Richard Beverly's Blog

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

How many of February’s biggest local marketing news stories did you spot? Answer our quick-fire 10 question quiz to test your knowledge of last month’s news, and catch up on any stories you might have missed so you can feel certain you’re up-to-date on all of the news that matters.  And, if you wanted to show off your score, you can do that over on Twitter using #LocalQuizness .  To refresh your memory of February’s news, take a look at the linked stories below.  Search Engine Land – Google My Business adds messaging to desktop interface Tom Waddington on Twitter – Available online filter showing for some SAB search results Search Engine Roundtable – Google Maps Spam Efforts Lead To Removal Of Reviews & Business Profiles TechCrunch – Yelp puts trust and safety in the spotlight BBC News – Facebook and Google news law passed in Australia BrightLocal – Are We Experiencing a Local Algorithm Update? [Local RankFlux Data – February 2021] Yelp – Yelp Releases New Restaurant Pr

30-second summary: Search equity allows for your average business owner to compete on the SERP without being impeded by a lack of SEO-knowledge A more equitable SERP is a necessity for Google from a business and overall web-health perspective Google is pushing for equity on the SERP to a far greater extent The democratization of the SERP represents an enormous paradigm shift that brings certain SEO skills to the fore What would happen if instead of having to jump through hoops to rank your new website, you were given a seat at the SERP straight away? Presumably, that would cause all sorts of havoc for SEO professionals. What if I told you that there’s a strong push at Google to do just that? I call it “search equity”. It’s Google trying to remove optimization barriers so site owners (aka business owners) can focus on creating great content and reap the benefits of it.  It’s a move that I think Google is pushing hard for and has already taken steps towards.  What is search equi

Google is currently putting together the final changes for a search algorithm update that they’ve announced will land in May 2021 .  The update is being called the Page Experience update because of its focus on usability rather than things like keywords or search relevance. Google has already provided some information on the update, which aims to measure and potentially rank the experience that a user encounters when visiting a page. The fact that Google have given so much warning about the update says all you need to know about how seriously to take it. We know it’ll impact organic search results but as of yet, there’s no word on whether there will be any specific impact on Google My Business rankings. Although this update is due to hit the algorithm in May, there’s no reason not to get ahead of it now and ask yourself,  “what will the Page Experience update mean for my local SEO efforts?” Here we’ll look at how the update will work and provide some clear and actionable steps to h

Claim your listing on the new BrightLocal Agency Directory to begin generating leads from businesses that are searching for help with digital marketing right now. Every week, BrightLocal’s Customer Success team receives requests for recommendations of top-rated agencies that can help our local business customers with their digital marketing. And, just as often, we receive requests from agencies and consultants to be added to our legacy lists of Top SEO Agencies. We wanted to help bridge this gap between businesses in need of digital marketing assistance and the many talented agencies and freelancers operating in the US and actively seeking new leads.  Introducing the Agency Directory   Today, we launched the Agency Directory – an in-depth directory of digital marketing agencies and consultants offering services including local SEO, PPC, SEO, and web design, in 1,000 cities in the USA*.  A listing on the Agency Directory allows you to show off the key business information that p

30-second summary: Reviews are absolutely crucial to a business’s success and need to be acknowledged. Engagement with consumers will positively benefit your business and bring in more reviews in the future. Staying honest with your reviews will pay off in the long run. Take most reviews as honest opinions about your business and work to build on them for a better consumer experience. When a busy day means dinner will be takeout instead of home-cooked, chances are you don’t simply choose a restaurant at random. Most likely, you’ll use Google or Yelp to search for data on locations or types of food, and then, most importantly, you’ll look at customer reviews. With tacos on your mind, you may look for a casual Mexican restaurant or fast food. But what if it has less than four stars on Yelp? Scenarios like these have become part of daily life in the communities being served by almost any brand you market. Reviews and web exposure Customer reviews have played a significant role in

We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of Local Search Grid , a brand-new local rankings tool from BrightLocal that allows you to see the bigger picture of search. Without further ado, here’s how awesome it looks. Snazzy, right? There’s a lot I could say about Local Search Grid and what this new tool means for your search strategy (and I will!) but for now I’ll let our launch video do the talking: If that’s piqued your interest and you want to start using Local Search Grid right away, simply: Log in to your BrightLocal account Select a Location from your Clients & Locations dashboard Click ‘Rankings’ in the Location Sidebar menu Click ‘Local Search Grid’ in the dropdown that appears Want to know more before you dive in? Read on to find out just how Local Search Grid gives you better insights, for better decisions than ever before. Local Search has evolved If you’re using a rank tracker like our own Local Search Rank Checker , you’ll know how it works: Plug