Updates to LSAs and Local Ads

LSA Image Carousels

Some Google ads for local searches are now showing an expanding carousel of images, which, when clicked, take you to the Google Business Profile. 

LSA Photo Guidelines

Additionally, the guidelines around photos in Local Services Ads have now been consolidated with the guidelines for using photos in local search. This goes into effect on November 13, 2023. There are no major changes in the guidelines that you need to be aware of, but consolidating the guidelines should make it easier for users to find and follow. 

You Can Now Get LSA Leads via Text

You can now get your Local Services Ads leads sent to you via text message. Google has added this option via a checkbox in your settings. You can also change the phone number the leads go to. 

New LSA Categories

And finally, Joy Hawkins has spotted 15 new categories available for Local Services Ads. Businesses such as barbers, hair or nail salons, and tattoo and piercing studios can now use LSAs.

GBP Updates and Tests

Google Business Profile is often adding new tests and updates, so take note of these in case you start spotting some new or unfamiliar features. 

Attributes

Google has added new “disabled-owned” and “indigenous-owned” attributes to business profiles. These new attributes are in addition to existing ones such as “black-owned”, “LGBT-owned”, and “women-owned”. 

Attributes act as mini statements that say something about your business to help searchers decide whether your business is one they’d like to visit. 

You may have also that seen some business attributes have been automatically changed by Google. 

One local SEO has noticed Google automatically changing payment options as well as information about Covid-19 testing centers being removed. 

Ultimately, this looks to be a small but useful change from Google, and a good reminder to look at your own GBPs to make sure your attributes are accurate and up to date. 

Estimated vs Precise Location

A few local SEOs have been given the option to search using their ‘estimated location’ or their ‘precise location’ to better localize their search. Barry Schwartz notes that the setting is not new, but the UI is. 

Hotel SERP Carousel

A more interactive carousel of images has been spotted on hotel SERPs. This new test shows a group of image cards under search results, allowing users to swipe through images. 

GBP Social Media Links Global Roll Out

We noticed this back in August, but the ability to add your social media profile links to your GBP has now rolled out globally to every profile. 

Third-Party Book Online CTA

A new CTA button has been added to GBPs for anyone using third-party booking software. This example from Joy Hawkins shows a ‘Book Online’ button on a business using the software Service Titan. This CTA goes to the third-party Reserve with Google integration which may be a new feature.  

Expandable Business Groupings

Google is testing a new UI where they show you an expandable list of business categories related to your search. Selecting one will show matching local businesses

This was spotted by Khushal Berwani and posted on X (formerly Twitter):

Google testing expandable grouping business profile in mobile serp.

cc @rustybrick pic.twitter.com/V7LV80JBkW

— Khushal Bherwani (@b4k_khushal) October 5, 2023

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Food Preferences Setting

For anyone searching for restaurants, you may see a new settings option. The option to set your food preferences in search results is being tested, with the ability to filter by cuisine, dietary preference. Previously, this setting was available in Maps, but the test sees the option being brought straight into search results. 

Google now offers place recommendations (for food related searches) based on your food preferences in search results. (1/2)
cc: @rustybrick pic.twitter.com/tEtuCf75Gh

— Shameem Adhikarath (@shemiadhikarath) October 13, 2023

New Local Pack Design?

Google seems to be testing a new local pack design where restaurant reviews and menu are shown in a card format on mobile. 

This was another clever spot by @shemiadhikarath on X (formerly Twitter):

Looks like new interface for GBP results. Menu, and Reviews card showing in a card format at GMP result on Mobile device. Also see the rating graph in the card.

Cc: @rustybrick pic.twitter.com/sZFSdItIGV

— Shameem Adhikarath (@shemiadhikarath) October 18, 2023

Conclusion

While these may be a lot of little changes, it’s important to keep a close eye on what Google’s up to… and, as we know, and they’re always up to something! Have you seen any new features, tests, or updates? Join our Facebook group, The Local Pack, to share your findings! 

We summoned our brave community to share their most spine-tingling, hair-raising, and downright terrifying local SEO experiences. Prepare to be haunted by client catastrophes, cursed Google Business Profiles, and marketing stories that are best told under the cloak of darkness. Read on if you dare!

Greg "Ghostly" Gifford

Chief Operating Officer at SearchLab Digital

Claire "The Crypt Keeper" Carlile

Local SEO Expert at BrightLocal

In addition to Greg’s totally terrifying Q&As, Claire found even more horrifying answers on a Google Business Profile. 

As you can see, one local car dealership’s poor customer service was brought to the forefront of their GBP Q&A section. Surely answering the phone isn’t as scary as they think? 

In the words of Stephen King, “hotels are superstitious places. No thirteenth floor or room thirteen, no mirrors on the back of the door you come in through, stuff like that.”

However, the Stanley Hotel that inspired his book, The Shining, is making good use of their Q&A section, with guests asking the all-important questions. 

Melissa "Poltergeist" Popp

Content Strategy Director at RicketyRoo

“RicketyRoo welcomed a client fleeing from an evil past agency, a villain that had orchestrated an unholy contract, claiming copyright ownership over every piece of content on the client’s existing website. Like an eerie ghost story where the antagonist traps the innocent in a haunted mansion, this agency had the client ensnared in a legal nightmare, forcing them to relinquish their own digital home.

“The terror didn’t stop there. As we hurried to recreate their website, we felt the haunting pressure of the clock ticking ominously, knowing the previous agency’s shadow loomed large. This unsettling episode wasn’t just a jump scare but a full-length horror film that unfolded right before our eyes. We managed to exorcise the client’s digital demons, but the fear for our industry—now revealed to have its own set of lurking monsters—still lingers.”

Elizabeth "Ghoul" Rule

SEO Analyst at Sterling Sky

“Here is a Local SEO horror story I think many can relate to!!

“It takes a lot to scare me, but when a client sends an email that they have moved their office address without consulting their SEO team I get instant chills down my spine.

“The chills only get worse upon checking the new address when we discover it happens to be located in the SAME building as some of the toughest competition in their industry. This scenario would make even the bravest local SEOs want to run and hide.

“Turns out ALL the injury lawyers in the area rent offices in the same building the client just moved into… guess PI lawyers get a good deal on rent there Cue the Psycho style scream as I realize I will need to explain to the client how the local filter was now going to be working OVERTIME on their listing and their rankings were going to take a hit. Making major business decisions without consulting your SEO team? Now THAT’S scary!!”

Blake "Dracula" Denman

Founder at RicketyRoo

“A former PPC client sent someone to my apartment to threaten me. The client thought I was clicking on his ads. He added single keyword, broad match and upped the budget to $5k/day. I fixed it, and he sent me a commercial grade Vitamix that was used in a Burger King promo. Still have it!”

Amy "Tomb" Toman

SEO Analyst at Digital Law Marketing

“I’m aware of a website that has 200+ “keywords” added in an exceptionally small font on the bottom of every single page (not a footer; customized to each page). I thought that went out in 2010 2005. ”

Dana "Dastardly" DiTomaso

President & Partner at Kick Point

“[I once had] a client who originally wanted to focus on organic traffic increases but then didn’t actually say what they do at their company on their website, in their marketing materials, literally anywhere at all. ”

Ben "Boo" Fisher

Founder and VP of Marketing at Steady Demand

In our latest webinar, Ben Fisher shared a rotten example of a business who created their own business signage to get their GBP verified… This led to a suspension, and we all know there’s no worse local SEO horror story than a GBP suspension! 

Celeste "Gory" Gonzalez

SEO Strategist at RicketyRoo

“A client demanded to know why they did not receive the same amount of leads as they did the year before when they had never done SEO before or tracked leads from their website. Their leads from the previous year came from their paper flyers, Facebook groups, and NextDoor posts. Then that same client then also was upset about Google Ads leads coming from the location radius that he had set and confirmed with our PPC team.”

Krystal "Fang" Taing

Solutions Engineer, Strategic Partnerships at Uberall

“I once had a multi-location eyeglass retailer where a customer spammed their listings and added pictures of Lord Voldemort in glasses to about 50 different locations. This was fun reporting and escalating to Google! “

“Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

The Fly (1986)

Even More Tales from the Web-keepers

We also asked our community of local SEOs for their spooky tales, and let’s just say, you might want to sit down reading some of these; they’re guaranteed to scare the hell out of you (or at least make you laugh!). 

Nina P, SEO Lady shared:

“The eCommerce [I owned] sold same sex wedding table decorations, like Mr & Mr / Mrs & Mrs. However, it’s a site I built which had my home office address [on it]. Putting it on Google Maps was a dreadful mistake. We had swingers knocking on the door asking to buy latex clothing and wanting to come in. I still have an answerphone message with a mobile phone number asking me whether I’d like some fun this weekend!”

Nina followed up with another story…

“I was in Tunisia on holiday with my school friend and drinking wine by the pool when my phone pinged and it was the front door CCTV. A very dapper older gentleman with white hair, a leather man bag and golf umbrella was waiting.

“My husband answered the door, there was a short exchange, and the door slammed leaving the gentleman standing there for a second.

“My phone pinged, hubby was furious. Marriage ending mad. “WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?” and I had to put down my wine.

“The gent had politely enquired what range of butt plugs we had in stock, and could he come in to take a look at our toys. What surprised us both is that we are on a residential street with no shop front. 

“My husband thought I was having an affair! I explained about Google Business and in 15 years not one person has come knocking on our door to speak with the SEO Lady. Clearly I’d underestimated the gravitas of naming my business samesexgifts.co.uk which was named Same Sex Gifts on Maps and Facebook.  

“When I got home I hid our address. The domain and eCommerce site are for sale .” 

Ash Nallawalla explained:

“I didn’t keep a screenshot, but my detailed check of a bank’s GBPs showed a horror story that had not been picked up. Google had scrambled up entries of many entities. e.g. Bank A’s ATM showed the address of Bank B or of Bank C, all on the same page. During the same Google glitch, I lost my own “Melbourne SEO” ranking in GBP to a competitor on the same floor of our building. Their photos were shown among ours and the two addresses were mixed up.”

Stefan Janjić Lozo told us: 

“There’s an auto wrecker and spare parts business in Serbia where the reviews on the business are becoming a meme in the region.”

A note from BrightLocal:

Upon further investigation, we found the owner of the business is just plain rude to his customers! We’ll keep the business anonymous, but as you can see from the 1-star review below, he’s certainly left a curse on his customers!

This, in turn, has led to an onslaught of reviews from those commending his rudeness, and as Stefan says, has turned into a bit of a meme.

The website even details at length, how not to behave and communicate with him. The translation includes “Please do not call us before 9am and after 9pm. Most people know when to call, but there are also those who for some reason think it’s okay to call in the morning at 6am or in the evening after 11pm!?” 

“The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years—if it ever did end—began…”

Stephen King, It (1986)

And with that, we close the book on spooky stories, hide the book in a locked box, and keep the locked box well out of sight. Have a great Friday 13th, and remember to avoid breaking mirrors, crossing black cats, or getting your GBP suspended.

We asked the experts how they’re using AI at the moment, and how they think SGE will change the landscape of local search. 

(One small caveat—in the past few weeks we’ve seen new features and functions added to SGE. By the time this piece goes live, we’re sure there will have already been some major changes!) 

Ben Fisher

Founder and VP of Marketing at Steady Demand

What are you doing with AI at the moment? What tactics are you currently using?

AI is a great assistant for our SEO team. They use it for research, some technical tasks, and coming up with ideas for our writers. We don’t use AI for anything that is forward facing like blog post content, and our clients prefer it this way. We play with prompts every day and create a vault of useful prompts. AI assistants can save us a lot of time, especially with the right prompt. Our SEO team can focus more on strategy and critical thinking/analysis because AI can execute many tasks to save time.

Overall, AI assistants can be a valuable asset to any SEO team. They can help SEO professionals save time, improve the quality of their work, focus on more strategic and creative tasks, and stay ahead of the curve.

Despite AI’s impressive capabilities, the human touch remains integral to our processes, ensuring that our strategies are not only data-driven but also empathetic and user-centric.

What do you think about SGE? How do you think SGE will change the landscape of local search?

There is a glimmer of hope for the local SEO profession, as the 3-pack results appear to be the same as what you would see in a regular search. However, I think that as Google learns, there will be new winners and losers. Unfortunately, I think that SMBs will suffer, as the real estate they were used to will be replaced by new features.

Dayna Lucio

Strategist, SEO at Amsive Digital

What are you doing with AI at the moment? What tactics are you currently using?

Mainly it’s been a lot of testing of different platforms to understand the capabilities and differences of each. Right now, I’ve been using AI to help streamline processes such as summarizing data, mapping cities to zip codes for local tracking, or building regex filters for GSC. It’s also been helpful in brainstorming ideas for content such as sourcing questions for FAQs or coming up with metadata tests. I think in general things are moving really fast—something new seems to come up every day! Brands should definitely be thinking about how platforms like BingChat, Bard, ChatGPT, and SGE are providing information about their company, products, or services, and what types of content gaps need to be filled or opportunities they can explore.

What do you think about SGE? How do you think SGE will change the landscape of local search?

I think what we’ve been able to see so far has been interesting, the local examples that Google shared with the comparison layout between restaurants definitely shows how this can be used on a local level. However, I think it more or less is continuing to showcase the things we already stress in local SEO—provide the information that users are looking for on GBP profiles and within on-page content and continue to pay attention to reviews, because this is another way that Google is highlighting those. Like anything with Google, I expect there to be multiple tests and changes as time goes on, so its hard to say what the impact will be. Once more people have access to SGE I think it will be important to test different types of queries and questions about local businesses to see how the answers and layouts changed based on what’s being asked. 

Amanda Jordan

Director of Digital Strategy at RicketyRoo

What are you doing with AI at the moment? What tactics are you currently using?

I currently use AI to help generate ideas and consider new ways to think about data. Right now I think the best use case for many AI tools is for SEOs to understand how generative AI actually works. Knowing the capabilities and limitations of this technology can help us understand what to expect from Search in the future.

What do you think about SGE? How do you think SGE will change the landscape of local search? 

I hope SGE is the end of sites being filled with generic content. My hope is that SGE will encourage websites to focus on unique, personalized, and usable content for users. I believe truly understanding your customers and being obsessed with the customer experience will be extremely important in the future.

Jess Peck

Machine Learning Engineer at Local SEO Guide

What are you doing with AI at the moment? What tactics are you currently using?

We’re currently using machine learning for a series of tasks: analysis, clustering data, forecasting, text analysis, and to an extent content generation. We use several different ML techniques including lda, keyword extraction, text summarization, and technologies like using Google’s APIs and TensorFlow. Like many people, we are also using LLMs like GPT, though not entirely relying on them. For example, we tend to chunk our outputs, and then use other ML techniques to check the input matches the output, and check for plagiarism: we use knowledge graphs and entity extraction to try and streamline parts of these processes.

What do you think about SGE? How do you think SGE will change the landscape of local search? 

Despite being a machine learning engineer in practice I’m deeply ambivalent about SGEs. I don’t actually think these kinds of experiences usually improve sites, and it still feels like Google is scrambling to catch up while ChatGPT eats it’s lunch. 

While I do think SGEs are a logical next step for Google and other search engines I also see it as a way for Google to wash its hands of the consequences of serving certain data to the public. LLMs are trained on all of us, so surely it’s all our fault when they go astray? I think an ideal scenario would have Google back away from OpenAI style chatbots and towards using a combination of LLMs and extractive data to continue down the conversational path they have been going down, but how can that be done without robbing sites of their advertising? 

Fundamentally if your site relies on visitor metrics you must focus on unique aspects that cannot be replaced by a machine. I think UGC might end up being extremely useful: sites like Wirecutter that specialize in human, comprehensive reviews: small hobbyist sites with a human touch. The race is as it has always been: do it better than Google, and invite people into your site.

Andy Simpson

Senior SEO Specialist at Digital Law Marketing

What are you doing with AI at the moment? What tactics are you currently using?

Our team is currently learning how we can use things like ChatGPT as a tool for SEO. We’re definitely not using it for creating site content, we have our own brilliant content team for that. They have been using ChatGPT for some content outlines and ideas but we’re a firm believer in creating good, unique content, unlike the content spewed out by ChatGPT. Bing Chat and Google’s Bard are way off the mark when it comes to anything related to content creation. Very recently we used ChatGPT to expand and suggest additions to our local business schema, it’s fantastic for writing the code for FAQ and HowTo schema, we verify what’s produced but it’s been very good to date. Will Reynolds very recently posted how you can use ChatGPT to help with internal link-building suggestions, it’s a great video to watch and make you start thinking about how you can use ChatGPT as a tool for SEO.

What do you think about SGE? How do you think SGE will change the landscape of local search?

Not an easy one to answer in just a few lines, I recently voted “Meh” to Lily Ray’s question on Google’s SGE, BUT I do like it! It’s “meh” because it’s good but not great and that’s not surprising as this is Version 1.0 of whatever SGE will be eventually before it’s launched to the masses. There’s no doubt it will be launched but in what iteration we don’t know yet. SGE is only open to those that want to take a look at it, it’s not open to the general public yet, so I’m not too worried about what we are currently seeing i.e. I am not panicking if my client does/does not display in results displayed by SGE—it’s nice when they do and interesting to see what does display when they don’t. As someone who’s been doing SEO for more than two decades, it’s great to have a new toy to play with. SGE (and Google’s Bard) is seeing constant updates and changes, so what we see this week can be different the following week. It’s an exhilarating time to be in the local search space, how will it change the landscape of local search and/or search in general? At this moment in time, depending on the search query, it dominates the top of the desktop/mobile search experience, users are going to either ignore it and think “what the hell is this” until they get familiar with it OR they won’t scroll down to the 10 blue links below, and the organic SERPs will be lost to many users forever… let’s just see where this ride takes us!

Conclusion: 

Overall, it looks like AI is a great tool to help SEOs manage processes, generate top-level ideas, and help structure content. But, we’re all clear that generative AI should not be a replacement for content creation. 

Additionally, SGE proves an exciting time for local search specifically, with a general sense of optimism around it. Let’s see what happens in the coming months! 

Google Business Profile and Maps Tests and Updates

New GBP Conversion Options Added to Google Ads

Google Ads has launched new conversion options which lead to Google Business Profiles. Users might see the option to add in GBP Call, Tracked Call, or Learn More conversions to their ad campaigns. 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Live Chat Availability Added to GBP

Want to chat with the business you’re searching for? Now’s your chance! (Sort of.) Google is testing a “Chat with live agent” button to some business profiles. It’s available if the business has Messages switched on, and are using a third-party tool. So if your business is hot on customer service, this could be a game-changer for you. 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Spotted: New Google Business Profile Tests

A number of new tests have been spotted on Google business profiles and Maps, including a box labeling sponsored listings on maps: 

Users have also seen a new label stating whenever your profile is ‘pending’ an edit. 

Plus, a new label in the Map Pack has also been found which shows the user that reviews aren’t verified. This label has previously been seen on the Reviews section of a GBP, but never on the Map Pack (until now!). 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

New Functionality to Share Recent Maps Searches

You might now be able to share a link to recent map searches! This new feature has been seen on Google Maps and gives the user the opportunity to share a link to a list of recent searches. For users, this is a great addition, but early days for businesses to see if it has any effect on performance. 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable 

Does Google Want to Prioritize Services in Maps?

A few local SEOs have noticed the Services button is now shown first in a search in Google Maps. Allie Margeson has advised “Google wants you to give searchers the answers in the search results. Don’t sleep on optimizing Services!”

“Services” as the first action button on a search in Google Maps – even more prominent than the call, website and directions CTAs. Google wants you to give searchers the answers in the search results. Don’t sleep on optimizing Services! pic.twitter.com/KqfAQsbamW

— Allie Margeson (@SeoAllie) May 17, 2023

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Google Is Testing an Image Slider for GBP Photos

It looks like Google is taking a leaf out of social media channels such as Instagram and LinkedIn’s book, with a test being spotted of a sliding carousel for images on business profiles. 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Bugs and Glitches

Another day, another Google bug. This time, you might have found your images are getting rejected; which, frankly, could be a bug… or it could be that your images are simply just rejected. This bug seems to come and go, so Near Media wrote a comprehensive guide on what to look out for if you think this is happening again. 

Source: Near Media

Users then found that editing posts and updates on Google left them with a blanked-out screen. Cue more confusion over another bug. 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

And if that wasn’t enough, users found that GBP wouldn’t let you invite new owners to your business profile, though now Google is on the case to fix this. 

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

One user has also found that even changing Owner to Primary Owner on the back-end of a GBP is glitching. Will this rigmarole ever end? 

Source: The Local Pack Facebook Group

Algorithm and Ranking changes

A month in search wouldn’t be complete without ranking changes and disruptions, potentially down to a change in algorithm. This month, local search experts found that there has been a significant drop in local packs, particularly on common terms which always used to generate local packs in results.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

What’s New in Local Search?

Incentivizing Reviews by Donating to Charity Is Not Allowed

In a recent post on The Local Pack, one user asked if donating money to charity in exchange for a review was allowed. Google Product Expert Joy Hawkins took this question straight to Google and found the answer for us. Spoiler alert: This is against Google’s guidelines. 

Source: Sterling Sky

Search Generative Experience (SGE)

Probably one of the biggest news updates this month (and we saved the best until last) is the launch of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).

What Google's Search Generative Experience Means for Local Search

Find out what SGE might mean for local search

Read More

At this month’s Google I/O conference, Google announced their new AI-assisted search which, as of May 25, was made available to users on a waitlist across the US. 

Having had a very quick play with local search queries, we’ve explored what SGE looks like for local search and what it might mean for local marketers. 

This time around, though, we wanted to do something a little different. So we hosted a stand in the exhibition area, complete with awesome swag to give away, a stand design that represented Brighton and our diverse local SEO community, and a game (Pin It to Win It) to play for the chance to win £5,000 to split between the winner and a charity of their choice). 

Thank you to everyone who came to see us, and a huge well done to everyone who played Pin It to Win It and took home a piece of BrightLocal swag. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! 

So Many Talks, So Little Time…

As always, BrightonSEO was full of SEO experts delivering talks on a variety of topics. Between us, we went to a number of inspiring talks and came out of the event having learned something new and practical to input into our daily marketing activity.

Here are some of our favorite talks, why we loved them, and why we think you will, too. 

Mike Hawkes

Senior Content Marketing Manager, BrightLocal

Cut the CRAPtions: How *real* captions can take your videos to the next level

Ahmed Khalifa, Digital Experience Manager and Owner, Hear Me Out! [CC] (@IamAhmedKhalifa)

Talking with real passion and humor, Ahmed used real-world examples to highlight just how bad closed captions on videos can be. With 40% of Netflix users using closed captions by choice, he emphasized just how important accuracy is.

You wouldn’t leave a spelling mistake or factual error in your social media posts, or on your blog, so why aren’t you correcting the errors that have been generated in your captions? If you’re not careful, you could be alienating your brand or even providing completely false information.

Not only that but when brands invest the proper time into their closed captions, they can make them truly impactful. This gives everyone a better experience of interacting with your brand and content.

How to turn an unloved corporate YouTube channel into a traffic generation machine

Phil Nottingham, Video Strategist (@PhilNottingham)

Phil talked everyone through some home truths about their forgettable and forlorn YouTube channels. What really hit home is the lack of time people put into their video content. Not only that but how they lump everything they create into one channel, no matter who they are targeting.

He covered using Google’s EEAT but made it more relevant for YouTube as EEAATT; Expertise, Authority, Aesthetics, Trustworthiness, and Thumbnail.

What a lot of it boils down to though, is not being afraid to make additional channels attached to your business that each target a specific area of your audience. Then, when you create that targeted content, do it in a way that really adds value. His presentation used specific examples that showcased how businesses could do this and is well worth checking out.

Jamie Pitman

Head of Content, BrightLocal

Where does equality fit in your marketing strategy?

Andi Jarvis, Founder, Eximo Marketing, (@AndiJarvis)

Andi’s talk on equality in marketing strategy was equal parts inspiring, eye-opening and entertaining. If you’re looking for ways to get buy-in from senior leadership to invest in more diverse thinking for your organisation, this is the talk for you.

Starting by reminding the agency staff in the audience that they’re all “weirdos” by pointing out that they’re often nothing like their target audience yet often think they are, Andi proceeded to prove that we all need to stop making assumptions about our markets and instead do some actual g*ddamn research.

Using stories from his time working in the whisky sector, Andi was able to show us all what the landscape of equality looks like, where marketers make dangerous assumptions, and most importantly, how we can go about proving the importance of equality and diversity in our marketing strategies.

Jenny Bernarde

Social and Community Manager, BrightLocal

Opportunity is knocking: How to identify growth and expansion opportunities with local SEO data

Amanda Jordan, Director of Digital Strategy, RicketyRoo (@amandatjordan)

Amanda’s talk was full of actionable advice. For anyone looking to expand their, or their client’s local business, there are a number of things to look out for and consider whilst making a business case for expansion.

Amanda drew out a solid process for local SEOs to run through; from finding the right market to narrowing down location opportunities, and winning over your client.

She shares the dos and don’ts for filtering locations, ways to identify opportunities for growth, and what to consider with competitors.

Google’s local knowledge panel – the CMS you never knew you had

Claire Carlile, Local Search Expert, BrightLocal (@clairecarlile)

Have you considered just how powerful Google’s local knowledge panel is? Claire Carlile looked at the different ways the local knowledge panel shares information about your business with your customer, and how to ‘log in’ to make crucial ‘edits’ when Google decides to share the wrong info.

Depending on your business category, Google pulls in data and information about your business from multiple sources. In her talk, Claire takes you through her experience with attempting to influence the local knowledge panel. Starting with the New Merchant Experience (NMX), working closely with Google’s support team, and finally using knowledge around schema to update information, Claire’s journey proves a fascinating inside into something we quite often look past!

Sammy Paget

Content Marketing Manager, BrightLocal

When links aren’t enough – showing the value of link acquisition beyond coverage and links

Isa Lavahun, Freelance Digital Strategist, Digital PR Services (@IsaLavs_)

As someone who has a lot to learn about digital PR and link building, I really liked the way Isa broke down the different ways you can present results and relevant metrics to different stakeholders. Isa also reinforced the importance of setting campaign objectives, which may sound obvious, but in the digital world, we can get very caught up with chasing links!

There were some great tips for building an outreach list, and the talk highlighted the importance of aiming for a variety of Authority, Diversity, Quality, and Relevance—essentially, yes you want to aim for authoritative and relevant links, but you should also be putting efforts into diversifying and tapping into potential new audiences.

Abigail Leow

Content & Marketing Executive, BrightLocal

Neuroscience of Search 

Giulia Panozzo, neuroscientive, (@SequinsNsearch)

In her talk, Giulia used her fascinating background in neuroscience to bring a new perspective to SEO. Diving into some of the core principles of human psychology, Giulia described the science behind our brain’s processing mechanisms to remind marketers who it is that they’re optimizing for: the users.

Emphasizing the importance of heuristics in decision-making, social proof, and the role of emotions, Giulia led the audience through some of the key psychological principles to keep in mind when optimizing your business’s site.

A passionate and knowledgeable speaker, Giulia’s talk presented a fascinating side of SEO in an approachable, digestible way, offering a glimpse into one of the key factors marketers should—but often forget to—consider when optimizing.

It’s okay to feel like this. We know there are some experiences working as a local SEO freelancer, consultant, or agency that cause a great deal of stress. However, there are also really great experiences that can make you truly enjoy work. 

These are what we call ‘green flags’; the signs you might see in a potential client that indicates whether the two of you are a good match and if there’s potential for a strong working partnership.

1. The client follows your onboarding process to a tee

The clients who collaborate with your onboarding processes effectively are the ones to look out for. 

They don’t ghost you for a few days when they’re meant to be giving you access to their Google Business Profile and Google Analytics account, and they don’t ask about cancellation processes as soon as they’ve signed up.

In our Facebook group, The Local Pack, Melanie Diehl shared one of her big lessons from the past year. 

“If the client asks about the cancellation clause DURING THE ONBOARDING CALL, don’t be surprised when they cancel before the contract period ends.”

Melanie Diehl shared her learnings from the past year. 

2. They don’t shy away from telling you their budget and their long-term business goals

They don’t try to get your price down or get you to do more work for less money. They don’t err on the side of caution when it comes to marketing budgets or suggests they might only have enough budget to pay for a short SEO campaign.

They’re willing to invest in marketing and they understand how essential local SEO is to their business. It’s great when a client is open with their plans and wants you to join them for the ride. 

3. They show they trust you and your local SEO skills 

It’s great when a client is genuinely trusting of your skills. They respect your experience and the success you’ve had with other clients. They’re excited about how you can help them. 

They might share an idea or two, but they don’t tell you how to do your job. They give you a clear brief and are open to hearing about your priorities and strategy for their local SEO campaign. They listen to what you say and implement your findings. 

Marina Milutinović also shared her experience in our Facebook group, saying she loves when clients participate in the work they do: 

“We can always do research on our own but their input is really important. And it has happened before that when we suggest improvements they ignore them and just stick to their methods that haven’t really brought any benefits.”

Marina Milutinović explains what she looks for in a client. 

It’s also great when the client commits to collaborating with you.

Reuben Colazo shared his positive experience with clients, saying:

“[It’s great] when they work with you to form a system for gathering content (ie. photos) as well as taking your instructions on how and what to ask for in a review. I generally tell them that as a behind-the-scenes person, some of these things are out of my control so it’s up to them to help grease the system and keep it moving. Oh yeah, and immediate trust is nice.” 

Reuben Colazo explains how he works with clients. 

4. They wait for your updated monthly reports about project progress

We know that SEO is a slow game, but do our clients? The best clients don’t ask why they’re not number one in the map pack after two weeks but show they’re interested in the work you’re doing to get them there in the meantime. 

In a recent post on The Local Pack, we learned some awesome ways to get clients on your side with reporting progress.

Stefan Janjić Lozo suggests: 

“Schedule a 30 min call once a week, two weeks, or a month, depending on the size of the project. That way you walk them through the progress for the previous period. There is no need to report back to the client every few days.”

Stefan Janjić Lozo gives his suggestion to managing client expectations on progress.

Magen Hyatt also shared:

“I have an initial setup meeting where we set the expectations that this is long term and we can’t expect instant results so it’s a process. I think most people just think you’ll do a few things and then they’ll show up in a search if they weren’t before or that they’ll move to the local pack immediately, but we know that isn’t the case. If you’re upfront initially with what is involved and the long-term plan/goals I find that those clients settle down and better understand what they are paying for and all that you’re doing.” 

Magen Hyatt gives another great example to setting expectations with clients. 

5. They genuinely show interest in you as a person, and support your business

They treat you as a human and understand your limitations, your work schedule, and you as a person. They’re not calling at all hours, demanding you answer their questions. They enjoy your catchup meetings with you and demonstrate good rapport. They might even give you a testimonial to say how amazing your work is.

When a client has a positive attitude, you know they’ll be easy to work with! 

6. They respond to your emails quickly and efficiently (and they pay their bills on time!) 

It’s great when you get a timely response from your clients, and you’re not spending all of your retainer time chasing them for the answers you need. They answer your questions without going around them and help you make quick decisions about what you need from them.

A bonus is that they pay their bills on time, so you can actually eat and pay your rent that month! 

What do you think? 

What are the green flags you look out for when signing a new local SEO client? Share your ideas in The Local Pack! We’d love to hear from you. 

With talks around SEO and data, content, careers, and more, it was an amazing day full of knowledge and inspiration. 

During the day, our roving reporters took the tiny microphone to hear the big ideas from those at the event. We asked everyone to share their top tips and advice for SEO at the moment.

Here’s what they had to say…