Hello fall! Consistency is building as 3 Digital Things hits the interwebs once again. I hope you enjoy this edition and I invite you to join my simple, ONLY 4 times a year email list to keep you in the loop on digital things, local search, reviews and me. Hit the subscribe button in the right column or at the end of this post.
1- Taking A Stab At A New Google Local Search Result On Mobile
Google has been awfully busy the last few months with changes to their search result displays on mobile and the information they use to populate the result. Revisions to their rich snippet guidelines and the addition of critic reviews have added to the mix. For a business owner, this “technical” aspect of what kinds of data Google wants to access and how you make it accessible can be hard to understand, much less know what to do with it.
I find the reverse engineering to be the biggest educator for most and in this case it’s when information starts showing in a search results that causes the business to ask “How do I get that info to display?”.
So in that spirit I thought I would mock up a few examples of how Google just might make changes to how search results display on mobile for local organic results. I often pay attention to recipe searches and results since they have been at the forefront of using rich snippets to display more data like cooking time and calories.
Here is an example of a mobile search result when searching for apple pie recipes. You can see the results use a photo, a much larger summary of descriptive text, review rating, cook time and calories. It’s a very big piece of pie in the search result.
I took the liberty of mocking up a few results using these same elements and use of the search results for a coupe of different local business results. I tried to envision information that would be helpful to the searcher / consumer at the search result level. Some the information I present may not be part of schema rich snippets at this time, but if Google wants data … they will get it.
Local Search Result Concept One – Golf Course
First is the local golf course here in Buffalo, MN. The result title, photo, description, review rating, busiest time and average cost. Google already displays the business times for the course in their knowledge panel so only the “Average Cost” isn’t something they have.
Local Search Result Concept Two – Plumber
The next example is for a plumbing service here in Buffalo, MN. The result title, photo, description, review rating, Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and if they offer 24 hour emergency service.. Access to the BB rating isn’t hard for them to acquire or make a deal for and maybe they already do.
I think these types of results would be fantastic. It gives the business more to communicate in the SERP and also gives the searcher more information before making a click. Win-win.
2- Getting Creative To Get Attention With A Crappy Idea
Speaking of plumbers, here is a story that caught my eye in the last month. Nick Huckson of The Sault’s Plumber in Canada turned his grandfathers idea into small business marketing gold.
As Nick stated “I wanted a design for my truck that would be memorable, something that would make me stand out from the other plumbing businesses,”.
The photo has been shared all social media and was even shown on NBC’sToday show on Aug. 25. How many plumbers get national TV coverage? None, but Nick does.
The bottom line though, he said his phone hasn’t stopped ringing and business is booming. This “crappy” idea garnered his business attention on the road, the TV, on social media and thousands of mentions and possibly links online. Small idea, titanic results.
3- Podcast Interviews In Triple
I’ve been luck in recently to be invited on some great podcasts to discuss online reviews, customer feedback and even my career. Each of these podcasts may be of help to you in your quest to learn more on online reputation or even how to advance your career and I hope you give them a listen.
As a note for your own benefit, podcasts are a great way to get your business some exposure. Do a little research and find podcasts in your local community, your industry or interest group. Chances are you have a story to tell or experience to share and the podcast is looking for great content.
ONE – I talked Online Reviews for Law Firms on the JD Blogger Podcast hosted by John Skiba. John did a great job focusing on online reputation and some of the challenges a lawyer or firm might face when trying to assess and improve their online reputation.
TWO – My friend Jeff Sauer had me on his JumpStart podcast to discuss my career in digital marketing. I’ve known Jeff for years and had a blast looking over my nearly 20 years creating things on the web and some of the personal things I’ve learned along the way. I’d also advise you to listen to ALL of his episodes as he has some great stories from successful digital marketers and people on there.
THREE – Just this week I had the chance to be on Nick Westergaard’s podcast called OnBrand. We talked about Amplifying Your Brand’s Online Reputation. Nick is a savvy online marketer and business author and has a great interview style. We definitely got into the fears, challenges and easy wins a business can have online with their reputation.
Thanks for reading
Hope you enjoyed this month of 3 Digital Things. One more reminder, because repetition is important in marketing, that I now have a quarterly email you can get with my takes covering digital marketing, local business marketing and what I’m up to. Hit the subscribe button below:
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