Reviews are the cornerstone of local marketing, helping build trust with consumers, increase search visibility – and a whole lot more. With the release of our new Review Monitoring Tool we have simplified many of the processes that go into review management, allowing agencies to save time and deliver more for their clients. But why exactly is review monitoring so important, and how does our tool help?

What Is Advice Local’s Review Monitoring Tool?

The Review Monitoring Tool is a new feature in the Advice Local dashboard. Agency partners can track client reviews at a glance, accessing customer feedback on numerous review platforms. With valuable data and notifications, users have the information needed to monitor customer sentiment and take appropriate action.

Main Features of Our Review Monitoring Tool

The tool’s features are designed to help you move fast, based on data that really matters.

Multi-Platform Review Monitoring

The tool collects reviews from a range of sources including Google, Yelp, Judy’s Book, Brownbook, ShowMeLocal and more. Users can get a broad overview of aggregate scores or drill down to a specific platform.

Why You Need to Monitor Multiple Platforms

Reviews are important for local SEO, acting as a signal of authority and trustworthiness. Monitoring various sites lets agencies and businesses develop an overall picture of customer sentiment and identify platforms that need more promotion.

Respond to Customers

All new customer reviews are added into the dashboard with a link that takes you directly to the platform. This convenience makes it easy to respond to customers.

Why You Should Respond to Customer Reviews

Replying to both positive and negative reviews is crucial for a brand’s reputation. With a fast response, it’s often possible to resolve a negative experience, secure repeat business – and signal to other consumers that the company values its customers and engages with them.

Data Analysis

The Review Monitoring Tool collects usable data, including an overall review score, ratings (in the last 30 days and over six months), a recency score and more. A quick glance at the dashboard provides an immediate impression of brand reputation.

Why Review Data Matters

Data lets businesses identify issues and make smart decisions. Agencies can use the data to advise clients on improved review management strategies.

Scheduled Notifications

Users can set up daily, weekly or monthly notifications for all new reviews. Simply add an email to stay informed of all reviews for each client, and even message the client directly.

How Review Notifications Help Agencies

Notifications enable a fast response to reviews and the ability to address and resolve negative experiences. And as with all of our listing management services, agencies have a straightforward way to keep clients informed. Notifications automate client communication for those who want regular updates.

Accessing the Review Monitoring Tool Is Easy

To access the review monitoring tool, simply log in to your partner dashboard, select a business for which you have active listing distribution, then select the Review tab.

From there, you’ll want to select Configure Notifications to set up how you want to be notified when your client receives a new review.

This review monitoring solution will better equip your clients to respond quickly to negative and positive reviews.

How to Automate Review Monitoring and Why It Matters by @BernieColeman #SEO
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Try Our Review Monitoring Tool for Agencies and Local Marketers

At Advice Local, we create local presence marketing tools that agencies love. Try our Review Monitoring Tool and comprehensive dashboard solution today. Call (214) 310-1356 or request a demo.

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For digital agencies, identifying where to invest your resources into local SEO is a common challenge. At Advice Local, our Enhanced Google Business Profile Tool helps agency partners make the most of their time with streamlined solutions. However, doing more with less is not restricted to tools and services – you also need to understand the ranking factors that underpin the search results.

What Are Google Ranking Factors?

A ranking factor is a page or website element that increases visibility in Google’s search results. In theory, optimizing for these 200 or more factors should increase your clients’ search presence. However, in practice, the complexities of the search algorithm mean that interpretation of the critical factors is what will drive results for your clients.

7 Things Agencies Should Know About Google’s 200 Ranking Factors

Backlinko recently compiled a list of Google’s 200 ranking factors for 2023. Here at Advice Local, we want to give our agency partners some recommendations for the factors that will likely matter to local clients.

1. Think Beyond the Business’ Website

While many ranking factors are specific to a business’ website, they will also impact its placement in the local pack, organic search and Google Maps. Look to apply concepts like user interaction and brand signals to your client’s entire network of directory sites, blogs, social platforms and more.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• Rankbrain – Machine learning interprets true user intent using location, personalization and word choice.
• Local Searches – Local business listings usually take priority in a search with local intent.

2. User Interaction Matters

How users interact with a website or business listing will influence search results. If a searcher clicks on a listing and immediately leaves, this implies the result was low quality or irrelevant. To counter this, prioritize the user experience in design, content quality and usability.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• Content Depth – Pages covering a topic in-depth outperform less informative content.
• Dwell Time – Google tends to reward pages that keep visitors engaged longer.

3. Pay Attention to On-Page Factors

On-page factors are a quick and easy opportunity to improve your clients’ search performance. You may remember that on-page optimization was one of our local search ranking factors that matter in 2023. Thankfully, meta descriptions and titles are within your control, and can be optimized around a target keyword and the user experience.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• Page Loading Speed – Google and Bing expect fast-loading pages for an optimal experience.
• LSI Keywords – Related keywords on a website, Google Business Profile (GBP) and listing sites can help with ranking.

4. Freshness and Recency

Across many keywords, Google wants to deliver fresh results to searchers. For your local clients this means developing new, updated content on the business blog, GBP Posts, social platforms and more. In addition, make sure to audit old content and update information to add freshness and recency.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• Historical Page Updates – The number of updates to a page contributes to freshness.
• Page Age – Google often prefers older pages with fresh updates.

5. Consider E-A-T in Content Development

Google E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) are key factors in everything you publish online. From blog content to listing posts, Google wants to deliver accurate, insightful and reliable results. Across your client’s entire web footprint, think about how you are projecting expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• E-A-T – Google assesses E-A-T metrics across a range of industries.
• Link Authority – Think carefully about the authority of linking pages and domains when distributing business data.

6. Backlinks Are Still Essential

While there is still much debate about the importance of backlinks in 2023, they remain crucial ranking factors for Google. Prioritize high-quality, relevant backlinks and your clients can secure multiple search positions via the local pack and organic results.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• “Expected” Websites – Google uses data to assess websites they expect to link to a page.
• Co-Occurrences – Think about the words surrounding the anchor text to give it relevancy.

7. Take Directory Links Seriously

Directory links are an essential part of SEO, especially for local businesses. In 2023, low-quality directory links are considered webspam and could result in a penalty. If you need assistance with high-quality directory placement, our listing management services can help.

Ranking Factors to Consider:

• Low-Quality Links – Links from inferior websites may lead to a ranking penalty.
• Diversity of Link Sources – Don’t rely on a single backlink source for your clients’ platforms.

What Agencies Should Know About #Google’s 200 Ranking Factors by @BernieColeman #SEO
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Access Listing Management Services and GBP Tools for Agencies Today

Advice Local provides agencies and digital marketers with best choice local marketing tools and services. From our Enhanced GBP Tool to our Data Amplifier Network, we help our partners increase their clients’ local presence. Would you like to try our comprehensive dashboard solution? Then request a demo today, or call (214) 310-1356.

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The primary objective of local SEO is to increase the visibility of a business in the places consumers spend their time. For the agencies tasked with helping companies meet this goal, listing management services are among the effective options available. Leveraging free search engine listings and directories is a low-cost method that has worked for years – and there’s no sign of that changing. But with platforms offering varying quality levels, what listing platforms should you prioritize?

The Top Free Search Engine Listings and Directories

As we have discussed previously, it’s true that all directories are not created equal. In brief, listing your clients’ businesses on the best quality platforms will lead to better search placements and more targeted traffic. However, when you choose low-quality listings sites your clients could be penalized. Here are the sites that deliver for our Advice Local partners right now.

Google Local Search

Naturally, the local pack and Google Maps are the obvious choices that top our list. Note that both are powered by the Google Business Profile (GBP). Every local business is vying for visibility in the local map pack and a leading organic search result. Reaching these top spots could transform results for a business. And if you’re familiar with Advice Local, you’ll know that we offer Enhanced GBP Tools to take Google listings management to the next level.

Bing Places for Business

While Bing might not have the user base of Google, it is still committed to innovating the search industry and commands a sizable audience. Know that Bing Places is essential in building a presence on Bing Maps and mobile platforms. In addition, Microsoft reports that 54% of searchers use Bing for online product research.

Apple Maps

Apple has continued to improve its Apple Maps service, making it one of the key listings platforms that agencies should consider. As the default mapping platform on Apple devices, businesses can reach iPhone users conducting searches while in close proximity to their premises.

Nextdoor

One of the top reasons to love local citations is their importance in hyperlocal search marketing, and Nextdoor is among the best examples of hyperlocal citations. This hugely popular platform shows users the businesses within their neighborhood – and you can get your clients listed with Advice Local’s listing management services.

Yelp

Yelp’s reputation as an authoritative business directory means it is trusted by consumers. A comprehensive listing on Yelp can often achieve a prominent search engine listing by itself, helping businesses dominate a keyword phrase. As with the other listing platforms, accuracy and consistency of business data are required to help your clients’ search visibility.

Additional Listing Services

While these platforms are among the most recognized, many more are trusted sources of information and have significant user bases. For our agency partners, these authority sites are all included within our Data Amplifier Network.

Why is this important? Well, a key benefit of local listing management software is the ability to distribute data quickly, accurately and for a low cost. When you consider the alternative approach – spending considerable time researching the authority of a directory and then manually submitting the information – you’ll soon see the advantages of partnering with a listing management service.

The Most Important Free #SearchEngine Listings & #Directories by @BernieColeman #SEO
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Trusted Listing Management Services for Agencies

At Advice Local, we help agencies and local marketing partners deliver for their clients with our best choice listing management services. We provide citation building, enhanced GBP services, voice apps and so much more. To get started, call (214) 310-1356  or request a demo today.

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As all successful agency owners know, a consistent local SEO strategy is vital for increasing search visibility. At Advice Local, we have long promoted the benefits of local listing management software, citation building and other proven SEO methods. But as you are probably aware, SEO takes time – and the more complex the strategy, the less profit an agency typically retains. Today we’re offering an alternative way to create an SEO strategy that requires minimal maintenance, yet delivers client satisfaction and profitable returns.

The Critical Elements of a Local SEO Strategy

The best local SEO strategies integrate personalized methods (content creation and social media strategies tailored for each client) with streamlined services (real-time data distribution and hands-off citation building). Here are the main elements of a local SEO strategy for small business clients.

Optimize Business Listings

In the past, agencies could rely on a set-and-forget approach to business listings. Today however, with Google and others aiming to deliver up-to-the-minute information to searchers, the GBP (Google Business Profile), Bing Places, as well as similar platforms need more direct involvement. While each directory does vary, here are some recommendations for a GBP listing.

• Add NAP, opening hours, a description and attributes.
• Maintain consistent data using our GBP Sync tool.
• Add high-quality images that showcase the business.
• Create Google Posts featuring offers, events and updates.
• Respond to every customer review, positive and negative.
• Monitor profile quality with our Google Authority Score.

Take Advantage of Data Aggregators

When it comes to understanding local SEO, it’s critical to truly grasp the concept that Google, Bing and others strongly want to avoid conflicting business data. When search engines can’t determine the exact location of a business, they are quite reluctant to give it prominence. Fortunately, you can avoid instances of bad data by syndicating consistent information to every significant listing platform.

To help accomplish this, Advice Local uses data aggregators to distribute your clients’ information to every important search engine, directory and mobile app. And if that data needs to be changed, our real-time solution gets the job done.

Use GPS and Mapping Apps

From smartphones to in-dash navigation, it has never been easier for people to reach local businesses while on the move. When consumers look up a local store they could easily be making a purchase – within minutes. Consequently, any serious local SEO strategy must incorporate GPS and mapping apps. You can submit your clients’ data manually or use our GPS accelerators for straightforward syndication.

Simplified Reporting

As an agency reporting back to clients, you must not overlook the reporting aspect of local SEO. Companies want to know what you’ve done and how the strategy is working. Thankfully, by partnering with the right local SEO software company you will benefit from automated reporting. Clients receive a detailed monthly SEO report – complete with your agency branding.

Get Found With Voice Search

We’ve intentionally left this critical component of a local SEO strategy until last. But just because voice search doesn’t get enough attention, you certainly should not be among those ignoring it. As part of a collection of listing management services, voice search optimization reaches Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Google Home and other uses in your clients’ local areas. And while you might not know it yet, at Advice Local we let you create voice apps in moments – directly through our dashboard solution.

Create a Local #SEO Strategy for Your Small Business Clients by @BernieColeman #Marketing
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Simple Local SEO for Marketers and Digital Agencies

Advice Local helps agency clients streamline their SEO and local marketing strategies with high-quality tools. Our listing management software offers simple solutions for local presence management. To see for yourself, request a demo now or call (214) 310-1356.

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2022 was another big year for local marketing, with plenty of new updates, insights and strategies to discuss. As always, a lot was happening within the Google ecosystem, but we also saw innovations across the wider local search marketing sphere. Each year at Advice Local we highlight the most popular blog posts and draw attention to some content you may have missed. So, let’s start our roundup of the year with the post that gained the most traffic in 2022.

10 Most Popular Local Search Posts of 2022

1. Google Business Profile Features You Can’t Get Elsewhere

You probably won’t be too surprised by the topic of our most popular blog post of the year – the Google Business Profile (GBP). An optimized GBP remains one of the most effective ways to improve search visibility and grab an all-important local pack position. In 2022 Google made some significant updates to the service, and Advice Local was on the scene with the product features you need to succeed.

2. Best Practices for Writing Business Listing Descriptions

Business listing descriptions can be one of the most challenging parts of creating a profile – and this point was highlighted by our runner-up for the most popular article. In this post, we offered some best practices for crafting engaging business descriptions, from building a keyword list to demonstrating credibility.

3. The Value of Near Me Search Optimization in 2023

2022 saw a lot of discussion around the topic of “near me” searches in Google. The late 2021 Google Vicinity update led to some sites losing local pack placements after a crackdown on business name spam. But was this the end of “near me” search optimization? In this article, we looked at why hyperlocal optimization still matters.

4. Google Maps Is Now Featuring Updates From Customers

During the early part of the year, agencies and local marketers began to pay attention to a Maps update from Google. An “Updates from customers” feature allowed users to submit their own business photos along with a message. This post focused on the need for close business listing management, as Google looked to roll out additional user-generated content features.

5. Mapping Apps & Navigation Solutions You Can’t Ignore

This blog post looked at one of the core aspects of search visibility for local businesses – mapping apps and in-dash navigation solutions. Along with outlining the importance of a mapping and GPS navigation strategy, we listed our top picks for the best mapping apps your clients should be listed on.

6. Is “Near Me” Search Optimization Effective in 2022?

A second “near me” search optimization article in our top 10 highlights the interest in hyperlocal search in 2022. This blog post offered a strategy for your business clients who lost search visibility from Google’s updates, and showed why relevance, proximity and prominence are so important.

7. A Refresher on Data Aggregators & Why Businesses Need Them

Citations are still a cornerstone of local search marketing, and this doesn’t look likely to change. However, any approach to citation building needs to focus on data accuracy and distribution to quality listings platforms. In this post from February 2022 we looked at data aggregators – platforms that distribute business data to hundreds of relevant sites.

8. A Google Business Profile Roundup, Including Dispelling a GBP Myth

Straightforward GBP errors consistently prevent quality businesses from achieving significant local pack visibility. We used this particular post to address a couple of GBP myths and mistakes that we have noticed, including a common link-building mistake that keeps reappearing.

9. Justifications Are Appearing in Google Maps, Images & More

In this article from June, we covered two GBP topics to improve search visibility. The first update was Google’s addition of justifications for Maps mobile, which included business categories and review snippets. The second key update demonstrated the importance of adding images to a GBP.

10. These Key Factors Can Influence the Local Pack in Many Ways

The big three ranking factors made up a key local search theme of 2022. These factors are relevance, proximity and prominence, and in this blog post we detailed how they influence local presence – and why they matter to local businesses.

Honorable Mentions Go to These Local Search Articles

These additional popular articles that our readers loved deserve an honorable mention!

How to Improve a Website’s Placement With the Right Content

This article was published back in 2019, but it’s just as relevant today. The post shows the right way to create content to improve a website’s placement.

Why Business Listings Are Essential for Local Businesses

Why do we keep returning to the subject of business listings? To be brief, their importance should never be underestimated. This post demonstrated why business listings are so essential – and which platforms are most crucial.

How to Run a Google Business Profile Audit & Why It Matters

Auditing a Google Business Profile usually highlights opportunities to enhance a listing. Back in November of 2022 we outlined an auditing method for agencies and local marketers to use with their clients’ profiles.

Our Most Popular Local Search Post (Published in 2015)

How to Submit a Business Listing to Foursquare

This post deserves a mention because it was published in 2015 – yet still managed to win over the most visited article of 2022. Follow the step-by-step guide to submitting a business listing to Foursquare.

A Popular Local Search Post Published in 2021

2021 Local Search Ranking Factors – Applying Them in 2022

This local search ranking post (published at the end of 2021) is second runner-up in 2022 over all the other topics for traffic. Interestingly, an article on the Local Ranking Factors made the top 10 last year, receiving the most traffic in 2021.

Most Visited Product Page

Enhanced GBP Tool for Agencies

Our Enhanced GBP Tool was a big success in 2022, with agencies loving the GBP Sync, GBP Auto-Rejection, Google Authority Score and Profile Insights features. Try it for yourself and see how easy it is to optimize a GBP listing.

Most Visited Resource

Applying E-A-T to a Google My Business Listing

Google EAT was as relevant as ever in 2022, and we were pleased to provide a leading resource on the subject. Our downloadable content showed how to apply Google EAT to a GBP listing for an improved Google authority score.

That brings our most popular local search content of 2022 to a close. If you’re looking for our prediction on the big theme for 2023, the safest bet is with the Google Business Profile. Continuing the theme of 2022, the GBP will surely be at the forefront of local search marketing for the upcoming year.

The Top 10 Local #Search Topics of 2022 by @BernieColeman #GBP #SEO
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Level Up Your Local Marketing Strategies in 2023

2023 will be another busy year at Advice Local with new digital marketing insights and strategies. If you want to offer the best services to your local business clients, make sure to stay tuned to our local marketing blog.

We also operate the industry’s leading local presence management tool, providing real-time listings management and data distribution. Request a demo today or call (214) 310-1356 to learn more.

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