Richard Beverly's Blog

On Tuesday, January 19th, eagle-eyed SEO Brodie Clark spotted that Google Posts older than seven days were appearing in the local business Knowledge Panel.� Nice one for Local SEOs to be aware of. Now seeing standard Posts appears from months back by default. Would show for 7 days previously, then “expire†and become hidden behind the ‘view all’ button. Glad to see more visibility given to Posts – this change makes sense IMO. pic.twitter.com/H3pQTDG5qH — Brodie Clark (@brodieseo) January 20, 2021 As Brodie mentions, Posts created within Google My Business are now showcased on the business profile, even if they’re months old. In local SEO, we’re used to seeing lots of tests, changes, and updates to Google My Business and its features, but this is arguably the biggest bit of GMB news so far this year. What are Google Posts? First things first, let’s remind you just what Google Posts are (if you’re familiar with them already, skip ahead to the news! ) Introduc

Since May last year, we’ve been releasing Local Quizness every month to help test your knowledge of the previous month’s news. This month, instead of looking back at December’s stories, we’ve created The Quiz of the Year 2020. Twice the size of the monthly quizzes, the jumbo quiz explores the biggest local marketing stories to come out of 2020, so you can be certain you have all the knowledge needed to be successful in 2021. Test your memory in the quiz below, and as always, you can share your score on Twitter using #LocalQuizness . We’ve also compiled a list of every story covered in the quiz so that you can catch up on any news you may have missed. Quiz of the Year 2020 Resources BrightLocal – The State of Local Search 2021 [WEBINAR] BrightLocal – The Year in Local Search 2020 Search Engine Land – Listings that earn featured snippets will not repeat on the first page of Google search Search Engine Land – New local SERP live in Europe BrightLocal – GMB Features Suspended Due

Now that 2020 is well and truly behind us, we can begin looking forward to bigger, better things. That’s right folks, the time is once again upon us to bring out our BrightLocal crystal ball and enlist some of the local search community’s most well-loved experts to help us with some local SEO predictions for the coming year.� But, before we get started thinking about what’s to come for 2021, how did our experts fare with what they predicted in 2020 ? Reflecting on 2020’s Local SEO Predictions A lot happened in 2020 , but how many of our experts’ local SEO predictions came true?  Unfortunately, a lot of our pros had hoped 2020 would see a reduction in spam, but with the introduction of new Covid-19 support, resources, and features, plus limited Google My Business support, it seems Google had other things besides spam-fighting to keep them busy… My prediction for 2020 was right — Google figured it out and eliminated spam! Just kidding — I really said that “I think sp

There’s no doubt content is key to both ranking high in local search and generating more leads, but there’s a lot of mixed messages about the best ways to approach this. And often what ranks and what converts can be very different beasts. Luckily, we’ve enlisted Sterling Sky’s content creating champion Carrie Hill to get answers to questions such as should local businesses be blogging regularly? What kind of content coverts? And what do you do if great content isn’t ranking? On this episode, Carrie reveals her secrets to make the words (and leads!) flow. Listen to learn: How to do effective content research How to ensure content doesn’t just rank, but also converts The mistakes to avoid when creating content The methods Carrie uses to make writing much easier Listen to the episode Subscribe today If you want instant access to the latest episodes, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen and subscribe on Spotify

2020 has nearly come to an end (cue sighs of relief!)� While this year presented many challenges, especially for local businesses, it also created the opportunity for triumph. Google My Business introduced more new features than ever, and we saw the good side of many organizations that strived to provide extra resources and relief to those in need. Although we may all be glad to see the back of what’s been a pretty hectic year, we’d be remiss not to look back on all the exciting things that have taken place. For us, it’s been a year filled with GMB news, updates, and changes, and we even had some laughs along the way too, ( Four Season Total Landscaping anyone?) So, before we say “so long†to 2020 for good, we invite you to join us in reflecting upon the year in local search. What would a year in review be without GIFs? Keep your eyes peeled throughout and let us know how many TV shows or films you recognized in the below! January Suffice to say, the year started out

As we approach Christmas, there seems to be no let-up in the fast pace of updates and tests in Google My Business. At BrightLocal, we may have been busy releasing a detailed piece of research , a complete guide to local SEO and an entire learning Academy , but that won’t stop us catching you up on the goings-on around Google My Business over the past month. Between official updates, rumored tests and new features, there’s a lot to cover, so strap in! Google launches Small Business Advisors program In Mid-November, Google served up a new program designed to assist small businesses in the United States with their online marketing (using Google tools throughout, naturally).� For $39.99 per session, a small business owner can discuss a maximum of two Google tools with an official advisor, and get the tips they need to perform better online using those tools. Wondering who’s eligible for the SBA program? Google says it’s specifically designed for business owners who: Feel overwh

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and are thrilled to announce the arrival of BrightLocal Academy ; a free online school dedicated to teaching you all about local SEO. Built with busy professionals in mind, it will help you to: Make the most of the time you have to learn with short interactive videos. Fill your knowledge gaps by letting you learn what you want, when you want to. Make what you learn really stick, through regular quizzes. Stand out from the crowd with certificates you can add to your CV or LinkedIn profile. � The first course we’re launching is Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal which uses the power of interactive content to guide you through the theory of local SEO and shows you how to put its awesome powers into practice with confidence.  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!  We’ve got some other great courses from