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Google offers improved GMB sign-up flow for service-area businesses
Improved process will make it easier to set up service areas on GMB.
7 things you might not know about Google My Business categories
Google updates categories often – from name changes to new additions and sometimes a removal – so it's important to pay attention and adjust accordingly.
Leading local SEO predictions: Reserve with Google will grow, real-time local inventory gets real
GMB messaging, voice search optimization, local inventory data, Q&A and the decline of SMB websites are all explored.
Google emphasizes ‘Message this business’ in new local search test
Take notice, Google is testing a more prominent look for the messaging feature in the local search results. Is your business ready to manage text messages from your customers?
What you need to know about Yelp’s latest update dubbed ‘Ghost’
Something major happened to Yelp’s recommendation software around late October and the update seems largely invisible.
Google testing restaurant booking with both ‘reserve a table’ and ‘tables tomorrow’ buttons
Google keeps testing new ways to reserve tables or book appointments in local listings. Here is one unusual test.
Do men and women value online reviews differently?
New research suggests there is an opportunity for businesses to get ahead of their competitors by generating reviews from their female customers.
SinglePlatform and Moz partner for restaurant SEO and content distribution
Each company will enable the other's customers improve visibility and local discovery in search.
85% of consumers disregard local reviews more than 3 months old
For those under 55, the majority of review consumption now occurs on smartphones.
Google Maps’ ‘For You’ tab comes to iPhones and a whole lot more countries
The personalized recommendations tool will be available in 130 countries on Android and 40 on iOS devices.
Massive fake review attack has big impact on small businesses
Business owners and Google product experts could not easily find all the businesses impacted during the recent attack because the profiles selected to hide their reviews.
Local Services by Google expands beyond US into Canada
The company is also running a test in the U.S. to show the number of local bookings businesses have received.
Amazon product ads evolution: A harbinger of Amazon local advertising?
Whether or not you sell products on Amazon, understanding how the company is evolving its advertising products should be on your radar.
Google’s local pack adds ‘sold here’ label on query match
Local business may want to check out this new "sold here" feature to gain more exposure in Google.
Google Map’s tracking problems keep piling up
Investigators seem confused about the differences between Google's account, device, app and web settings.
Report: EU antitrust unit exploring broader local search complaint against Google
The focus now moves to travel, hotels and restaurants.
Google My Business API v4.3 has been released
The new Google My Business API adds read and respond to customer Q&A, read reviews in bulk, identify unclaimed locations, report location issues and much more.
Did you know you can report Google Maps-related spam calls and other violations to Google?
Google local has its share of spam and manipulation issues. There's a form you can use to report some of those violations.
Moz ‘State of Local’ report shows confusion, fragmentation in local SEO efforts
90 percent of respondents believe Google’s focus on proximity "frequently or sometimes" harms search results quality.
8 best online reputation management tools for your brand
As more buyers rely on online research, your brand’s reputation can make or break your business. These 9 handy ORM tools will help.
New design for hotel local pack now showing in Google search
Google Hotel local pack got a redesign and adds an additional slot for four listings.
Google My Business Insights to get more recent data
Google promised to reduce the latency of the Google My Business Insights reports and tools.
Recovering SEO traffic and rankings after a website redesign
After a review to confirm a drop in traffic, there are some typical problems (like redirects, missing pages and domain issues) that can be fixed to get your SEO back on track.
Google releases improved GMB app: Now much more than a local listings management tool
GMB is becoming a customer relationship management and "engagement" platform.
Google local reviews study shows 74% of businesses have at least one review
Check out this new study on Google local reviews from the BrightLocal team.
Google My Business rolls out feature for new businesses, updates local service area settings
Here are two changes that happened in local search over the weekend.
Yelp vs Google: How they deal with fake reviews
I recently heard a story of a business that got caught with fake reviews on Yelp. They were also an advertiser spending thousands of dollars a month on ads. When they got caught, Yelp canceled their ad account and told them they would be demoting the listing’s ranking for 6 months. After that time, they […]
Now you can segment Google Ads store visits by ‘new vs. returning’ visitors
Get a better understanding of the types of visitors campaigns are driving in-store.
Google launches new design for hotel search results
After months of testing, Google has released a new design for the hotel search results.
Google local pack now showing book, schedule buttons for some businesses
Google is now pushing booking and scheduling services in the local results through Reserve with Google.
‘Navigate’ query prompts Google to ask, ‘Where do you want to go?’
A new one-box answer now gives you quick access to driving directions in Google Maps.
Is Google rolling out a new more graphics-heavy design for local pack results?
Make sure to get your business photos in Google My Business in tip-top shape.
Google My Business Insights adds branded search reporting
Google added a new metric in the local Insights report to show how many people search for your brand.
Developing a schema strategy for local business: An interview with Schema App’s Martha van Berkel
Semantic markup offers the most clear-cut opportunity to tell search engines about your small business website. Discover the benefits and learn how you can get started.
Google adds new ‘family-led’ attribute to Google My Business profile
Joining the women-led and veteran-led icons is a new family-led icon for your Google local listings.
Are you guilty of these common SEO mistakes?
Mistakes happen. When they do, the best response is to learn from your errors, and those made by others, so you can turn them into opportunities.
Google Maps now available for Apple CarPlay
The moment many Apple fans have been waiting for - Google Maps on CarPlay devices is now here.
Google My Business testing future opening dates in the local panel for new businesses
Google can let searchers know when a new business will be opening its doors.
6 ways the August core algorithm update impacted local business
Was your site affected by the recent core algorithm update? Here's a look at the changes made to local and small business sites after the update.
Google gives thumbs-up on placing your local reviews from Yelp, Google Maps and others on your own website
The only exception here: Make sure not to mark up those copied reviews with review structured data and schema. That would be against Google's guidelines.