Posts by Larry

In my last post I tried to give a top level view of how AI may impact local businesses who rely on local search. Today I’m looking at the issue from the opposite lens. As the pesky section that appears ubiquitously on Google search engine results page (more on that gripe later) might put it: People also ask: Has AI ruined search? Now there are two major ways that could possibly have a negative impact on a user’s experience with a search engine — the quality or accuracy of the results and how results are displayed on the SERP. It appears that since Google at least has been tailoring their results to be driven by AI, there is a degree of trouble with both. Accuracy of results Since the rise of AI’s role in returning results to a search query, anecdotal reports are legion in relating inaccurate and at times unintentionally comical results. Here’s a couple of my most recent ones: I’m a huge Knicks fan and have been avidly following the new NBA season after anxiously waiting for it to begin since the end of last spring’s playoffs (some unfinished business there but you’d have to be a Knicks fan to know what I mean). So needing to get my hoops fix a couple of weeks ago, I googled to see what games were on TV that night and AI promptly informed me: “There are no NBA games on TV tonight because the season is over.”! Also, we’ve been in a pretty severe drought here in North Florida, so a few weeks later, pounded by allergies because of the dry conditions, I googled to see how much rain (if any) we received in the last month or so, figuring regression to the mean might save me. AI’s response: “Although November is one of North Florida’s driest months, the Jacksonville area received 3.42 inches of rain two days ago.” (Punchline: At the time I entered that query Jacksonville had received exactly 0.02 inches of rain over the prior 30 days.) Layout of the results page I get even more frustrated comments from people on how results are displayed than the accuracy. First you get the aforementioned AI summary pretty...

Amidst all the buzz and controversy surrounding AI, I get this question often. And the answer is: Directly, probably not so much. Indirectly, maybe more than you think. I know this sounds like a typical non-answer that you might get from some marketing types, but the answer is driven by the distinction between local search and general search, and the synergy between the two. Local search is driven by what you offer, how relevant it is to the person searching and most importantly, how close you are to his/her location. Overarching all that is your reputation — the opinion your customers have of you — and that’s reflected in your Google reviews. So it’s of paramount importance to choose the right business category for your Google listing, accurately describe what you provide, post updates, and above all, garner as many positive reviews as possible. This will place you as high as possible on the local (map) results. General search is not driven per se by location (but it is a factor) it’s centered on answers to queries people have on a topic, and that could include a product or service. So Google seeks to return the most informative answer to the question, and this literally drives why Google shows results at the top of the page as answers to questions, as in “people also ask”. Where AI comes in is that it often aggregates the answers on its own at the top of results, so effectively the searcher doesn’t have to click over to the sites that provided the source information (although AI does provide embedded links to the source site). One recent stat has it that now 75% of search queries don’t result in a clicke over to a site. So what then does AI in general search have to do with my local business you may ask? Google depends on your website, in addition to what’s on your business listing, to determine how likely you have what the searcher is looking for. So the more you can make your website content relevant in those AI-tailored questions and answers, the stronger your local listing. If you need help in getting better visibility for your business, your website and...

I hear this often from new small business owners. I’ve opened my business, launched my new website to support it and — crickets! So here are some of the most important factors in getting seen and gaining traction for your new business. The reality is that most local small businesses are competing in a parity product or service environment. And while it’s undeniably important to have a unique selling proposition or a point of differentiation, to get a foothold you need to excel in three key areas — credibility, visibility and reputation.  Credibility can be built by having a clear, coherent, brand presentation and message that gives the impression that you’re a serious business that has it together. As an outgrowth of that, having clear, concise helpful information on your website that makes it easy for the user to learn what they need to know and navigate to what they want to learn about you leaves a great impression that can reflect what kind of business they may be dealing with.  Visibility for a small business is simpler in a way, and that’s all about local SEO. Any hope for a small business to gain a foothold starts there. Most people are going to find you through your Google business listing.  The last piece in reputation, and that mostly boils down to garnering positive reviews on your Google listing and your website. And the way you build those reviews circles back to visibility and local SEO.  If you’re a new or existing local business looking to get a foothold, contact us to get started.  ...

I don’t mean this to sound flippant, but it’s actually that simple. And this simple effort is the single most effective thing you can do to improve your Google local listings position in search results and on the map. So the question is, how to ask? Here are a few ideas. 1. Share the link — Google provides you with a link that you can send to people via text or email. To find the link, search for your business on Google and look for your result to the right. If you’ve claimed your business it should say “You Manage this Business Profile” (if you haven’t give us a call at 904-744-8877 and we’ll walk you through it).  Scroll down to where your reviews are highlighted and you’ll see a button that says Get More Reviews. Click on it and you’ll see a link that you can cut and paste, as well as buttons for sharing the link on Facebook, Whats App and email. 2. Put a review link on your website — If you haven’t done so already, it can be a very effective local SEO tactic to plug your Google reviews into a page on your website (WordPress in particular has some excellent and easy-to-use plugins for doing this). In that same section, create a button using your Google review link for people to leave their own review. This is a perfect dynamic as people love to check out what other people are saying. 3. Conduct email followups or a followup survey — It’s always a good idea to follow up with a customer after an interaction to gauge their experience, see if they need anything else or ask if there was anything you could’ve done better. You can include the link in your communications and on a more formal or group basis, you can create a simple customer satisfaction survey (SurveyMonkey has a free version that does just fine for small surveys). I would also encourage you to not be shy about asking for feedback because you’re afraid of a negative reaction. There’s always value in what you learn and the more responses the better. 4. Create collateral with a QR code link — If you’re...

This topic came up in an online business networking thread and also with other local business owners that I’ve spoken with, and it’s no surprise. Not only is generating leads and business an enduring concern for all businesses everywhere, but this time of year — with school back in session and money drying up — is when a lot of businesses start to feel the pinch of slowing activity.  Part of the context of the thread was frustration with the effectiveness of organic search and the lack of other affordable options, so here was my response to the group: If you’re looking for organic results in general search you can forget it. If you’re a local business then your goal should be placement on the Map in Google local search results. The holy grail is the “three pack” in the map section at the top of the search results page or at least the top six slots on the map itself when someone clicks over to it. If I don’t get my clients into those spots I’m not doing my job and I tell all of my clients that the place to start is with local search. That means optimizing your website for local search, setting up your Google business listing properly (and being active with it) and getting reviews.  Once that foundation is established then you can build on it. Paid search targeted locally can be very cost-effective. Building an existing customer contact list can work wonders in developing loyalty, repeat business and getting referrals. Expanding out from there, highly targeted direct marketing, judicious use of display advertising, events and promotions can extend your reach but before you go there, I would make sure you have local search strength and ongoing contact with existing customers nailed first.  So there’s a pretty solid tool kit to help you in times of plenty and famine. Give us a call at 904-744-8877 and let us help you get the customers and leads you...