent” users, which could make advertising efforts more effective. If the new features do well with national brands, we may see them rolled out for smaller businesses in the future.<\/p>\n

GMB offers notifications after deleting reviews<\/h2>\n

Google will now notify businesses when reviews are deleted, whether it’s for spam, violations of Google’s terms of service, or otherwise inaccurate reviews left on the platform. This small-but-helpful notification will be especially useful for multi-location businesses that do not have the resources to manually check if all the reviews they have reported have been handled by Google (see also: our effortlessly easy Reputation Management<\/a> platform).<\/p>\n

\"Help<\/p>\n

Google has a notorious history failing to alert business owners about various aspects of their GMB profiles, from messaging apps not pinging the business’s phone to GMB page updates being rejected with no indication. Review updates are now provided via email rather than in-app notifications, so here’s hoping they will be more reliable than previous methods.<\/p>\n

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