Start here to learn about reputation management, what it is, and why it's important!
Background:
At Green House, reputation management = local SEO. While every aspect of reputation management is considered local SEO, not every aspect of local SEO is considered reputation management. You will hear the terms used interchangeably, but don’t let that confuse you. While there are subtle differences between the two, you won’t need to understand those differences to be effective!
While every aspect of reputation management is considered local SEO, not every aspect of local SEO is considered reputation management.
What does reputation management mean?
Reputation management is the practice of monitoring, influencing, and maintaining the perception and visibility of a brand or business.
How is local SEO different from website SEO?
Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a Google Business profile (GBP), or someone’s online directories, where website SEO is optimizing a website. While both can go hand-in-hand, the practice of helping businesses get found in local (“near me”) searches is local SEO, while website SEO catches much broader searches.
How does reputation management improve local online ranking?
There are three ranking factors Google has specifically provided for local SEO. The reputation management element of the Fertilizer Package is centered around these three ranking factors:
1. Distance: How close you are to the person who is searching on Google.
- While there is not much we can do to adjust this, some businesses may benefit from Google Service Areas.
- We can also ensure their address is clear.
- Google shows results within a 40-mile radius, so typically this is the distance range.
2. Relevance: How similar the products or services you offer are to the searchers’ intent.
- Ensure GBPs include keywords in product tile names, keywords in detailed product tile descriptions, and the correct categories and subcategories (see video 38:34).
3. Prominence: How established your brand is online compared to your competitors.
- Ensuring a brand is found in as many instances as possible. For local SEO, we do this through online directories containing citations, external links to our GBP.
- Green House uses the Synup software to automatically create citations for our clients.
Reputation management impact:
Unlike website SEO, which can take six months to years to have significant impact, adjustments to local SEO can create significant ranking impact in just a few months.