Morocco Hi everyone, My name is Morocco and I just got my first Search Engine Optimization (SEO) client. My niche is Epoxy coating companies and I own an epoxy coating company myself. My client is an epoxy installer. I would really appreciate feedback on this issue. My client is ranking #1 in a small area in the three pack but he is getting no leads. Problem #1 is his phone number is not listed when the listing appears in the three pack while the phone number is listed for the other two companies that are listed. Plus he has a bad review which pops up when you click on reviews. Even if I get more reviews for him I don't know if that would help as Google list the reviews from the most relevant. I would appreciate any help especially on how to get his phone number listed on the three pack listing. 6 👍🏽1 🤔710 💬🗨📰👈
John Cody 🎓 First, congrats on the client. Has he never added the phone number to the GMB One of the most important elements for local is setting up location pages. That way you work your way outside of his current bubble, and have the chance to be seen in front of more people = more potential leads. Rahul Congrats for your First SEO client Yes, not having a number decrease the leads count, Do this to this to add numbers into listing Did you hear about Local Guides? Find someone Local Guide with Level 7 or Level 8, Add him as Owner in Google My Business (GMB) Ask him to update the number, sometimes it gets added faster than added by normal users, If not added, ask him to email GMB support, he gets fast reply than us. This way you will have numbers added in list and call flow will increase, Do this to push that bad review down, When his clients visit his location, ask them to write a review by attaching photos into review. Once the review is published, hit the Like button from different users to that positive review. it will come in the top, Do this to get more conversion, Design some creatives in canva with client's product, and post daily in GMB POSTS for few days. Fillup Description, Service List, Product List.Add photos consistently, Engagements & conversions increases once all these are done consistently. 🤯👍🏽5
Cody Check out YEXT for listings. Best product in the market 🤭1
Eric Brandt 🎓 » Cody I couldn't disagree more. Once you leave Yext, they maintain control of all directories in addition to charging and exorbitant rate Morocco ✍️ Thanks Cody, I actually started working with Yext. Kathy I hate Yext mostly because most local businesses do not need them, yet Yext's deceptive business practices make them believe they do. Search on my name + Yext and you'll see the choice label I gave them many years ago. : ) Let me explain. Years ago citations were really, really important for your local SEO. We'd create 200 of them or more for each client. Yext came along to make the job easy with just one dashboard to input your information into and then they'd feed info to other directories. The problem is, they wanted $500/yr or thereabouts, and at the time you only got about 15 citations. You could do it yourself or hire someone overseas to do that many for $5 and be done with it. In the 20 years I've been doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) I've only had to change citations for 2 clients who moved their offices. Yeah, it's a pain to update them with your new address, but again, you just get it done and be done with it. No annual fee. To make things worse, Yext now is connected with so many local directories that it's often very hard to find a way in to update your listings or add a new one. They hide it so they can get the Yext affiliate fee. And many don't let you do it at all without Yext, or again, they make it difficult to find. This is where Yext is really controlling! (Is that what you mean, Cody?) But there are ways. I have in the past emailed a couple of directories and threatened to sue them for publishing wrong info. They then sent me a link to do it. Some others aren't so easy, but I don't even care anymore as long as the main ones are taken care of. Citations are just not what they used to be. Fast forward to 2020 and it's finally become obvious that Google really is smarter than most SEO users gave them credit for. Initially Google used citations to confirm you really are a local business at that address. Google doesn't need that anymore and I would guess it never really did and that we were all wasting our time with so many citations. But now it's really clear. You really only need a couple dozen citations, if that, just the ones that actually get traffic – Yelp, Yahoo, YP, Angie's List, SuperPages, and the like, plus the main data aggregators, industry and hyperlocal citations. Those are easy to do yourself or cheap to hire someone in Fiverr to do for you. All that said, Yext is not all that bad. If you have a really messed up citation profile because you kept moving and instead of updating your current listings you created new ones, for example, Yext can clean up the mess overnight. Yext also have some nice features for businesses like restaurants that like to post daily specials. But most businesses don't really need them, and so Yext is a waste of money. SEO users who sign on as partners with Yext and make passive income with them will most assuredly differ in their opinion. 😉 As for Cody's comment, they don't control your listings if that's what he is referring to – not exactly, anyway. The big fear early on, and there was merit to this fear, was that when you leave Yext all your listings go back to their pre-Yext state, meaning if you spent the time to optimize them, you'll have to do it all over again. Early on, studies showed that didn't really happen, but things change. But so what. Just update them. If you're locked into Yext now and want to leave, here's some good advice. Nyagoslav is the citation king. Trust what he says. In short, no, you don't need Yext. Video Deep Dive: What happens when you cancel Yext? LOCALU.ORG Video Deep Dive: What happens when you cancel Yext? Steve YEXT for listings is the worst possible advice ever!
Kathy I'd like to recommend you refrain from buying reviews. Its against Google's policy and though they are letting them slip by now, they may not in the future. So, instead, tell your client to make sure all his client-facing staff is exemplary in their service. Then be proactive about requesting reviews and make it easy for customers to leave them. A tool like Thry may help you. Full disclaimer: I like it so much I signed up as a partner. You can use it to schedule appointments, text message your clients before, during and after your engagement, and use their text messaging system to request reviews. Thryv makes it easy, but if the tool is overkill for you, you can do it all manually. Get your GMB review link and text it to each and every client after a job well done, thanking them for the opportunity to serve them. You may also want to include a referral discount code you'll honor if they refer new clients. Partner Clients LPK 1 – Thryv THRYV.COM Partner Clients LPK 1 – Thryv
Patrick » Kathy Not to mention, paid or fake reviews are illegal in some countries. In Australia, the ACCC issues huge fines if you get caught ($100k +), and they don't care if you're a large or small business. 💟1
Kathy The other thing that no one is talking about is your website. Not everyone is staying in Google when searching for a business service. They click over to the website. I do believe your bad review is a big problem for you, but your website can be equally to blame, and by website, I'm really referring to what you put in the website (brand message, value proposition, proof points, relationship and trust building, photos, etc. Darshan Just add the phone number from GMB dashboard. Try to get more positive reviews. More than negative. If they are not genuine then report them. If they genuine then tell them to improve their services. You can add their website too if not added.
