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.

How Local Search Empowers Small Businesses to Compete

Last Updated: February 9, 2017

How can a small business like yours compete with big brands? Four words: Focus on local search.
The fact that you operate on a local level can be your biggest strength in the battle against large corporations. Many big names rank nationally in organic search results; however, they don’t necessarily have the upper hand when it comes to local search. So if you leverage local search the right way, you can stay competitive with larger brands and come out on top. Here’s what you need to know.

Local Search May Be Replacing Organic

First of all, what do we mean by “organic search” and “local search”? Maybe you’ve seen these terms tossed around but you aren’t quite clear on what they mean. Here’s the gist, without putting you to sleep:

Organic search gives you results based solely on their relevance to your search terms. The opposite of organic search is paid search, which promotes paid advertisements that match your search terms. Learn more about organic vs. paid search here.

Local search, on the other hand, is a search that targets places in a specific location. On Google, you’ll see local results on the first search results page in what’s called a “local pack,” which shows a nearby map and several local businesses. Local searches can also be done on Google Maps itself.

Historically, organic search has been the cornerstone of search engine optimization (SEO). However, organic search rankings are now slipping in value. In 2016, the top two organic search results received, on average, only 25% of the clicks on search results pages, as compared to more than 50% in 2006.
This trend is significant, and it makes sense. Typically, when people are on the hunt for a nearby store, restaurant, or service provider, they’re not looking at organic results. Instead, they’re perusing local Google listings to see which businesses fit their needs, have good reviews from past customers, and are closer in proximity. The days of people walking down the street and exploring their neighborhoods for good businesses are, by and large, over. Now, people do a quick search before they leave home so they know exactly where to go.

Mobile Devices Are a Strong Force in Local Search

The uptick in local searches applies to people who are looking for local businesses on the go, as well. Instead of wasting time driving around aimlessly when looking for the closest gas station or coffee shop, they search their phones to find the nearest one.
As Jayson DeMers writes for Forbes,

In general, I suspect local search will rise in importance, and more local businesses will step up to take advantage of this. Mobile technology will become even more mobile with wearable devices and similar technologies, and cumulatively, user preference toward local results will grow. As most “local” businesses are small- to mid-sized businesses, these trends will work in their favor.

Here, DeMers draws a clear parallel between local and mobile. And it’s supported by Google’s own data, which shows that an entire one-third of all mobile searches are for local places. With more people using their mobile devices for local searches on the go, your small business’s Google Maps listing is increasingly likely to become visible.

Optimize Your Local Search Listings

Here’s the main takeaway for you: Corporations don’t have the monopoly on proximity anymore. Local search is a more democratic platform than organic search, giving small businesses a fair shot at appearing in local results—so long as your local listings are optimized.
Here are some ideas for making your Google listing as strong as possible:

And if you need any guidance on local search strategies, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Prospect Genius is always happy to help. Good luck!

Enrich Your Local Business's Google Profile by Adding Images

Last Updated: September 22, 2016

We’re always harping on business owners to up their photo game. Websites with photos simply perform much better than those without. Plain and simple.
But did you know it’s just as important to have photos on your business’s Google profile, too?
This hasn’t always been the case. In fact, it’s only been in the last year or so that Google and Bing have been displaying images and logos in their local search results. They made this move as users increasingly want to see photos of whatever they’re searching for.
As of right now, images aren’t automatically displaying in search results for every business—only for businesses in certain categories. However, as images in search results are bound to become an expectation rather than a bonus, it’s likely they’ll be automatically generated for all categories before long.

Add Images to Your Google Profile

That’s why, regardless of your industry, your best bet is to set up your Google profile with high-quality images sooner than later. In his latest article on Search Engine Land, Wesley Young gives some great advice for optimizing Google profile images. Check out some of his suggestions:

Take control of which images appear on your listing. Don’t let Google set a default profile photo by selecting one of your images at random. Go to Google My Business yourself and select your own profile photo.
Make sure the image is cropped and sized to fit perfectly.
Make sure your profile photo is a high-definition image: no graininess, no visibility issues.
Don’t use blatant stock photos because they’re usually pretty easy to detect.

Want more? For Young’s full list of suggestions, head over to his article on Search Engine Land: “8 Tips to Make Sure Your Google Profile Images Boost Your Local Search Results.”

Prospect Genius