Local Marketing Institute Podcast

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google Maps rolls out reviewer nicknames.
Google LSA adds “get competitive quotes” and “request multiple opinions” buttons.
Gemini 3 AI mode rolled out.
GhatGPT uses Google for Atlas browser.
Semrush acquired by Adobe for 1.9 billion.
Extortion attempts for GBPs on the rise.
How do I resolve my “pending edits” faster?
What causes a website’s url to change to an OEM url?
Are there any new developments in AI in Local Search?
Should I turn on messaging for WhatsApp in my GBP?
Why does changing my address for an SAB not trigger reverification after moving to a different state?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

When will Q&As no longer be available?
How do I make videos to advertise my products on social media?
How do I prevent an old GBP showing up on results after moving locations if I don’t have access to the GBP?
How do I get customers to pay for higher priced items?
Is it possible to have a separate GBP for another business at the same address if there are no suite numbers?
What are some insights from the 2026 local ranking factor report?
Can a hybrid SAB with a verified visible location verify a second location with a hidden address?
Will Google filter out a GBP if there are different types of doctors at the same location?
Will Google restrict my reviews if to incentivize employees to get customers to leave reviews by offering rewards?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

LSA removes guarantee badge.
AI assistants prefer to cite fresh content.
Study says only 1% of users click on AI citation links.
Top web domains cited by LLMs.
Microsoft CoPilot and ChatGPT offers Google Maps for local sources.
Review recency impacting ranking.
Can I have two GBP listings at the same address?
What are some ways to incorporate AI into your workflow for efficiency?
Should I use an AI agent to help improve visibility?
Are the product carousels showing up differently on Android vs. Apple?
How do I remove spam reviews on Facebook?
What should I do when the review reporting form doesn’t work?
Does the “popular times” section in GBP influence rankings?
Are there any problems related to not being able to receive new reviews?
How do you get refunds for bad leads from LSA?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Optimize Bing AI search by following SEO guidelines.
What should I do if my domain host doesn’t support Wordpress sites?
Is there any impact on Local SEO from the June 2025 core update?
Is there an updated list of trigger words that cause Google Posts to fail?
How do I do video verification if I have a Service Area Business?
What should I do if Google denies relevant business categories for my GBP?
Is having products on Law Firm listings helpful?
Will sharing my ChatGPT chat potentially help with SEO?
Has the visibility on car dealerships been affected since AI mode was introduced?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

New GBP feature for restaurants to highlight specials.
Users of Claude find out how to get citations from it.
AI overview increases, traffic for Local Search decreases.
Internet Marketing Ninjas acquired by Previsible.
Google asks for chat number when setting up new GBP.
Is there a way to accept Google updates en masse?
What should I do if my SAB verification has been pending for weeks?
Is GBP no longer accepting utility bills?
How do I get verified quickly?
How do I add the direct booking option to my GBP?
What causes a listing to be suspended before it has the opportunity to get verified?
What should I do if I got suspended because of a DBA name change?
What is the average wait time for a human response/review from Google regarding the suspension of a profile?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Bug causes knowledge panel to go missing on GBP.
What should I do if a former employee hijacks my GBP and makes changes?
How do I make sure I show up in local AI search?
What are some best practices for local heat map software or competitor analysis?
How do I get access to a GBP?
Do hotels and villas qualify for a GBP?
Are GBP Activities similar to GBP Posts?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

AI analysis for GBP reviews in Google Chrome.
Google sends information edit rejection notices for GBP.
Google tests replacing local map pack with AI overview.
Can you get positive reviews from a community event if they didn’t do business with you?
Why did my GBP get unverified when I changed the primary category?
Are certain industries harder to get approved by Google for an SAB in a residential address?
Is it important that customers don’t leave reviews while connected to the location’s wifi?
Can I get a suspension turned over with only one document?
How do I use AI, and what tools should I use?
Why are reviews not showing up in my GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Reviews for schools are going away.
Q&A feature is being removed.
Meta keywords impact ranking!?
What should I do if my Phone number verification code won’t go through?
How do I know why my verification was taken away if Google won’t tell me?
If I’ve switched from brick and mortar to service area business, is it safe to hide my address on my GBP?
How can you tell if a review is not within guidelines?
How do I get reviews to show up on my GBP?
Is reverification being triggered because of making changes on a new account?
How do I get hours to show for another department without having to click on “more hours”?
Is there a fix for things showing up as obsolete when requesting access through the agency dashboard?
How do I create a successful GBP post?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google sues for fake listings.
What should I do if my video verification doesn’t go through?
Does adding the address to the website footer help with rankings?
How do I remove spam reviews from my GBP?
Why won’t GBP let me add a website?
What should I do if I’ve been suspended and my appeals have been denied?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google Map pin attacks exploit has finally been fixed.
Chat through Text and WhatsApp has been implemented into GBP.
China rolls out DeepSeek AI chatbot.
New fast way to get access request for SABs in Google Maps.
Google search launches “Ask for me” AI that calls businesses for you.
What is the new chat feature?
How do I remove spam reviews from my GBP?
What should I do if my reinstatement appeal has been rejected multiple times?
If I’m closing one location, is it possible to merge the profile of the closing location with the other in order to keep the reviews?
Can I verify a GBP if the location is at a residential sober living home without signage?
Why is my GBP not showing up in search results?
How can I shift my business into a new name and category without getting suspended?
How does the new “Ask for me” AI work?
Does adding backlinks to the schema "sameAs" code work?
Should I link to my GBP from my blog?
Are there resources for the process of uploading internal 360 virtual tours to GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Can the issues of one GBP cause problems by association if it’s on an agency dashboard?
If I’m closing one location, is it possible to merge the profile of the closing location with the other in order to keep the reviews?
What should I do if I can’t find a GBP listing because the owner deactivated the email account attached to it?
Is there a way to do bulk verifications?
What tools are good for managing lots of clients?
Can I have two listings at the same address with the same category if I have separate signage, phone numbers and staff?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP car dealer map pack study released on searchlab digital.
If I can’t get reinstated after appealing, is there no other option than to create a new listing and merge it?
How should I document reviews to submit to Google if there happens to be a problem?
How do I get rid of a duplicate listing that is unclaimed and unverified?
Will creating a better bureau listing for a GBP help with visibility?
Should I register a new suite number for a building with multiple GBPs at the same suite number?
How do I move reviews from a GBP at one location over to a GBP at another location?
Does the difference between 3.9 star reviews and 4.0 star reviews matter?
Can I have a separate GBP for a separate home business?
Can I move reviews from a deleted GBP?
If a GBP gets suspended, should I appeal it, or make a new one?
When is it safe to make changes and edits to a GBP?
What are the best practices when making changes to a business name to avoid suspension?
If a GBP was accidentally claimed by trying to set up a new one, will I lose content if I lost access as a manager?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

ChatGPT launches SearchGPT.
You can now select multiple reviews to report with Google Reviews tool.
What can I do to get my missing reviews back after several months?
How do I create a second GBP for a business inside a business by the same owner without getting suspended?
What should I do if my reviews are stuck in pending?
How do I prove that links help with rank?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

FTC new rules on fake reviews are now in effect.
AI overwriting business descriptions.
Local Service Ads will soon require a Google Business Profile.
How do I rescue a GBP that got suspended for breaking guidelines?
How do I claim ownership of a Service Area Business?
Is it possible to have GBPs for multiple businesses at the same address?
How do I get rid of bad reviews from non-customers?
Do I need to be on site at the business location to film for video verification?
How do I resolve a suspension caused by a name change from an unknown user?
Is there anything I can do to further the verification process while it’s pending?
Should I split my business into two entities to increase ranking?
Can I get suspended from making GBP posts?
What do I need for my GBP to have multiple businesses at one location?
How do I make sure the right category comes up in search?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP appeals are no longer delayed.
LSA review links are going away.
Google confirms Exif data does not affect ranking.
Should I change my business name through the GBP dashboard or the API?
What are some good resources on if backlinks still work?
What are the best tools for Geogrid ranking?
Why is my GBP category not showing?
If I switch to a new SEO company, will I lose progress I made with the old one?
What should I do if my edits have been pending for weeks?
What is the ‘show business address to customer’ slider meant for?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP appeal delays for longer than normal.
Google Local Services Ads review links expire.
Can you nest a service department under the primary sales profile if the service department is in a different location?
What should I do if I missed the GBP suspension notice email?
Why is Google Maps showing the wrong location when the address is correct?
Is Yelp Connect worthwhile for update features?
How do I remove reviews that violate GBP guidelines?
What should I do if I get suspended trying to fix a Google Map pin attack?
Does embedding Google Maps into my website help me rank better?
How can I avoid my images getting flagged?
How many reviews a day will get Google’s attention for possible deletion?
Does making too many edits on my GBP cause suspension?
Are customers allowed to leave identical reviews?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

FTC announces final rule on banning fake reviews.
GBP reinstatements may be severely backlogged.
How do I get Google to recognize my missing reviews?
How do I geotag my photos?
Should I expand my open hours to improve visibility?
Is there a list of GBP categories that are blocked from reviews?
Why would someone offer to write free five-star reviews for my company?
How do I deal with the SAB address change “bug”?
Does geotagging images on my website impact SEO ranking?
Why do my Product descriptions on my GBP keep getting overwritten?
Does anyone still use locations.kml?
Is it worth setting up an agency account?
Why do some childcare places allow reviews and others don’t?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP Fields that impact ranking.
Consumer alerts appearing on GBP listings.
Google update states verification videos disappear from GBP after a certain amount of time.
How do I get primary ownership of my GBP?
How do I recover deleted GBP pages?
What are the “dos” and “don’ts” for internal linking on a single location local business website?
Should I put blog posts on my website’s homepage?
How do I encourage reviews for a mental health clinic without compromising patient confidentiality?
Why am I getting errors after trying to upload more than 10 Q&A’s to clients’ GBPs?
Should I focus on Yelp listings since Perplexity AI serves local on Yelp?
Why are images being rejected from my GBP?
Is keyword stuffing still a thing, or is Google cracking down on it?
Is there documentation to qualify for map icons on Google Maps?
What is the difference in category for “Dental Clinic” vs. “Dentist”?
Has Google done anything to counter pin moving in Google Maps by nefarious actors?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Upcoming LocalU events in 2024.
AI overview descriptions showing up on GBP.
Google Maps tests QR codes on GBP.
Local Service Ads on Google Maps for iOS.
Google Maps fake engagement policy update.
Google Map Pin moving attacks leaves GBPs vulnerable to suspension.
Google Algorithm leak.
Does Google give more support to those who pay more for advertisers?
Have there been any changes to the reinstatement process?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP now allows you to select a preferred menu source.
OpenAI plans to release a new search engine.
Google tests local-only results for searches “near me”.
How do you update the order link on a car dealership GBP?
How do I acquire worthwhile backlinks?
How do I get the best output from AI image generation software?
Are apartment buildings eligible for GBP?
What should I do if I got suspended for changing branding of a gas station?
Will having AI generated images on my GBP trigger a suspension?
Can I rearrange the product section on my GBP?
What should I do if a business says it’s “located in” my business when it’s not?
How do I take down Service Area Businesses GBP locations that were created solely for SEO?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Upcoming Local U events in 2024.
Teaser for upcoming changes to a yet unknown GBP category.
GBP multi-media manager interface has been streamlined.
How do I get a negative review from a competitor removed?
Is it acceptable to use AI generated images in a Google Post?
Can I transfer reviews from an old deleted GBP to a new one?
How do I tell if a GBP listing is keyword stuffing?
What should I do if an edit is verified, but still pending?
How do I get my ads sponsored on Google Maps?
Are kiosks allowed to have GBP listings?
Will changing the name on my GBP affect my rankings?
What should I do if the Post Office refuses to add a suite for my business, and my GBP gets suspended?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

New GBP suspension appeal process fully rolled out.
New Re-review precess for if you fail the appeal.
Should I extend GBP hours beyond actual business hours to increase search visibility?
Is it worth it to manage Apple Maps listings?
Why has my GBP been suspended right after verification?
Is it possible to have two locations for one business show up in search when searching for the company name?
What should I do if I receive a request for ownership transfer?
Are GBP Posts going away?
Why aren’t all my locations showing up when I do a branded search?
Is it possible to combine GBPs and transfer reviews to one GBP?
What do I do if I purchased a company but Google won’t verify the location?
Should I make a GBP for each of my locations if they are in the same city?
How does the Google update affect leads and rankings?
Can I set up a GBP for a service that does tele-health calls?
Is Google Search Console useful for tracking click-through rate?
Is an organic listing as important for local search?
Is using 24/7 for a call center high risk for suspension?
How do I change a tracking number without triggering a suspension?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

New reinstatement process rolled out.
Google shuts down GBP websites.
Should I use several categories for my GBP?
Why is a Google phone number showing up in my GBP?
Why can’t I add updates or posts on my GBP?
How do I get reinstated if I can’t put up permanent signage?
Does a co-working space qualify for a GBP?
Why am I getting emails from Google about changing my business name?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

New Verticals for Local Services Ads.
The State of Local Search 2024 webinar on January 10th.
GBP Q&A section has been moved down to the bottom of the profile.
How do I stop GBP from correcting the business name to an old name?
How do I legitimately claim a second location for a Service Area Business?
Does a 1 star review that doesn’t have any text still affect your ratings?
Will adding a UTM to a GBP cause suspension?
Is postcard verification still viable?
Is it okay to use a photo that is already in the listing photos or is that considered duplicate?
What is a no-follow link?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP agency dashboard bug prevents accepting invites.
Keyboards and mouse can cause suspension.
New Ranking Factor based on “openness”.
How do I know if leads are coming from ads or from organic ranking?
How do I fix a GBP I’ve acquired that has lots of bad reviews?
Is is possible to have 30 categories on my GBP?
How do I avoid suspension when I move locations?
Should I add text to photos in a post?
Are GBP entries with the note “Own this business” unclaimed?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google sends notifications to Google Business Profiles on reviews and suspensions.
Verification bug for new GBPs.
Google launches a “small business” attribute.
Google adds new “activities” section to GBP.
If a reinstatement email comes in a no-reply email, what should I do next?
Does Google allow emojis to be used in reviews?
What does it mean if Google gives me all three verification options?
How can I reclaim an old GBP if I’ve forgotten the email?
Can I verify a GBP before the location is built?
What are verification options other than video verification?
What should I do if Google won’t remove a negative review from a competitor?
Does it matter the order in which additional categories are added to a GBP?
If an address has had issues with fake GBPs in the past, will that affect verification for the current legitimate account?
Should I add service areas to my GBP?
Why is the chat button appearing on my GBP when I don’t have chat turned on?
What should I do if I don’t have access to my Service Area Business account?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Bright Local’s SEO house of horrors for Friday the 13th.
You can now text message Google Local Services Ads leads.
Google tests a lite version of Search Generative Experience.
Google SGE can now create images and text.
How do I change the address when I go from brick and mortar to a Service Area Business?
Should I use Yext?
What is the difference between Suggest an Edit and using a redressal form?
How do I delete a duplicate listing?
Should I add EV Charging as a category?
Is a band eligible for a GBP?
Does the order of additional categories on a GBP matter?
Are the metrics from GBP insights still inaccurate?
Is there any benefit to using Apple Business Connect’s Showcase feature?
Is there a way to check interaction with website clicks from Apple Maps in GA?
Is there a way to see a list of all GBP listings at an address?
Do citations matter for ranking?
Should I move my ecommerce site to my main website?
How do I not get suspended if I am changing my business name and moving locations?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google Maps tests third party reviews.
New reinstatement process for GBP.
Are the AI features in GBP new?
Is AI useful for things like GBP posts and metadata?
Can I use an SAB for a virtual service?
How do I resolve a suspension due to suspicious activity from another account with access?
Do I qualify for a GBP if I’m not allowed signage at my location?
If you are strictly a service area can you verify residential addresses?
How do you un-verify a duplicate listing?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

You can now edit social media links in GBP.
Google adds links to Search Generative Experience .
Google shares SGE feedback and expands to Japan and India.
Bug with photos for desktop users.
How do I add new locations in my GBP?
Is Google unverifying practitioner listings?
Why can’t I add pictures to a Google Post?
Why is the chat feature not showing up?
How do I have multiple services on multiple location pages?
When will Google roll out SGE to the general public?
Is adding in information for auto-complete addresses in maps new?
Is it an issue to have the same social media links for several different locations on separate GBPs?
In the health care field, is it better to set up a listing as a practice or practitioner?
How do you optimize secondary categories so that you rank for associated terms for "near me"?
If I manage an AdWords account with disapproved ads, can that effect the GBP profiles that I manage with the same email?
If a past client/lead contacts you through Local Service Ads and you are charged for it, are you able to dispute it with Google?
Will email verification for SABs become more common?
How do I access my GBP when it has been suspended for “suspicious activity”?
Why does Google not show a positive review?
How long does it take for a GBP listing marked as permanently closed to disappear from search results?
Where do you add the social links on GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Local Services Ads adds new categories.
New appeal form for rejected images and videos on GBP.
New image guidelines for Local Services Ads.
New GPB attribute of “are dogs allowed”.
Is Google removing reviews?
Google adds social media links for GBP.
What should I do if I’m not getting verified even with a live call?
How do I remove incorrect information from my GBP?
Is there a way to continuously strengthen the ranks in Google Maps?
What should I do if I want to move to a new location?
Is the option for the GBP website builder gone?
Is Google going to remove the ability for Services to add products?
Why can’t I see anything on the right side of the screen when I log onto GBP?
What should I do if I upload a video that doesn’t get approved?
Should I focus on building up my Apple Business Connect?
How do I access my GBP when there’s been a change in ownership?
How do I improve the location pin on Google Maps?
How do optimize for geo-specific locations when proximity isn’t a factor?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

New categories in Local Services Ads.
Google adds a ‘view as customer’ link to GBP dashboard.
“Local SEO for Good” online fundraiser by Bright Local coming up on August 30-31.
How do you manage multiple listings for a business?
What’s the best way to advertise on Google Ads?
If there’s no predefined service for a category should we add them to match the services listed on our website?
If I have a home business is it okay to use my home address?
Is there a problem with reposting a GBP post at a later date?
Google seems to be ignoring the redressal forms I’ve submitted for fake businesses - what should I do?
Do Google Reviews fall off because of age?
Between Bing Places and Apple Business Connect, which is better?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

View Details

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google reveals charity incentivized reviews are not allowed.
Google adds implicit code execution and export tables to Google Sheets.
Is there a way to force a video for a cover photo?
Will email verification become more common?
Is the Pointy app useful for adding products to my GBP?
Is my GBP at risk of being suspended if I have the city in my business name?
Why is my business marked as “temporarily closed”?
If my GBP got suspended because of changes, should I get it reinstated, or try with a new listing?
Are Google AI search results good?
How can I use GBP with two churches in the same building?
What should I do if Google Ads isn’t accepting my business because the name isn’t the same as the domain?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Bing is now the default web scraper for ChatGPT.
Bing updates character limits for prompts to 4000 characters.
Google rolls out new Search Generative Experience (SGE) AI.
Google’s Bard now has images.
GPB Services are now being displayed on desktop.
Health Care providers need to fill out insurance information for GBP.
Does Apple Maps get its data from Yelp?
Is Bing relevant?
Why do my GBP services keep changing?
How do illegitimate listings manage to rank so high?
How do I reinstate a suspended SAB when the appeal has been rejected?
What are the best practices for uploading videos to GBP?
Will there be sponsored results within SGE?
Does posting on socials help with ranking?
What level of access is best to manage GBP as an agency - manager or owner?
How should you deal with a duplicate if your listing is suspended and a new duplicate popped up?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Bing Chat will be showing referrer analytics data.
Google sending texts to validate GBP.
Local search ranking factors survey results.
Do changes to my GBP impact local organic rankings?
Is there a way to reclaim a permanently closed listing?
How much weight does a website redirect hold on affecting local rankings?
Are there GBPs getting verified without any verification method?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Local search developments in Q1.
Local search ranking factors survey results have been released.
Steady Demand is hiring SEO specialists.
Looking for examples of AI review responses.
OpenAI gives opportunity to block ChatGPT on your website.
How do I get my homepage to rank primarily in one location if I have multiple locations?
Is it more difficult to merge duplicate listings if one is an SAB and one is brick-and-mortar?
What should I do if Google keeps resetting my address after verifying a new one?
Why isn’t there a verification process to submit business licenses?
Is there such a thing as voice search optimization?
Are there more legitimate reviews being filtered for SAB than brick-and-mortar?
How do I do video verification for an SAB?
What should I do if my GBP says I’m located inside a building when I’m not?
What do I do if my question isn’t being answered in the community forum?
Will I get better support if I move to an agency GBP account?
Do check ins help ranking in an area?
How long does it take to get video verification approved?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Profiles not being visible in the In Search Experience bug is now fixed.
What is the role of the Better Business Bureau in the business ecosystem?
What is the BBB’s relationship with Google?
What is the BBB customer complaint resolution process?
How does the BBB know a complaint is not a hired hand from a competitor?
What is the recommended set up process for a new business to apply to the BBB?
How does the BBB protect ethical business?
If the BBB uncovers unethical practices done by a business, how is that handled?
Do BBB listings for an SAB have to be paid to have authority?
Is there a way to use Google Takeout to download data from one location in an organizational account?
How do I get my business listed on the first page of Google?
When reporting a spam redressal form, does it matter which email address is used to submit?
Can I ask and answer with the same account for an FAQ page?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Bing Chat keynote clarifies AI won’t replace SEO.
Profile strength indicator bug has been fixed.
Why are reviews not showing up?
Are product features gone or limited to business/categories?
What should I do if I can’t use postcard verification?
How can I get access to chat support for GBP?
What should I do if my GBP gets suspended because of my address, even though it hasn’t been an issue in the past?
If I switch from a location based business to Service Area Business, will switching back trigger a new verification?
When adding an attribute, if you check ‘yes’ or ‘no, you can’t uncheck it - is this a problem?
If I’m already using Toronto as a keyword on my website, should I add Canada as well for more reach?
Can I create a separate GBP for a different vertical under the same business name, but with different suites?
Will having dedicated pages for certain areas help me rank?
How do you add departments to GBP?
Is there a way to set up a GBP for a nonprofit that rents space from another local business?
Will changing the name of my business affect traffic?
Has there been issues with postcard verification recently?
How do I get my account bulk verified?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Pubcon and LocalU in Dallas conventions in 2023.
New BrightLocal consumer review survey is out.
Bing beta AI chat is being slowly rolled out.
How should a company with branches all over the country approach Local SEO?
What are the best local SEO agencies to apply to in the US?
If I switch from a location based business to Service Area Business, will switching back trigger a new verification?
How do text notifications work on a GBP?
Is there a bug with the “own this business?” link on GBP?
Does video verification work for SABs that use a home address?
How do I optimize my homepage for SEO?
How do you update an appointment link within the new GBP interface?
Is GBP going to become monetized?
Should I show my address if I do B2B services?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Any vehicle with a VIN is now eligible to display in GBP in the US.
Google Posts insights are officially deprecated.
You can now post videos on Google Reviews.
Personal injury spam networks are back.
Google announces AI chat based search.
Should I use GMB or GBP in the url when implementing UTM tracking?
If I want to add new services to my business, should I add the categories to the existing one, or should I create a new business?
What should I do if the Q&A shows the answers are from a manager account instead of the primary business owner?
How do I verify listings on Apple Business Connect?
What should I do if the threads on the forum are locked?
How do I go about ranking when a competitor has the knowledge panel?
How is a business removing legitimate negative reviews?
How do I claim my profile if my Gmail has been shut down?
Will changing my name and domain affect my search results?
Are the new Google Analytics good?
How do I report spam reviews and spam locations?
How can I get access to chat support for GBP?
What should I do if Google says my profile information is incomplete, but there is nothing to update?
Where can I find the option to set the preferred provider for online ordering at a restaurant?
What are some good resources for creating a Apple Business Connect account as a third-party?
Is it possible to change the ‘popular times’ and ‘wait times’ for a restaurant on GBP?
If I have multiple services in the same category labeled as separate businesses, should I consolidate or keep them separate?
Does Google take reviews down after ten years?
How do I get a duplicate listing removed?
If a business has two listings, one with the business name, and one with the business and doctor’s name, is this within the guidelines?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google has added UGC content restrictions.
New Apple Business Connect.
State of Local Search event in 2023.
GBP posts are gone.
Rising stars in SEO.
Companies scamming Local Services Ads PSA.
Can you have multiple GBPs for the same business?
How do I change my profile picture on GBP?
Is call tracking good to use?
How do I verify my GBP with Search Console?
What part will ChatGPT play in creating content for local businesses?
Why am I not receiving my verification postcard?
Where do I go to get the block removed for reviews?
Why cant I add my website to my GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

2023 predictions.
Upcoming events in 2023.
Local Services Ads has added a dentists category.
How do I set up services under GBP categories?
Which features in GBP are harder to find in the In Search Experience?
Why can’t I get to the old GBP dashboard even with multiple listings?
Why am I not getting emails from Suggest and Edits?
What should I do about LSA spam?
Should I use the AI ChatGPT?
How do I use GA4 analytics?
Is it okay to use the Q&A from GBP on my website?
Is there a greater chance of GBP suspension when making edits as a 'Manager' as opposed to an 'Owner"?
Why is my GBP not getting verified if everything on the GBP is compliant with the guidelines?
Can you have profiles combined?
Is there anyway to see all of the photos you have already uploaded?
Should I trust companies who guarantee removal of bad reviews?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses and local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Business can be removed from Google Maps and deleted.
Timeline for suspension is now 24 hours.
LocalU events to come in 2023.
Offer posts are available on Google Maps.
Visual guides for In Search Experience available. (related link)
Studies on local guides and reviews. (related link)
Product post no longer allow price ranges.
Are duplicate blog posts hurting traffic to my website?
Is there something that explains how they aggregate data of photo views in GBP?
Why has my ranking on Local Falcon gone down?
Does having a slash and non-slash URL hurt SEO?
How do I use SEO to recover from bad press?
Do products show up in insights?
Which URL should I use to track categories for a multi-location business?
What else can I do to boost my GBP ranking when my website is fully optimized?
Should I use a Spanish homepage for tracking?
What should I do if I want to rebrand and there is a previous GBP listing that hasn't been claimed?
Does using 360 photos help with visibility in Google Maps?
Does using Local Service Ads help me rank quickly?
Is there any benefit to reposting a Google Review as a Google Post on GBP?
Why can't I list my website on my GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Local SEO and Marketing Q&A Session with Guest Host Yan Gilbert December 2, 2022

Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Search Engine Roundtable posted article about 19 years of the search industry.
Test going on for review sentiment.
Google is suing over fake review solicitors.
Sterling Sky study – longer reviews are better.
New GBP Interface – similar in looks to mobile search.
GBP Reinstatements are now usually given within 24-48 hours.
Why are current gas prices being shown for some gas stations on searches but not for my client?
What should I do about missing reviews and unable to leave reviews?
Can your Google ranking crash from too many reviews?
Why isn't my client's branded pin showing their logo?
What should I do about a client's Before and After photos in GBP not being shown together?
Is it OK to change the primary description, cover photo and description for a business that changes seasonally?
How can I help my client show up in the Local Packs as “provides franchise lawyers”?
Is there any easy way to get back to the old quarterly GBP insights reporting dashboard? I’ve been taking snapshots of these for years.
Legitimate reviews not showing up - what causes this?
I thought that you should not do reviews from the same IP address like the store location?
Is it now “100% safe” to edit GBP listings without fear of suspensions? Is that former suspension issue totally resolved?
Can you give links to the forum?
What's the safest way to clear the address of clients who have given their home address for their business?
Is there any type of dilution when you add too many services under categories on GBP? Not keyword stuffing but similar services.
What should I do about misspellings for services that have been fixed on the website but keep showing up on Google?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google continues fixing suspension issues.
New In Search Experience now fully available.
Why are my Products being rearranged on my GBP?
Is there any benefit to posting more than once a week?
Can I use the agency dashboard to be invited by a suspended account?
How do I make Google Posts more engaging?
What type of page should I implement structured data for local business?
What should I do if my profile is considered a duplicate?
Is it okay to use emojis in GBP listing names?
Why are my listings being marked as permanently closed?
How do I send a maps link for the reinstatement form when I can’t capture it with In Search Experience?
I can no longer crop photos for posts because of In Search Experience - will that functionality be added back in?
Is there a way to see who has edit access on your listing with In Search Experience?
Google is changing primary categories - will I risk suspension if I change it back?
I got suspended for a duplicate listing and haven't heard back from Google after sending documentation - what should I do?
Do keywords in reviews impact ranking for those keywords?
Is the SERP feature the only way to edit GBP now?
Is it ok to use animated Gifs in the GBP services or products area ?
Why are Local Service Ad leads dropping?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google has fixed problems with GBPs being suspended.
New review issue of losing reviews daily.
Online availability is now searchable.
Possible new feature of Google highlighting keywords in reviews.
What should I do if Google won’t let me reinstate because they think I’m an online business when I’m not?
How do I get GBP verification in a remote location?
What should I do if my GBP has been disabled?
How do I get a branded map pin in Google Maps?
What is the turnaround time for reinstatements?
Will adding Service Area Business to my GBP cause me to get suspended?
For a single location business, will adding a second location allow me access to the dashboard again?
Is incentivising customers to change their reviews a violation of the new review guidelines?
Are there any reliable landing page automation solutions for big scale MLB's?
Why are independent car dealers showing up at the top of search more so than big franchises?
If I am targeting multiple verticals for web design but want to target a specific one, should I use my home page for that?
How should I structure my urls for nearby cities?
My GBP says that I can’t add a phone number - how do I add a phone number without getting an error message?
What should I do if I’m getting spammed with fake reviews?
Fake map listings are being spammed around my business using variations of the business name - what should I do?
What should I do if my ranking suddenly drops?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Covid 19 attributes on GBP are going away.
Incentivizing review removal on GBP is not allowed.
Google addressing SAB issues.
What should I do if lists like Yelp are out performing me in ranking?
What should I do if Google misplaces a service under the wrong category?
How do I create a GBP for stylists at one location?
Is Geofencing beneficial?
What categories fit experiential marketing, and would local SEO be more beneficial for it?
Has the issue of missing Google reviews been resolved?
Why am I getting errors when uploading photos to GBP?
Is there a way to add text to an image in In-Search Experience?
Is video verification now the number 1 verification method?
Is my SAB being suspended because of a bug?
Will copying GBP reviews to my website violate terms of service?
Why is my GBP being banned when my profile is clean?
If I have moved locations and decided to keep the old one, what should I do with the unused verification code?
How do I prove that a listing on Google maps is spam?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Local Service Ads testing new layouts.
All profiles can now be viewed in web search results.
Google testing captions on business photos.
Local Service Ads tests to allow you to exclude areas.
Does a 360 tour help in local and organic rankings?
Why is Google pausing my Local Service Ads?
Does pausing ads for a short period of time affect the amount of leads I get?
What information should I include on schema markup for SAB?
What should I do if I can’t add a website or phone number to my GBP?
If I am planning on expanding my services, is it better to add them to my existing GBP or create an additional one?
What should I do if I can’t get to the GBP dashboard even with multiple listings?
If I come to the community with a question is there a way to reach someone directly?
How should I respond to bad reviews?
Are former employees allowed to leave negative GBP reviews?
Is it normal for businesses to ask you for additional information about your experience in your review?
I changed my address and got suspended - what should I do?
Can I link to a page with a bad ssl warning?
I have a new GBP and my reviews aren’t showing - what should I do?
If the GBP dashboard is still available for GBPs with multiple listings, is it the same for agency accounts?
Is uploading videos from YouTube to your GBP now considered spam?
If someone leaves a one star review on GBP with no comment, are they technically untouchable?
What should I do if I haven’t received my address verification postcard even after trying multiple times?
Should I use UTM tracking in GBPM for more accurate information?
Does using ISearchFrom or other search tools change your ranking?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

LocalU conference highlights.
New terminology for discussing missing review bugs.
Duplicate content in posts now falls under spam.
Local Service Ad Spam issues.
My GBP has been disabled because of address issues - what should I do before requesting a reinstatement?
What should I do if a service appears under a different business’s name at another address?
How should I deal with spam locations when Google won’t do anything about it?
Should I have separate websites for different locations, when one location offers less services?
How do I block crawler sites and ghosts spam sites from messing up tracking dashboards?
What are some budgeting tips for link building?
Links to my website on GBP have disappeared - is this a bug?
What is the best practice for dealing with clients who only provide stock photos?
Since the GBP Dashboard is gone for accounts with only 1 business, when a 2nd business is verified, does the dashboard come back?
I want my homepage to target law firms, but I also do web-design for other verticals - how do I optimize for both?
Should I reply to 1 star reviews with no content that appear to be spam?
How do I set realistic expectations for a client who is expecting me to remove reviews that look like genuine grievances from their customers?
Why can some restaurants add "Products" and some can't?
I was a Google Local Guide who was recently banned. How do I get reinstated?
How do I deal with a competitor that has three companies at the same location in the same suite?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Google testing new local cards, reviews carousel, and review tab.
Missing reviews update.
Why are my posts being automatically rejected?
What can I do about the delay on reinstatements?
Should I ask a customer to leave a Google review while they are still in the store?
New waiting period for new owners and managers.
Are backlinking services worth the money?
Why are suggested edits under review for weeks?
Can car charging stations have GBPs?
Will using a website designed template theme hurt you and is it a waste to use them?
We have many backlinks on our local service business' website from strange sites. How do you know which ones to disavow or if they are not hurting anything?
How do I rank well in the Google Carousel?
How do you change the Social Profile on a GBP?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Missing reviews survey.
Product post bug.
Justifications are showing up on Google Maps.
WhiteSpark developes duplicate finder.
What more can I do besides optimizing websites and getting good reviews to become more successful?
Is it possible to get a listing to rank in multiple categories?
Should I set up a new GBP for a new service I’m adding to my business?
Has there been an increase in GBP suspensions recently?
Is it possible to merge a business listing and a practitioner listing?
Should I have a separate practitioner listing in addition to an office listing?
Can you run a plumbing business out of your home and show the address or does not showing the address make a difference in ranking?
Can I have multiple GBP listings at different locations with only one website?
Is there a legitimate way to suspend my own GBP profile so it no longer displays anywhere?
How do I rank in nearby cities in addition to the city in which the business is located?
Is there any way to find out what the address is on a SAB when I control the GBP?
Should I have my business name followed by my personal name on GBP when I go by my personal name on LinkedIn?
If I have a template website do I need a different one for SEO?
Would Google allow Real Estate Brokers to own the GBP of their agents?
Should I use a tracking number for a location with two businesses and only one phone number?
At an address with lots of businesses with the same category, should I switch to a home address and SAB?
What should I do if I don’t get confirmation emails of redressal forms when reporting a spam listing?
How do I delete departments in GBP if I have no access?
When updating my listings and key citations after moving locations from a local agency, should I use my home address?
What are the effects if the business changed its name but everything else remains the same?
If a practitioner has a GBP and the practice/business also has a GBP, where would you suggest users place their reviews?
What should I do if GBP keeps directing me to claim a duplicate one?
What should I do if my business doesn’t show up when searching the business name, but does with a generic one?
What should I focus on in my homepage when I have several categories I can rank for?
Does a permanently closed business eventually disappear from the listings?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

What are some best practices when trying to rank a GBP with two locations in different cities with the same toll free number?
How can a company with low monetary commitment in Google ads compete with businesses that that pay a large amount?
How do you verify a GBP that is an event and not a business?
Should I use different names for personal, business and LinkedIn accounts, and how should I categorize my business?
How do I verify my GBP when the current information is wrong?
Should you build links directly to your GBP listing?
How do I get my ranking to go back up after moving my website from one host to another?
Do handouts, postcards or business cards help get reviews, and should we link directly to GBP review page or website review landing page?
Any advice for getting reviews for a local business that also services a national client-base?
How do you remove an incorrect GBP listing that was setup by someone not affiliated with our company?
What value is there in adding extensive information in the GBP Services section?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Changes to brand accounts.
How do I verify my GBP when I have incorrect information that can’t be updated?
If I set up a Google profile and don't have an address, can I choose a method of verification other than postcard?
How should I set up the location page on my GBP for best results?
Can I create my own Google review link generator?
Is it better to select one business category over multiple on GBP?
How do I get rid of non legitimate GBP accounts created by a separate marketing company that doesn’t exist anymore?
Offer posts now showing up on the deals tab.
My location isn’t labeled on Google maps but shows up in search - should I worry about it?
Posts seem to last longer than they used to - should I be deleting old posts? 34:10
Google keeps changing "Dine-in" to "No dine-in" which is hurting the business. What can I do to "lock in" the correct "Dine-in?
How do I remove a negative review?
If there are 2 SABs with the same address & owner, but different phone numbers & websites, and different (but related) primary categories, are their GBP's OK?
I manage a number of franchise based GBP listings. There is little to no control over the websites and citations outside of Yext are not allowed. Any suggestions on what can be done?
Do Q&As help your GBP, and if so, do you have any advice on getting people to do that in a white hat manner?
What are your thoughts on service pages when they do not have a physical address in that city, but offer their services in that city?
Is switching primary category and/or adding or deleting categories okay depending on the season?
I’m having issues where a post will always be rejected if it includes any pictures at all, and this has been going on for over a year - would it be better to create a new listing?
I have a five star rating but the review isn’t showing - is it possible that the links in the review are causing the problem?

Links

Greg’s Brighton SEO presentation
Brand account changes
Insurance provider sources
How to use City Pages
Local Content Silos
Whitespark Google review link generator
Offer posts in ‘deals’ tab
How to respond to bad reviews

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

AI can now update your GBP.
New categories for Local Service Ads.
Google Support contact options are back - chat and call support.
Vicinity update fixes.
Google In-store Products can help increase your GBP ranking.
Google reviews aren’t showing up even though I can see them in the alert email - what should I do?
We have really inconsistent results with Google Local Service Ads. Is there anything we can do with GBP other than accurate info?
Any updates to Business Messages?
Has anyone ever set up a a local business directory to get links from other local businesses or would that be considered spam?
Google keeps changing "Dine-in" to "No dine-in" which is hurting my business. What can I do to "lock in" the correct "Dine-in?"
I have a client who had reviews disappear or never show up, and Google support says there is nothing they can do to bring them back - is there anything to do about this?
My Restoration client would like to expand their hours to 24 hour services. Will that get me a suspension on my GBP?
Can the tone of a 5 star review (ie. enthusiastic, specific information) make a difference in business ranking more than bland reviews?
Does the Get Quote button only show for contractors? What categories get the ‘Get Quote’ button?
I used to use my personal name for LinkedIn, but have now rebranded. Does my LinkedIn profile have to match all the other platforms and GBP?
How can I show varied hours on my GBP such as closing early because of slow business?

Links

Google AI article
Google Support
Local U
Google In-store products

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Rumors of ranking coming back from algo update.
New GBP appointment links.
How do you change the address on an SAB profile?
Could a husband and wife owned business be considered women owned?
We’ve uncovered some 3rd party services attempting to verify our GBP listing at our call center. How do you deal with these calls?
GBP brings back chat/phone support.
What local SEO tools and services should I subscribe to?
If you have an official name with a DBA name in parentheses on your GBP, does this affect ranking?
Does having too many categories dilute your ranking?
Are links still essential these days?
How do I change the pin location for my address on Google Maps?
Are local citation aggregators worth getting?
Can a significant name change be done on a listing without causing any problems?
What do you do if Google does not delete fake business listings?
Google keeps removing attributes from my GBP - should I submit a support ticket, or go to the forums?
Does changing categories on your GBP based on what customers look for seasonally have any adverse problems?
What are your feelings about having a BBB approved business regarding link value and trust factor?

Links

GBP Appointment Links
Bright Local
Place Scout
Local Falcon
Mobile Moxie

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

GBP Category updates.
Google changes in search experience with posts and location verification.
Malware blocking reinstatements.
New double verification and video verification.
WooCommerce has a new E-commerce plugin for products.
Why do my GBP posts keep getting rejected?
Is switching from a free Google website with good ranking to WordPress worth the risk?
Does your GBP rank better if you check off ‘yes’ to identifies as x owned?
Is there a way to convert a regular account with over 2000 GBP to an agency account?
Are there problems with Google adding services that takes multiple times to remove?
I seem to be getting more calls after switching from voicemail only to answering them - does Google have any affect on that?
What are your thoughts on the transparency company?
If a business gets their GBP suspended and they are advertising with Local Service Ads, is it affected?
I’m concerned about missing calls for double verification - any suggestions?
Google has said that because of a previous violation, pictures are permanently restricted even though I have taken care of the issue- what can I do?
Is it helpful for SEO to complete the free mini website if a company already has a free standing website?

Links

Category changes
GBP additional verification
Rejected Google Posts

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

Follow button and welcome offer has been deprecated.
What are some alternatives to Yext?
Google says my posts and pictures are violating guidelines and automatically rejects them even after I’ve made changes - what can I do?
What type of pictures do you recommend for doctors?
What are the GBP spam instances where it’s too much trouble to pursue and is unlikely to be actioned by Google?
Is it possible to change mobile friendliness or the speed of a GBP listing?
Is there anything on your website schema that would change information on your GBP?
Should I delete old pictures on my GBP after moving locations?
Could you give more details and examples of GBP posts to stand out from the crowd?
What are some other SEO groups you would recommend?
How does Google handle proximity for statewide map packs?
Do press release statements help backlinks?
Does using GBP chats and business messaging help with rankings?
I have a suspended GBP that was never verified - I set up a new one, but the correct one doesn’t show up. What should I do?
How do agencies keep up with Q&As?
I am finding lots of PO box GBP listings - when I go to suggest an edit, what do I pick?
Do pictures in GBP help with ranking in maps?
How problematic is it to rename your law firm in GBP?

Links

“Follow button and welcome offer deprecated” article
Image Ranks
Local Marketing Institute Connect Facebook

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

SAB reinstatement address issues should be fixed.
Be aware that the Facebook GMB URL has been taken over by a review company.
Should you ask customers to write a Google review while they are still in the store?
New Bright Local statistics to help get better reviews.
FTC fines a company for deceptive review practices.
Webinar Highlights, what’s coming in 2022.
Are backlinks worth the money?
Do you have any advice for new reinstatement issues from Google support response times?
If there is a technical issue, what more can I do if I’m told there’s no news or ETA from Google support?
How do you handle two businesses in the same physical space on GBP?
Is there any evidence that using Google ads will help improve your organic ranking?
What can I do if I’m appearing in search, but my business is still pending after reinstatement?
Can I show my reviews on my website?
Have there been any problems with posts on GBP?
Is it okay to put different reviews on different pages based on the service page if I have all my reviews available in widgets?
After submitting a reinstatement form for a suspended GBP, receiving a reply from Google and making changes, should I submit a new reinstatement form, or reply to the original response?
What are your thoughts on Local Falcon vs Local Viking?
If I previously used a PO box address for my GBP, should I change it?
Is reporting competitors to Google a good strategy for an agency?
I’ve reported obvious spam links to Google but they haven’t taken them down, is Google being inconsistent?
Any suggestions for reporting lawyers with “free consultation” in the GBP listing?
Does a GBP require the address on the website to match the address on the profile?
Can you create location pages using the category options listed on GBP?
Could you talk about proximity and SAB profiles?

Links

Joyanne Hawkins tweet - Facebook GMB
Bright Local
FTC Fine
Google Support Ticket

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google Business Profile, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

New manager waiting period for GBP.
What are some tips for combating the Google vicinity update?
If suggestion edits are handled by AI, why do they stay under review for days or weeks?
What is the best practice for switching a business from a Google website to your own URL?
My SAB has been verified but my address is not being hidden and I am unable to change it or leave it blank. What should I do?
Are there issues with the proximity update for SAB profiles?
Recently I’ve noticed newly created listings that are verified by pin code are immediately suspended, even though everything is within the guidelines. Is this a bug?
Is there anything you can do if your SAB verified location is near the border and not the center of the service area?
What is the process to quickly rebuild the search authority of a listing that has been marked as a duplicate?
Why would Google mark a listing as a duplicate when it already has been verified from a past duplicate flagging issue?
What are the circumstances that trigger a new 7 day wait and does posting regularly to GBP help much with ranking?
What should I do if a verified address shows red?
For a GBP verified listing with a slightly wrong address, how do I go about changing an error in the Google map before submitting the correct address?
Can you boost your website/GBP ranking by using GBP category keywords in new location pages in cities outside of your GBP listing?
What type of backlinks are producing the best results currently?
For my GBP I am using a PO box address, but I’m not showing up on the map; any advice?
What should you do about a business that has violated Google’s guidelines for the second time?
Any suggestions for niche business categories when it fits under a primary category, but business does not want their profile to come up when people search for the general primary category?
After submitting a reinstatement form for a suspended GBP, receiving a reply from Google and making changes, should I submit a new reinstatement form, or reply to the original response?
Do profile clickthroughs to posts help with ranking?
Any best practices to optimize pay per click campaigns for voice search?
Is reporting competitors to Google a good strategy for an agency?
What should you do if your mailing address doesn’t match the one on your GBP profile?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Greg and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Google My Business (GMB) is now Google Business Profile (GBP) with new features.
Hotel posts are here to stay.
Google's local algorithm update.
New and ongoing problems with GMB/GBP.
Changes to GMB/GBP video verification process.
How long do GMB/GBP posts stay before Google deletes them?
Why are so many businesses reporting suspensions?
If a business manages only a few GMB/GBP profiles, will they still be able to use the Dashboard?
Do reviews help in ranking in Google Map Pack?
Is there a difference for GMB/GBP posts to remain active between posts made from desktop versus mobile?
With the iOS privacy changes I am struggling to get successful audience size for local home service businesses on Facebook - what do you suggest?
Listing submitted as an example of name spam.
When working with clients do you charge for setting up LSA ads or make it part of an overall package?
A local service business has expanded into a franchise - how should they optimize the redesigned website for SEO without hurting current rankings?
If GMB/GBP optimization has been done, does adding backlinks to your GMB/GBP profile affect your ranking? If so, how much?
Is there an easy way to report competitors who are name spamming in their GMB/GBP?
Do you adjust pricing for non-profits?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Google is taking a closer look at GMB Products.
How to turn off GMB messages at the user level.
Google is rewriting Title Tags in organic searches.
GMB Posts now showing up on third party sites.
Apple Maps has made changes to reviews and looking more closely at SABs.
Are Google Ads or Local Service Ads more effective? When would you use both?
Are LSAs just like Angie’s List and Home Advisor?
What’s the difference between “Google Screened” and “Google Guaranteed”?
Where do the LSA reviews come from and how do they related to GMB reviews?
Do you track links in an LSA profile?
Could you comment on Comrad Saam’s article on North Carolina Bar?
How long does it take to gain traction with LSAs?
Are LSAs blocked by ad blockers?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Pubcon update.
Yelp has updated new Covid attributes.
GMB now requiring physical address for some categories.
Why are my client’s good reviews not showing up in GMB?
Why are listings disappearing from GMB?
Does Google provide any guidelines for setting up GMB listings for franchises?
Are disgruntled former employees allowed to leave negative GMB reviews?
How do I get my car dealership inventory listed in GMB Cars for Sale?
What are the criteria for high ranking in Google Maps?
How can you check the categories of a GMB listing?
Does Yahoo still have business listings?
Has anyone had success registering as an agency in GMB?
Should I be concerned with SEMrush flagging my web design company links on websites?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Google Support investigating long email response times.
GMB review enhancements for restaurants.
GMB post study by Sterling Sky.
Google is testing local 3 pack.
Facebook making major push for WhatsApp.
Apple Maps Connect is now Apple Business Register.
Why searching ranks in Google.
How to handle a big drop in GMB review score from an inappropriate social media post.
Have the recent Google core updates had any effect on GMB?
What are the causes of an GMB API suspension?
Is photo geotagging info maintained if using API?
Are hashtags used in social media considered gaming the system?
What about hashtags in GMB posts?
How do businesses get listed in the Things To Do section of Google search?
Is there anything you can do to fix incorrect directions to a GMB pin?
Does a GMB phone number affect call tracking?
Do you have any call tracking companies you can recommend?
Does the GMB post content justification below a local 3 pack count as a view of the post?
How do we handle gray strikes we keep getting on services we offer?
Is there a way to integrate chat services on our website with GMB chat?
Do you have recommendations for software platforms to track GMB ranking?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

GMB News - Chat is available again, phone numbers can now be hidden.
Yelp has a new app - Yelp Audiences.
TikTok is focusing more on local advertising.
Longer videos on TikTok.
NextDoor is going public.
Should you geotag photos to rank higher in local search?
Is there enough awareness among small business owners for the need for a GMB listing?
Where do we get a privacy page for paid ads?
Are there any third party services to help manage Google Messages?
What do you do when Google changes your primary category?
How do you add GMB subjective attributes?
How to optimize for local voice searches?
How do you choose keywords and categories that will help you rank better in local searches?
As a Level 7 Google Local Guide, what are the best ways to help my clients increase visibility?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Congratulations to Jason who has reached a Level 10 Local Guide on Google.
Stricter penalties of losing reviews for review gating.
Showing the source in Messages from Posts on GMB.
What are the best strategies for getting customers on Apple maps?
Apple maps is starting to crack down on Service Area Businesses.
Facebook ads for unnecessary voice search registration services.
Why you should care about Bing business listings.
How you can sync Bing with GMB.
What are the best practices when it comes to SEO to regularly update images to your GMB listing and website for a restaurant?
How can I better convert people who visit my GMB page?
Any success stories from using the Google website feature in GMB?
How should you work with filtered reviews?
Is Apple Maps only interested in providing driving directions to brick and mortar type businesses?
If you start with a GMB website and then create a full website with your own URL, will you lose any SEO benefits you built up?
Does Google want to see that you’re utilizing the different kinds of posts in your GMB listing?
What do you think about review throttling in terms of reputation management?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

What is Eric’s technical setup?
Some Q&A is now showing up on searches for GMB listings.
Are there any notifications for these Q&As?
Where do you find the Q&As--are they on the GMB dashboard?
Are there any analytics as a business owner about your Q&A?
Controlling your reviews in the knowledge panel.
Are your reviews a ranking factor?
Do you have any thoughts on schema markup for a local service area business?
How many categories should I choose for a medical spa and what are the best ones in order to rank well?
Will you be penalized for too many categories if they are all relevant to your business?
How do I optimize my business for Apple Maps?
How do I get both old and new locations to show up for a GMB listing for my client?
Google is currently not allowing me a GMB listing--what are the minimum requirements for me to get up and running?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Updates and Questions

How many people actually use Apple Maps?
Apple iOS has rolled out some new privacy features including Mail Privacy Protection and Geolocation Privacy Changes.
User experience to become a Google ranking factor.
How Google Small Business Advisors can help you.
Ben is writing a column for Search Engine Journal.
With GMB shortcodes having been deprecated, do you have any suggestions for small businesses requesting reviews?
Is there a way to edit an existing business in a GMB listing to place it “Inside of” another place?
Is there a way to see what address a Service Area Business used to verify their GMB listing?
If I change my home-based business to a Service Area Business listing and hide the address, is my home address safe?
Do you have any advice on how to get traction with GMB Ads?
Is it worth creating an individual GMB profile for a lawyer if I share the same law office but not the same practice area (i.e. Personal Injury, Workers Comp)?
Where should we encourage users to write their reviews--for the practice or practitioners?
Why do some listings show up as a green square rather than a red pin on the map?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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In this week's session, Larry Kim demonstrates five tips to help local businesses get more customers from Instagram.

Larry is the CEO of MobileMonkey and the original founder of WordStream.

Get Clubhouse or another livestreaming audio app ASAP
Use Comment Auto-Responder
Employ Funnels Within Your Instagram DM
Auto-Reply to Instagram Story Mentions
Email Opt-In…. from Instagram

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

Washington Post Article-Fake reviews on medical help impacting Google, Yelp, and directory sites.
Moz acquired by iContact.
Google eliminating short name ending.
“See what’s in store” Should you include local inventory ads?
Should you go back and respond to old reviews?
How do you respond to negative business reviews online?
Should I add related categories to my GMB listing so I rank for those terms?
Will Google show the GMB listing for a service area business or only for physical location and pin on the map?
Does a physical location outrank a service area business on Google?
How and when should you merge or rename a GMB listing for a new company at the same physical location?
How should a young business in a competitive market do SEO?
How does changing the name of your business or DBA affect your local GMB ranking?
Should we always geo-tag photos?
How do I make citations for business with multiple locations?
How can I claim a business listing that is inside a business listing, such as a store inside a hotel?
What are your suggestions to get a listing with the wrong name corrected?
What is your stance on coworking spaces for Service Area Businesses?
For schools that hold classes throughout the US, do I create a separate listing for each city or class; or do I keep adding new addresses to one GMB listing?
How can I get a postcard to verify change of address at new location?
How do you deal with a filtered GMB listing?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.
This Week's Updates and Questions

For service businesses, is it more impactful to optimize the website for organic traffic or set up Local Service Ads?
What is the difference between direct, discovery, and branded searches in GMB insights data?
How can I add products to my GMB listing?
How can you see what API connections there are with your GMB listing?
Is it bad to have multiple domains for a single website?
Does the age of a GMB listing get reset after it gets suspended?
How to fix the “Located In” issue in GMB?
What do I do if the information connected to a pin in Street View is incorrect?
Do you have any insights for advanced verification for Local Service Ads?
What's the best way to remove a client's UPS listings without getting a “Permanently Closed” sign on them?
How do I merge two GMB listings for the same business?
Do you think Apple Maps will move beyond Apple devices to other devices to compete with Google Maps?
If someone searches for the old name after rebranding, will the new GMB listing appear?
Why is it so hard to claim your listing on Apple Maps? Is there a workaround regarding phone verification?
If I own two businesses at two different locations, should I have two separate GMB listings?
If my client does not have a services section on a GMB listing, how do I get that fixed?
What is stacking and is it gray hat?
Is there a place you can go to see what GMB listings you’ve been invited to manage?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.
This Week's Updates and Questions

GMB listings have been going missing from people’s dashboards.
Problems with Google Ads Smart campaigns impacting phone numbers on GMB.
Google is showing 10 pack results
Unfiltering a list of GMB reviews
How do you know you have a review if it doesn’t show up?
Why are my Facebook reviews not converting into a rating?
What’s the best practice for location vs practioner reviews?
How detailed should you get in listings for service area businesses?
Can you embed Google reviews on your website? If so, how?
Are there any issues with the GatherUp Chrome extension?
What do you think of ADA compliance for local business websites?
How do you handle an address with something like a “½” in it?
Is there a more efficient way to schedule posts in GMB for multiple clients?
Is there a limited number of profiles you can have in one account and create at one time?
What should you do if your service area business GMB is not showing up in a citation report but other listings are?
How do you fix a GMB profile with no services tab?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.
This Week's Updates and Questions

Why can’t I designate a service area business GMB listing as nationwide?
How do I update old listings on Yext that are different from my current listing?
Do you have any recommendations for self-serve geo-fencing?
Is there a good way to report an agency that runs contests for reviews for their clients?
How do you handle a reviewer on GMB who keeps updating the one-star review periodically to bump it to the top?
What are some of the best practices for UTM tracking?
I’ve tried to track our website on GMB using UTMs, but Google always reverts it back to our regular URL? What’s going on?
Do you use the full UTM URL or convert it to shortlink?
Should we delete our address in the info section of GMB if we have a physical storefront with signage but work as a SAB?
Can I set up a GMB listing ahead of time but not verify right away in order not to break a non-compete?
What’s the best way to utilize the services feature on a hotel’s GMB listing?
Why would a GMB listing with poor reviews or no website rank higher than a GMB business that has good reviews and a website plus the other aspects of GMB filled out?
How do you remove negative reviews from disgruntled employees?
What’s the best way to delist a rank and rent site?
What are some GMB listing strategies for a B2B new business?
How do I handle a service area business that is more than 2 hours away from the corporate office?
What do you do if legitimate ungated reviews are not being posted to a GMB listing?
Is it logical to predict that products and services will eventually link to specific pages on your website?
Is it possible to get a one star review removed because someone thought the prices were too high to become a customer?
What do I do about problems with PIN code when trying to access my account?
What are your thoughts on the possibility of GMB updating their business hours to by appointment only?
When should you use CID links?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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It's not often you get THREE platinum level Google My Business product experts in a single session, but today you're in luck. Joy Hawkins, President of Sterling Sky, joins Jason Brown and Ben Fisher to answer any questions you have about Google My Business.
This Week's Updates and Questions

Results of test on whether GMB identity attributes impact rankings.
Increase in GMB listings disappearing from dashboards.
Is it possible to reach 100% business profile completion and what’s the secret?
Where are the changes in GMB listings coming from?
How do you merge two GMB listings?
Does sharing a GMB post to other social media help Google rankings?
Should you create a GMB website?
Does geo stacking help or hurt your Google ranking?
How do you handle a string of one star reviews?
How should I best respond to a negative review?
Can you update the “Located In” section of a GMB listing?
Using home address or PO Box on website for service area business.
Are there certain events on non-owned property that can be verified as a GMB listing?
Can franchises create their own GMB listing?
Do local links have an impact on rankings?
Best practice for GMB shortnames.
Are citation building services worth it?
Why do extra categories in GMB disappear?
What factors go into Google marking a review as most relevant?
Can negative reviews due to Covid or other current events be appealed?
Why are there so many bugs in GMB?
Are CTR and other gray tactics worth it?
How to get access to reports if previous GMB administrator left?
Are emojis against GMB listing guidelines?
How would someone know if they have a hard or soft suspension?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses … local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

This Week’s Updates and Questions

GMB Posts now available for chains / franchises via the API.
New GMB posts being highlighted on maps with a red dot.
How do you add Open Graph settings to a web page for social sharing?
How does Google decide which business pins show on Google Maps?
How does a business get a branded pin on Google Maps?
What is a green business pin on Google Maps
Does SEO suffer without an actual street address?
What do I do with GMB if my business services the entire country?
If you want to hide your address, should you hide your address on GMB and use a PO Box on listings where you can’t hide it?
What is the best practice for GMB names after you change the name of a business?
Where do service idea suggestions in my GMB account come from?
Do I need a service to help me get listed on Apple Maps or Siri?
Have you seen any success from using the Google My Business marketing kit?
Will GMB data ever be included in Google Search Console?
Are there any issues with doing GMB posts using tools like Hootsuite?
Does the impact of GMB reviews decline after you get a certain number of them?

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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This week’s guest is Tim Capper of Online Ownership. Tim joins Eric, Jason and Ben to answer your questions on local search, Google My Business and other digital marketing strategies for hotels. Although this session focuses on hotels, much of the information is relevant to any kind of business. And we also tackle a few other general questions about digital marketing for local businesses.

This Week’s Topics and Questions

What’s happening right now with hotel marketing with the changes in COVID.
Why you shouldn’t make Google My Business your entire local marketing strategy.
Update on GMB bug where service area businesses showing up in the middle of the country.
New process for claiming a business on GMB and how customers filter / sort reviews.
Are GMB posts available for hotel listings?
What is the difference between hotel GMB listings and why?
How can a hotel update their business description on Google My Business?
Will Google start taking over functionality of other industries in Google My Business?
What is Google Travel?
Tips for ranking better on TripAdvisor.
Does TripAdvisor work as well as it used to?
Why don’t actual hotels websites show in a search like “Hotels in Colorado Springs”?
Can you remove the booking links from a hotel Google My Business listing?
Understand that your GMB listing is NOT yours.
Should real estate listing be set up with both an address and service area listing?
What tools do you use to set your geolocation when doing a search in Google?
Should you rename your business to better show up in a local search?
Tips for ranking on Microsoft Bing

Links mentioned in this session are available on our website at https://localmarketinginstitute.com

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses ... local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.

This Week's Updates and Questions

Google experimenting with only two business listings in search results instead of 3.
Google promoting competitors when people "Request a Quote" from your GMB listing.
How should you use
tags, meta title / description tags and featured images on a website?
Do customer reviews on other websites impact your Google rank?
Can you report GMB violations (fake reviews, etc) anonymously?
What is re-marketing advertising and why is it important?
Should you use the same business description across multiple listings or tailor it for each location?
Is signage all a home office needs to have a pin on Google maps?
Are customer reviews as important as they used to be?
Is it OK to add search terms to your business name on Google My Business?
Can you block someone in GMB messages like you can in Facebook?
How do you find a reputable, trustworthy SEO company?

Links from This Week's Session

https://localu.org/why-you-should-think-twice-about-activating-gmb-messaging/
https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/

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This Week's Updates and Questions

Update on new Google My Business performance report.
Street view privacy problem for service area businesses on Android Google Maps app.
How Apple's iOS 14 change will affect Facebook ads for local businesses.
Can you change a GMB listing to reflect new ownership and a new business name?
How can you set different hours for different departments on Google My Business?
Do you get email notifications for direct messages sent through GMB?
What is Google Map stacking and does it actually work?
Do I need a privacy policy for my website?
Should I use Google Analytics UTM tracking for other business listings like Apple or Yelp?

Links from This Week's Session

https://support.google.com/business/answer/10018786
https://www.facebook.com/business/help/331612538028890?id=428636648170202
https://iubenda.com/

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This week our guest is SEO legend, Mark Traphagan, of seoClarity. Mark joins Eric, Jason and Ben to answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses ... local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites, online advertising and more.
This Week's Updates and Questions

How search is becoming more visual instead of textual.
Thousands of different search results pages depending on the type of search.
What are passages and how do they work in a Google search?
Why search visibility share is more important than search ranking position.
Why search actions (website links, calls, etc.) are more important than rank or visibility.
How a local business can capture more search visibility.
How to use "People also ask" and "Related searches" to figure out what your customers are looking for.
How a local business can get a featured snippet (search position 0) in a Google search.
How Google Trends can be used to figure out what your customers are looking for.
Problem with Google Maps app on Android showing street view of service area businesses.
Problem with Google My Business Posts getting rejected when they shouldn't be.
Problem with people finding and replying to reviews on Google My Business.
Are links to my website from small blog websites bad links? Should I deny them?
How do you find who's linking to your site and if it's a good or bad link?
Is Google Page Rank dead?

Links from This Week's Session

https://www.seoclarity.net/blog/visibility-share-workflow
https://schema.dev/
https://trends.google.com/trends/

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Facebook and Google local advertising expert, Navah Hopkins, joins Eric Shanfelt, Jason Brown and Ben Fisher to answer questions about local targeted Google ads, local services ads, Facebook ads and much more.

For links from today's session - https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Get our email updates – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Attend our live Q&A sessions – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/qa
Join our Facebook group – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group
Subscribe to our podcast – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast
This Week's Topics and Questions

Update on changes coming when 3rd party cookies go away.
Changes to Facebook advertising when Apple rolls out iOS14.
What exactly is first party data and how does that impact local business advertisers?
Is remarketing dead with the changes to cookie tracking and iOS14?
How does cooke tracking and iOS14 impact conversion tracking for ads?
Where should a local business start with Google Ads?
When a local business should use Google Smart Campaigns (formerly AdWords Express).
How Google My Business reviews work with local services ads.
Do local services ads for for service area businesses?
What is the minimum ad spend to retarget my email list on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google?
Does my local business really need a website?
Where should a local business start with Facebook Ads?
Do I need a Facebook Business Manager account to effectively run Facebook Ads?
Is it worthwhile to target the Facebook audience network or Messenger?
Where do you turn when your Facebook ad has been rejected?

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In this session, learn how to create and use virtual tours for your local business. Google Trusted Photographer, Joe Danzer, joins Eric Shanfelt, Jason Brown and Ben Fisher for this deep-dive into Street View, virtual tours and optimizing photos for use in Google My Business, websites and social media.

Links mentioned in this video – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Get our email updates – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Attend our live Q&A sessions – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/qa
Join our Facebook group – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group
Subscribe to our podcast – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast
This Week's Topics and Questions

What is a 360 photo virtual tour and how is it different from Google Street View?
How can businesses create a virtual tour and how much does it cost?
How to use a virtual tour in your Google My Business listing, website and social media.
How Google Cloud Vision analyzes your photos and how that can help you find more customers.
How to optimize photos ... and if geotagging / exif data on photos helps.
How good photos and virtual tours help improve customer conversion and your search rank.

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Eric, Jason and Ben give an update on the most important developments in local marketing and answer digital marketing questions for local businesses.

Special Note

There was debate during this week's session as to whether the NitroPack Wordpress plugin actually works or was just "spoofing" site speed testing systems like Google, Pingdom, GTMetrix, etc. After some additional research it appears that NitroPack is not spoofing these systems and does indeed help speed up Wordpress-based websites. Here is NitroPack's own response to this claim: https://wpjohnny.com/nitropack-cloud-caching-and-cdn-service-review/#comment-180880

Get our email updates – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Live Office Hours sessions - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/office-hours
Join our Facebook group – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group
Subscribe to our podcast – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast

This Week's Topics and Questions

What is Clubhouse and how does it apply to local marketing?
The latest on how Google is fighting spam in Google My Business
Bing drops Yelp for business reviews and turns to other sources
Google My Business adds customer messaging to desktop
Update on Google My Business image problems with logos / cover images
Should businesses use the same phone number for different locations?
How to quickly improve your website speed
What is the right image size for GMB posts?
Can individual insurance agents have their own Google My Business listing?
How do I quickly build inbound links for my website?
Do press releases and “Google stacking” actually work?

Links Mentioned This Week

https://blog.google/products/maps/google-maps-101-how-we-tackle-fake-and-fraudulent-contributed-content/
https://www.seroundtable.com/bing-local-drops-yelp-reviews-for-facebook-foursquare-30932.html
https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en#pract
https://nitropack.io/
https://ricketyroo.com/

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This week’s guest is Cindy Krum, CEO of MobileMoxie. Cindy shows us how a local business should measure their entire digital footprint, not just their website and GMB listing. Your digital footprint can also include ads, social media posts, YouTube videos and much more. We get a sneak peak at how her tool can help track the entire digital footprint of a business. There’s also an unplanned, guest appearance by Tom Waddington talking about Local Service Ads.

Get our email updates – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Live Office Hours sessions - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/office-hours
Join our Facebook group – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group
Subscribe to our podcast – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast

// THIS WEEK'S TOPICS AND QUESTIONS //
- How voice search continues to grow for local businesses
- Hybrid (storefront AND service area businesses) not showing address in Google
- How Google shows businesses that are “located in” a destination
- How do you fix a GMB listing if the “located in” is wrong?
- Google clarifies how co-working offices need signage and staffing
- If I stop using Yext, will my business listings go back to their old settings?
- How to submit your business to Apple Maps
- What is a Google Local Service Ad / smart ad website?
- Does linking to my GMB website from ads, social media, etc. help my ranking?
- Should the info on my GMB website mirror what’s on my main website?
- Can I have multiple GMB listings for the same business with slight variations?

// LINKS MENTIONED THIS WEEK //
- https://localmarketinginstitute.com/local-voice-search/
- https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?#address
- https://mapsconnect.apple.com/
- https://support.google.com/business/answer/7032839?hl=en

// CONTACT US //
Cindy Krum - https://mobilemoxie.com/
Eric Shanfelt - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/
Ben Fisher - https://www.steadydemand.com/
Jason Brown - https://reviewfraud.org/

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This week's guest is Barry Schwartz, Founder of Search Engine Roundtable, contributing editor for Search Engine Land and CEO of Rusty Brick. Barry is an icon in local search / SEO and joins Ben Fisher, Jason Brown and me to answer digital marketing questions for local businesses.

Get our email updates – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Live Office Hours sessions - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/office-hours
Join our Facebook group – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group
Subscribe to our podcast – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast

QUESTIONS COVERED IN THIS WEEK'S SESSION

New Google search results layout
New process for flagging reviews in Google My Business
Does Google actually take action on flagged reviews?
Is buying fake reviews a good move for GMB?
Can I post reviews on my website to Google My Business?
Are Facebook business pages worthwhile?
What should I do with a GMB listing if I temporarily cannot use my office?
Does AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) help me rank in local search?
Is there a benefit to tagging reviews on my website with schema markup?
What are Core Web Vitals and how do they impact a local business?
The importance of May 2021 and March 2021 for local search
Why are old posts showing up in my Google My Business listing?
How does Google determine if a review is fake?
What should a school do if a bunch of students are leaving bad reviews?
How do I handle a competitor who keeps spamming keywords in their business name?

CONTACT US

Eric Shanfelt - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/
Ben Fisher - https://www.steadydemand.com/
Jason Brown - https://reviewfraud.org/
Barry Schwartz - https://rustybrick.com/

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This week, Craig Mount of Classy Brain joins us to talk about inbound link strategies he’s doing for local businesses using public relations / PR. You’ll be surprised when you hear the strategy … it’s not about helping your business rank better in local search!

Get our email updates – https://localmarketinginstitute.com
Live Office Hours sessions - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/office-hours
Join our Facebook group – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group
Subscribe to our podcast – https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast

Other Questions from This Week

Should you use a press release service to get inbound links to your local business?
How do you contact publications for articles / PR and how should you approach them?
Are GMB listings for service area businesses being verified without postcards?
How can you get Google to remove home-based businesses?
What are the risks of responding to someone trying to sell me business reviews?
Should online-only businesses have a Google My Business listing?

Links from This Episode

https://parentmedia.org/
https://citymag.org/
https://bizpubs.org/
https://support.google.com/business/community/

Contact Us

Eric Shanfelt - https://localmarketinginstitute.com/
Ben Fisher - https://www.steadydemand.com/
Jason Brown - https://reviewfraud.org/

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Each week, Eric, Jason and Ben answer your questions on digital marketing for local businesses. Ask any question about local search engine optimization (SEO), Google My Business, social media, email marketing, websites and online advertising.

● Click here to ask us your question

● Click here to attend our live Q&A sessions

This Week's Questions

● Update on Google My Business Suspensions

● GMB Insights moving to a “performance report” format

● What is the new Google Question Hub?

● How to best respond to a negative review

● How do you remove fake reviews from Yelp?

● Should I improve or consolidate service area location pages on my website?

● What to do if a competitor is buying fake 5-star reviews

● Does using a link shortener hurt delivery of my emails?

● Can I use a UPS mailbox with a real street address for a GMB listing?

● How many GMB listings is one company allowed per city?

● Should I have a GMB listing if most of my customers come from out of state?

● Does a GMB listing hurt my search rankings nationally?

● How do you remove fake reviews from Facebook?

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In this week's local SEO and digital marketing Q&A session, Darren Shaw (Whitespark) and Chris Dryer (Rankings.io) join us to talk about their new local search ranking studies. | More ...

// LINKS TO THE RANKING STUDIES //
Rankings.io: http://lmidai.ly/3pAxbuq
Whitespark: http://lmidai.ly/3rEnGw0

// GET MORE //
Get our email newsletter: https://localmarketinginstitute.com ✉️
Subscribe to our podcast: https://localmarketinginstitute.com/podcast 🎧
Join our Facebook group: https://localmarketinginstitute.com/group 🙌

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Getting more inbound links to your website helps improve your visibility in search engines, and that helps you get more customers. But let's face it...link building is hard work. And most of the information out there focuses on tactics for large, national brands instead of local businesses.

In this session, Greg Gifford walks you through local link building tactics. He'll show you how it's different ... and in some ways actually easier!

You'll learn:

How local links are different from traditional links
Specific tactics for building local links
The process Greg uses during a link building campaign

You don't want to miss this episode with Greg. He's not only a highly sought after local SEO expert, but he's also an exceptional teacher and highly entertaining!

Watch the full video session at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/?p=38133.

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Chris Dreyer and his team at Rankings.IO just completed an extensive analysis of over 112,000 personal injury law search results pages. The data is fascinating and can be applied not only to the legal industry, but many other industries as well.

We’ve invited Chris to share what he and his team learned. In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why older domains tend to rank higher
• Why having a valid SSL certificate is critical
• The impact of referring domains on both the domain and page level
• How directories give businesses an advantage over individual business websites
• How the strength of a site’s backlink profile correlates to ranking
• Chris's theory on why longer content is necessary
• And much more!

Join us and see how you can apply this data to your local SEO efforts. Watch the full video session at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/local-search-data-to-help-seo-strategy/

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At Local Marketing Institute, we're often asked what tools are the best for local marketing. Certainly, one of the most popular and powerful ones out there is SEMrush.

So, we've asked Rich Barnett of SEMrush to join us for episode – a special "under the hood" discussion of how SEMrush works specifically for local businesses and agencies.

In this session, we cover:

How to conduct market / competitive keyword research
How to generate quick insights for optimizing localized content
The key KPIs to track for created content
How to measure and report the impact on your organic visibility
And as much more as we can

Used by more than 5 millions marketers worldwide, SEMrush has over 40 tools and reports. It has a powerful research tools, but also help businesses fix technical website issues, improve backlinks, and track local rankings. Marketers can also spot competitive opportunities for SEO, PPC, and content marketing.

https://semrush.com/

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What are the biggest local SEO myths? Lee Auerbach, Chatmeter's SVP of Business Development, joins us to help sort out fact from fiction.

Local SEO is continuously evolving requiring marketers to adapt quickly and protect their local rankings. But with so many changes so fast, it's hard to know what advice to trust, what no longer applies, and what is flat-out wrong.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Does Google actually have as much market share as everyone thinks?
Is citation building still important?
Does name, address and phone (NAP) consistency still matter?
Do keywords in reviews, Q&A and products affect your SEO?
Does image naming and geotagging actually work?
Should you even bother with Yelp if you're not a restaurant?
What happened to Facebook local?
Is voice search really the future?

Join us in what promises to be a very lively discussion as we bust some myths and focus on what really matters in local SEO.

Watch the full video session at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/busting-the-biggest-local-seo-myths/

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What is schema markup and why is it important for your local business?

Bottom line ... it can improve your local SEO and help more customers find you.

For this Office Hours session, we’ve invited Martha van Berkel, one of the most respected schema markup experts in the world, to join us.

Martha explains schema markup and how it can be used to help local business websites stand out in organic search.

In this episode, you'll learn:

What schema markup is and why it's important
The most important schema tags for your website
Specific schema tags for organization, local business, events, FAQs, products and blogs
How to implement schema markup on your website
How to test for proper schema markup on your website
Important differences for single versus multi-location businesses

Not many business do schema markup well ... if at all. This is an important topic for business operators and marketing agencies alike and can help make your website stand out from your competitors.

Watch the full video session at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/how-schema-markup-improves-your-local-seo/

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When it comes to marketing, what is the “new normal” for local retailers and in-home service providers?

Local marketing experts, Neal Polachek and Greg Sterling, join Eric Shanfelt to share perspectives and concrete examples of how local businesses need to modify operating practices and customer communications in the coming weeks and months.

Neal and Greg have deep experience as analysts and advisors to companies large and small in local markets.

You’ll learn:

Best practices for customer communication
New business models … and some great pivots
New best operating practices
How work-from-home will change for you and your employees
What to do with your email, social media, website, and business listings
Software solutions you should consider going forward

This is an invigorating session with lots of practical take-aways that you can put into action right away.

View the full video recording at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/marketing-your-local-business-beyond-covid-19/

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In this session, Eric Shanfelt, Founder of Local Marketing Institute shows local businesses how to get started with ecommerce and how to market their products for sale on a variety of platforms.

You’ll learn how to:

Get your ecommerce system to interact with your POS system.
Integrate with Google Merchant Center.
Showcase products in your Google My Business listing.
Get your products into Google Shopping via “Surfaces Across Google”.
Connect your ecommerce to Google Shopping Ads.
Set up product catalogs in Facebook Business Manager
Use Facebook product ads.
Sell products via a Facebook Store.
Integrate with Amazon.

If you’re just getting into ecommerce, this session will give you the fundamentals you need to get going on the right foot. And if you’re already selling online, you’ll learn some new tricks that can help you get the most out of your ecommerce efforts.

Watch the full video session at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/ecommerce-101-for-local-businesses/

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Local business reviews have evolved drastically over the years. But has your review strategy changed to adapt?

In this session, local SEO expert, Mike Blumenthal, shows you how reviews have changed and what those changes mean for your business. You’ll learn:

• Which review platforms matter now
• How reviews actually influence customer decisions
• The impact of review gating
• How Google uses reviews to understand your business

You’ll also learn how businesses now use reviews to get strategic insight into internal processes and ways to improve their customer experience.

Watch the full video and get all links for this session at https://localmarketinginstitute.com/evolution-local-business-reviews/

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Have questions about your local Google My Business listing? How to deal with spam, improve your business listing’s visibility, or problems you may be experiencing? This your opportunity to ask Ben Fisher and get the advice you need.

Ben is one of only three platinum-level GMB Product Experts in the world recognized by Google itself. He has been in digital marketing since 1994 and works with everything from single operator merchants to large franchises.

In this Office Hours session, Ben spends an entire hour answering your Google My Business questions.

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/ask-ben-gmb/

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Facebook remarketing can help local businesses reach customers more cost effectively than other advertising options. With remarketing, you target ads to existing customers or people who already know your business. These people are more likely to do business with you than a “cold” audience who doesn’t know you yet.

In this Office Hours session, Craig Mount gives you key strategies for Facebook remarketing to increase clicks and maximize visibility without increasing your ad budget. He’ll review remarketing for beginners, but also provide advanced strategies for more experienced marketers.

In this session, you’ll learn:

How remarketing works on Facebook.
Targeting and audience-building strategies unique to local businesses.
Innovative ad ideas for local businesses in a variety of sectors.
Unique ways to spend budget that maximizes clicks, impressions and profit.
How today’s COVID-19 situation impacts remarketing and how to adapt.

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/facebook-remarketing/

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Technical site issues can have a big impact on SEO for your local business. Local SEO expert, Dani Owens, joins us in this session She covers the most common technical SEO problems that sites have and tells you how to improve or fix them.

Examples include:

Making sure Google has no issues crawling and indexing your pages and the content on them
Steps to take after installing an SSL certificate
Improving crawl budget by reducing broken pages and internal redirects.

In the session, Dani will talks about the fixes on a WordPress site. However all of these issues apply to sites on other systems as well.

You’ll learn why these common technical problems have an impact on SEO for your local business and how to find and fix them.

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/website-seo-issues/

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Voice search optimization really is a big issue for local businesses. Whether it's Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant or even Microsoft Cortana, voice search is widely used on mobile phones, smart speakers and other devices.

But local voice search isn't just about people searching for new businesses to work with. It's also about helping existing customers looking for directions, phone numbers, opening hours and more.

Optimizing for voice search doesn't have to be complicated, but you do need to understand how it works.

In this session Eric Shanfelt, Founder of Local Marketing Institute talks about:

How the voice search ecosystem works
Which voice search platforms are the most important
How to optimize your business listings to be found in voice search
How to optimize your website to appear in featured snippets
How to avoid scammers selling you a "listing" in Amazon Alexa

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/local-voice-search/

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Google Local Services Ads expert, Tom Waddington, joins us for this session to share best practices for LSAs.

Local Services Ads aren’t just for home service businesses anymore. The program has expanded to include photographers, financial planners, real estate agents, auto repair, pet groomers, and more.

In this session, you’ll learn:

Where local services ads are available
How to set up the ads on the LSA dashboard
Where to find them in Google search results
How the Google Guaranteed onboarding process works
Pros and cons of local search ads

Tom also covers the expansion of new LSA verticals and markets and where he expects continued expansion.

Whether you’re marketing a service area business or not, don’t miss this session on Google Local Services Ads as the program is only going to become more prominent over time.

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/google-local-services-ads/

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Do you know how customers really use online reviews to make decisions about your local business … and how you can better manage your online reputation?

Since 2010, BrightLocal has conducted their annual Local Consumer Review Survey to answer this question and gain insight into customer behavior.

The latest survey is out and we’ve asked BrightLocal’s Myles Anderson to join us for this session.

He’ll share key findings from the report and offer his expert advice for how to build a strong online reputation in 2020. You’ll learn:

How consumer use of local reviews have evolved over the last decade.
How they use local reviews to research and choose local businesses.
What local businesses can do to better manage their online reputation.
Which industries have seen the greatest impact from online reviews.
How many reviews and what star rating businesses need.
How marketing firms can win more reputation management work in 2020.

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/how-consumers-use-local-business-reviews-in-2020/

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What are the specific factors that impact Google My Business rank? Which of these can you influence and how much can you really expect to impact your search rank?

Every business wants to rank as high as possible, but Google’s algorithm is based on three primary factors to determine where businesses ranks in a local search: relevance, proximity and prominence.

In this episode, we’ve asked three of the most respected local SEO experts in the world — Joy Hawkins, Dan Leibson and David Mihm — to share their thoughts on Google My Business Ranking factors for 2020.

You’ll learn …

How Google’s recent algorithm changes affected local search
If proximity is still the biggest ranking factor
If citation management and NAP consistency are still important
Whether local business websites still matter
The impact does link building really has
If ranking factors are different for service area businesses
How reviews impact Google My Business rank in 2020
Whether GMB spam actually works and what to do about it
If Google looks at products / services / menu for ranking factors
How user and business behavioral signals impact ranking
What to do about GMB posts in 2020

To watch the video and get all links for this session, go to https://localmarketinginstitute.com/google-my-business-ranking-factors/

Local Marketing Institute Podcast: Recent Episodes

Local Marketing Institute

tags, meta title / description tags and featured images on a website?