Google Adds Webmaster Tools Verification For Google My Business

Mike Blumenthal reports that you can now instantly verify your Google Local listings, formerly known as Google Place Listing and now known as Google My Business, through Google Webmaster Tools. Google’s Jade Wang announced this in the Google forums saying, “starting today, if you’re…

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How To Generate Experience Reviews For SEO – Part II

In part 1, we talked about some practical tips for converting a satisfied customer to a raving fan who is willing to talk about their experience with your service-based company online. In this article, we’ll discuss how to get that fan to talk about your website in a way that benefits your search…

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Foursquare Sneak Previews New “Personalized Local Search” & Moves All Check-Ins To Swarm

If you’ve been one of the few fearless folks holding out from updating their Foursquare app, your days are numbered. In a blog post and an email sent out to early adopters , Foursquare alerted its constituency that as of tomorrow all check-ins will be required to occur on Swarm, the new hub…

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Automated Tools To Help Local Businesses Tackle Online Marketing

When asked to rate their biggest challenges with managing digital media for their business, 47% of local business owners said they don’t have enough knowledge or expertise; 43% said they don’t have enough time; and 26% said they don’t have enough resources, according to a Local…

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How To Generate Customer Experience Reviews For SEO Profit – Part I

Here’s a question for all you search marketers out there: given the option, would you prefer to optimize a site that sells products, or services? Personally, I find product-based websites far easier to optimize than service-based sites due to their generally clearer site architecture, access…

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Google Maps For Android Enhances Explore Nearby Feature & Adds Elevation To Biking Directions

Google is pushing out an update for their Android Google Maps app and with that, Google announced three new changes: (1) View search results on the map or in a list and easily switch between them (2) Search for places you’ve reviewed or saved using the “Your places” filter (3) Bike directions now…

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A Review Handout Alternative: Try P&P To Get More Local Reviews

Everyone knows how important reviews are — they factor in to the local algorithm and they play a huge part in click-throughs and building trust. Good reviews can make you, and bad reviews can break you… so businesses do everything they can to get positive reviews. Since Google doesn’t…

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Google Giveth & Google Taketh Away Author Icons

Google recently announced they’d be removing a major element from their search engine results pages (SERPs) that they’ve been featuring for the past couple of years: author icons. Since this is something we Local Marketers have enthusiastically encouraged, what does this mean for…

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Apple Maps To Offer Choice Of Google, Others For Directions

According to Cult of Mac Apple is doing something very interesting with iOS 8 Maps. It’s giving people a choice of apps to use for directions. A GIF in the article shows that once a destination is located users will be able to choose directions from, presumably, any mapping-related app…

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YP’s “Mybook” Makes Local Search More Social

Local search provider YP has been investing in its mobile app, doing brand advertising and generally seeking ways to better compete with rivals such as Google, Foursquare and Yelp. It doesn’t have the reach of Google or the content of Yelp but with its mybook feature the company may have…

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Leaked Documents Show How Yelp Thinks It’s Not Getting Screwed By Google

Yelp may once again feel Google is robbing it of its fair share of search traffic, with a study that’s been leaked to TechCrunch to prove it. A close read of that study actually shows that it proves the opposite — or at least, that it’s certainly not as damning as it sounds….

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Survey Says Yelp The Most Influential Local Review Site

Yelp says it’s the most frequently used, most trusted and highest quality local reviews site, according to new Nielsen survey data. Some of those data were released on the company’s official blog two days ago. Beyond Yelp, the universe of competitors included in the survey were the…

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88% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal Recommendations

We at BrightLocal have released the findings of our annual Local Consumer Review Survey, which reveals the growing importance of online reviews in the purchasing decision. About Local Consumer Review Survey 2014 This is the 4th year we have conducted this study into consumer usage and attitudes…

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