Richard Beverly's Blog

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