local businesses

How to Minimize Your Damage From Google’s New Platform

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Have you noticed a new type of sponsored result on Google’s search results pages? These ads are for Google’s new platform, Local Services, which Google designed to promote local service providers like plumbers, electricians, handymen, cleaners, locksmiths, and the like.

According to the official website, “Local Services ads help you connect with people who search on Google for the services you offer. Your ads will show up for customers in your area, so you can keep your calendar full.”

Sounds fair enough at first glance. But, wait—doesn’t this description sound familiar? That’s probably because it’s virtually identical to the purpose of any local online directory already in existence, like HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Porch, Yelp, and so on. So, why does Google claim Local Services ads are here to “help you connect with people” when such platforms are already doing just that? We’re not buying it. Instead, we have a different theory as to what Google’s true motive is…

Money.

Keep reading to find out how the Local Services platform further advances Google’s pay-to-play model, and how this may hurt small businesses like yours. But don’t panic yet: We also offer up a handful of ways you can counteract the negative effects of Local Services and keep your business in the game.

Let’s jump in!

Is Local Services Just Another Money Grab?

We aren’t here to hurl accusations around. However, given Google’s track record of monetizing everything, it’s not a stretch to come to this conclusion. You see, Google wants to be the main hub for any and all online searches—basically, any internet experience whatsoever—so it’s not surprising that Google is trying to steal this coveted traffic away from other local directories.

We would never blame a company for trying to make more money. However, that’s not the full picture of what’s happening here. The Local Services platform doesn’t just benefit Google at the expense of local directories—it also hurts small, local businesses like yours in several ways.

How does it hurt you? Well, before we dive into that aspect of Local Services, you first have to understand how the platform functions.

How the Local Services Platform Works

Local Services functions like many other online business directories out there: If you decide to sign up as one of Google’s “service providers,” you’ll have your own profile where you add details about your business, including your service area, services offered, and hours of operation. You can also manage leads and communicate with potential customers via the platform.

Mainly, though, Local Services is yet another way for Google to get money from businesses. First, in order to get the status of “Google Guaranteed” (see image below), you have to go through a comprehensive background and reputation check, which can be a costly and time-consuming process. And then, of course, you have to pay every time you receive a lead through Local Services. And this brings us to the biggest issue…

Local Services Runs on Ads

Google uses the information in Local Services profiles to generate paid ads. When people search for home services, they’ll see sponsored results advertising specific local businesses at the top of the page, above the AdWords results.

Google ranks and displays Local Services ads in order based on the following criteria:

Proximity to potential customers
Number of positive customer reviews
Overall “score” (star rating) on Google
Responsiveness to messages on the platform
Whether they’re currently open or not
Number of complaints about the business

Here’s an example of a local search for “plumber”:

As you can see, Local Services ads are nothing flashy—they merely show your business name, star rating, location, phone number, and hours of operation. However, they dominate the top of the search results page, even overtaking AdWords placement. Needless to say, businesses with Local Services ads are going to get A LOT more leads via Google search. But here’s the kicker…

Favoring Big Companies Over Small Businesses

Now, between Local Services AND AdWords, nearly half the search results page is taken up by paid advertisements. This only fuels the common criticism that Google is digging its heels further and further into a pay-to-play model.

In this way, Local Services is just the latest in a long line of grievances that small business can levy against Google. This is yet another example of Google favoring big businesses and screwing over the little guy.

First of all, as we outlined above, Local Services further alienates small businesses with limited budgets by making it virtually impossible to rank unless you fork over a substantial amount of cash. Plus, you have to pay for every lead that comes in through your ad.

But it gets worse…

Tanking Your Website Traffic

Not only does Local Services’s pay-to-play model prevent you from competing with your bigger competitors, but it also directly hurts your website traffic because your site is not as visible in search results. As a result of lower traffic, your SEO authority takes a hit. Moreover, you’ll look at your low visitor numbers and assume something is wrong with your site, even though your site has nothing to do with the problem.

We’ve already seen this happen with many website owners. They notice their website traffic and incoming calls have plummeted—and immediately blame their SEO provider. In reality, these low numbers are merely an unfortunate symptom of Local Services gaining prominence and siphoning off potential local customers. However, the website owner doesn’t realize this, and they get angry and fire their SEO provider.

These feelings of anger, fear, and frustration are a completely valid response to what’s happening here. But quitting your current SEO program will only lead to catastrophe. If you stop SEO, you’ll have to start over with nothing, now facing even stronger headwinds than you did before.

Your Solution: Adapt and Act!

If you’re not angry right now, check your pulse. Google has a long history of pushing this pay-to-play model, which naturally favors big companies and stacks the deck against small businesses. This isn’t anything new, per se. It always feels like Google ignores any harm done to small businesses, as long as it keeps raking in cash.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the power to tackle this Goliath head on. What we can do, however, is find ways to work around it and minimize the damage. Thankfully, the local search landscape is changing, and Google isn’t the be-all and end-all that it used to be. There are many other platforms that, when leveraged to their maximum potential, can be extremely effective at generating leads. You just have to get creative.

Here are some strategies you should consider incorporating into your marketing plan:

Facebook Ads: Target ads to put yourself right in front of local customers on Facebook. This has proven to be a very powerful tool for many of the local business owners we work with.
Word of mouth: Ask your existing customers to spread the word about you. Have them leave reviews on Facebook, Google, and any other directories you use.
Branding & reputation management: Be more intentional in how you present your company. By carefully planning your brand (e.g. logo, slogan, uniforms, signage, etc.), you’ll generate more familiarity and recognition among your local community.
PPC: Yes, we did just spend the better part of an entire blog post complaining about Google’s pay-to-play model. However, complaining doesn’t change the fact that Google is the prevailing destination for local search. You can still avoid the pains and costs of Local Services, though, by opting for an intelligently planned AdWords campaign, instead. When your campaign is designed and monitored by a savvy marketing specialist, you’ll be able to keep click costs affordable and adhere to a modest budget.
SEO: Do the opposite of quitting your SEO campaign—invest in SEO even more! Let’s put it this way: If the local search pie has gotten smaller, you need to at least make sure your share of the pie doesn’t shrink any further.
Community apps: There are free mobile apps like Houzz and Nextdoor where you can promote yourself to local customers who need your services. These apps will help local homeowners find your business based on what kind of home improvement project they’re undertaking.

So, the bottom line: Even though Google has made the playing field even less fair, you still aren’t powerless. Use that anger you’re feeling and funnel it into other channels. As we said above, social media platforms like Facebook are super-effective alternatives. And don’t be afraid to go offline, either: There’s plenty of real-world marketing you can do in your local community through good ol’ fashioned word of mouth and networking.

Any questions? Give us a call or fill out the contact form to chat with one of our specialists!

Is Facebook Preparing to Take Over Google in Local Search?

Last Updated: June 22, 2017

We’ve lightly joked before that Facebook is the new Google. This is mainly because Facebook users are asking their social network for recommendations of local businesses rather than conducting their own searches on Google. However, as Wesley Young wrote in a recent article on Search Engine Land, Facebook has made several updates over the past couple of years that point to a greater focus on local businesses and places. In other words, it looks like Facebook is preparing to challenge Google’s monopoly on local search.
We’re all aware that Google uses a massive amount of data from its users to hone its algorithms and laser-target search results for each user. However, Facebook has a comparable volume of data:

With its huge base of users and volume of personal data on them, Facebook has great potential for helping users in their search for local products/services and helping businesses get found. All the components are there: millions of business pages, location data, behavior data, demographic information, social networks and engagement.

In other words, Facebook already has a tremendous amount of potential to compete with Google in the local search sphere.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how Young says Facebook is making moves toward a bigger emphasis on local search. We’ve reduced and simplified many of Young’s points, so please check out his full article, “7 Changes by Facebook That Make It a Real Local Search Player,” for more details. It’s an in-depth, insightful piece that’s definitely worth the read!

1. Better Location Accuracy

Young uses the example of his search for nearby Italian restaurants. He compares results from November 2015 and June 2017 (present). In 2015, Facebook search displayed restaurants from across the country and across the globe. Today, Facebook search displays restaurants within a two-mile radius and even arranges them on a local map, much like Google’s local search results.

2. Smarter Understanding of Search Terms

Facebook is now able to infer when a user is searching for a place or business rather than a general topic. It also presents “Places” listings at the top of the general search results whenever a place is relevant. At the same time, Facebook knows when you’re searching for a discussion topic or news item, instead. So it’s gotten much more adept at deciphering the context and motivation behind search terms.

3. More Detailed Search Results

Instead of barely relevant or minimally informative, Facebook business listings now offer as much detail as most Google business listings. They show profile pictures, full contact information, distance from the user, star rating, and whether the business is still open for the day. In other words, Facebook’s local listings give you all the same information you’d seek on Google.

4. Better Recall of Information

Facebook now keeps track of and remembers information about businesses and places that users have posted about or checked into. Not only does this lead to more accurate search results, but it also gives Facebook the ability to suggest search terms while a user is typing, much like Google does.

5. Use of Facebook Friends Within Search Results

Wisely, Facebook is using its mountains of social data to supplement local search listings. Now, Facebook Places listings may show you which of your friends have also checked in or posted about each business. Considering that many users already ask their Facebook friends for recommendations and referrals, this addition is brilliant. It’s essentially a built-in recommendation.

6. Greater Effort to Clean Up Business Info

If you checked in to a local place or business recently, you may have been confronted with a series of follow-up questions from Facebook—questions like, “Are this business’s hours from 8 AM to 9 PM?” or “Is this business located at 12 Main St.?” Facebook has been asking users to verify local business information in order to deliver more accurate results overall.

7. Addition of New “City Guides”

Facebook has a new feature that compiles and highlights popular spots in a specified city, based on its own social data. It will tell you which of your friends have visited that city, and then you can see which businesses each of those friends checked into. Again, this takes the idea of asking friends for recommendations and turns it into a local search feature.
So, what’s the takeaway for your local business? Make sure your Facebook page is completely filled out (including your exact physical location) and that you add as much detail as possible to your service descriptions. This will give you a greater chance of being picked up by Facebook’s ever-improving search function.
Good luck!

The Google My Business Updates You Didn't Hear About

Last Updated: May 26, 2017

If you follow our blog at all, then you know at least a little bit about the ever-changing nature of Google. The search giant is constantly updating its algorithm and the way it presents information to users. For major updates, Google typically makes a public announcement. However, for smaller changes, there’s often no warning. Webmasters and marketers are left to detect and analyze updates on their own. This is where Internet marketing specialists really earn their stripes.
It should come as no surprise, then, that there’s been more than one Google My Business update this year that flew under the radar. In fact, according to a recent article by Joy Hawkins on Search Engine Land, there have been at least seven. Hawkins’s article, “7 Unannounced Updates to Google My Business We’ve Seen in 2017,” illuminates them and offers helpful, actionable advice on how to deal with them. We highly recommend reading the full article!
In this blog post, we wanted to highlight a few of these Google My Business updates. The updates we chose particularly relate to our clients, who tend to be local business owners and service providers. Let’s get started!

“Permanently Closed” Listings No Longer Appear in Local Results

First, Google has stopped listing businesses labeled “permanently closed” in its local finder. This is good for users, as they won’t have to bother with closed locations in their search results. However, it could prove to be a potent weapon for dishonest business owners who mark their competitors as “permanently closed.” Since Google doesn’t notify you when your business is labeled as such, you won’t have any way of knowing about this label unless you check your Google My Business dashboard.

You Actually Can Review Edits to Google Business Listings

Another discreet Google My Business update is the new capability of reviewing edits to your business listing. Ever since Google got rid of MapMaker, countless business owners—and even SEO practitioners—have mistakenly believed there was no way to see edits made to their listings. However, as it turns out, you can review any edits made to your listing from the Google Maps app on your smartphone. (Hawkins points out that practitioners never noticed this feature because they’re typically working on desktops, not mobile devices.) Unfortunately, the only other way to review edits is to be an official Local Guide, which is essentially an elite Google Maps user. This capability for all Local Guides is the actual update; unfortunately, it doesn’t help too many small business owners. Still, most people were not aware they could use the Google Maps app for this purpose, so this is good news to many of us.

Google Is Removing Website Links From Certain Local Search Packs

A third Google My Business update that’s slowly affecting more industries has to do with what Hawkins refers to as the local “Snack Pack.” The Snack Pack is a specific layout for local search results that, for some reason, does not include links to businesses’ websites. Instead, each item in the results gives only the business name, address, phone number, and rating, plus a photo.
This tells us two things: 1.) Google wants to keep users on Google sites and not encourage them to visit other pages; 2.) It’s incredibly important to have your Google My Business profile completely filled out, in detail. This way, users can get as much information as possible from your listing since they’ll be less likely to navigate to your website. So far, according to Hawkins’s article, the industries affected are pest control companies, jewelry shops, and sporting goods stores. Knowing Google, more industries will join this group soon, so be on the lookout!

Find Out About the Other Google My Business Updates

Want to discover the other four Google My Business updates from Hawkins’s article? Check it out over on Search Engine Land!

Want to Dominate Local Search Results? Here's One Thing You Need

Last Updated: March 14, 2017

You want to be one of the first local businesses people see when they search for products or services you offer. Obviously, you know that to be prominent and visible in local search results, you need placement on Google Maps. So, it makes sense that you would start your online marketing efforts with a Google Maps listing for your business.
There are a lot of reasons to believe Google Maps and a handful of other sites (namely Yelp and Facebook) are all you need to be visible on a local level. After all, those are the platforms that show up most often in local search results, and they’re the platforms many people turn to when looking for info on local businesses. However, don’t be fooled into thinking you can skate by with just a few online listings and nothing else. In reality, your local visibility largely depends on having a website.
In today’s post, we’ll look at how so many local business owners mistakenly believe they don’t need a website. Then, we’ll explain why websites remain vital to your presence in local search results.

Google Intensifies Focus on Local Search Results

First, let’s get some background on the importance of local search. In the last year or two, Google has been making significant user experience advancements to make on-the-go searching easier. As you may have heard, Google has been tailoring its search algorithm to cater to the rapid increase in smartphone usage.
This push to deliver a better search experience for mobile users is also what’s causing Google to prioritize local businesses. The logic: Most people search for local businesses on their smartphones because a) they’re on the go and want to find the nearest place quickly; or b) they want to call a business as soon as they find one that meets their needs.
As Google wants to make finding local businesses easier, it’s developing Google My Business pages that can act as fully functional landing pages. They contain photos, contact information, customer reviews, and even company status updates. Google even goes as far as directly asking users to submit photos and confirm addresses of businesses they’ve visited in order to flesh out these listings. In short, Google wants users to get all the info they need about a business as soon as they find it in search results, effectively eliminating the need for users to stray from Google’s search results page.

Social Media Joins the Local Search Party

Seeking to cater to their users’ smartphone habits, many social media channels, namely Facebook and Instagram, also have dedicated pages for local businesses. They function similarly to Google My Business pages in that they are essentially landing pages. They contain the business’s contact info, reviews, photos, and status updates. The end result is similar to Google’s: Users can find nearby businesses relevant to their interests without having to open a different app.

But You Can’t Rank in Local Search Results Without a Website

All of this emphasis on mobile and local search demonstrates why having a location-targeted web presence is more important than ever. However, many business owners misinterpret this trend and incorrectly believe all they need is a few listings and/or profiles on a handful of platforms. Unfortunately, that’s not how local search works.
If you want your business’s Google listing to appear in local searches, then you need to have a website. And not just any website, but a well optimized one at that.
Why? Because, as Marcus Miller of Search Engine Land reports, on-page SEO is still the number-one ranking factor in local searches. What do we mean by “on-page SEO”? It’s just a technical term for all of the content optimization on your website. You know, things like relevant keywords and images, well written content, appropriate headers and page titles, and so on. Your business needs a website with all of these elements in order to develop the kind of authority that will make Google want to feature it in search results.

Your Website Boosts Your Local Search Presence

The fact that SEO is the number-one factor in local ranking doesn’t mean your social media pages and Google My Business listings aren’t important. Customer reviews, social buzz, and matching business information (like service categories and contact details) all contribute to your local rankings, too. Plus, those pages and listings serve an important function by providing users with easy-to-access info about your business.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for users to see a local Google listing in the search results, get all the info they need from that listing, and call or visit that business without ever clicking on the business’s website.
Ideally, your goal is to dominate local search so this exact scenario plays out and generates lots of business for you. However, in order for that to happen, you need the potent SEO juice that only a website can provide. It may sound counterintuitive (“Really? I need a website just to power my Google listing?”), but if you’re serious about wanting local visibility online, a website is not optional.

3 Reasons Registering Your Business Name Is Worth the Paperwork

Last Updated: August 17, 2016

You’re a business owner. A self-starter. This means you’re an independent person by nature. You like to run your business on your own terms with as little interference as possible. The idea of involving the state with your business makes you cringe.
But guess what?
Registering your business name with the state is vital, even just from an advertising standpoint. Not only does it keep other businesses from capitalizing on your name recognition, but it also proves your legitimacy to search engines and customers alike. In other words, it’s an effective part of maintaining a healthy web presence and keeping those leads coming in.
After you read this post, you’ll be chomping at the bit to contact your state’s business division and register your company name. Here’s why.

1. Registering Your Business Name Protects You From Copycats

You already know how much SEO is tied to consistency in information, especially for key elements like your business name. So you can imagine the damage that could occur if another business decided to adopt your name for themselves and attach all of their contact information to it. Either that business would end up stealing all your SEO mojo, or both of your web presences would collapse. Neither scenario is good.
However, by registering your business name with the state, you can ensure that no one else uses it—which, in turn, safeguards against the potential SEO fallout that could occur if another business in your state were advertising for the exact same name.
You can even go a step further and register similar DBA (“doing business as”) names so no one else can capitalize on your popularity. For example, if you’re Bob’s Appliance Repair Service, you should also register “Bob’s Appliance Service” and “Bob’s Appliance Repairs.” This way, another business can’t take over your hard-earned name recognition, confuse customers, and potentially steal leads.
In short, registering your business name with the state gives you recourse to stop other businesses from using an identical or similar name.

2. Registering Your Business Name Makes You More Legit

We always talk about the small things you can do to look as professional as possible and make your customers feel confident in you. From recording a proper voicemail greeting to creating a corporate e-mail address, a little bit goes a long way.

Being registered with the state is just another thing you can do to amplify the legitimacy and professionalism of your business. This is what helps turn leads into customers.

3. Registering Your Business Name Makes Google Verification Easier

This doesn’t apply to every industry. However, for certain categories that are flooded with spam (like locksmiths), Google may sometimes request a copy of your business registration before completing the verification process. They do this to block spammers from creating listings for fake companies.
So if you’re in a spam-heavy industry, register your business name. Period. Otherwise, your business may not appear on Google Maps. And if you’re not on Google Maps, you’re shutting the door on lots and lots of leads.

It’s the Smart Thing to Do

Sure, it’s a pain to work with government agencies and fill out piles of paperwork. But as annoying as it may be, registering your business name is the intelligent move. Not registering can leave money on the table. Want to attract more customers and book more jobs? Registering your business name with the state is a powerful step in the right direction.
Money and your reputation are on the line. You have all the motivation you need to contact your state and begin the registration process. Don’t miss out on valuable leads just because you didn’t feel like filling out some paperwork!
You can find out all about registering your business name over on the U.S. Small Business Administration website.

Prospect Genius