The ever-increasing importance of usability and trust in link building

Sometimes link builders identifying promising sites think only in terms of metrics. Columnist Julie Joyce explains why usability has become one the most important things to consider. The post The ever-increasing importance of usability and trust in link building appeared first on Search Engine...

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

from Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://ift.tt/2xw8CYZ

Bing Ads launches automated bid strategy to ‘Maximize Clicks’

Bing Ads can now automatically manage keyword bids in an effort to generate the most clicks possible within a given budget. The post Bing Ads launches automated bid strategy to ‘Maximize Clicks’ appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

from Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://ift.tt/2g9ajUI

Google doodle honors Norwegian explorer and champion skier Fridtjof Nansen

On his 156th birthday, Google celebrates the life and contributions of this Norwegian scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and athlete. The post Google doodle honors Norwegian explorer and champion skier Fridtjof Nansen appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

from Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://ift.tt/2y68G0X

SearchCap: Google short videos, AdWords scripts & IoT for local search

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. The post SearchCap: Google short videos, AdWords scripts & IoT for local search appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

from Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://ift.tt/2g7wiLA

Answer engine JustAnswer now uses bots to route questions to human experts

The use of bots to qualify questions or leads, which are then handed off to experts or reps, may be the optimal chatbot use case. The post Answer engine JustAnswer now uses bots to route questions to human experts appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

from Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://ift.tt/2yUjxry

Yes, Competitors Can Edit Your Listing on Google My Business

Posted by JoyHawkins

I decided to write this article in response to a recent article that was published over at CBSDFW. The article was one of many stories about how spammers update legitimate information on Google as a way to send more leads somewhere else. This might shock some readers, but it was old news to me since spam of this nature on Google Maps has been a problem for almost a decade.

What sparked my interest in this article was Google’s response. Google stated:

Merchants who manage their business listing info through Google My Business (which is free to use), are notified via email when edits are suggested. Spammers and others with negative intent are a problem for consumers, businesses, and technology companies that provide local business information. We use automated systems to detect for spam and fraud, but we tend not to share details behind our processes so as not to tip off spammers or others with bad intent.

Someone might read that and feel safe, believing that they have nothing to worry about. However, some of us who have been in this space for a long time know that there are several incorrect and misleading statements in that paragraph. I’m going to point them out below.

---

"Merchants are notified by email"

1. Google just started notifying users by email last month. Their statement makes it sound like this has been going on for ages. Before September 2017, there were no emails going to people about edits made to their listings.
2. Not everyone gets an email about edits that have been made. To test this, I had several people submit an update to a listing I own to change the phone number. When the edit went live, the Google account that was the primary owner on the listing got an email; the Google account that was a manager on the listing did not.

Similarly, I am a manager on over 50 listings and 7 of them currently show as having updates in the Google My Business dashboard. I haven’t received a single email since they launched this feature a month ago.

"Notified [...] when edits are suggested"

Merchants are not notified when edits are "suggested." Any time I've ever heard of an email notification in the last month, it went out after the edit was already live.

Here's a recent case on the Google My Business forum. This business owner got an email when his name was updated because the edit was already live. He currently has a pending edit on his listing to change the hours of operation. Clearly this guy is on top of things, so why hasn’t he denied it? Because he wouldn’t even know about it since it’s pending.

The edit isn’t live yet, so he’s not receiving a notification — either by email or inside the Google My Business dashboard.

Edits show up in the Google My Business dashboard as "Updates from Google." Many people think that if they don’t "accept" these edits in the Google My Business dashboard, the edits won’t go live. The reality is that by "accepting" them, you’re just confirming something that’s already live on Google. If you "don’t accept," you actually need to edit the listing to revert it back (there is no "deny" button).

Here's another current example of a listing I manage inside Google My Business. The dashboard doesn’t show any updates to the website field, yet there's a pending edit that I can see on the Google Maps app. A user has suggested that the proper website is a different page on the website than what I currently have. The only way to see all types of pending edits is via Check the Facts on Google Maps. No business owner I've ever spoken to has any clue what this is, so I think it’s safe to say they wouldn’t be checking there.

Here's how I would edit that original response from Google to make it more factually correct:

Merchants who manage their business listing info through Google My Business (which is free to use) are notified when edits made by others are published on Google. Sometimes they are notified by email and the updates are also shown inside the Google My Business dashboard. Google allows users (other than the business owner) to make edits to listings on Google, but the edits are reviewed by either automated systems or, in some cases, actual human beings. Although the system isn’t perfect, Google is continually making efforts to keep the map free from spam and malicious editing.

---

Do you manage listings that have been edited by competitors? What's your experience been? Share your story in the comments below!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

from Moz Blog http://ift.tt/2yA7jbp

6 ways IoT will make local search for SMBs scalable

Don't turn your attention away from the Internet of Things just yet. Contributor Wesley Young contends that the data provided by connected devices could help smaller players better compete with the big guys. The post 6 ways IoT will make local search for SMBs scalable appeared first on Search...

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

from Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://ift.tt/2gouaMn