Skip to main content

7 Local SEO Updates That Will Impact Your 2022 Planning

 

7 Local SEO Updates That Will Impact Your 2022 Planning

consumers’ informational needs have grown and local markets have become more competitive, search engines have adapted to meet these needs.

Businesses, local SEO professionals, and their agencies have new tools, more data – and easier access to both.

And consumers? They’re gaining access to more of the information they care about through an increasingly rich, engaging, and seamless local search experience.

Google And Changing Consumer Buying Habits Disrupted Local Search

This year, many of our top local search updates are from Google, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Google quickly responded to changing consumer buying habits as a result of the pandemic and remains the dominant force in the market. 

1. Google Business Profile Made Local SEO More Convenient For Businesses

Perhaps most impactful was that business owners no longer have to dig through an app or platform to update or correct their listings. You can add or update contact information, opening hours, add images, and more right from Google Search and Google Maps.

You can complete the verification process and address issues such as suspensions from Search, too, making it easier than ever to gain a powerful presence in the local search results.

2. Google Made It Easier To Find And Catch Up On The Latest Local NewsGoogle launched two projects to help journalists enrich their stories with local data and information:

Gather, analyze, and visualize data collected and processed by The Associated Press about a local area.

Common Knowledge Project

Access geographic comparisons, charts, and visualizations for data analysis at the county, state, and national levels.

The search engine also made local news stories easier to find in the SERPs with these updates:

  • Local News Carousel: Local news stories relevant to a user’s query now appear at the top of the SERPs, making them easier to find while giving local journalists and publications more visibility.
  • Top Stories Carousel: Authoritative local news sources appear alongside the major publications, which once dominated this portion of the SERPs.
  • More News In Search: Google improved its ability to connect the news to broad topic queries.
  • Local Tweets: Local publications and journalists appear in local news with tweets rather than just published stories.

    • 3. Bing Added More Visual Elements And Rich Results

    • Expandable carousels give users access to additional information when they hover over a result.
    • Infographic-like results now entice searchers using broad queries to dig deeper into a topic.
    • Intuitive highlights pull details like ingredients lists, calorie counts, and nutritional information from a page without requiring the user to click through to a website.
    • Integrated visual search allows users to visually search for similar-looking items by clicking the integrated visual search button.

    Why do these things matter to local SEO professionals? Bing incorporated these same concepts into its local search results.

    Instead of a simple image carousel or text-based facts, Microsoft Bing delivers a visually-rich SERP for local queries consisting of relevant resources gathered from Bing Maps, top images, visitor reviews, and other sources.These changes have made focusing some local SEO efforts on Bing a more attractive prospect. Creative businesses can own the local search space if they’re willing to get creative with the many local search opportunities.

    4. Everyone Gets New Attributes

    Attributes provide proactive answers to questions searchers often have about a specific business type and are featured prominently on Google Business Profiles.

    Why? Google is always looking for ways to help businesses stand out and better satisfy a query.

    Features like the Black-owned or Women-owned business attributes, for example, help searchers who are looking to support businesses with shared value make these connections.

    In February 2021, Google added health, safety, and pandemic-related attributes to Google Business Profiles.

    With the addition of these attributes, local businesses can share information about safety protocols and advertise changing or new services such as curbside pickup, no-contact delivery, and dine-in service.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Does Money Make you mean.

  Does Money Make Us Happier? Wellbeing is influenced by many things aside from income. Key points Some studies claim that money is associated with greater happiness. This blog re-analyzes one study with a "plain stats" approach. This analysis suggests money has only a small relationship with happiness. Money is important and necessary to some extent, but other things matter too.  It is often easy to equate money with   happiness   and success. But does  money buy us happiness? One study suggests it might. The author, Matt Killingsworth, claimed the study  Some might take this study as evidence that money does make us happier. But while this study has value, it might be difficult for the average person to interpret: the article is replete with concepts like logarithms, slopes and  z -scores—concepts which many are unfamiliar with. To help us get a better sense of what Killingsworth’s data really says, I want to To understand the data, we first hav...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Can You Transit Your New Career with Online Courses

  How Can You Transit Your New Career with  Online Courses In today’s fast-paced world, many professionals find themselves considering a career change. Whether it’s due to a desire for better job satisfaction, higher income, or the pursuit of a long-held passion, transitioning careers can be daunting. Fortunately, top online courses provide an accessible and effective way to acquire new skills and knowledge necessary for this shift. This article will explore how online courses can support your transition to a new career. What are the important skills you need for this transition? When changing careers, one of the most significant barriers is often the lack of relevant skills or credentials required in your new field. Online courses offer an excellent opportunity to bridge this gap. They allow you to learn at your own pace and focus on specific skills in demand in your desired industry. By investing time in these educational resources, you enhance your employability and increas...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Build a Strong Online Presence for your online business.

  How to Build a Strong Online Presence That Attracts more customers for Your business. In today’s digital age, having a robust online presence is essential for attracting clients and growing your business. Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, or a professional looking to enhance your career prospects, establishing yourself online can set you apart from the competition. This article will guide you through the steps necessary to build a strong online presence that showcases your skills and draws potential clients to you. Step 1. Define Your Brand Before you dive into creating an online presence, take some time to define your brand. What are your core values? What makes you unique? Consider how you want others to perceive you. A clear brand identity will help guide your decisions regarding content creation and social media engagement. Step 2. Create a Professional Website A professional website is often the cornerstone of an effective online presence. It should includ...
Post a Comment
Read more