I Want to Know your Biggest Local Search Questions

[JoyHawkins]

Hey Everyone! I'm a speaker at SMX Advanced this year and we have a roundtable on Local Search where we're doing a Q&A style and I need to prepare some questions in advanced.

What I want to know is what are your biggest/most important questions in Local Search currently that you want answers to?

If you're a marketing agency, what questions do your clients ask the most?

 

[TonyIsSocial]

Will there ever be GMB support for agencies, perhaps through the Partners program? Maybe a direct number to advanced GMB staff that are closer in caliber to local search marketers.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks for asking here Joy. I'll tweet now and try to get some play on this for you.

When I saw the post title I assumed you were asking for our upcoming LocalU Hangout with Mike.

Here is the info about that... coming up May 15th.
<a href="http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-local/30705-google-local-hangout-problems-tips-tricks-google-tcs.html">Google Local Hangout: Problems, Tips & Tricks with the Google TCs</a>

You can ask your burning questions in advance and we'll try to answer there as well.

But sorry, hijacked Joy's thread. Even if you are planning to be at our Hangout, please ask Qs here as well to help give Joy ideas for SMX.

That's a good one Tony!

The other related question that was discussed recently in our Local Search Pros Community is regarding support for GMB Locations. Seems like big agencies with big bulk accounts should get a rep that understands all the bulk issues.

But I don't think Joy has a crystal ball to know the answer to if or when agency or bulk support will become available.

 

[rossicone]

Hi Joy!

This is awesome, thanks for asking!

My biggest question that I've never found a clear answer to is how to implement call tracking on our clients sites to show our worth as an seo company without it affecting local.

Have lots of fun at SMX Advanced!!

 

[TonyIsSocial]

I disagree.

I think Joy does indeed have a crystal ball.

 

[Andre Willis]

I've been asked about measuring referral traffic from the local pack, but I don't think there's a solution.

 

[rossicone]

Ooo, I have another one How many calls does a business need to get in order for the information to be collected/tracked in GMB Insights?

 

[Michael S. Doran]

How can we regain the knowledge lost when Google stopped giving us the keywords that the local listing gets found for?

 

[Jim Froling]

The most common question we get from new or prospective clients:
"How long will it take to rank on page one?"

The most common question from existing clients:
"If I'm getting all of these "Views from Search" as GMB Insights suggest, why don't I get more phone calls?"

My biggest question from a consultant's POV:
How can I determine if a business has been whacked by a Google penalty?
(Actually I was here researching an answer to this when I saw a posting on the forum from a couple weeks ago. http://www.localsearchforum.com/local-seo-ranking/30595-there-definitive-way-see-if-you-penalized.html

I also agree with Joy that someone (Joy nominates Linda) should write a blog post on this topic. Since Joy is the one speaking at SMX I think she would be the logical choice. Forgive me Joy.

 

[Tyson Downs]

Rossicone-

Use DNI (Dynamic Number Insertion). It's just some java script that goes on the site and the phone number changes on the site when the client lands on it. I've been using it well over a year through Call Rail and haven't ever had any number get out in the wild.

Tyson

 

[Linda Buquet]

My biggest question that I've never found a clear answer to is how to implement call tracking on our clients sites to show our worth as an seo company without it affecting local.

Rachel, stumbled across this post from Mike. Just in case you missed it.
<a href="http://blumenthals.com/blog/2014/11/25/guide-to-using-call-tracking-for-local-search/">Guide to Using Call Tracking for Local Search | Understanding Google My Business & Local Search</a>

 

[shondarogers]

I want to know how small one man show type SEO s like Phil Rozek (I know there are more I just don't know their names) manage their business but also find time to research and write amazing blog posts & speak on panels & guest blog & attend seminars... How do they have time to do it all? And have paying clients.. And probably a waiting list...

 

[rossicone]

Use DNI (Dynamic Number Insertion). It's just some java script that goes on the site and the phone number changes on the site when the client lands on it. I've been using it well over a year through Call Rail and haven't ever had any number get out in the wild.

Thanks Tyson! Have you noticed any decrease in rankings since you started using DNI? Are you worried at all that Google will see this as "cloaking" at some point in the future? Sorry so many questions!

Don't you just wish that there was a schema markup for call tracking numbers that Google approved of? maybe one day....

---------- Post Merged at 06:45 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:34 PM ----------

Rachel, stumbled across this post from Mike. Just in case you missed it.
<a href="http://blumenthals.com/blog/2014/11/25/guide-to-using-call-tracking-for-local-search/">Guide to Using Call Tracking for Local Search | Understanding Google My Business & Local Search</a>

Thanks Linda! I have actually seen this before.

Mike suggests that you implement a DNI that essentially doesn't work when the searcher comes from Google. That way Google's bots will only see your local phone number and your NAP consistency won't get messed up.

However when you do it this way, that means the searcher coming Google will also see your local number, not your tracking number. Because of this, you lose tracking of all searchers coming from Google.

I asked Mike about this and his response was, "Well if you are not getting traffic, there is no amount of call tracking that will do you much good."

I'm still trying to come up with a way to be able to fully track all calls from your website without hurting your local It's been a tough one...haha

 

[Kaycie Smith]

I would love to get some clarity on using json-ld vs microdata- specifically for the nap. Is one preferred over the other, can you have both? I have heard so many different answers. I prefer microdata as it is what I am used to- don't fix whats not broken, but seems developers are leaning toward json-ld because of its ease.

Also, will there be an easier way to leave Google+ reviews from mobile.

 

[mborgelt]

Going for future strategy with this, "How should we optimize for Google's ever-growing emphasis on 'near me' searches?"

 

[cdawg2610]

I'd also second the "near me" best practices and thoughts on it - I'm seeing it as one of the biggest keyword increases right now.

For me - the biggest thing is best practices/tips/thoughts when you work at the agency level. We've got bulk account management but it's not the 10,000 listings like a Uhaul or something, but its a lot more than the one business work.