BrightLocal webinars are back! 🎉
Watch the recording of The State of Local Search 2022 where we were joined by local search experts Ben Fisher, Joy Hawkins, and Amanda Jordan.
The session covered the current state of local SEO, the latest algorithm update, and what’s needed to make your 2022 a success.
Our panel shared expert insight on current trends, and the strategies and tactics needed to get ahead of the game.
Make 2022 your year in local SEO by watching this session and learning from the pros!
Watch the recording
Key takeaways
What was the single biggest learning you took away from 2021 in terms of local search? (08:45)
Don’t sleep on updating your Google Business Profile! There have been so many features added that are important to your listing. Make sure you use every feature, good quality photos, respond to reviews, use the Q&A section, and use GBP as a more holistic approach to finding more customers, not just ranking!
Amanda Jordan, RicketyRoo
I made a decision for my agency to not take on clients in every industry. It’s easier to analyze trends and strategies when you have lots of businesses to look at in the same vertical. When you niche down into different industries, there is so much [more] to learn!
Joy Hawkins, Sterling Sky
What was the most unexpected development in local search or from running an agency in 2021? (20:00)
Aspects of GBP have to be revisited on a weekly or monthly basis. Every aspect of GBP is not important until it is, so you might as well go and take care of it. Some of our customers gain 90% of their revenue from GBP!
Ben Fisher, Steady Demand
Google is now showing photos in more results, including mobile search results, in ads, and in LSAs. Images are becoming more of a thing that businesses need to pay attention to. Photos can impact your rankings and conversions, so we have increased the importance of photos for the tactics we use.
Joy Hawkins, Sterling Sky
I’ve put more of a focus on the technical aspects of SEO. It’s easy for Local SEOs to get too bogged down in the content and GBP sections, and miss a lot of things that are crucial for their website. I see a lot of sites that have terrible internal linking, not linking to location pages and not linking to service pages.
Amanda Jordan, RicketyRoo
What do we know so far about the ‘Vicinity Update’? (41:11)
We’ve seen a 50/50 split between keywords correlating with the Vicinity update. We’ve seen clients rebrand with keywords in their business names and have crushed their competitors. A bit more research needs to be done, and at the very minimum, experiment and try it to see if it works.
Ben Fisher, Steady Demand
What are the three main drivers of local search success in 2022? (56:20)
Being able to pivot is the biggest thing for SEOs, in general, this year. Being able to pivot based on updates, changes in user behavior, and being able to figure out what to do instead when things aren’t working. Another big thing is going to continue to be reviews. Everyone knows how important they are which makes it competitive for clients.
Amanda Jordan, RicketyRoo
Getting links is still important, and we focus on it when we do audits on clients. Local service ads – if it’s available for you, try it. You might find it’s for you or it’s not for you. But if you don’t try it then you’re losing and your competitors are winning.
Ben Fisher, Steady Demand
I’d say long-tail keywords are where my obsession lies right now! If you’re a plumber for example and trying to rank for just ‘plumber’ or ‘plumber Denver’ you’re going to have a harder time competing for that. If you can look for opportunities for keywords that your competitors aren’t necessarily targeting, this is where I see strategy working well and quickly. If you can find keywords that work well, but not everybody knows about, that’s where the gold mine is.
Joy Hawkins, Stirling Sky
Be creative with your problem-solving. I like to not put too much weight on anything or rely on the data, but you should be able to rely on what’s actually working, or what you’re actually seeing for the client. Test the waters to figure out what is going to work or what will not work for your clients.
Amanda Jordan, RicketyRoo
Our Expert Panel
Ben is VP and founder of Steady Demand. He helps agencies with local search services, he’s a GMB reinstatement pro and a map spam assassin. As well as this, he’s a Google My Business Diamond Product Expert, making him a go-to for all things local.
Joy is the owner of the Local Search Forum, LocalU, and Sterling Sky, a local SEO agency in Canada and the USA. A Google My Business Product Expert, speaker for MozCon and Pubcon, Joy is one of the leading local experts in the SEO industry.
Amanda is the Director of Digital Strategy at digital marketing agency, RicketyRoo. Her decade-long background in local legal and enterprise SEO means she’s a pro at tackling complex problems for clients. She’s a regular speaker within the SEO community and has shared her expert insight with the BrightLocal Academy.
Myles is Founder and CEO of BrightLocal. He has worked in the local search industry since 2009 and has been a major contributor to the Local Search Ranking Factors Study. Myles has also written a regular column for Search Engine Land and has spoken at SEO conferences such as Brighton SEO and Inboundcon (Toronto).
