In mid December, Google quietly rolled out an upgrade to the customer reviews filtering algorithm. It was intended to take out a lot of review spamming that has been going on. Around the same time, Google also quietly removed the old Google My Business Reviews Policy page, making much of the
Google’s failure with the new Question & Answer feature
Google has done it again with the new Question & answers feature. They've launched a new beaut feature with lots of optimism - and seemingly much naïveté.The Q&A feature was launched a few weeks ago. You could say it "sort-of" fills a gap left when the business description was removed. But
How to Use Google Posts
Google extends Review Notifications
During the 3rd week of June, 2017, Google quietly extended the review notifications for listings from just the primary owner, to any user on the listing with review notifications enabled. This has been a much requested feature, and we're delighted it has rolled out. Exceptions As with every
Google My Business Website Builder – the Complete Guide
This is the ultimate guide to Google's Website Builder which was launched in Mid June 2017. As the name implies, it is only for businesses that have a Google My Business (GMB) listing. Your listing doesn't have to be verified yet though. That means you don't have to wait for the postcard to get
Reviews from the Web – Best Sites (2019)
What do people not see when they’re looking for a business like yours?
If you're anywhere near Meeniyan on Thursday evening, the 16th of March, you'll be able to find out! I'm speaking at the Meeniyan Town Hall, giving a presentation for the Southern Business Womens Network. This session is for you if: You own now or are thinking of starting a local business You
Bofavephant
Bofavephant - the most delightful version of an elephant you can find. This is a test page
Local Search & Website Review – SJB Architects
Last update: 29 May 2017 In addition to the specific updates mentioned below, they've also rejigged the site a little bit since the initial review. Some of the locations/items mentioned on this post may be out of date. Due to time constraints I will not be re-reviewing the site. Today's website
10 Reasons Why Your Google Listing Gets Suspended
Joy Hawkins did a really good article recently on 9 reasons why Google might suspend your business listing. Please take a moment read it - will help make the rest of this article make more sense. There's a 10th common reason I can think of: 10. Multiple Related Businesses at the Same Address This
How to verify your Facebook Page
If your Facebook page is a Local Business or a Companies & Organisations type, you might be able to get a grey verification tick. It's a similar process to verifying your Google My Business page, and is done over the phone like you do with Bing, Yelp or Apple Maps. Benefits of a verified
Quick Tip: How to keep people on your site
(while using YouTube videos) Have you noticed when you embed a video, at the end you get a box of "related video" tiles? This is YouTube giving customer service of showing people what it thinks are related videos. But it gives a big distraction to visitors. The fix is quick, easy and powerfully
How to add or claim your business page on Google
Google have recently published a video to help take business owners through the process of adding or claiming their complimentary business page. It's good if you're just starting out. Personally I found it missing a few really important details that would be useful for a beginner. 0:40 - the
Divorce is messy, esp when it’s Google
Right now, before you do anything else, please go check your Google Local page. Check each of the details, very carefully, including the link to your website. Then go to Google Maps and type in your business address. Is there just one of your businesses listed below the street view or more? Over
If even God can’t get it right…
Customer reviews - they make some go weak at the knees. The knee-knocking usually comes from two schools of thought: Thinking it’s too hard. Done right, it becomes part of your marketing and customer service and is simple. That’s a discussion for another post. Fear of negative reviews. Let’s
Google’s New 3 Pack Local Stack
The digital landscape for local businesses has shifted again and like any shift there are winners and losers. The winners are businesses who already have a strong local presence, and were already ranking 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the local packs. The losers are those businesses who weren't there, and to
Reviews disappearing? You’re not alone…
Google's review filters are finally getting some attention again, and finally appear to be getting periodic updates like the standard website algorithm does. While reviews disappear periodically, there are still so very many fake ones out there still alive and kicking. If you've noticed a
How to Get 10,000 More People to See Your Business
A colleague sent an email to me yesterday following up on a conversation three of us had a few weeks ago. We were discussing how their customers (mostly retail stores) could make better use of Google My Business. Earlier this week Coleby had a conversation with one of the store owners. As they
Poke Your Google My Business Listing
Several years ago Google recommended business owners periodically go into their pages and then save the page with no changes. Doing so helped keep the data about your business "fresh" and let Google know your business was alive and kicking. It became known as "poking" your listing. Then G decided
Apple Maps – Make it Part of a Local Search Strategy
What if I told you there's a little known way to make it easier for more than 2 million Aussies to find your business... And your competitors aren't on to it yet. And then I told you it takes only about 15 minutes of your time and no money, would you be be crazy enough to knock it back? I sure