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Google’s latest change to service areas within the Google My Business listing is causing concerns.

As you may or may not be aware, Google announced on November 5 that Google My Business (GMB) listings will now have a limit of 20 total service areas. This means any listings with more than 20 service areas specified will need to update their listings.

Within the announcement, Google stated, “Businesses with more than 20 service areas will receive suggested updates to their service areas to cover the same geographic area while only using 20 areas.”

At first glance, you may think, “Thanks, Google, for making these suggestions for us,” and if so, you’ll definitely want to think again. Keep reading to find out why.

The Google My Business Service Areas Goof-Up Is Causing Concern

The goof-up I am referring to above is tied to the service areas Google is suggesting. For one of the franchises we manage GMB listings for, Google has pushed out their suggestions and the service areas don’t make sense. Some are not even close to the businesses’ actual service areas. For one location, they are recommending a school district as the service area. This is a big goof-up and an even bigger concern.

So, What’s This Google My Business Service Area Change-Up Mean for Businesses?

  1. You need to audit the GMB listings for all the service-area businesses you represent right away.
  2. You should probably make sure your local business customers realize you are aware of the change and that you are on top of the issue.
  3. You need to put a plan in place to review all your clients’ GMB listings on the regular.

The proof is in the pudding, and Google is proving once again that while they think they know what is best, this isn’t always the case.

Are You Taking Full Advantage of Google My Business?

If you answered Yes to all these questions, great job. If not, be sure to click the linked text above. We have a how-to on each at the ready for you!

Is Google’s Service Area Goof-Up Impacting Your Clients’ #Google My Business Listings? asks @BernieColeman #SEO #GMB
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We Have More Than Advice — We’ve Got Solutions, Too

 At Advice Local, we’re all about helping our local marketing and agency partners to help local businesses get found online! Our listing management services is one of the partner solutions that could be perfect for you. Request a demo today to learn more.

The post Is Google’s Latest Service Area Goof-Up Impacting Your Clients’ Google My Business Listings? appeared first on Advice Local.

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Build legal and healthcare niche citations with listing management.

As you know, I’m all about helping local businesses get found online. While I would love to tell you ‘list it and forget it’ works like a charm, this is truly not the case.

Building Trust Starts With a Solid Listing Management Foundation

To build trust amongst search engines and consumers, you must have a few basic elements to get started.

  1. NAP (name, address and phone number) data related to the business is accurate and consistent.
  2. The business is listed on quality directories sites — more is not always better.
  3. Customers talking about the business have positive things to say on review sites.

Now that you know just a little about the basics, I want to explore the power of building niche citations on sites like RateMDs and FindLaw.

Niche Citations Help Doctors and Lawyers Get Found

Did you know…

  • Businesses that are categorically relevant to searchers have a much greater chance of being found.
  • Niche citation submissions ensure business categories, such as lawyers and doctors, populate in organic search results.
  • When a business is listed in a category-specific directory, it adds authority for the business in search.

At Advice Local, we help our agency and local marketing partners like you build authoritative citations that search engines and consumers trust with our legal and/or healthcare vertical product.

We Know, You Know

The proof is in the numbers — so here is some important data about vertical directories to consider:

  • The directory sites within our legal vertical get more than 5 million hits each month and have over 3.3 million keywords they rank for within the first 10 pages of keyword-relevant searches.
  • The directory sites within our healthcare vertical get almost 1 million hits each month and have over 1.5 million keywords they rank for within the first 10 pages of keyword-relevant searches.

While we would like to tell you that all directories are created equal and all links are good links, this isn’t the case. Quality directories exhibit specific characteristics — here’s a how-to on choosing the best directories.

Did you know being listed in low-quality directories can damage a business’ ranking in search results? No business can afford to take risks like this.

For our current partners, you can order this product add-on day or night from your partner dashboard.

For those of you that are not partners yet, request a demo to learn more about our listing management solution and how you too can utilize this product for your healthcare and legal clients.

The post Niche Citations Build Trust Amongst Search Engines and Consumers appeared first on Advice Local.

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You’re Invited to Kgo Design’s First Annual Great Gatsby Art Gala

Kgo Designs is proud to announce our First Annual Kgo Art Gala to be held on September 24, 2016 from 6 PM to 1 AM. The Great Gatsby themed gala will be held at the award-winning venue, event1013, in historic downtown Plano, Texas. If you’re a supporter of the arts, this event is for you! We’ll have live entertainment, local cuisine, and over 100 pieces of art, all from local artists in the DFW area. Roaring 20’s costumes are encouraged, so all you flappers and mobsters, come dressed to impress!

Eventgoers will celebrate the Jazz Age with live music, a catered dinner, a cash bar, and casino tables. We’ll cap off the night with a raffle of items donated by local businesses. It’s an event art lovers are sure to enjoy!

Tickets are on sale now for $25. Register early for exclusive access to the gala and preview the art before the doors open to the public. Kgo Designs is dedicated to supporting the North Texas arts scene so a portion of proceeds will benefit a local charity.

Purchase your tickets online at www.kgogala.com.

About Kgo Designs

Kgo Designs is an art company run by renowned local artist, Kelly Gottuso. Kgo Designs can be commissioned to paint murals, canvas paintings and personal art collections as well as host Arty Parties, a unique paint and play experience. www.kgodesigns.com

About Event1013

Event1013 is a premier local event space located at E 15th Street and K Avenue in downtown Plano. Event1013 can be used for weddings, corporate parties, or any other social event or gathering. www.event1013.com 

Contact

To learn more about the First Annual Kgo Art Gala, visit us online at www.kgogala.com.

Kelly Gottuso

214-935-8891

Support@kgodesigns.com