In the world of local search, some updates are more significant than others. This month, we saw Google tinker with some settings, retire some features, and threaten some serious consequences with its latest algorithm update. Let’s get to the details. Google’s new Pirate algorithm update obliterates traffic for offending sites In early February, Google launched […]
If you are anything like me, you watched The Queen’s Gambit and now fancy yourself a learned chess player and scholar. As such, Google’s announcement that responsive search ads, or RSAs, are now the default ad format in Google Ads reminds me of a very particular chess tactic: the quiet move. A quiet move is […]
Google has announced that its latest and greatest search innovation—passage-based indexing—will affect an estimated 7% of search queries across all languages when fully rolled out across the world. It’s exciting news, for sure, but… what exactly is passage indexing? The search giant explains: Very specific searches can be the hardest to get right, since sometimes […]
Although there were few surprises this month in local search, Google released a number of significant updates as they lean in to plans they’ve been preparing all year—including changes in shopping, a greater emphasis on mobile page speed and reviews, and a smattering of new COVID-related mechanisms. None of these updates should come as a […]
You’ve established your brand, your products have hit the market, and your ecommerce website is up and running. But how do you promote your online business in a way that can generate traffic and quality leads? You might have already invested some money on social media channels like Facebook or Instagram—or perhaps you also went […]
June was an eventful month in the world of local listings. Although Google’s core algorithm update took all the headlines, other changes have taken place that affect not only how listings are ranked but also some fundamental functionality. So let’s take a closer a look at how the local landscape has continued to evolve over […]
Google has made major updates to the Local Three Pack, Google My Business (GMB), and Google Posts this month. These changes can’t be ignored as they are fundamental to how Google will function going forward. Whether you’re a restaurant, dry-cleaner, nightclub, or any other type of business, these changes will affect you and your business […]
The specifics of local search have changed mightily since we sat down to write last year’s LPM predictions. In November 2017, most marketers were taking a desktop-first approach and worrying about citations. They didn’t yet have a full sense of the importance of reviews—and they weren’t really paying much attention to voice search at all. […]
The latter part of 2018 has been bustling for local SEO. Google released a Google My Business App, changed how service-area businesses function in maps and are now allowing users to follow Google My Business profiles as social becomes further ingrained into local search. To cap off a wild year in local search, the 2018 […]
Google recently launched video reviews for Maps, where Local Guides can post 30-second clips or record 10 seconds of footage directly from the Google Maps app to share the atmosphere, details or personal reviews of a local business. This marks a very large step forward in local search. Users interacting with maps or local search […]