Unless you have been living under a rock or are one of 10 people who still consider e-commerce is a fad, you know about the explosive growth Amazon has seen in the last decade. But very few people have fully comprehended Amazon’s maniacal focus on chasing profitability in the last few quarters. To boost profitability, Amazon is steadily shifting its model from a retailer to a marketplace. For the first time in its history, over 50 percent of all sales on Amazon were driven by more profitable third-party sales, where Amazon takes a healthy cut. Also, to boost its bottom line, Amazon aggressively CRAPs out SKUs (CRAP is an endearing Amazon acronym for Cannot Realize Any Profit, where Amazon’s algorithms suppress and kick out unprofitable SKUs from its platform.)
But Amazon’s advertising division has so far flown under the radar. For the first time in its history, Facebook publicly acknowledged Amazon as a direct competitor in the advertising world in its last earnings call, and it has good reasons to be scared — very very scared.
“We compete with Apple in messaging, Google and YouTube in advertising and video, Tencent in messaging and social media, and Amazon in advertising.” – Facebook Annual 10K filing
This is the first time Facebook called out Amazon in its earnings, and it demonstrates the growing importance of Amazon in digital advertising dominated by the two behemoths.
Ten years ago, few people thought Facebook would challenge Google and become an advertising behemoth. I will be the first person to raise my hand and say I was utterly wrong when I recommended my company then to cut back advertising investment on Facebook because the ROI wasn’t there. Brands that latched on to the social media phenomenon that unfurled since then reaped a lot of benefits while it was still cheaper to advertise on Facebook. It’s no more. We are now at the same juncture with Amazon. Bid density is still low and the upside is huge. But there is one fundamental difference which many marketers ignore and that is critical to note….
AMAZON IS A RETAILER FIRST AND THEN AN ADVERTISER. At the most basic level, Google is a search engine, Facebook is a social network and Amazon is an online marketplace. On Google and Facebook, people are searching for something not always a product though. This distinction from Google and Facebook is critical. When you click on an ad on Google or Facebook, attributing the impact of that click on sales is still difficult, but you go to Amazon with clear intention of buying products and when you click on a sponsored product ad on Amazon, you land on the product detail page with a big check out box. The attribution is clear because it is a closed system. Another fundamental difference is the interplay between marketing spend and organic search results on Amazon. Traditional agencies and large brands do not understand that critical distinction, and this is where brands can create a lasting competitive advantage on Amazon. That one click on an ad can not only impact an immediate paid sale but can also positively turn and accelerate the Amazon flywheel and improve your organic search ranking. So brands that take a jumpstart against competition in strategically buying paid placements to grow organic search ranking on consumer searches can dominate page one for a long period without the need for increasing ad budget forever.
Optimization on Amazon is largely focused on hitting a target advertising cost of sales or ACoS (which is nothing but how much money you spend to get $1 in paid sales). But this like using advertising as a drug which you can’t wean away from. Not every click or ad on Amazon is the same. Rather than a peanut butter approach of a target ACoS, brands need to understand the incrementality of each click and then optimize the bids. That means you should be willing to pay more for a click to convert a net, new customer into a sale than a click where the consumer has already made up his mind to buy your product. You can capture this signal by what keyword consumers are searching for – branded, category or competitor.
Taking this a step further, you should be spending less on search terms where you are already getting the lion’s share of top search results organically and invest them in searches where your organic presence is low. Finally, it is important to ensure that you have profitability of investment in mind. Why chase a highly expensive search term and engage in a bid war with competitors when you can programmatically identify a bunch of long tail inexpensive search terms and own them.
Amazon is clear in its priorities: End customers will always take the cake, followed by growth and profitability. Their investment in high margin advertising business is a way to improve the profitability of their retail operations. But they do not lose customer focus even in advertising by ensuring that products with good conversion, minimum ratings and reviews and relevancy get preference. The success of individual brands is not in their top three priorities so brands need to programmatically cut back on wasteful ad dollars and reinvest them in high growth opportunities to drive incremental sales rather than a vanity efficiency metric like advertising cost of sales.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.
About The Author
As the senior director of product management for CommerceIQ, Himanshu Jain leads the effort to build the next generation of enterprise SaaS products to enable and automate data-driven decisions. Currently, he leads the product management efforts for the company’s ad tech product for brands to grow net sales on Amazon. Prior to CommerceIQ and Boomerang Commerce, Himanshu was a management consultant at A.T. Kearney and advised Fortune 100 companies on cost reduction and growth initiatives, as well as built machine learning models to drive business decisions at Capital One. Himanshu attained his MBA from the Ross School of Business (Michigan) and his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.
We’re digital marketers; we make our living in a constantly changing (and consistently misunderstood) industry. It’s easy to feel like even those who are closest to us don’t really get what we do. Take me, for example, I once mentioned algorithms to my grandmother, and ever since then, she’s been absolutely (and adamantly) sure that I work with clocks. Did she think I said analog?
But despite the dynamic nature of marketing, Moz has always been a solid rock at the center of the storm. It’s been here since the beginning, a place where all the marketing nerds and SEO geeks could hang our hats and feel understood.
And MozCon feels like the culmination of that culture of acceptance.
MozCon: Helping you build your best self
As I’ve chatted with the good folks at Moz about this year’s MozCon, it’s clear to me that they pay attention to data. Why do I say that? Because they’re doubling down on making this year their most actionable year ever. As a past attendee, I can say that hearing that MozCon’s biggest focus is a dedication to actionable tactics gets me excited.
The creative media surrounding MozCon have an under-the-sea theme going on. These nautical nods are setting us all up for the deep dive into digital marketing we’re sure to see this year. Since there’s a good chance that most of us marketers never made it to prom (just me? Okay then…), it’s kind of fun to get a second chance to experience oceanic decor in a congregate environment (What, you’ve never dreamed about being Marty McFly at his parent’s Enchantment Under the Sea dance? Was I the only one?)
The point is that the upcoming MozCon is poised to do what it does so well: Offer a delightful mix of predictability and variety, presented in a way that’s designed to improve us without reforming us. New players will share the stage with established thought leaders and strategists. Innovation will go hand in hand with cherished tradition.
After looking at the initial agenda, here are a few of the front runner speakers and sessions I’m excited for in particular.
Casie Gillette — Thanks for the Memories: Creating Content People Remember
Digital marketers like data, right?
[Cue nodding heads and incoherent mumblings]
While I certainly love data, I also struggle with data. Sometimes I rely on the data so much that I become hesitant to take risks. And if there’s one thing our industry as a whole can improve on, it’s taking more risk.
Casie is taking to the stage with a mission to teach us how to make content memorable. With the promise that MozCon 2019 will be more tactical and strategic than ever before, I am earnestly giddy (feel free to picture that emotion however the mood takes you) to hear about what I can do to take a step back from the data, and instead put it on the line for something my audience will never forget.
Shannon McGuirk: How to Supercharge Link Building with a Digital PR Newsroom
Link-building, anyone? Yeah, it’s still a thing. After all, if you link-build it, they will come. Shannon promises to teach us how to set up a “digital PR room.” AKA, a link-earning machine! It sounds like she’s pulling back the entire curtain and will be showing us some concrete link-building tactics. I know how many hours go into earning a single link, so I am eagerly awaiting a process that scales.
Ross Simmonds — Keyword’s Aren’t Enough: How to Uncover Content Ideas Worth Chasing
Like many SEOs, I’m a firm believer in the power of valuable content. So when I hear about a session titled, “Keyword’s Aren’t Enough: How to Uncover Content Ideas Worth Chasing,” it’s eye-catching. Maybe more than eye-catching, it’s paradigm challenging. I love keywords, LOVE’em! Content marketing without keywords makes me a little uneasy. Let’s just say keywords are at the center of most of my strategy for content marketing decisions. I’m glad I have time to prepare my mind for what mad brilliance Ross will be sharing this year at MozCon.
Heather Physioc — Mastering Branded Search
Before I even jump into Heather’s digital game, let’s start with her taste in music. Her walk-on music was strong last year — real strong.
. @HeatherPhysioc I don’t know who chooses the walk-on music. But you win! Ready to listen to everything you have to say. #mozcon2018
This year Heather is going to be chatting us up on branded search. At one glance I’m like, “Okay, color me intrigued…” Branded search seems so surface-level, but knowing Heather, it will be an engaging presentation replete with answers to (what I thought were) unanswerable questions about branded search. Heather has a background in working with enterprise brands, so for me, the opportunity to learn how to leverage big brand names for unique perspectives on what many may think is a pretty straightforward subject, is one I don’t dare pass up. Very excited for what’s sure to be a wild ride.
Britney Muller — Topic TBD, but looking forward to it nonetheless
I’ve never left a conference with more notes from a single session that I have from Britney’s MozCon address in 2017. I recall her sharing her trepidation about being the lead SEO for Moz. A quick project Britney took on was gutting some old and thin pages on Moz.com — about 70,000 community pages if my notes from the event are correct. But shortly, Moz.com saw a modest organic traffic bump. Britney is fearless as an SEO, and there’s something beyond the sheer value of case studies here. As SEOs, we too should be fearless in our work. I’m looking forward to Britney sharing data, insights, and her gutsy spirit with all of us.
Moz with Benefits…
Speakers and sessions are cool and all, but can I just say that all the little extras MozCon has to offer are amazing.
Networking is something that every conference touts. And sure we all like networking, cause that’s what we have to say right? What’s the phrase? “If you’re not networking, you’re not working”? At MozCon, networking is not a chore; it’s easy and enjoyable. Even productive. From an agency perspective, it’s a cool place outside the office to connect with clients too.
And how have I gotten this far and not mentioned the food at MozCon? The meals are excellent, but can I say a word about the snacks? Moz does not skimp when it comes to eats. Sure, I talked about some cool speakers and topics above, but you know what’s actually stolen my heart at MozCon? Top Pot donuts. I may be that guy that leaves a session 5 minutes early just to get a head start on these donuts. Does that mean I might miss out on valuable insights or strategies? Absolutely it does, and I don’t care. My goal has always been to get a couple of donuts down the hatch before I run into someone I know. That way, when they see me with a donut in each hand, they think that’s all I’ve had.
“Just two donuts this time, PJ?”
“Yeah, haha, just two…” Suckers.
Donuts aside, Moz cares immensely about their community and has done everything possible to make this the best year yet. So come as you are, and leave as you were… only better. The Moz culture of acceptance and education stands to deliver a MozCon experience that will keep you going throughout the year.
I can’t wait to take a deep dive into the sea of SEO with all of my fellow marketing geeks. And if you want to chat, I’ll be the guy hovering around the donut table.
Well, what did I miss?
For all the long-time MozCon attendees out there, what are you excited for?
Which speakers and sessions are you looking forward to most?
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Mobile Friendly Test Not Using Latest Chromium Yet
With the big news around Googlebot now being evergreen and running the latest version of Chromium and thus being able to access 1000+ new features on web pages, you’d think we’d see it. But no, we don’t see it yet and no – the mobile-friendly test and probably the other testing tools do not support it yet.
GoogleBot Runs Latest Chrome – This Is Big News
Probably the biggest news for the SEO industry out of Google I/O yesterday was that Google said Googlebot is now evergreen, meaning it will stay up-to-date with the latest version of Chromium, their popular Chrome browser. This brings thousands of new features to Googlebot for crawling purposes.
Google Code Lab Supports Structured Data, Single Page Apps & Dynamic Rendering
Martin Splitt from Google announced while at Google I/O yesterday that they have updated the Google Code lab not to just support structured data but also single page apps (SPAs) and dynamic rendering. Code lab is a solution that walks you through step-by-step to create either structured data, SPAs or dynamic rendering that works with Google search.
Google Search Adds 3D Objects With AR Support
Google demonstrated at I/O yesterday a search feature where you can bring up 3D objects and then place them in your location using AR, augmented reality. I am not too sure about this feature sticking but hey – it is pretty cool to demo on stage – don’t you think?
Google Top Stories To Add News Timelines, Search & Play Podcasts & More
At Google I/O yesterday, Google first announced updates to how they will handle top stories in the search results. Google showed how the top stories has a new top filter bar to let you learn more about a topic, see that stories timeline, and even hear podcasts that you can play about that topic.
Google I/O Digital Detox Area Was Empty
Brian Ussery snapped a photo of an area at the Google I/O event named Digital Detox, a place you go to turn off your phone and connect with yourself or others. Just look, the place is empty.
One of the major themes of Facebook’s F8 developer conference and this week’s Google I/O is privacy. Location is a sensitive and central part of the broader privacy discussion. Survey data have repeatedly shown that users care about who gets access to their location data and want more control over it.
Android has historically given developers broad access to device location and provided less transparency and control for users than the iPhone (although there’s been some backpedaling by Apple). But with the forthcoming Android Q, smartphone owners will soon have much more control over location permissions. (There are a ton of new features in the OS update, which I won’t talk about here.)
What’s changing for users. At the most basic level, Google is making it easier for users to find privacy controls, by tapping on the profile picture in the upper right corner of various Google products (search, Maps, YouTube, etc.). Google explained that soon “you’ll be able to review and delete your location activity data directly in Google Maps.”
There will also be an auto-delete capability for location history. You’ll be able to tell Google whether you want your data saved for three months or 18 months (it’s not clear whether there will be other choices). And Google Maps will get Incognito Mode, meaning user location won’t be tracked or saved for the places visited. It’s not clear how this might impact ad targeting or analytics.
With Android Q there will be an option to share location only while the app is in use, as on the iPhone. When users quit the app location won’t continue to run in the background. Other location permissions will be “all the time” and “deny”:
“All the time” – this means an app can access location at any time
“While in use” – this means an app can access location only while the app is being used
“Deny” – this means an app cannot access location
Android Q will also remind users that location is running in the background if “always allow” was the user’s initial settings choice. This feature used to exist on the iPhone but was removed, reportedly following developer complaints.
What app publishers should know. During a developer session on Android Q’s location features, Google said and recommended the following about obtaining location permissions:
Any app/developer use of location will require permission.
Don’t use or ask for location if the app doesn’t need it.
Only ask for the permission required for the app to function (argument against “always”).
Ask for location in context, so the user understands why it’s being requested.
If you need all-the-time location, start with “while in use” and later request “all the time”.
Why we should care. Google is tightening third-party data access, making it more difficult for publishers and developers to easily capture background location. Apps will still be able to get location to function, but users will likely default to “while in use” or “deny.” Gone is Android’s binary “all or nothing” approach.
This will likely mean that fewer apps will be able to access user location overall. It will also mean fewer apps will have background location and be able to monetize that in the broader ecosystem (i.e., by selling it). From the advertiser perspective, it will affect location-based ad targeting opportunities across the app ecosystem. These changes will probably also impact the CPMs that developers and publishers are able to get — ad requests with location pay more than those without.
About The Author
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.
Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business, product, or service for a search query that is location-specific. Google (and other search engines) uses a user’s location based on IP address (for desktop) and geolocation (for mobile) to determine what results to show the user. So when someone searches for Dentist, Car Wash, or Locksmith, the search engine will display businesses relevant to their location.
Local Search Results on Google
A local search result combines two main parts (or opportunities) for a local business:
Organic Search Results – The website
Local Pack – Google My Business (GMB)
Users can also search for results in a different location by adding in a local area qualifier, like “Hotels in London”. Other positions (opportunities) include Ads, Images, One Box, and, of course, users searching specifically in Local Finder and Maps.
The practice of Local SEO includes optimizing the business’s website for local search queries, as well as optimizing the business’s Google My Business page.
Exceptions
There are some exceptions to Google returning a local business to a local query; in these instances, Google tries to determine the intent of the user rather than the user’s location. These are especially prevalent for “Hotels in …” search results where Google typically only returns booking websites in the organic search results. Google determined that a user wanted a choice of multiple hotels within the area searched rather than providing the user with just ten hotels within the search result.
Location-based results for hotels switched to intent in July 2018. In July 2019, Google again switched from local results to intent for the search query “Airport Transfers” in the UK. All local businesses were removed from the search results in favor of booking providers. To see local providers, a user now has to specify a location, like “Airport Transfers in …”.
Google can and will change their search queries. However, Google still displays local businesses within the Hotel Pack and Local Pack that is refined to the user’s location and search query.
Your Local SEO strategy should be adapted to your location and customer intent.
Local Search Results
Typical search results are made up of Local Pack (Google My Business) and Organic Results (websites).
A local search strategy can include multiple aspects to increase business visibility. This can include:
Paid Ads – Above the Local Pack
GMB – The Local Pack
Organic – Below the Local Pack
As a local SEO practitioner, I concentrate on providing organic visibility (non-paid). However, there is always a time and place for using paid ads; this would be when you are starting on your local SEO journey and are not appearing within the local pack or organic search result.
It could also be when your competitors run ads at certain times of the day and are pushing your organic visibility down the page; you may want to maintain a presence during those hours too.
Not All Local Packs are Created Equally
Google displays local packs slightly differently depending on the nature of the query and business type.
Brands:
Restaurants:
Local Business:
One Box (when Google feels confident enough to show one business that satisfies the user’s query):
Hotels:
Google My Business
Google My Business provides highly visible business branding directly in search results with a knowledge panel. Google is also increasing options for users to interact with the businesses directly from search results via your Google My Business page with the following options:
Booking Appointments
Requesting Quotes
Messaging Directly
Without a GMB page, you may miss half of your opportunities in a local search result and the local pack.
A Google My Business page is one of the most important tools that any business has at its disposal.
Google My Business Ranking Factors
Naturally, Google does not exactly share the exact ranking factors, but they do provide some basic information here.
Relevance: “Relevance refers to how well someone searches are matching with a local listing. Adding complete and detailed business information can help Google better understand your business and match your listing to relevant searches from customers.”
Distance: “Distance is calculated by how far each potential business is from the location terms used in a search. If a customer doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what’s known about their location.”
Prominence: “Prominence refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local ranking. For example, famous museums, landmark hotels or well-known shop brands that are familiar to many people are also likely to be more prominent in local search results.”
“Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business from across the Internet (like links, articles and directories). Google review count and score are also factored into local search ranking – more reviews and positive ratings will improve a business’s local ranking.”
Relevance Tips
Choose the best possible category for your GMB listing and or subcategories.
Provide an accurate business description in your GMB listing, try and include your main business keyword and location within your description.
Make sure your Name, Address, and Contact Details in GMB match the details on your website + any local citations (see SEMrush citation tool).
Incorporate structured data markup on the website (schema), again making sure these details match (see Local SEO Checklist).
Distance Tips
This is the least controllable because every user’s search location will be different.
If you are not in the actual location – target the location you are actually in.
Make sure the location is in the website’s page’s <title> and using the location where applicable in H tags on-page. ABC Taxis – Taxis in Peterborough. Or, Jims Plumbing – Emergency Plumbers in Leicester.
Provide directions for customers on-site. Depending on the size of the city, you could provide 3 or 4 direction details from various landmarks in an area.
Local centric content on-site – target longer tail search queries that capture the user during their purchase research.
Prominence Tips
Local citations – stick to authority directories and main aggregators in your country.
Look for local specific directories in your area.
Look for niche-specific directories in your area and country.
Register with local chambers of commerce or trade bodies.
Local charities – time to get your checkbook out.
Local press, especially when you launch your charity drive, local press love these stories.
Provide customer awareness articles to press or trade bodies.
Reviews on GMB, Facebook, and Trade Sites. Incorporate asking customers for reviews into your customer interaction and newsletters. Make it easy for customers to leave reviews.
Working with other local businesses – approach them about mentioning each other in your websites where it makes sense to each other’s customers.
I must add a caveat here about building thousands of citations (directory listings). Stay away from mass directory submissions; these low rate submissions are often not indexed for several months by Google, which demonstrates how low value they are to Google and you.
Choose the most authoritative and relevant business listings for you.
Optimizing Your Google My Business Page
Your first step would be to either claim or create your Google My Business page. Check to see if you already have a listing by either searching direct or via https://www.google.com/business/.
Google My Business now requires you to verify the business. The predominant way is via a postcard to the business. This postcard contains a pin number that you are required to enter before it becomes verified.
Other options of verifying may be offered to you, depending on how confident Google is that the business does exist at that location. This could include phone verification, text, or email.
Your newly verified business listing lives in your account dashboard or if managing via mobile, via the GMB app.
Type of Business
There are two types of businesses:
Local Business – Customers come to your business (address is visible)
Service Area Business – You provide a service to the customer (address is hidden). You select areas or postcodes that you serve.
Main Business Information
Your main business information lives in the Info section:
Here are the areas you need to fill out:
Name – Business Name
Although tempting, do not keyword stuff; this could cause issues down the road. Remember consistency with your Name, Address, Phone Number.
Category – Business Category
Not all category types are offered. Select the nearest type of category and secondary categories applicable to your business.
Check what your competitors are using for various search queries.
Address – Business Address
Use the correct address of the business, and remember to reflect the same address on your website.
Make sure your pin marker in the corresponding map is in the right location.
If you are a service area business, your address will not be displayed, but you can select the areas that you serve.
Hours – Your Opening Hours
Set your business hours.
If you are an appointment-only business, current advice from Google My Business is not to provide any hours.
You can also add special hours, which can extend hours for late-night shopping or mark the business as closed if, for example, Christmas falls mid-week outside of your normal set hours.
Phone Numbers
You can set a selection of telephone numbers – Primary and Secondary
If you use call tracking, set the primary number for this, but also provide the main business phone number as secondary.
Short Name
You are able to select a short name for the business.
Once you have set this option, you can find a shortened URL and Review URL that you can use in everyday marketing or send directly to customers in the Home section.
Website
Add your website address.
I recommend that you use a UTM tracking code attached to your web address. This allows you to view/attribute visits from your Google My Business page directly in your Google Analytics:
You can also use UTM tracking in other areas that may be offered depending on the type of business – reservations, appointments, orders, etc.
Services/Menu
If you are not a restaurant, you will have a Services section to complete — you can add the different types of services that you offer.
If you are a restaurant, you can add your menu.
Highlights/Attributes
This is probably the most confusing and misunderstood section for users because you cannot actually add attributes; you can only select or deselect.
A newly created business listing will most likely have no attributes to select from. As more customers who have the Google Maps app installed on their phones visit your business, they are sent push notifications to answer questions about your business. Depending on their answers, an attribute is added, which you can select or deselect.
The exception to this is Hotels who have a whole range of pre-selected attributes that they can select or deselect.
Description
This is your chance to shine. Provide a well-written description about the business, who you are, what makes you unique, and what you offer.
Google Posts was launched in July 2017 and allows businesses to add Posts, Events, and Offers that appear within the business knowledge panel.
Google Posts last for 7 days – but past posts can still be scrolled through by users. An Event or Offer will last until the set end date. Traffic from Google Posts has diminished over time as Google has experimented with different locations where they display your posts, with the current position at the bottom of your business listing in search results.
However, this is free business branding direct to your customers in search results, and if you are already posting regularly in closed systems like Facebook or Twitter, why not spend those extra five minutes and provide information to customers finding you in search results.
Google has also started displaying snippets in the Local Pack if they find content from your posts that are applicable to the user’s search query.
You can also use UTM tracking codes for your Google Posts to determine what works well with your customers and refine over time.
Photos
Not a ranking factor, but think of photos as a conversion factor.
Logos (250×250) are displayed in your knowledge panel and Google Posts.
Add great photos; it helps to convert and create a connection with potential customers.
You should also monitor customer added images for quality. Bad images can create a bad impression. You can report these images via your dashboard.
Products
Products are only available to applicable types of business categories.
Products are displayed in the business knowledge panel.
Products allow small businesses to add products manually to their GMB page for customers to view.
You can categorize these, and Google has also started to machine learn potential categories based on other similar businesses.
You can add:
Image
Product Name
Price range
Product Description
Google Website
Google allows small businesses to create a single page website for their business that pulls in information from the GMB page. If you have your own website, then you can skip this section or maybe think about this section as a citation for your business.
Question & Answers
Questions and answers do not appear within your Google my Business listing because it was created via Maps and bolted into the business knowledge panel.
Just because this is not within the GMB dashboard, does not mean it should be ignored.
I recommend populating a few popular questions and answers to help customers if they search in this area. I would also check every now and again for any question asked by new customers.
If you have a mobile Google Maps app that is attached to the same account as GMB, you should get a notification via Maps when a user asks a question.
Reviews
I feel I need to dispel the myth that the more reviews you have, the better you rank.
You will often see a business in the local pack ranking well with a lower amount of reviews; this is because it is not the one and only signal that Google uses. You certainly want to be asking customers to leave a review, but it is not the be-all and end-all. Reply to your reviews, both good and bad, be polite, be professional.
You can send customers an easy, quick link to leave a review (set your short name) either by building it into your customer emails or newsletters.
On-Site Local SEO for Beginners
If the thought of learning a new skill like SEO while running your business fills you with dread, I understand. I will try and break down some beginner tips for optimizing your website for local search queries. There is a wealth of information out there about SEO, and Google provides a helpful resource.
Search engines understanding where your business is located is important when it comes to Local SEO.
Site Pages
If your business is in a particular location, we need to tell search engines and customers where you are.
Home Page
Your home page copy should include your location, ideally within your H1 tag.
Example: <h1>Bob’s Plumbing: Your Northampton Emergency Plumbers</h1>, <h1>Happy Paws are Award-Winning Dog Groomers in Northampton</h1>
This strategy provides your location on the website to help with SEO, and it also prevents any customer confusion when they are trying to determine which area you are located in or serve.
Page Title — Title Tags
You should also use this strategy in the page titles (what users see in search results). Your home page should be based on your main offering.
Example: <title>Bob’s Plumbing – Northampton Emergency Plumbers – 24/7</title>, <title>Happy Paws – Dog Groomers in Northampton – Award-Winning</title>.
Try and keep your title under 60 characters.
Meta-Descriptions
Your meta description would be the call to action to entice the user to visit the website from the search result.
Example: Our emergency plumbers in Northampton are available 24/7, from burst pipes to blocked drains. Call Bob’s Plumbing Today!
Try and keep your description within 160 characters.
Internal Pages
An Internal page would be the service or product your business provides. This takes a slightly different format to the home page. You never know which page customers could land on, so include locations.
Example: <h1>Radiator Repairs and Radiator Installation in Northampton</h1>; <title>Radiator Repairs & Installation, Northampton – Bob’s Plumbing</title>
Example: <h1>Cut & Blowdry Service at Happy Paws, Northampton</h1>; <title>Cut & Blowdry – Dog Grooming, Northampton – Happy Paws</title>
Providing a selection of Frequently asked questions on product or service pages are a great way to help customers find answers to specific questions while providing keyword-rich semantic content for search engines.
Sitewide
Your business address and other relevant information should be available sitewide in the website’s footer.
Not only does this add to reinforcing your location, but it also provides customers with business details no matter where they are on your website. Address, telephone number, opening hours, contact options, and a link to your GMB listing so they can find you.
Now that you have your business details running sitewide, you can mark this content up with structured data markup (see Local SEO Checklist).
Business Citations & Local Links
Business citations or mentions (does not always have to be a link) help provide search engines with a better understanding of the business and where it is located; it helps build up prominence online.
Again, I must point out here that creating hundreds of citations is not really helpful; stick to the more prominent sites. Here are some sources where you can look for citations and local links:
Niche business lists specifically for your industry.
Trade associations and chambers of commerce.
Distributors.
Suppliers.
Complimentary businesses in the area.
Charities or sponsorship.
Local press.
Localized Content on Site
A blog or news section on site is a great way to provide localized content to searches that are not satisfied within your main site pages. These areas also help you to capture users during their research phase.
Let’s look at Bob’s Plumbers as an example. Their radiator repair and installation page covers the basics of repair, types of repair, and installing a new radiator. What it does not cover is the multitude of potential problems leading to a repair or replacement:
Do I need to replace my radiator if the thermostat is broken?
My radiator won’t warm up at the top do I need to replace it?
Radiator maintenance for hard water areas in Northampton.
The main repair page typically would not cover the hundreds of repair scenarios, so creating content that answers or provides solutions captures these customers during their research phase.
Your content does not always have to be a “blog” type. Your business may be suited to providing Case Studies, Portfolio, or Project Pages that could be perfect for capturing customers during their purchasing phase.
Patio and Rockery Laid in Bexley Heath, Northampton
Gazebo Build and Re-Lawn in Wayfair, Northampton
Localized content does not stop there. It could also be resource guides, presentations, or technical specification sheets.
You can find topics, keywords, and phrases that people are searching for from a range of tools like SEMrush or Answer the Public and Also Asked.
Local SEO Tips: A Recap
This beginner’s guide should get your business headed in the right direction and provide more understanding into improving and building your local SEO.
Here are some quick tips to remember:
Review your competitors in local search results; what should you mimic, and what could you do better?
Take the time to fill out all the Google My Business sections, and keep the GMB ranking factors I described above in mind.
Utilize Google Posts.
Take the time to answer questions people ask on GMB.
Ask your customers for reviews, maintain the reviews, and avoid dealing with negative reviews the wrong way. And make sure you are not making common GMB mistakes.
If you are not getting the organic reach you need right away, consider using paid ads until your ranking improves.
Optimize every page of your website for your location. Use the fundamental SEO strategies I outlined above for page titles, headlines, and meta descriptions.
Don’t forget the power citations, links, and localized content can bring to your site — all of them can help you reach your goals.
Having any struggles with Google My Business or local ranking? Tell us in the comments below.
As digital marketers, we make tons of decisions every day. We carefully identify targets to develop segments. We match products to prospects and decide which channels and platforms to use to reach them. We are continually adapting to support dynamic business goals and increasingly investing in martech to execute. We focus on driving value by building customer journeys to foster relationships. However, our interactions in those relationships — from channel strategy to messaging — can be very different depending on how we define them.
But the very definition of our channels might be changing too. Just ask Steve Lucas, former Marketo CEO and current Adobe senior vice president of digital experience. While marketing sectors have so far neatly organized under either B2B or B2C, Lucas says Adobe is embracing a new channel strategy dubbed B2E, or business to everyone.
“It’s really business-to-everyone”
“We often have a divergence in terms of how we approach marketing from B2B and B2C,” Lucas told Marketing Land. “The reality is that the divergence makes it difficult to connect the individual profile that we build to the account.” He believes this leads to flaws in how we think about — and engage with — our customers from a marketing perspective.
“We need to take the behaviors and characteristics of the individual people that comprise buying teams to orchestrate experiences for all of those people on the team,” he said.” Unique, specialized and acute experiences that manage to help each customer conclude that the product is the right one.”
Lucas pointed to Amazon as he described the forces driving the need for change in how they define their customers, to stop bucketing people together at the account-level. Instead of marketing to businesses, Adobe is using a personalized, conversational chatbot approach to deliver these experiences. The messaging can be tailored to the different individuals who compose enterprise buying teams, The solution also leverages real-time engagement metrics and sales results to align content to each buyer.
But B2B and B2C designations exist for a reason. We don’t necessarily speak to consumers on either side within the same context. “There needs to be an overarching message to the consumer audience at some point,” said Natasha Humphrey, strategic digital marketing consultant at SmartSearch Marketing. “You can’t eliminate B2B or B2C and go straight to B2E because you need to speak to your audience at a high level during any customer journey.”
But according to Lucas, it is time for a shift. “We’ve reached an inflection point relative to how we engage, how we serve our customers,” says Lucas. “If you think of it in the context of how we actually do it, everything is predicated on CRM.”
The shift to customer-centric marketing
Lucas is right, of course, that CRM software is a fundamental component of today’s businesses. Decisions about many of the engagement tools in our martech stacks are based on their CRM integration capabilities. However, CRM is a sales tool, not a marketing tool. It never was intended to be a vehicle for delivering unique customer experiences.
Lucas said the CRM-driven approach forces marketers to make decisions, limiting us to grouping people into segments. “Essentially, CRM is not customer-centric,” says Lucas. “CXM (customer experience management) flips that upside down.” The difference is, according to Lucas, that CXM is a customer-first approach to marketing to the individual people involved in any type of buying decision.
Customer-first, experience-driven
“CXM breaks from traditional approaches by presenting an entirely new way to deliver customer experience management,” says Lucas. “It helps us understand how people are receiving their messaging, creating opportunities to fine-tune and deliver optimized experiences for the customers.”
The concept of delivering personalized customer experiences isn’t groundbreaking, and the task of executing a business-to-everyone strategy could pose a legitimate challenge to marketers. Humphrey points to the need for solid infrastructure and a seamless martech stack as key success factors for tackling this approach. “The infrastructure needs to be a collaborative effort for marketing to define the strategy, then work with operations and IT to execute,” she said. “That works when those teams work well together. It’s 100% collaboration.”
Despite the need to create experiences through positive interactions with consumers, supporting highly-personalized campaigns looks daunting. Solutions emerging in the martech space to address these needs and help us meet our customers’ expectations are a hopeful indicator that as experiences evolve and revenue becomes increasingly dependent on digital, operationally marketing teams will be able to continue to adapt.
About The Author
Jennifer Videtta serves as Third Door Media’s Senior Editor, covering topics from email marketing and analytics to CRM and project management. With over a decade of organizational digital marketing experience, she has overseen digital marketing operations for NHL franchises and held roles at tech companies including Salesforce, advising enterprise marketers on maximizing their martech capabilities. Jennifer formerly organized the Inbound Marketing Summit and holds a certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics from MIT Sloan School of Management.
WordPress announced Tuesday the latest version is now available for download and includes several security updates.
“There are even more robust tools for identifying and fixing configuration issues and fatal errors,” wrote WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg on the company’s blog, “Whether you are a developer helping clients or you manage your site solo, these tools can help get you the right information when you need it.”
Any websites running an old version of PHP (5.6.20 or earlier) will need to update their PHP before installing the new 5.2 version of WordPress.
New safety features. WordPress 5.2 (named “Jaco” in honor of jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius) includes updated Site Health features with the addition of two new pages designed to debug common configuration issues and a space for developers to add “debugging” information for website managers.
The PHP error protection built for administrators lets site owners safely fix and manage fatal errors without developer resources.
“It features better handling of the so-called ‘white screen of death’ and a way to enter recovery mode, which pauses error-causing plugins or themes,” wrote Mullenweg.
General updates. WordPress said its latest versions comes with improved contextual awareness and better keyboard navigation flow for anyone using screen readers or assistive technologies. There are 13 new dashboard icons — including one for Instagram and multiple ones for BuddyPress — and automatic checks to determine if a website’s version of PHP is compatible with installed plugins.
To avoid site errors, WordPress will not allow a plugin to be activated if it is not compatible with the site.
And for the developers. With this latest version of WordPress, the minimum supported PHP version is 5.6.20 — thus the need for website owners to make sure their site is running a more recent version of PHP before downloading WordPress 5.2.
WordPress has added a new theme page template, a conditional function and two CSS classes which will make it easier to design and customize Privacy Policy pages. There is also new body hook features that allow themes to support code added at the beginning of a body element, and new tools to write modern JavaScript.
Why we should care. WordPress is the most widely used CMS in the world, which has put it in the sites of malicious actors. If you’re among the millions of WordPress users, these added security measures are sure to be welcomed. Not updating your WordPress website leaves it open to vulnerabilities, creating a potential disaster in terms of your online presence. From ‘fatal errors’ that can take down and entire e-commerce site to smaller issues that renders a website unusable, keeping your company’s website platform updated is mandatory in terms of best practices for your online security measures.
About The Author
Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media’s General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy’s articles.
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
Google Posts Help Advice For Sites Impacted By Core Updates
Finally, we knew this was coming, and now it is here, Google posted advice on what you can do it help your site perform better in the Google search rankings in the days of Google’s core algorithm updates. This is despite Google saying there is no fix, they repeated, there is no fix, but Google is trying to help site owners focus more on overall quality.
Google Does Not Confirm Smaller Core Updates
So we are sitting here wondering if we had an update yesterday and a few in July, Google was radio silence about those unconfirmed updates. Now, Google posts some more tips around core updates and at the end of that blog post wrote “we’re constantly making updates to our search algorithms, including smaller core updates. We don’t announce all of these because they’re generally not widely noticeable.”
Google Launched A Freshness Algorithm For Featured Snippets In Late February
Yesterday, Google also confirmed that in late February, it launched a new algorithm aimed at making sure the featured snippets show the most accurate and timely or fresh answers for the query. Pandu Nayak from Google said “a new algorithm update improves our systems’ understanding of what information remains useful over time and what becomes out-of-date more quickly. This is particularly helpful for featured snippets”
Google Core Updates Impact Your Google Discover Feed Rankings
This probably does not come as a surprise to most of you who read this site, but Google confirmed yesterday that your inclusion in the Google Discover feed can be impacted by Google’s core ranking updates updates. Google said in yesterday’s core update post “these core updates may also affect Google Discover.”
Bing: Never Seen A Case Where Negative SEO Was Attributed To Ranking Decline
Bing’s spam fighter, Frédéric Dubut, said on Twitter “I haven’t seen any case where a change in rankings would be provably attributable to negative SEO only.” We know Google has mostly said that negative SEO doesn’t really work with Google, although they have been a bit wishy-washy on that. Here is Bing kind of saying the same thing.
Handstand On Google NYC’s Rooftop
Here is someone doing a handstand at the top of the Google New York City offices, on the rooftop there. I found it on Instagram, I think her hobby is doing handstands at different popular places. So
