Category: Links of Interest

Hey hey! We’re back with a new batch of links tailormade for small business owners who have a location-based business and/or e-commerce websites who are looking to make a splash in local search or drive conversions to their website. 

We’ll be posting links from time to time. If you have anything to share with us, please add your links in the comments below. 

Let’s jump in!

Are Coworking Spaces Against the Google My Business Guidelines?

This story was of particular interest to us as we rent out of a Coworking space. Like so many other small business owners, the benefits of working out of such an office are too good to pass up. If you’ve been wondering if you can claim your space within a Coworking space, the answer is in this article. Essentially, if you’re going to claim your listing, it’s best to have a fixed, permanent suite inside the Coworking space. And it’s even better if you have some images to prove it.

By the way, read our Owner Story to learn more about the people who run Metspace, 10|20 Marketing’s home base. 

Do Google My Business Identity Attributes Impact Ranking?

We wrote about Google’s attributes and their importance a little while back. We’d encourage you to go back and read that for a refresher. If you click through to our Link of Interest, though, you’ll see what experts think the impact of adding attributes is. In short, the answer is, “Yes, quite possibly.” A lot has to do with the attribute selected and the search volume in your local area. Read the research done by Sterling & Sky to gain a great understanding. 

Google Has Quietly Become a Key Player in Takeout Dining

Run a restaurant and trying to get through your local government restrictions to survive? Ensuring your restaurant sets up online ordering is vital. In this article, you’ll see just how great an impact Google has quietly had in this space. Their efforts are not without controversy, but with Google so crucial for local business, you may have no choice but to take advantage. 

E-Commerce Has Been A Lifeline For Small Businesses During The Pandemic. Where Do They Go From Here?

Many of our clients started to focus on Shopify and other e-commerce platforms when the pandemic hit. Of course they did after lockdowns completely depleted their on-site traffic. With the pivot to online sales, some of our clients started to see that their local business now had a wider reach. How did they take advantage? What’s next now that restrictions are loosening? This article has a good look at these questions. 

Why your business should run Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads – and how to get them right

Built a website and nobody is coming? Have an e-commerce site and need to convert more sales? Running a pay-per-click advertising campaign can be a solution, but only if done correctly. The key is to track your campaigns to understand what is working and what is leading to conversions. Online ads are something we specialize in, helping clients big and small meet their goals. We encourage you to read this article and let us know if you think a PPC campaign is something you’re ready to launch. 

Read our last batch of links here!

 

From time to time, we’ll go ahead and curate some of the most recent and significant news about local marketing, so you don’t have to. If you have any links you’d like to add, please share them in the comments below.

Let’s jump in!

Get on the mic: Local marketing expert says now is the perfect time for businesses to start a podcast.

Do you have a podcast? Have you thought about starting one? Local marketing expert Ryan Alford says that now is the perfect time for your business to start a podcast? Why? He believes that the industry is still growing and that the value is there for lead generation. This article dives into the argument and provides resources for those who are thinking of diving in. 

The Importance of a Google Maps Marketing Strategy (+How to Create One That Works) 

We’ve sounded this alarm for a long while, but sometimes it’s great to see a different perspective. Check out LOCALIQ’s comprehensive guide to enacting a Google Maps marketing strategy, which could undoubtedly help your business generate leads and new business. We know a little something about this topic as well. 😉

Localogy and Soci Quantify Local Marketing Benchmarks. 

The third annual Localized Marketing Benchmark Report (LMBR) was released. As explained on localogy.com, “The report quantifies localized marketing success by calculating scores for 276 multi-location businesses, and an overall benchmark. Scores are based on marketing performance across 19 search and social marketing criteria.” You’ll note that localized search marketing scoring criteria include completeness of profile, claimed listings rate, reviews per location, review response rate, location posts and more, all areas where we have some expertise. Please look at the basis of the report to understand why what we preach is so important to practice. 

Google Maps Highlighting Businesses That Have Posted Recently. 

Google’s work here is super interesting, as they are running a test to show when businesses have updated their listing with a post. Doing so indicates that Google is starting to emphasize the importance of Google Posts within the Google My Business platform. Our experience shows clients who do post consistently have a greater likelihood of getting more views and actions from their GMB listing over time. With Google experimenting with bringing attention to these fresh posts, perhaps we’ll see that growth sooner. 

Google My Business: Phone Numbers Not Allowed In Google Posts. 

So Google has come out and clarified its position on “phone stuffing. Their Google Posts Content Policy now includes this explanation: “To avoid the risk of abuse, we do not allow your post content to include a phone number. You can make your phone number available on your Business Profile or website. Instead, you can attach a “Call now” button to your post that uses your verified Business Profile phone number.” This move is likely a response to pressure Google has received to explain why more posts are getting rejected than normal. To recap, don’t write a number in your text or hide it in a photo. Just use the “Call now” call to action button to generate phone calls from your posts.