There is no denying that reviews play a huge in customer’s purchase decision. It’s so crucial
that people often overlook the good products just because it doesn’t have any review and
they don’t want to take any risk. E-commerce websites, such as Amazon, provide users the
option to filter the results as per average customer review rating and most of the customers
consider it in their purchasing decision. It makes sense since nobody wants to receive bad
items, after waiting for 3-4 days. Here is why customer reviews matter for SEO and your overall digital marketing campaign.

Studies have shown that approx 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal
recommendations. And that is the reason why it works like a charm. But what about the
reviews for the local business? Do people really pay attention to it or they just go to the site that
is at the top of the search engine result page.

A recent study by BrightLocal revealed that customers prefer a business that has an average rating of 3 stars. And if it is above 3 stars then the click through rates increase up to 25%. The more reviews a business has, the more customers they will get as people generally prefer popular businesses as compared to the new ones, because taking risk is not something we as humans like to do, very often.

So if you own a local business, it is highly recommended that you try to get as many positive
reviews as possible. In general,  the product or service if they are asked to. Since very few businesses ask for reviews, the selected few who do, reap all of the benefits.

Google has just added some new features to its Google My Business dashboard. Some of them were much awaited while some others are a pleasant surprise. All the new features will not only make it easier for the business owners to manage their accounts but also will provide them the ability to include more analytical data.

Return Customers / Popular Times

This is one of the most awaited features. It was a hefty task to know the exact numbers of return visitors and unique visitors on the site, but now you will be able to see it in graphical format. It will also show you the busiest time so you can make changes accordingly.

Link to Your Restaurant Menu

This new feature is going to dramatically escalate the number of visitors you get to your
website. If you are a restaurant, you can now add the link to your menu directly on the
knowledge panel. However, you can only add one link, so make sure you have your menu
listed on a single page.

Link to Your Services

Just like the restaurant menu, you can now add link to your service page directly on the
knowledge panel.

Get 18 Months of Insight Data

You can now download up to 18 months of Google My Business insights data into a spreadsheet. Anyone with a single or bulk account will have access to it and thus will be able to modify their strategies based on the data.
The Google knowledge panel has eventually become a business’s home page and more and more customers prefer it, rather than going to the business’ website. It makes sense since it is more convenient to get all the information required on the SERP itself.

Facebook Messenger has launched a new feature in the Facebook Messenger App – Facebook
Messenger Day. Through this new feature, you can share videos and images, with your
Facebook friends, which will disappear after 24 hours.
The new feature works just like Snapchat. You can use various emojis, filters, and text in your
messages. So, you can utilize this new feature for marketing and promotion of your business, post promotional videos, templates or images, via messenger app with your clients with whom you are connected on Facebook.
The Messenger Day feature is available only in the Messenger app, in the top-left corner you can find. Add to Your Day option, tap on it and add a photo or video to your day. You can also
customize your list with whom you want to share, tap the gear icon to the left of the screen,
where you select My Day and choose your audience and tap send to post it.

FACEBOOK MESSENGER DAY – A NEW TOOL FOR MARKETING

• You can also know how many people and who actually viewed your Day.
• With this feature, you can promote your brand through social media marketing, on an
  individualistic personal level, where you can directly interact with your Facebook clients.
• Attract your friends on Facebook towards your business, through this medium and
  encourage them to like your business page and official profile on Facebook.
• You can also share live videos and images of an ongoing event and promote your event,
  a seminar, workshop or exhibition, this way you can also invite people to visit your event.
• Encourage your employees to share the same on their Facebook Messenger Day to
  widespread the promotion. More the shares, more the views, more the brand awareness.
• Share updates and latest developments in your business this way you can make people
  aware of your business’ progress.
• Via this feature, you can be in constant touch with your clients and can build a strong
  relationship with them on a personal level. But, be careful and avoid overuse of it.

It always attracts a lot of attention when Googlers are up on stage and open for questioning.The Ask Me Anything (AMA) with Google Search at the recent SMX West conference was no exception. The panel was moderated by Danny Sullivan and featured two prominent Googlers: Gary Illyes (Webmaster Trends Analyst) and Mariya Moeva (Webmaster Outreach Specialist).

Here are the Top Takeaways from the Ask Me Anything with Google Search at the SMX West conference.

1. The Mobile-First index will be launched after a month or two. Make sure to have your
   website mobile friendly by the time is launched.
2. Google has confirmed that Mobile page speed will be a ranking factor when the
   mobile first index will be launched. The desktop signals will get replaced by it.
3. Google does have an individual Page/URL authority.
4. Google has ended “Authorship” feature for once and for all. It is no more a ranking
   factor.
5. Quality content is the key to getting your website featured into the featured snippets. Also, it should be well structured & relevant.
6. For the knowledge graph, Google still prefers Wikidata entities and the CIA World
   Factbook. There is no way to get in the knowledge graph. It’s algorithmic. Anything that
   gets in requires multiple sources of data to support the need for it to be in there.
7. There is no specific percent of 404s that can hurt your rankings. But we still prefer
   resolving these issues for a better user experience.
8. The quality of content matters the most. There’s no need to unnecessary expand the
   length of the content. Just provide answers to user questions and that’s it!
9. Google tries it’s level best to eliminate bad links, but it is not enough, so we encourage
   you to keep disavowing bad links.
10. It was clear that the “Fred” update was a quality update, however, you will have to refer
    to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines to know the specific details. It is not disclosed as an
    update, so you have to notice the changes.

Related Article: Google Fred Update: What You Need To Know To Protect Yourself

You can now reclaim your Google My Business (GMB) listing page which was verified by a third party. Google has recently launched an automated process which enables you to claim yourGMB page without contacting the previous manager. It came as a great relief to those who were trying to reclaim their listing but were unable to get into contact with the person who was managing it before.

Here’s the step by step process to reclaim your Google My Business listing:

1. Navigate to Google My Business.
2. Sign in to Google with the account you use to manage your business.
3. Enter the name or address of your business, then select it from the search results.
   You may see a dialog showing part of the email address that verified the listing. If you
   manage this email address, sign in to that account to access your business listing.
4. Fill out the form. The current listing owner may need to contact you for more info, so you
   won’t be able to submit your request without sharing your contact details with them.Click Submit.
5. Click Submit.
6. The current listing owner will receive an email asking them to get in touch with you, and
   you’ll receive a confirmation email. Check on the status of your request by clicking the
   link in your confirmation email.Allow a full 7 days for the current listing owner to respond to your request. If you don’t
7. Allow a full 7 days for the current listing owner to respond to your request. If you don’t
   hear back after 7 days, you’ll be able to verify your affiliation with the business to gain
   access to the listing.

If you have any trouble trying to reclaim your Google My Business listing, you can contact us.

If you think Google is done with the Panda and Penguin updates, think again! On March 7,
Google released an ‘unannounced’ algorithm update causing serious damage to websites
having a poor user experience. Sites which were affected saw anywhere from a 50% to a 90%
drop in their organic traffic from Google overnight!

Some of the websites were ad heavy to the point that the ads interfered with the users’ ability
to digest their content. Other sites were built exclusively to cater to Google’s algorithm and left
the actual website visitor frustrated when they landed there from the search results. There were other categories of sites affected that were either part of low-value niche and lead generation sites, engaging in paid links or were simply low-quality affiliate sites. The only thing that ALL of them had in common was that they scored low when analyzed via Google’s Quality Evaluator Guidelines.

Related Article: How To Get Your Website Visitors To Stick Around

Google hasn’t released a statement and so far the only confirmation from them was a
confirmation at SMX that the “Fred” update was a Quality Update as well as a Gary Illyes tweet
saying that they won’t deny there was an update.

We decided to partner with another firm to run some numbers. With a dataset of 3,500+ websites and 240,000+ keywords (local and national), we got a birds-eye view of how client campaigns are performing.

Not surprisingly, we were happy to find that this update didn’t have any negative impact on
our client campaigns. In fact, we have seen improvement. The quality of the SEO deliverables which we offer saved our clients. This is a perfect example of how our strategies future-proof your business and add true long-term value to your company and online brand.

So, how are we protecting our clients and how can you protect yourself from the Google Fred update?

GOOGLE RELEASES FRED ALGORITHM UPDATE.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

1. Get the basics right i.e. focusing on On-Site optimization which includes
correcting all possible 404 errors, fix duplicate (thin) content on the site, the creation of
landing pages, etc. Internal blogging is also a good addition which should be done on a regular basis with a strategy and a schedule for each quarter.

2. Do a thorough backlink analysis at the start of the campaign to weed out bad
backlinks which can prove to be harmful.

3. Vary anchor texts to have a proper balance between branded and non-branded
links. We also ensure proper link velocity as too many links at a time can be flagged by
Google.

4. Always diversify the backlink profile of your website. Your link profile should include local directories, videos, infographics, informational content, coupons, guest blogs, etc.

5. Below are some of the additional backlink sources that can be included in your SEO program
deliverables to further diversify your backlink profile.

• Startup Business Listings
• Magazine / News Placement
• Q&A Posting

So, if you’re hit by the “Fred” update OR want to make sure you’re not going to be a likely victim,
we can help. Just connect with us and let our professional SEOs do the work for you. And
yes, do not forget to ask for a copy of our latest SEO Deliverables which are always customized for your company and industry.

Check Your Website Now – Complimentary SEO Audit For Your Website 

Related Article: Tips You Can Follow To Get To The Top of Search Results

Visit SEO Solutions Online

Here are the tips that you can follow to get to the top of search results:

1. Title Tag & Meta Description

The most noticeable element on the search engine result page is Title Tag. Title tags are so basic
that they often get ignored despite the fact that the first thing a user notices about your website is the title tag. Experts say that Title tags are the 2nd most vital on-page factor for SEO, after
content.

So here are some valuable tips to optimize your title tag:
Auto generated title tags are your enemy i.e. WordPress could create your title tag, but sticking to it will cost you visitors. So first analyze that what could possibly be the best title
tag that sums up your whole content in an appealing way.

Don’t try to stuff your titles with keywords, use a keyword which is also describing the title. Keep your title tag in the front, it’s helpful for both search engines and users.

Keep your title tag in the front, it’s helpful for both search engines and users.

Your title tag should guide the user, so make sure that you’re making title tags for humans.Also, the meta description gives you 160-200 characters to play with, so make sure you are

Also, the meta description gives you 160-200 characters to play with, so make sure you are
making full use of it.Be as creative and descriptive as possible. Consider it like your little ad space.

Be as creative and descriptive as possible. Consider it like your little ad space.

2. Online Directories and Citations

Local search is becoming more fruitful as compared to big scale search. Since you are a local
small business owner, you know the specific requirements of the local audience and that’s where you can beat your competitors. Nowadays, being the best bakery shop in California is much better than being an OK bakery shop on a national level.

3. Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is also a directory, but it’s so big and significant that it deserve its own section! We think you might already have a GMB account as of now, but if you don’t, do it NOW!

It’s highly likely that your business information will be on Google already, so all you have to do is
to claim your GMB page. Don’t worry, Google will not charge a single penny.

In order to claim your GMB, you will have to go through the verification process. Google will send a postcard with a PIN to your physical location. You can then use that pin to verify your business and claim the GMB account. You should also claim Bing places for business because many people use Bing as well and you should not miss any opportunity.

After claiming your GMB and BPB, go through each and every section and provide all the
information. It’s crucial that you list as much information as possible because Google uses it as a ranking factor and it can help you to get into the local 3 pack.

Once you get into the local 3 pack, it’s sure that your site will get more visitors than ever!

4. Reviews matter… A LOT!

It’s a no brainier that Reviews are beginning to play a more important role than ever before. Almost everybody performs local search before going to any shop so that they can make a well-informed decision. They not only go through the website but also check out reviews about the business on different platforms. They are taking advice from others and also sharing their own personal experience with their friends, family members, and strangers as well using sites like Yelp. Now it’s important than ever that you focus on the reviews that your business is receiving. Any negative review will negatively impact your business in both short and long run. So if you are looking forward to gaining more and more customers than focus on getting positive reviews.

Often times, the happy customers hardly give reviews but the one who disliked your product or
service will surely pour out their hate on as many platforms as possible. You can’t totally avoid
bad reviews, but you can do your bit to ensure that only positive reviews get highlighted.

You might be wondering how you can do that, here’s how:

The happy customers are not bothered about giving any reviews but if you will encourage them
to do so, they will surely make the efforts. So after anyone has completed any transaction, direct them to your review page (If you have any) or after a while send the review page links to their email. Most of the times they will be more than happy to review your business. Now after they are done, promote this on Facebook and twitter and other social media platforms.
Another way to get positive reviews is using ur review widget which is placed on the website and makes sure that the negative reviews are filtered out. Not only that, it also asks your happy
customers to post the reviews on Google and Yelp thus improving your brand presence. For more information on the review widget, please connect with us.

5. Use Structured Data Markup

Despite the sheer importance of Structured data markup, only 31.3% of websites are using it.
Structured data markup provides more information about your business & products/service to
the search engines. Thus it helps you stand out from the crowd. You can add schema markup to your site’s code and help the Google bots to determine what your site content is about. Which will ultimately benefit you!