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Happy holidays all,
I work for Google and on GMB in particular. I recently discovered this forum a few weeks ago, and I've been really impressed with the wealth of knowledge within this community.
Given there are a lot of GMB experts here, I'd like to just ask point blank if there are any features or changes that you'd like to see us make in the product next year? [Disclaimer: I can't promise we'll implement all suggestions, but we'll certainly do our best to make any reasonable improvements.]
I look forward to hearing your suggestions!
Morgan
I work for Google and on GMB in particular. I recently discovered this forum a few weeks ago, and I've been really impressed with the wealth of knowledge within this community.
Given there are a lot of GMB experts here, I'd like to just ask point blank if there are any features or changes that you'd like to see us make in the product next year? [Disclaimer: I can't promise we'll implement all suggestions, but we'll certainly do our best to make any reasonable improvements.]
I look forward to hearing your suggestions!
Morgan
Hey Morgan - Awesome of you to stop by.
-It would be great if the name of the business didn't carry so much weight. I still see a ton of keyword spam in the name - and it ranks fast.
-If a category is going to carry so much weight it would be nice to have more primary ones that are perinate to more businesses.
-Adding image guidelines.
-Stating post rejections.
-When posting multiple images don't rearrange them, keep them in the sequence that is uploaded.
-Either take the 'suggest an edit' of a business more seriously or make the redressal form easier. Name spam should be pretty easy to spot.
Hope all goes well with GMB. It's developing nicely. Thanks for all the hard work.
-It would be great if the name of the business didn't carry so much weight. I still see a ton of keyword spam in the name - and it ranks fast.
-If a category is going to carry so much weight it would be nice to have more primary ones that are perinate to more businesses.
-Adding image guidelines.
-Stating post rejections.
-When posting multiple images don't rearrange them, keep them in the sequence that is uploaded.
-Either take the 'suggest an edit' of a business more seriously or make the redressal form easier. Name spam should be pretty easy to spot.
Hope all goes well with GMB. It's developing nicely. Thanks for all the hard work.
· 5 replies
Good morning, Morgan! Here would be my list:
- Create a mapped feature that depicts the delivery radius of brick-and-mortar brands, given the 2020 rise in home delivery due to COVID-19.
- Enable public commenting on Google Posts to increase their interactivity.
- Demote exact match search terms in the business title as a ranking signal, to decrease spammy behaviors.
- Bring back the 7-pack. Local intent is now greater than ever, and surveys indicate that consumers wish to shop even more locally post-pandemic. It would be better UX for me to see more than 3 local businesses without clicking through to the local finder, given that, below the 3-pack, the organic SERPs are now made up mainly of 10-best lists and directories I don't typically visit, instead of being composed of actual local businesses.
- Increase staffing to deal with listing and review spam. Every survey I ever do of the local results turns up multiple, highly-ranked fake listings, and fake reviews are a growing trust issue. Do essential categories first, so that things like hospitals and drug treatment centers are never a source of scams for vulnerable members of the public.
- Help local SEOs build communities we all want to live in via an Alphabet commitment to ending and refusing contracts with agencies and bodies that profit from racism, violence and war. Be led by a diverse, inclusive ethics board that prevents these anti-human rights contracts. This will improve life in the communities where all of us work and live our lives.
- Create and release a Green New Deal-style plan from the best minds at Google to address the fact that work in the American West (Google's first home) is being increasingly disrupted by Climate Change-fueled wildfires, and by flooding and megastorms in other parts of the country. Google has brilliant people and we have the solutions to address Climate Change. Google has the clout to lead the way in showing how to rapidly iterate a habitable future for local communities and nations. You can do it!
Thanks for listening!
· 3 replies
Thank you for coming here Morgan, I signed up specifically to reply to your inquiry. I've written a lot about the pains of GMB and the support (or lack thereof). It would be awesome to have agency support, and I don't mean roll out the red carpet for agency owners. I simply mean that agencies are a line to quality data, listen to us. We need a place to go within Google to get support for our clients... REAL support - not just an 800 number that goes to someone who doesn't know anything and can't do anything, all just to have to do it again in 30 days because the first person didn't actually do anything. Specifically, often we need the most assistance when:
- Establishing a new GMB listing
- Taking over an existing GMB listing - If an agency GMB account has Google Analytics and Search Console connected to a business' known website, why can't this be used as a verification data point?
- When a listing gets suspended
- When reporting spam.
If we could have our GMB account(s) flagged as verified / trusted (similar to your "My Business Provider" program, but designed for the agency model), and have the information we submit "trusted until proven otherwise" you'd get a lot more agencies eager to provide more accurate information on a more regular basis, thus improving the overall accuracy and timeliness of information on our client GMB listings. Business owners might have motive to flub or stuff their listings, but most trusted agencies would have no such motive for providing inaccurate information for fear that their agency GMB account would be demoted. In fact, I think most would want to build up some sort of status as a trusted agency. This could be done similar to the way Wikipedia moderates content, or the way Google already does it with Local Guides.
Just a thought, I hope this helps!
· 6 replies
My question is that I am doing off page activity for local business in Canada USA, Australia. Actually I am doing 5 to 6 offpage activity. Those are blog commenting, business listing, profile creation, bookmarking, directory submission, link wheel, blog posting. Since from 4 months I am doing such activity but I couldn't find any change in keywords ranking. All projects are based on local seo. So should I focus more on local business listing? Keywords rank are dropped. What should be my strategy?
Blog comments worked in 2013. Not anymore and you can even get Google penalty for doing off-page wrong.
For off-page use high quality blogs...guest posts, link inserts etc.
Also ck what competitors are doing and calculate the anchor text ratio etc.
For off-page use high quality blogs...guest posts, link inserts etc.
Also ck what competitors are doing and calculate the anchor text ratio etc.
· 2 replies
Google cares about your content. It's your content that gets you ranked. SEO is what helps Google understand what your content is about and to display it in a way that users can find it and use it.
Google also needs a way to see the value of your content. That's where it analyzes signals such as mentions, links, etc. Notice, it analyzes not just counts them. Sadly, most people focus on creating (false) signals and call that SEO.
One of the biggest reasons for that is, creating content at the professional level is hard. But, great content gets you traffic without Google. And, that's what Google wants you to do.
Your strategy should be to create content you'd be happy sharing even if Google didn't exist. You have to research and figure out what your readers actually want. Keep creating that content. After a while, you will see an improvement in both traffic and your Google ranking.
Google also needs a way to see the value of your content. That's where it analyzes signals such as mentions, links, etc. Notice, it analyzes not just counts them. Sadly, most people focus on creating (false) signals and call that SEO.
One of the biggest reasons for that is, creating content at the professional level is hard. But, great content gets you traffic without Google. And, that's what Google wants you to do.
Your strategy should be to create content you'd be happy sharing even if Google didn't exist. You have to research and figure out what your readers actually want. Keep creating that content. After a while, you will see an improvement in both traffic and your Google ranking.
· 5 replies
Well, to my experience, off-page activity depends on your niche.
What I think more important is on-page SEO.
Have you all finished that one? There are so many opportunity to rank in keywords by on-page SEO, I think.
What I think more important is on-page SEO.
Have you all finished that one? There are so many opportunity to rank in keywords by on-page SEO, I think.
· 2 replies
Hi all,
I am looking to purchase some tools to boost my local SEO service, what tools do you guys recommend? I have heard a lot about SEMRUSH and AHREF. Which one would you recommend and any other other than these two do you guys use.
Thanks in advance.
I am looking to purchase some tools to boost my local SEO service, what tools do you guys recommend? I have heard a lot about SEMRUSH and AHREF. Which one would you recommend and any other other than these two do you guys use.
Thanks in advance.
You don’t need tools for local SEO. What you need is the ability to write. Google is looking for evidence that you can deliver the service on offer. Writing about the work you do (blog posts) achieves this. For inbound links get citations and referrals. Add in some testimonials and a GMB page and you are all done.
· 7 replies
Google recently came out with some new guidelines for ranking. The acronym is EAT which stands for Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness.
It’s difficult to really hammer down the metrics of what makes this algorithm tick.
Have you come up with any best practices to follow EAT guidelines?
It’s difficult to really hammer down the metrics of what makes this algorithm tick.
Have you come up with any best practices to follow EAT guidelines?
Running a content marketing agency, I think that I'm well-suited to answer this question. In a nutshell, yes, I have strict quality assurance guidelines that stick to EAT on the content that we produce, but I tend to keep these between me and the editors. Otherwise, we've realized that content writers don't read the brief in its entirety, and this can become endlessly frustrating.
In particular, here are some tips to ensure that your content fits within the EAT guidelines:
* Use a content optimization tool like Frase or ClearScope.
* Prioritize frameworks over tips.
* Get straight to the point.
* Always cite and link relevant facts and figures.
* Some of your anchor texts should have the keyword you're targeting (e.g. If you're targeting "MP4 editor", link some of the "MP4 editor" phrases).
* Make your content skimmable.
* Your article should exceed 1k words (You can cram in more facts in 1000 words than in 100 words).
* Don't overstate the obvious.
* Cite academic research whenever possible.
* Make sure that the content has a sense of novelty to it (e.g. Include interesting methodologies not present in the current ranking articles for that keyword).
Learning how EAT works can benefit you in the long run, because you get to internalize what makes great content great. This leads to a faster indexing time. And my clients are seeing the results.
Hope these help.
In particular, here are some tips to ensure that your content fits within the EAT guidelines:
* Use a content optimization tool like Frase or ClearScope.
* Prioritize frameworks over tips.
* Get straight to the point.
* Always cite and link relevant facts and figures.
* Some of your anchor texts should have the keyword you're targeting (e.g. If you're targeting "MP4 editor", link some of the "MP4 editor" phrases).
* Make your content skimmable.
* Your article should exceed 1k words (You can cram in more facts in 1000 words than in 100 words).
* Don't overstate the obvious.
* Cite academic research whenever possible.
* Make sure that the content has a sense of novelty to it (e.g. Include interesting methodologies not present in the current ranking articles for that keyword).
Learning how EAT works can benefit you in the long run, because you get to internalize what makes great content great. This leads to a faster indexing time. And my clients are seeing the results.
Hope these help.
· 7 replies
Ignoring EAT guidelines is the best practice. Google doesn't follow these "rules". People (they were hired by Google) use this guidlines. Then people create reports and Google use these reports to improve their algorithms or doesn't use these reports. In fact, Google doesn't think about quality. Google's SERP is confirmation. Today I've searched an information about mobile first indexing. I got a site that redirect to spam site on the first page of search results.
Google love a content. It allows Google to use Google Ads, add their services to the SERP, etc. What about EAT? Google can't evaluate it technicaly.
Google love a content. It allows Google to use Google Ads, add their services to the SERP, etc. What about EAT? Google can't evaluate it technicaly.
· 2 replies
What are your thoughts on buying backlinks for local SEO?
I come across so many competitors that have backlinks that seem almost certainly bought.
I mean if a website has no backlinks one day, and then the next day they have 20 backlinks, Google can certainly tell that these aren't legitimate backlinks, right?
I come across so many competitors that have backlinks that seem almost certainly bought.
I mean if a website has no backlinks one day, and then the next day they have 20 backlinks, Google can certainly tell that these aren't legitimate backlinks, right?
Read all of the threads. no one spoke against it. But if your preaching backlinks, backlinks, backlinks, then I disagree because social signals and reviews are stronger in GMB. Remember this is a Local SEO forum. Now if we speaking on ranking in the number 1 spot on Google then yes you will need high-quality backlinks, but we are proven that statistic to be different in GMB.
· 1 reply
The amount of misleading info in this thread is ridiculous.
No backlink is = another backlink. Unless you are looking at the same page on the same domain as a competitor.
Yes, your competitors are buying links, most people do, they are mentions so they can directly benefit your ranks depending on what gaps you are closing. Build links for mentions including keyterms you want to increase your authority in. If you have a discrepancy of links vs your competitor, you will have to close the gap.
The issue is that some people come here after ranking for pressure washing in a city with 5k pop and think that their methods apply to people in competitive situations.
A google stack does not compare to the benefit you get from a single link from a good quality source.
However, if your skills end with just stacking, that may be the best pitch you've got towards people trying to rank.
No backlink is = another backlink. Unless you are looking at the same page on the same domain as a competitor.
Yes, your competitors are buying links, most people do, they are mentions so they can directly benefit your ranks depending on what gaps you are closing. Build links for mentions including keyterms you want to increase your authority in. If you have a discrepancy of links vs your competitor, you will have to close the gap.
The issue is that some people come here after ranking for pressure washing in a city with 5k pop and think that their methods apply to people in competitive situations.
A google stack does not compare to the benefit you get from a single link from a good quality source.
However, if your skills end with just stacking, that may be the best pitch you've got towards people trying to rank.
It's crazy how often I see businesses that literally never reply to reviews on Google My Business.
Additionally, there are quite a few businesses that just reply to negative reviews, but don't respond at all to positive reviews.
Do you reply to every review on GMB?
And if so, do you think it has any impact on rankings?
Additionally, there are quite a few businesses that just reply to negative reviews, but don't respond at all to positive reviews.
Do you reply to every review on GMB?
And if so, do you think it has any impact on rankings?
I strongly advocate for replying to every review, not for ranking purposes, but as central to customer service. A review is a customer starting a conversation. Just as you wouldn't ignore a customer speaking to you in-person, you don't want to ignore customers communicating digitally. Negative reviews can often be transformed by the right response, and positive reviews give the business space to communicate something that might be of further interest to the reviewer, creating a second chance of engagement and the development of loyalty. I wrote about this recently in my column at Moz, in case it would be of help to anyone: https://moz.com/blog/basic-reputation-management
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I try not to see these things from a "does it impact rankings" view.
The question I ask myself is: Does it impact customers/users behavior?
If Yes, it might as well impact rankings as Google Search is bent on giving users a nice experience.
And Yes, I reply to all reviews. (not star ratings)
The question I ask myself is: Does it impact customers/users behavior?
If Yes, it might as well impact rankings as Google Search is bent on giving users a nice experience.
And Yes, I reply to all reviews. (not star ratings)
· 1 reply
· 5 replies
Not following what you mean. You changed your GMB to a new address? Is the old address still active?
· 10 replies