Richard Beverly's Blog

On this month’s episode of ‘Adventures in Local Marketing’, we spoke with Ben Fisher of Steady Demand . Ben is one of only two officially-recognized Platinum Product Experts on Google My Business, so this was an amazing opportunity to find out: The basics you have to get right in Google My Business The ongoing activities every marketer should be performing Ben’s tips to give you a competitive advantage Ben also shared his backstory in SEO, which dates back to 1994 – four years before Google was even founded! With no playbooks to follow at the time, Ben explains how experimentation was key to success back then and how it still rings true today. Finally, we dived into Darren Shaw’s recently revealed Local Search Ranking Factors Survey (of which Ben was a participant), to find out Ben’s reaction to the findings and his biggest takeaways. Listen to the episode Resources Hungry for more Google My Business advice and insights? These should keep you busy. Read our write-up of Loca

Advance Your Agency is a BrightLocal series designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge and advice necessary to take your agency operations to the next level.� This month we focus on pricing, something that can be a thorny and difficult issue for all kinds of agencies. Contents Introduction Retainers vs Project Work vs Daily/Hourly Rate Retainer Project Work Daily/Hourly Rate How to Decide What to Charge for Local SEO Use the Local Search Industry Survey 2020 as a baseline What can you learn from the location of your client base? What’s your specialism (and do you even need one)? What are your competitors charging? How to Put Together a Pricing Plan for Local SEO Be realistic: make sure your services and pricing are scalable Consider using a plans-based pricing model Include competitor comparisons Other Frequently Asked Questions on Local SEO Pricing Should I offer loss leaders? When should I start to upsell my clients on other services? Can I just

Ranking for local searches requires focus on a combination of different local SEO ranking factors. With Google’s local algorithm relying on so many different signals, it can be hard to know where to spend your time to maximize your chances of ranking highly. Getting a local business to rank highly on search engines is becoming much more difficult. Local SEO has become increasingly competitive as more and more businesses recognize that they need to optimize for local searches – both for the local pack, and for localized organic rankings. At Whitespark’s Local Search Summit in September 2020, Darren Shaw announced the initial findings of his latest Local Search Ranking Factors survey. This near-annual survey was first created by David Mihm over a decade ago, and polls around 50 local SEO experts, asking for their opinions on which activities and factors impact local business rankings. The previous edition was published�on Moz in 2018. Contents In this article, we’ll explore the mo

With years of experience in both SEO and digital marketing, Steve Wiideman is a trusted pro in his field. In this article, he explains how you can rank in Google Maps – one of the most powerful platforms in local search.� To maximize keyword rankings in Google Maps and Map Packs , a business must set up and continuously nurture four primary local SEO focus areas that include: business data, local landing pages, off-page visibility, and online reputation.  Contents How the Google Maps Ranking Algorithm Works Managing the Accuracy of Business Data Optimizing Local Landing Pages Improving Off-page Visibility Improving Online Reputation Scaling Local SEO for Multiple Locations Final Thoughts How the Google Maps Ranking Algorithm Works It’s important to address that not all users of Google Maps are looking for a business. Some users are looking for a quick route home — for example, a park or landmark, or any non-commercial location for directions or general information.  For

Every month, we challenge our readers to test their understanding of the latest local marketing news. Try out our quick-fire quiz of all of the biggest news stories in August, and find out how much of the month’s news you retained! Answer the 10 questions below, and please don’t feel disheartened if you don’t score a perfect 10! We’ve shared links to all of the stories included in this month’s quiz so you can be sure you’re up to date. Create your own user feedback survey If you’re particularly proud of your score, or want to see how others fared, share your results on Twitter using #LocalQuizness . And if you wanted to brush up on any of August’s news, check out the full reading list: Search Engine Roundtable – Big Google Search Update Rolling Out Now – August 10th Search Engine Roundtable – Google On August 15th Search Issue Street Fight – Google My Business Search and Engagement Trends Define the Next Normal Local U – GMB Attribute Badges Now Visible on Desktop Local U – G

When you think of reputation, what do you think of? It’s a good bet that online reviews will spring immediately to mind. Little wonder, given how vital they are to local businesses today and how much they influence the opinions and actions of potential customers. The truth is, reputation marketing for local businesses goes well beyond the humble consumer review… It isn’t just about proactively taking steps to acquire online reviews and responding to them across various platforms. It isn’t just ensuring you always put your best ‘public’ foot forward on social media with carefully curated content and updates. It isn’t just sending out a PR to celebrate a great case study, award or endorsement, or networking with reporters to be mentioned in articles or on TV. Reputation marketing is the broader overall strategy which sets out how each of those micro actions will be conducted and directed, with each considered in line with how the organization wishes to be perceived. It encompasses a

We Asked the Experts is a series designed to provide you with the most relevant insights from local search experts. Each month we’ll cover a different question and share insights from key figures in the local SEO community in an effort to help you further your knowledge and strategy. We Asked the Experts is back with a new task to tackle and some new expert local SEOs to share their insights! This time around we’re tackling Google My Business — considered a key source of visibility and leads for local businesses – and more specifically, how to make your Google My Business listing more clickable. Attributes, posts, photos, reviews, and beyond – there’s a lot to tackle when it comes to Google My Business , and it can be hard to know where to begin. Hopefully, our experts can help to simplify the process, as they share how to make Google My Business listings more exciting, more engaging, and more ‘clickable’.� Read on to hear how our roster of local marketing pros would approach Goo