Google is planning to expand their Home Service Ads nationwide, following a launch in the Los Angeles area. 949Local reported on a conversation they had with an AdWords rep which confirmed the expansion into the Los Angeles and surrounding are as well as the expansion to nationwide by the end of 2017. The expansion into […]
Google’s New Card Style News Drops Local 3-Pack Lower in Search Results
Google is testing a new card style layout in the search results. But those screenshots didn’t also show a local pack. And for those site owners who appear in the local pack, this particular test – especially if it becomes the standard. Here is a screenshot that shows the full compliment of four AdWords ads […]
Sued for Leaving a Negative Review? It Will Soon Be Illegal in the US
We have periodically heard of the lengths some businesses go to in order to prevent negative reviews, or to see them removed after the fact. And it is in everyone’s best interests to ensure that online reviews are as honest as possible, and if a business prevents negative reviews, it can give others the false […]
Using Emojis in Google’s Local Pack & Knowledge Panel
Many webmasters have used (and abused) emojis within Google’s search results, and it seems there is a new way for using them in the Google search results, this time within both the local pack, map results and local knowledge panel. First, this is how it looks in the local knowledge panel, in Chrome: And in […]
Bing Adds Instant Messenger & Chat to Local Business Results
Bing has added a new feature that allows searchers to connect to the chat or messenger feature for local businesses. This makes it easy for searchers to find the chat feature for any business, saving them hunting around on the website to find it. Here is what it looks like when linked to their own […]
Bing Now Shows Holiday Hours for Local Businesses in Search Results
Bing is finally showing holiday hours in their local pack and local business knowledge panel results. They began showing up yesterday to show holiday hours and closures for Thanksgiving Day. They are also detailing special hours for events such as Black Friday. Here is how it looks showing holiday closures in the local pack: And […]
Google Adds Live Busy Status to Local Businesses in Search Results
Google will now show how busy a business in in the local business knowledge panel within the Google search results. The new feature is an addition to the “popular times” feature that shows how busy a specific business is on various times and days of the week. The new feature adds a “live” tag to […]
Google Brings Home Services Ads Carousel to Mobile Search Results
Google has launched Home Services Ads in the mobile search results. While they have been showing for quite some time on desktop, there had only been brief tests on mobile. You can see each listing also shows a service area on the map within the listing in the carousel, to help users see if each […]
Google Showing Local Packs at Bottom of Search Results
Google has been testing different positions for the Google local pack. While it normally shows at the top of the search results, above the organic listings but below AdWords ads, it has sometimes appeared after 1-2 organic results or even in the middle. But Google is now testing it at the bottom of the search […]
Bing Testing New Mobile Style Local Pack on Desktop
Bing is testing a new style for their local pack on desktop, and it definitely looks styled like what you would see on a mobile pack. Here is how it looks on desktop: Here is how that query normally looks on desktop: The new version does make the website much more visible and “clickable” for […]