As new technology is developed, consumer behavior evolves with it, along with the demand for new local SEO and search strategies. Today this technology is digital assistants; tomorrow it will be something different. Now is the time for local businesses and companies that serve local businesses to consider how voice search will impact search results.

With the continual growth in popularity of Siri, Alexa, Google Now, and Cortana, optimizing web content for spoken search queries is no longer an option, but a must. Last year, Google revealed that 20% of mobile queries on its Android app were voice searches, and this number will only go up as more consumers embrace digital assistant devices.

Today’s consumers can easily conduct voice searches from just about anywhere: on their mobile devices, smartwatches, and even while driving. Thanks to products like Apple’s CarPlay, which allows iPhone users to speak to Siri through their vehicle console, drivers can conduct hands-free searches on the road. Voice search is only expected to gain popularity in the coming years. In fact, comScore predicts that 50% of all search queries will be voice search in 2020.

It’s easy to understand why voice search is catching on – it’s convenient, hands-free, and an on-the-go alternative to typed mobile and desktop searches. What’s not quite as obvious is how this latest evolution of search will impact local businesses and local SEO.

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So, what do local businesses need to know about voice search? Here are a few of the most important ways voice search is disrupting traditional local SEO strategies.

How Voice Search is Changing the Nature of Search

Longer Search Queries

We all know that people speak differently than they type. When consumers search online using Google, they typically keep their queries short. But when consumers use voice commands to conduct a search, they tend to use longer sentences and more verbose phrases. Local businesses can take advantage of this shift by optimizing their websites for long-tail local search terms that aren’t yet being heavily targeted.

Conversational Search Terms

When consumers talk to a digital assistant instead of typing a search into Google, they’re not only using longer search queries but also using more natural language. Businesses should write content that matches the conversational tone of voice search and optimize for phrases that are likely to be used when speaking to digital assistants.

It’s a good idea to look back at the business’ recent analytics to see which natural-sounding keywords are bringing traffic to the website. Because of Google limiting what you can see in analytics, you’ll also want to look in Google Search Console and consider using other third party tools like SEMrush. This allows the business to figure out what customers are saying when they use voice search and provides a great starting point for developing a strategy to target voice search as it gains popularity.

Increased Demand for Direct Answers

Asking informational questions is one of the most common uses of voice search. Just like search engines, digital assistants aim to provide the most relevant, specific answer to user questions. This is more convenient than making users sift through a list of possible answers (unless the search results don’t match the user’s intent, which is another important issue). However, this also makes it harder for businesses to rank in voice search results.

The solution for local businesses? Include the question and more specific information that answers questions unique to the business and its industry. Figure out what customers want to know and build a content strategy around answering those questions. Remember to integrate long-tail keywords and write in a natural voice.

Intent Trumps Keywords

Since voice search is expected to return more direct, relevant answers, digital assistants are being programmed to understand user intent (RankBrain, anyone?) – rather than simply identifying the keywords being used. As this technology improves, context and intent will play an important role in choosing which results are returned in voice search.

This means that the best assistants will be able to understand the connection between a series of related questions rather than just interpret them all as individual searches. That could mean the ability to factor in the user’s past searches or real-world plans when asked a specific question (such as, “When does Tom’s flight land?”). Depending on the question, the assistant might require access to other things like the searcher’s email and calendar. (Otherwise, it might not know which Tom I am referring to.)

Reduced Screen Time

Not all virtual assistant devices come with a screen. According to Mediapos, about 30% of all searches will be done without a screen by 2020 thanks to devices like Google’s Home and Amazon’s Echo devices. Although this is a significant chunk of search traffic, voice search will remain one aspect of local search among many. Businesses shouldn’t rely on additional content to provide the answer; it’s important to keep the question and answer close together on the page.

Voice search and the strategies for local businesses to rank in these results will continue to evolve as AIs get smarter and as consumers’ usage and comfort level increases. In the meantime, let me know how voice search is shaping your local SEO strategies. What do you think will be the biggest adjustment for local businesses?

Are you aware that we have an entire team of local search professionals that can help you? Request a demo to learn about all of our solutions today.

Remember to come back next week for more local search insights from the #QueenofLocalSEO!

The post Voice Search and SEO: What Local Businesses Need to Consider appeared first on Advice Local.

Did you know that 73% of consumers lose trust in a business if it has inconsistent location data? Bad data is a big issue for businesses of all sizes, and can get even trickier for brands with more than one location.

Even if only some locations are misrepresented online, having outdated, inconsistent citations or inaccurate information on the web can have a significant impact on the brand’s credibility with consumers. Today, I’m going to explore some of the common issues related to multi-location brands and address how brands can take control of their local presence for each location.

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The Most Common Citation Problems for Brands with Multiple Locations

Managing local presence can be complicated for one location. When a brand has multiple locations, the difficulty increases by the number of locations they have. One of the major challenges of having more than one location is maintaining citation consistency across all online listings. Some of the biggest challenges for brands include:

• Discrepancies in the way the location names, addresses, and phone numbers (NAP) are displayed online.
• Name changes due to mergers, acquisitions, or rebranding.
• New phone numbers or addresses due to location changes or closures.
• Duplicate or incomplete listings resulting from lost passwords or limited account access.

Local Presence Management Solutions for Multi-Location Brands

1. Clean Up Local Citations

Inconsistent local citations are bad for SEO and bad for business. It’s extremely important for multi-location brands to monitor their local citations for accuracy. Dirty citation data can cause real problems for brands and their customers. In fact, 67% of consumers reported that if they get lost en route, they lose trust in a brand.

Search engines look for consistent NAP across the web to confirm that a company or brand is credible. We recommend building up as many high-quality local citations as possible for each location. Taking the time to optimize business listings by ensuring the data is fully accurate and complete is not only important, but a must.

2. Claim and Optimize the Google My Business Listings

Each location where the brand serves customers should have a unique listing on Google My Business. Depending on whether or not Google has generated listings for the locations based on information found online, the brand should claim or create listings for each location. Here’s a how-to guide on claiming existing Google My Business listings.

There are several steps brands can take to manage and optimize its Google My Business listings, including:

• Verifying each location
• Adding unique images for each location
• Replying to local customer reviews
• Updating the hours of operation, NAP data, and other details specific to the location

3. Create New Citations on High-Quality Directories for Each Location

Creating local citations is simple in theory, but knowing where and how to get listed (as well as how to optimize those listings) can be a bit more difficult. Some directories are better quality than others, and it’s important to be able to recognize which directories are worth getting listed on.

In many cases, submissions to low-quality directories are not moderated, so anyone can get a listing. Often these sites are de-indexed in search engines, which means a low-quality citation won’t do any favors for the brand’s local presence. If a directory displays tons of ads or has a high number of outgoing links, it likely isn’t a high-quality citation source.

To get listed in a more reputable directory, someone from the brand will likely have to contact the website and answer a few questions to verify the listing information. Many directories allow brands to upload logos and write brief descriptions to provide more context.

This process is pretty time-consuming and ideally the brand would partner with a local presence management provide such as ours, Advice Local, and let’s us do the work for them.

4. Manage Local Customer Reviews

Whether a brand’s various locations are spread across the county or the country, it’s important to collect and manage customer reviews for each location (rather than just the brand as a whole). Remember to ask happy customers to write reviews so Google can display positive, relevant reviews alongside local search results.

Location-specific reviews allow the brand to improve SEO for each location and provides more applicable information for local consumers reading reviews online. Brands can use in-store or online strategies to get more reviews.

5. Improving Placement for Individual Locations in Search Results

For brands with multiple physical locations, it can be a challenge to place in proximity searches, especially if you only have one website and the address listed is for the main office. Having a single page on the website that lists all of the locations is not enough. Each location should have its own, unique landing page that includes the NAP data specific to that location – that is, the name of the location and a unique address and phone number.

It should also include a description for each location, local customer reviews, and any content that makes the page more original and unique to that specific geographic location, such as service areas and hours of operation.

Make sure each location page is included in the Sitemap submitted to Google so the search engine’s crawlers can easily find and index each page.

The simple truth is that multi-location brands require multifaceted solutions to local presence management.

Get in touch today and find out how Advice Local can help you take control.

Remember to come back each week for more advice from the #QueenofLocalSEO!

The post Taking Control: Local Presence Management for Multi-Location Brands appeared first on Advice Local.

For a local business that wants to get discovered in search results, maintaining an accurate Google My Business listing is critical. The listing details (such as the business’ phone number, website, photos, and hours of operation) determine what information consumers see in Google Search and Maps.

Business owners need to take control of the company’s Google My Business listing to ensure up-to-date business information is displayed online. This means creating or claiming the business listing on Google My Business and optimizing the content to ensure accuracy and improve visibility.

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Claim and Optimize a Google My Business Listing in Six Steps

1. Search for the Business on Google

The first step is to find out if the business already has a Google My Business listing. Google often generates listings based on information available online, which may or may be fully accurate. An existing listing should be claimed so the information can be updated and kept accurate.

A simple Google search for the company name can reveal whether or not a Google My Business listing already exists. If a matching listing appears in search results, there should be a link that says “Are You the Business Owner” next to the listing. If, however, the business does not show up in search results, it’s important to create a new Google My Business listing and update it with correct information about the company.

2. Request Verification of an Existing Listing

To claim the listing, click on the “Are You the Business Owner” link. Next, sign into Google, search for the business name, and request verification. This will give you control of the listing and allow you to begin optimizing it. In most cases, Google will give you two options to verify the listing, “Mail me my code” or “Call me now.”

If the “Are You the Business Owner” button is not visible, then the listing has already been claimed. Talk to any partners, owners, or marketers involved with the business to find out who has claimed the listing. Double check if there is another Google account linked to the business. If you can’t figure out who verified the listing, you’ll have to go through Google Help to gain access.

3. Confirm Business Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP)

Once the business has been verified, you can easily edit and update the business details that will show up in search results. It’s crucial that the business’ name, physical address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web – so the NAP data in the Google My Business listing should exactly match what’s on the business’ website.

It’s highly recommended that if you need to make changes to the listing you make those before requesting the verification from Google. If you make the request and then make a change, you’ll quite possibly have to make a second request to get the listing verified.

4. Choose a Single Business Category

Customers and search engines both prefer business’ that accurately represent themselves online. So when selecting a category for a company’s Google My Business listing, it helps to be as specific as possible. Even if the business falls under multiple categories, it’s best to select the single most relevant category to describe the products or services offered. If you aren’t sure which category is the optimal choice for a particular business, search for similar companies on Google to see what categories they’ve selected.

5. Upload Relevant Images to Represent the Business

In order to provide customers with more context in search results, Google likes to display images next to business listings. Google My Business listings with photos receive 42% more requests for driving directions as well as a 32% better click through rate to the company’s website.

If the business doesn’t upload official images, Google can display photos uploaded by the public – which can sometimes result in embarrassing mishaps for the business. Although a business can suggest a ‘preferred photo’ for search results, Google will only use the recommended photo if it truly represents the business.

Here are some tips for setting preferred photos that Google will approve:

• Upload high-quality photos that give an accurate impression of the store location.
• Use real pictures of products sold by the business.
• Keep Google’s recommended file size (between 10KB and 5MB) and minimum resolution (720px tall, 720px wide) in mind.
• Don’t use stock photos or text-based images.

6. Further Optimize the Business Listing

There are a few more ways to get the most out of a Google My Business listing, including:

• Keeping the Business Hours Up-to-Date: Google displays hours of operation to tell consumers whether or not the business is open at the time of their search. Remember to update this information if business hours change during the holiday season.
• Collecting More Customer Reviews: Encourage customers to leave reviews and take the time to reply when they do.
• Adding a Description on Google+: Although businesses can no longer edit their descriptions on Google My Business, this field can still be viewed and edited on Google+.

Whether claiming an existing Google My Business listing or creating one from scratch, use the above tips to ensure accurate information shows up the next time a consumer searches. Keep customers happy, keep Google happy, and increase local visibility.

Need help claiming, creating, or optimizing a Google My Business listing? One location or one thousand, we have you covered! Our partners choose us because we make “local search easy.” Click below to learn more.

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Google has certainly been busy lately! That’s exactly why we published this article about future-proofing your SEO strategy against Google updates. Over the past month, marketers and consumers alike have noticed a number of interesting changes to some of the search giant’s core products and features. Since many of the updates affect online visibility for local businesses, we thought it would be helpful to provide a quick glimpse into what’s changed recently.

Google’s Recent Updates Include:

• Changes the star rating system so results are displayed after only one review
• New Google My Business guidelines for service area and virtual offices
• The introduction of Lists for Google Maps
• Search ranking changes that suggest a possible Phantom V update

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Updates to Google’s Five-Star Rating Scale

Google will now display a star rating when a business receives its first customer review. Previously, Google would only show a star rating for businesses with five or more reviews. These are the ratings that show up next to a business in search results, so it plays an important role in shaping consumer perceptions of a company.

The original goal was to ensure star ratings were an accurate reflection of the business before showing it to potential customers. Now, a visible star review can be determined by just one or two customers. This reinforces the point that it’s important for businesses to collect reviews from a wide pool of customers to build up a positive, accurate, trustworthy online presence.

Additionally, Google recently updated how it calculates rating averages. The old method used the Bayesian average to determine a business’ star rating (this involved looking at the ratings for all businesses and gave more weight to five-star reviews), but Google has now switched to the arithmetic way of finding the average (that is, adding all of a business’ ratings together and dividing by the number of ratings).

Update to Google My Business Guidelines for Service-Area Businesses

Google My Business guidelines have been updated with more detailed instructions for listing the address of a service-area business or virtual office. The addition to the guidelines can be found in the expandable “Address” section of Google My Business Help under the heading “Service-area businesses.”

According to the new guidelines, this update is intended for “businesses that serve customers at their locations.” It stipulates that these service-area businesses should maintain one page for their main location or office and then “designate a service area from that point.” These businesses are not allowed to list a virtual office location unless it is actively staffed and “able to receive customers during its stated hours.”

Introducing Lists for Google Maps

Google Maps now allows iOS and Android users to create, save, and share lists of their favorite local places. These lists fall into three categories – “Favorites,” “Starred Places,” and “Want to Go” – and can be private, public, or sharable by link. Users can access their lists and those they follow even when they’re offline.

The ability to make a list public means anyone can create a list of their favorite bakeries or pubs or shoe stores and allow other Google Maps’ users to discover it. People can also create private lists and share the link with friends.

Maps lead product manager, Zach Maier, explains that Google wants “to help people break out of their routine, and do something new,” rather than simply help them get from point A to point B. Note that the feature is currently only available on mobile, but lists can be accessed on desktop via shared links, and Google plans to release a full web version in the future.

Although public lists are not yet searchable, suggestions from a user’s personal lists will appear when they type in a new search. This will influence how consumers search for local businesses on Google and how customers recommend their favorite spots to other shoppers.

Shifting Search Results Could Point to Phantom V Update

We know that Google is shaking things up in search results, but it’s unclear exactly what is going on behind the scenes. One popular theory is that the recent upheaval in search rankings was caused by a Phantom update on February 7^th. If this is indeed the case, it would be Google’s fifth Phantom update since the first one in May 2013.

Phantom is believed to focus on the quality of a website’s content. Those that appear to be affected by the update tend to experience fluctuating results with each iteration. However, as Barry Schwartz pointed out, Google has never confirmed any of the Phantom updates and has also said it won’t confirm any future Panda updates.

Unless Google makes an official statement, it’s impossible to know the exact implications for local businesses. We recommend businesses continue to focus on high-quality content that meets consumers’ needs and provides quick answers and solutions during micro-moments.

What Else Can We Expect from Google?

This slew of recent updates gives us some insight into Google’s inner workings and long-term plan, but leaves us speculating about what surprises the search giant will unveil next. One thing we know for sure is that these updates are predictors of more changes coming soon, especially to how local businesses appear in search results.

Do you know how the businesses you represent stack up against the competition? Start with our free online visibility report and find out.

Let us know which update you are most curious about and we’ll see about diving deeper into the topic for you!

The post What’s Happening with Google Lately? How These Changes Can Impact Local Businesses appeared first on Advice Local.

Have you seen the Google Chrome warning “Not Secure” on any websites you’ve visited lately? This update displays a warning in the URL of HTTP websites. Google first announced plans for contributing to “a more secure web” back in September, citing user safety and security as a top priority. For those not familiar with the acronym HTTPS, here’s a quick explanation of what it means.

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What Is HTTPS?

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, while HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure.

Put simply, HTTP and HTTPS are both procedures that allow the transfer of information across the web. As you might assume, HTTPS is the safer, more secure way to communicate data online.

Search engine giant Google has been emailing business owners and webmasters with Google Search Console accounts to notify them of this change – which has a lot of businesses wondering how to prevent potential customers from seeing a disparaging “Not Secure” label on their website.

Keep reading to find out what changes can be made to make a website more secure.

Why Should Local Business Owners Care About HTTPS?

HTTPS provides security for website visitors. Consumers can confidently provide personal information, including credit card details and account passwords, to businesses with HTTPS websites. Their data is protected from hackers so they don’t have to hesitate to login or make a payment.

While many consumers have overlooked the fact that a website uses HTTP in the past, Chrome’s new warning will draw attention to non-secured websites, which will turn away site visitors and potential customers.

For more context, here’s a page that demonstrates what the warning will look like in the URL and how visitors can interact with it: http://http-password.badssl.com/.

At the end of 2015, Google announced they were going to start ranking HTTPS pages by default, which was great for websites that were already secure. They also disclosed that going forward, HTTPS sites would see a slight ranking boost. With all the changes Google has made since then, it would be quite challenging to determine exactly how much of a boost these sites received, if any. But with this recent update to the Chrome Browser, HTTPS now goes far beyond simply getting a boost. HTTPS means trust.

Which Websites Will Be Affected?

For now, this warning only impacts unsecured sites that ask visitors to enter passwords or credit card information. Google’s goal is to make data more secure across the web, starting with sites that transmit sensitive information. However, the warning will eventually appear on all unsecure pages viewed in Chrome. Business owners should switch their sites from using HTTP to HTTPS right away.

Tips and Resources to Keep a Website Secure

Google Developers’ WebFundamentals provides details on how to prevent this warning from appearing on websites. Additionally, Google has a helpful section on their support page that explains how to create a secure site with HTTPS.

It’s important to note that all top-level pages leading to pages that contain credit card fields and password forms must be fully secured to avoid the warning. Also, business owners should be sure to include the HTTPS pages in sitemaps.

There are several resources available for business that want a free HTTPS, including Cloudflare, Let’s Encrypt and SSL For Free. It’s important to consult with a web development provider before implementing any free or paid HTTPS solution, as there are many behind-the-scenes items that will need to be addressed and corrected.

At Advice Local, we are all about giving businesses a boost in Local Search Results. It’s actually our expertise! Request a demo to learn more about our local presence management solution and how we can help TODAY!

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