This is a post I wrote in 2020 that has proven to be more important than ever with the evolution of AI content. With the "helpful content" adjustments to the Google algorithm since 2022, combined with many people using generic AI to spin content, Information Gain has become a differentiator. Check out what I said [...]
In the digital age, online reviews have become crucial for small businesses, influencing consumer decisions and shaping their online reputation. To help small business owners navigate the world of online reviews effectively, Moz conducted the Local Business Review Survey Report. In this blog post, we will summarize the key findings of the report and provide [...]
Recently, Joy Hawkins from Sterling Sky published a study showing some correlation between the length of a review and how long it showed up on your business profile. That is just one reason to try to get a fuller story from your reviewers. Review management is growing in importance as all facets of reviews become [...]
Recent months have been a roller coaster ride in the world of Google Business Profiles. Though we know they can be a huge piece in the success of your business, we also can find ourselves beating our heads against the wall trying to navigate the glitches and errors that can cause major changes in our [...]
I wrote this post in 2018 to help people understand the many fake reviews out in the community. Research has shown that people have figured it out. A post I wrote touched on the study showing the benefit of asking and responding to reviews. This post was written all the way back in early 2018, [...]
SEO seems daunting and complicated to many small business owners. They get conflicting information from different sources and aren't sure who to believe. I often run into prospects that have recently been told some secret technique or strategy that is either outdated or unethical. Or sometimes people just totally miss very important factors in the [...]
I may be a little too close to the review world, but each time I hear a radio ad come on that talks about how many five-star reviews they have, it makes me cringe. For one thing, there is no mention of how many 1-star reviews they have or even 2 stars. There is no [...]
The end of October has been a fountain of information around reviews data and Google My Business information. We have had three major studies come out in the past 10 days or so around the different aspects of Google My Business or reviews in general. I wanted to touch quickly on this data before pointing [...]
On the heels of a recent Semrush study on the importance of reviews for local rankings, I wanted to update this post on local ranking factors. It is now more important than ever to bake reviews into your process. I recommend digging into the study but it shows that the median top-ranking business had 16% [...]
This is a quick post because it has come up a few times in the past week talking with business owners and even the example image letter I recently got after making a purchase. Please don't risk getting yourself in trouble by offering prizes or rewards for 5-star reviews. Both Google and Amazon have strong [...]
