Richard Beverly's Blog

Keyword research is one of the most important activities in SEO, and should be at the top of any priority list when it comes to digital marketing.  For any beginners, keyword research is the process of finding the words that potential customers use to find solutions to their problems.  Essentially, every time somebody searches the internet, they are using keywords.  This means that keyword research is a prerequisite for building an effective local SEO and content strategy. If you don’t know the types of terms people are searching for, how are you going to plan and write content that attracts and converts them? There are also things specific to local SEO that will help take localized organic performance to new heights.  How to Master Local Keyword Research Which is why we’re proud to announce the next free course to land in BrightLocal Academy : “How to Master Local Keyword Research”. This highly-practical course has been created in collaboration with local search expert Claire Ca

Approximately 22% of customers will leave a business after receiving just one negative review, whereas around three negative reviews can drive away 59% of customers. Reviews assist consumers in making quick decisions about purchases in their research by providing a clear picture of your company. Studies show that of businesses who respond to bad reviews, 33% turn around and post a good review, and 34% delete the original negative review . Whether a review is good or bad, it makes sense to respond. When someone leaves a negative review about your company, it can be really difficult to know how to respond. There are many ways you could handle the situation, but one of the best responses is simply asking for more information and trying to find out what went wrong. Despite your natural feeling of frustration, make your best effort to remedy the situation. Resolve the problem by apologizing and repairing it. If you resolve the issue, many customers will be happy to change their reviews.

You’ve probably noticed that things look a little different around here. That’s because we’ve just launched our new brand identity! Taking our brand forward We’re big believers in the power of brand, which is why we’ve continued to invest in ours over the years. We’re confident that we have one of the most recognized and trusted brands in local SEO, but as with everything we do, we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We have a restless nature that urges us to always question what could be improved and how we can do things better. This isn’t the first time we’ve refreshed our brand. After all, we exist in an industry that is constantly evolving. Sitting still is not an option. Our business is constantly evolving, too. In the years since we last refreshed our brand identity, we’ve welcomed over 70 new faces to the BrightLocal team and expanded our offering with Local Search Grid , Showcase Reviews , BrightLocal Academy , BrightLocal Agency Directory , Local RankFlux , and much mor

Want to find out why your competitor’s page is No. 1 in Google organic SERPs? Well, now you can! (To the extent that Google is willing to tell you, anyway.) That’s because Google yesterday announced a feature that shows a selection of reasons for ranking individual pages in SERPs, bringing some much-needed transparency to search. via GIPHY Source: Google This feature is a section called ‘Your search & this result’ but it doesn’t have a catchy name yet, so we’re calling it the ‘Ranking Factors Box’, simply because, well, it’s a box that displays ranking factors! The Ranking Factors Box is an extension of the ‘About this result’ box, which is accessible by clicking the ‘three vertical dots’ at the end of a search result and was originally launched back in February of this year . Where is the Ranking Factors Box currently live? According to Barry Schwartz’s excellent overview for Search Engine Land , the feature is currently live for around 10% of English-language queries in t

In the months since we launched Local Search Grid, we’ve been hard at work adding new functionality and updates to make it the de facto geo grid of choice. Alongside the usual, subtle quality-of-life updates you’re not supposed to notice, we’ve launched some big new features that take understanding and improving your local search performance to the next level. Here’s why there’s never been a better time to put your rankings on the map! New Key Metrics in Competitor Tables One of the really neat things you can do with Local Search Grid is to track your competitors and find out why their Google My Business profiles might be winning in local SERPs. You can view the business category they’re using on GMB, see the number of reviews and their average review rating, and find out where you might have an angle to beat them. We’ve since added two key on-site SEO metrics to this table, number of backlinks and website Domain Authority , so competitor espionage can uncover more routes to win

30-second summary: Search engines are laser-focused on improving user experience and voice search plays an increasingly key role With 100+ global languages, people are prone to searching in their native language How do you optimize your website for multilingual search while keeping a natural and conversational tone? Atul Jindal accurately guides you through the process Google is now recognizing 119 different languages on voice search. Which is great for user experience. But it makes ranking a bit more challenging for website owners, especially those who host multi-linguistic traffic. Website owners must act to cater to these people who are taking a different linguistic approach to search. That’s where multilingual SEO comes in, done with voice search in mind. But before we begin digging deeper into multilingual SEO for voice search, let us first introduce the search of the future aka multilingual voice search. What is Multilingual Voice Search? With the evolution of technolo

We’re delighted to announce that Claire Carlile has joined BrightLocal as our in-house Local Search Expert. Claire’s one of the most respected and well-loved people in the local search industry, always bringing a wealth of first-hand experience and unique perspectives to the content she produces and the wisdom she shares. A rare breed, Claire combines a deep understanding of local search and digital with extensive knowledge of the fundamentals of marketing. She boasts an envious academic background in marketing which allows her to approach projects with a strategic and research-driven mindset. We took notice of the great content Claire was creating a couple of years back and jumped at the chance to get her involved in our own content initiatives. Earlier this year, Claire created an amazing course for BrightLocal Academy . We loved what she delivered. The local search community loved what she delivered. This is a brilliant course that just launched today by @clairecarlile I

Improving and measuring customer loyalty is crucial for every business in gaining visibility and profit – allowing businesses to not only retain loyal customers for the long-term, but capitalize on this to attract new customers. But when Covid-19 restrictions began, the importance of customer loyalty became even more apparent. Consumer spending was at an all-time low globally , meaning word-of-mouth recommendations and repeat purchases became crucial for many businesses. 66% of consumers would keep buying from their preferred brand, even if that company is competing against a “more innovative” business, showing how powerful consumer loyalty can be.  In this article, we’ll explore 6 tactics you can use to boost your brand’s customer experience and build brand advocates that last once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. 1. Offer Quality Omnichannel Customer Service 24/7 Omnichannel customer service refers to collecting information and data about individual consumers across various eng

The midway point of the year isn’t far off, and it’s safe to say that a lot has gone on in local SEO already this year.  So far in 2021, we’ve seen big changes to Google Posts , updates to review summaries in Google My Business (GMB), high scores from Local RankFlux , and 2-Packs showing on Google mobile results . But, in the past couple of months alone even more tests and updates have been impacting GMB. In this GMB news roundup, we take a look at the biggest headlines affecting local SEOs recently. Think we’ve left something out? Put it in the down below! Competitor quotes in GMB Messaging It’s often recommended that businesses make use of GMB’s Messaging feature to better communicate with customers. But you might want to hold your horses. LocalU shared  that when searchers reached out via GMB Messaging, quotes from competitors were being shared. So, if you’ve got messaging switched on in your profile, you could be unwittingly sharing competitor information with your potent

Great news for agencies and brands managing 100+ locations: you can now set up custom plans for Local Search Grid credits! This means no more repetitive, manual purchasing of additional credits for businesses using this powerful tool at considerable scale. What’s New? Since launching Local Search Grid in February of this year, we’ve spoken to dozens of agency and brand customers who were excited to use the tool, but were unable to make it work with their otherwise fully-customized BrightLocal Enterprise plans . Now that Local Search Grid has been added to these custom plans, no matter how many Grid Points, keywords, Locations or reports you need each month, you can easily set up recurring, automated purchases of the required credits by speaking to the Enterprise team . Not sure how many credits you’ll need for your required reports? Just want to get some recommendations from an expert? No problem! The Enterprise team will be able to configure your custom plan to make sure you’re g

The pandemic has taken its toll on businesses across the globe, particularly local businesses that rely on regular footfall. During this time, it’s been more important than ever to have a solid digital strategy and gain visibility online. Here, Jonathan Birch, Creative Director at Glass Digital, shares six ways local businesses can ensure they’re seen online and excel at marketing during Covid-19. With Covid-19 driving businesses into online-only approaches , it’s vital for local businesses to use digital channels to keep their audiences in the know. But, as well as keeping the discussion open, it’s also important that local businesses prepare to make the changes needed to compete in this quickly changing new landscape.  While for some that means making a totally new move to selling online, for others it may mean tweaking their SEO strategy to adapt to customers’ current needs and wants as driven by the pandemic. In this article I will be sharing six of the top ways your local busin

The world of local marketing never stands still, and staying on top of the trends can take its toll.  That’s why we created Local Quizness – a monthly quiz to help you recap the biggest stories affecting local businesses and marketers. Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions – and rest assured you’re aware of the news that matters most. Happy with your score? Share this on Twitter using the hashtag #LocalQuizness ! If there are any you missed, check out all the links below: Local U – Google Testing Mobile SERPs With No 3-Packs BrightLocal – Local 2-Packs Spotted in Google Mobile SERPs Search Engine Roundtable – Google My Business Review Removal Request Status Tool Local RankFlux Search Engine Roundtable – Large Unconfirmed Google Local Search Algorithm Update Yesterday Search Engine Land – Google Hotel search showing free listings in results Local U – Why You Should Think Twice About Activating GMB Messaging CNN – Angie’s List changes its name in a complete rebranding Lo

Google’s Local 3-Pack might soon be a Local 2-Pack (on mobile at least). This week, Joy Hawkins at Local U (via Mariano Rodriguez from  LawRank ) shared findings of 2-Packs being spotted in local search results on mobile.  Since the news was first shared, more and more people have reported seeing a set of just two results when performing local searches on mobile. Seeing a 2-pack on Android Mobile. Anyone else? #localseo pic.twitter.com/bpICh5W2tX — Ben Fisher (@TheSocialDude) March 30, 2021   Both Android and iPhone users are being presented with 2-Pack results: I’ve been seeing it on iPhone/safari: pic.twitter.com/ArBEDQuzJ2 — Frank Olivo (@FrancoOlivo) March 31, 2021 What’s new? When performing a local search, users are usually presented with three top results. This is referred to as the ‘Local Pack’ or the ‘3-Pack’. Here’s how that usually looks on mobile: Now, we’re seeing results on mobile where just two businesses are present. What do we know? This news, which

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a new BrightLocal Academy module all about how to use our latest tool: Local Search Grid . The module is called Put Your Rankings on the Map With Local Search Grid and is part of the ‘ Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal’ course. It includes lessons on: How to uncover deeper ranking insights How to set up a report to get the insights you need How to spot opportunities for growth and get ahead of the competition The module also has two short quizzes to test your knowledge and understanding. What is the ‘Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal’ course about? The ‘Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal’ course uses the power of interactive content to guide you through the theory of local SEO and shows you how to tackle it more effectively using BrightLocal. So if you’re not sure where to start with BrightLocal, or want to uncover new insights in your data to improve results quicker, then this is the course for you!  How can I ac