Welcome Odd Dog Blog fans! Lots of industry updates this week including more results from the recent Google algorithm update, a great citations case study from Bright Local, and Facebook and LinkedIn updates to be aware of.
LOCAL SEO
Some users have reported seeing a “pending edits” showing in the knowledge panel on desktop of Google My Business pages who have had submitted changes that are pending. This was a feature that was shown on mobile and on Google Maps, but now is appearing on desktop as well.
Suggested changes can come from the GMB’s owner or from user suggested changes to the name, address, and phone number of the business.
As an agency that specializes in Local SEO, citations are a big part of what we do. But sometimes it can be hard to tell how many citations are really necessary to move the needle for our clients. This case study from BrightLocal shed some light into this world of citation building.
Their comprehensive report allows you to search by industry and see what the industry average is, and how many citations the businesses that are currently ranking #1 in the Local Pack have.
It’s every business owners worst fear. Getting a ton of negative reviews that tank your rankings.
Imagine if these reviews were coming in at several a minute. And now imagine that they were all fake
and you get a letter asking for money in order to take them down!
That’s what happened to a new restaurant in Puyallup, WA. Luckily, they got an overwhelming response from the community once the story broke and they are working with the authorities to track the hackers down.
SOCIAL MEDIA
If you manage a group on LinkedIn’s, you may have received a notification in the last month about their revamping their Groups. A few new features to be added include the ability to reply to comments in threads as well as the Group content being pulled into the main LinkedIn website and mobile app for more visibility.
Last week Facebook announced a new layout for local business Facebook pages with the goal of making calls to actions and interactions with the brands page easier than ever. With the slump of the organic reach, Facebook is making an effort to help the local business by adding new features and building out existing ones. Have you seen any changes with your business’s Facebook page?
GOOGLE
Google has started rolling out new features to the updated Search Console. If you’re not seeing these new items yet, stay tuned!
We’re still learning what kind of impact Google’s latest algorithm has had. While initially it was thought that the update would mostly be impacting Your Money Your Life (YMYL) sites, it does appear to be impacting others as well.
From this great study from Rank Ranger reported: “It would appear that if Google thinks that a site is either too ad focused or is using content as a way to blunt the negative associations of direct and forceful sales tactics, that such a site is not interested in the safety and well-being of the user.”
Has your website seen an impact in traffic since August 1st? Tell us below!
