Richard Beverly's Blog

As some of you may have noticed over the last few months, BrightLocal has undergone some visual upgrades (including the color scheme update that went live in our toolset today). These surface changes are more than just about looking good—they are the result of a year-long project looking into how we could improve our brand to enhance user experience. As part of the project, we looked at many aspects of our brand (more on those below), including color. Color plays such an important role across the BrightLocal brand, presenting actionable insights and information, and allowing customers to gain understanding quickly. Looking at the BrightLocal palette, it was immediately apparent that information was sometimes hard to read. When we also discovered that 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women suffer from Color Vision Deficiency , we started researching how we could combine color and information to enhance user experience for all of our customers.  The result is an entirely new color palet...

This September, iPhone users around the world were treated to the arrival of iOS 15. This much-anticipated update delivered on a number of promises from Apple, such as: Security enhancements Bug fixes Changes to the interface New features and functions Improvements to native apps When it comes to app improvements, Apple Maps users have not been left behind by iOS 15. There are noteworthy developments for local SEOs to be aware of. These improvements to the Maps app have prompted some in the tech industry to declare that Apple could finally be offering a worthy alternative to Google Maps. “Far from the fiasco of a launch it experienced in 2012, Apple Maps has recovered to become a legitimate challenger to Google Maps” – Neuf.tv “Apple Maps hot on the heels of Google Maps with new iOS 15 updates” – T3.com The Google Maps vs Apple Maps battle has been ongoing for many years, with the consensus generally being that Google has remained the champion throughout. However, the App...

This September, iPhone users around the world were treated to the arrival of iOS 15. This much-anticipated update delivered on a number of promises from Apple, such as: Security enhancements Bug fixes Changes to the interface New features and functions Improvements to native apps When it comes to app improvements, Apple Maps users have not been left behind by iOS 15. There are noteworthy developments for local SEOs to be aware of. These improvements to the Maps app have prompted some in the tech industry to declare that Apple could finally be offering a worthy alternative to Google Maps. “Far from the fiasco of a launch it experienced in 2012, Apple Maps has recovered to become a legitimate challenger to Google Maps” – Neuf.tv “Apple Maps hot on the heels of Google Maps with new iOS 15 updates” – T3.com The Google Maps vs Apple Maps battle has been ongoing for many years, with the consensus generally being that Google has remained the champion throughout. However, the App...

Understanding the competitive landscape is a key part of any marketing activity, and local search is no different. To learn how to beat your local competitors in search, you don’t just need to find out who’s beating you, but crucially why. This is where Local Search Grid ‘s competitor tables come in: each one provides you with an overview of how well your local pack rivals are performing in key SEO metrics like citations and reviews. Beyond these objective performance metrics, though, it’s worth keeping a close eye on the Google My Business (GMB) categories your competitors are using. Why? Because the categories you select have the chance to significantly impact the relevance of your business to searches. Did You Know? According to research carried out in 2020 , ‘Primary GMB Category’ and ‘Additional GMB Categories’ are considered two of the top five most important ranking factors in local search results… and the former is Number One! Local Search Grid has always done a great jo...

30-second summary: Following pandemic-driven shopping trends, lots of local businesses had to explore online marketing opportunities Google offers a few great ways for a local business to get found through organic search Local 3 Pack is Google’s search element containing top three local businesses based on your search query. To rank in the Local 3 Pack you need to ensure your Google My Business listing is complete and active Third-party local business listings (like Yelp and Tripadvisor) may also drive some organic search visibility so it is a good idea to claim your business there Hyperlocal content may help your business discovered by people who were not even searching to buy a local product or service, so produce relevant content on a regular basis Local marketing has become even a more trending topic, following the pandemic-driven pandemic. Lots of local businesses that used to rely on local foot traffic were forced to turn to the Internet to get found by customers. That...

 I’ll let you into a little secret. If you’re super-duper into local SEO, and you’re not already attending LocalU Advanced you’re missing a trick. This is where the top minds and actual practitioners in the space get together and share ALL-NEW content including research, case studies, how-tos, and much, much more. I got the chance to attend the last event on August 31, and, as always, I bloody loved it. So much that I wrote up the key takeaways from my favorite talks from Joy Hawkins , Rachel Anderson , Greg Gifford , Dana DiTomaso so that you can enjoy them too! Joy Hawkins: Make Your Images Worth a Thousand Words Ah, I do love Sterling Sky’s Joy Hawkins , I always get some great takeaways any time I listen to her speak, and using images more effectively is something I’m always looking to upskill on! Joy starts by summing up three objectives for having great images: Look better Rank better Get more leads Let’s start with ‘Look better’ Marketers often forget to check ho...

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 sear...