Google recently announced a new feature that they are rolling out for call-only ads, allowing additional lines of text consisting of two 30-character headlines. Call-only ads are designed to encourage users to easily call your business directly from a mobile device’s SERP. When a potential customer clicks your ad, the ad will then place a call to […]
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What Local Businesses Can Learn Through Google Algorithm Updates
For anyone with a business that depends on the internet for a sizable share of their customer base, the instability of their search ranking can be maddening. They’re first one day, next time they look they’re down to number 7, the next time up to 3 and the next time off the first page completely. […]
Google Changing from Search Engine to Answer Engine
I had a client call a couple weeks ago. She said, “John, I’ve watched our traffic over the last few weeks and it seems to be down.” I asked her if the calls were still coming in. She said, “Oh yes, we’re getting calls, just not as much traffic.” After we hung up, I thought […]
Google Changing from Search Engine to Answer Engine
I had a client call a couple weeks ago. She said, “John, I’ve watched our traffic over the last few weeks and it seems to be down.” I asked her if the calls were still coming in. She said, “Oh yes, we’re getting calls, just not as much traffic.” After we hung up, I thought […]
Google Ads’ Average Position Metric is Going Away
In February, Google announced they plan to sunset the average position metric. While this change won’t take place until September 2019, it’s still a major announcement that has a lot of search marketers worried. After all, average position is one of the main metrics that advertisers look at when making manual bid adjustments and assessing visibility and […]
Google’s web.dev Scoring Tool and Your Local Business
Google’s web.dev tool is great news for small businesses that seek to improve their business websites and compete more effectively online. Web.dev, Google’s laudable initiative, has two components, Tests and Learning. You can test your website for performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices. Performing the audit is simple and free. Enter the URL of the website […]
Local Reviews in 2019 and Their Growing Impact on Your Business
Local Reviews impact continues to grow. Following the study into SEO by Moz which showed that reviews have increased their influence in 2018, Bright Local has announced its own study, which goes a step further. The consumer study, first commissioned in 2010 goes into more depth, finding out what reviews really mean to customers and what affect […]
What You Need to Know About Google’s New Search Ad Position Metrics
Google continues to provide advertisers with new and helpful ways to analyze search data. While they didn’t roll out a whole new UI this time, their update to search ad position metrics is still pretty useful. Gone are the days of relying only on Average Position to get a sense of where your ad is showing up on the […]
Local Service Ads: Are They Worth Investing In?
Local Service Ads is a product designed by Google specifically for local business leads. Originally called “home service ads,” it has since grown to encompass many more services and locations. These ads work well because they target people already poised for action, local searchers. Google local service ads differ from traditional Google ads several ways: […]
Business Location Strategies for Startups and New SMEs
In How to Choose a Location for Your Small Business, I discussed picking a location based on customer and other factors, without considering the importance of search engine visibility. However, having a location strategy is as important as choosing a good location for customers and staff. In a business environment where search engine visibility is […]
