This article is designed to help you understand the why behind your reputation management/local SEO tasks. Included is common questions a client might ask, and how I would recommend you answer.
What does reputation management mean?
Reputation management is the practice of monitoring, influencing, and maintaining the public perception and visibility of an individual, brand, or business.
In simpler terms, it is to be easily found online, and to look good when you get found.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is a specialized branch of SEO that focuses on increasing a business's visibility in local searches—searches where the user is looking for businesses, services, or information within a specific geographic area.
Local SEO vs. organic SEO (SEO)
Whereas local SEO focuses on search result visibility in local searches, organic SEO (also referred to as "SEO") focuses on search result visibility in general searches. In other words, if a search is not locational, it is organic SEO.
Try this for an example. Open a new Google tab and search for "Best hiking boots." Results will show any online content ranking for that keyword, whether it's an online forum, store, or review site. That is organic SEO (SEO). On the other hand, a search for "Best pizza near me" will bring up results relevant to your current location. That is local SEO.
While both kinds of searches use optimization to rank higher, the path to optimization is slightly different between the two.
How do reputation management and local SEO relate?
Although there are subtle differences between local SEO and reputation management in industry digital marketing, at Green House, we consider them to be the same. This is because of how we optimize local SEO, which is done through Google Business Profile, a platform that influences how local consumers perceive companies. So really, we optimize both, hence the combination.
How do you improve reputation management/local SEO?
Google has provided us 3 ranking factors that determine how well businesses rank in local searches:
1. Distance: How close your business is located to the searcher.
Google will only show businesses within a 40 mile radius, and it prioritizes businesses that are closer to the individual.
2. Relevance: How similar the products or services you offer are to the searchers intent.
This is where keywords play an important piece of the puzzle. There are lots of areas on your business profile where we can include relevant keywords to help you show up more often.
3. Prominence: How established your brand is online compared to your competitors.
If the only places your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) show up are your Google Business Profile and your website, you won't have much prominence. We help this by building out citations, listings of your business in online directories (like Yelp or Bing) that build your online presence.
How do you measure results?
There are 2 ways that we can measure results:
1. Measuring your current ranking vs. where you ranked a couple months ago.
2. Using data that Google shares via Google Analytics on your business profile.
How quickly should I start seeing results?
Local SEO provides results quicker than organic SEO, but it can still take time. If there is an obvious error on your profile that we fix, it could be as short as 2-3 months, otherwise expect 5-6 months before you see real results.
Can you guarantee results?
While we can't guarantee results, we can guarantee that we are taking all the necessary steps for you to rank. There are too many factors out of our control to guarantee any sort of results. What if all the competitors in front of you also start optimizing their profile?
What is the point of the random online directories you put us in?
While most people aren't going to go to a directory site like Yelp to find a real estate agent, Google uses these directories to help establish your prominence.
Google scans online directories to determine prominence, so the more of them that your NAP (Name, Address, phone Number) is listed in, the better your prominence will be.
So, if "Bill's Real Estate" ranks above you, and is only found in 18 sites across the web, we want to make sure you are listed in at least 19 or more.
Do reviews impact my ranking?
While reviews aren't a direct ranking factor (according to Google), they do help you get picked above others because as you get more reviews and respond to them, Google will trust you more, boosting your prominence which is a direct ranking factor.