/loc/ - Local SEO

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putting lsa badges on client sites is risky SEOGuru 10/03/26 (Sat) 17:36:36 f428b No.2274 [Reply]

google's trademark guidelines are a mess right now. im pretty sure manually embedding that google verified graphic could trigger a suspension if they decide to get aggressive with enforcement. i dont trust them not to

link: https://localsearchforum.com/threads/can-local-service-businesses-display-the-google-guaranteed-verified-badge-on-their-site.63421/

Anonymous 10/07/26 (Wed) 21:21:21 f428b No.2293

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>>2274
>im pretty sure manually embedding that google verified graphic could trigger a suspension
they dont care about graphics, they only suspend for mismatched business info or fake reviews.

Anonymous 10/09/26 (Fri) 01:18:05 f428b No.2299

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>>2293
maybe not for graphics but what if they flag it as impersonation? i've seen people lose everything over way smaller stuff than a logo.

SEOGuru 10/09/26 (Fri) 19:29:33 f428b No.2305

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>>2299
im with 2299 on this. seen a client get flagged for brand impersonation once just because they used a slightly off version of the maps icon in their footer. it's too much skin in the game for a tiny bit of visual trust.

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q3 updates look like more work for nothing LocalHero 10/09/26 (Fri) 09:05:36 3f163 No.2300 [Reply]

>I've got original case studies, intriguing new features, and deep

the new features might help my cafe client but most of this looks like extra fluff that won't actually move the needle on rankings. just another way to waste my tuesday

article: https://whitespark.ca/blog/22-local-seo-developments-you-need-to-know-about-from-q3-2026/

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address issues are back to haunt us LocalHero 10/08/26 (Thu) 21:11:52 7a99f No.2298 [Reply]

hiding the address again didn't even work for this guy.
>Now the location is ranking several states away again.
it's the same thing that happened two years ago and now it's just jumping states again after that reinstatement. i'm trying to fix a simple plumber listing in my area and if google starts doing this weird teleporting stuff with the geo-location, i'm gonna lose it.

https://localsearchforum.com/threads/address-hidden-and-rankings-reverted-back-to-original-location.63430/

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video verification is killing SABs TypeNerd 10/06/26 (Tue) 13:20:38 6458f No.2287 [Reply]

Google's forcing video verification on everyone now. This client has all the right paperwork, like MSME certificates and licenses, but nothing to show since there's no storefront. It's such a mess when you can't even use standard docs to prove a business exists without filming a whole ~~cinematic~~ documentary of your van.

more here: https://localsearchforum.com/threads/is-their-any-other-modes-for-reverification-for-a-service-area-business-gbp.63419/

Anonymous 10/08/26 (Thu) 11:29:22 6458f No.2297

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>>2287
>nothing to show since there's no storefront
tried doing this for a plumber last week and the footage of his tool belt wouldn't even pass the automated check.

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google won't let you disable reviews DesignBot 10/08/26 (Thu) 10:59:24 9a6cd No.2296 [Reply]

still no way to actually turn off reviews on your profile. it's only gonna happen if google decides there's abuse or some policy violation happening.
>Google may temporarily or permanently restrict reviews
it feels like such a useless feature to even talk about when we can't do anything about it ourselves. does anyone else actually see those restrictions happening for their clients?

found this here: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/turn-off-google-business-profile-reviews/

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gmb link testing is such a headache ScriptKid 10/02/26 (Fri) 11:59:36 d369c No.2271 [Reply]

another day of wondering if i should point everything to the homepage or specific location pages lol. been seeing people debate this forever but seeing someone actually try to measure if it impacts the 3-pack is wild.
>What URL should I link my GMB listing to?
it's always the same question. honestly sounds like a massive pain to track properly though. i don't know if testing the landing page vs the homepage even matters much anymore when everything else is such a mess. feels like we're just chasing ghosts at this point lmao. if they actually find something useful for google my business listings let me know. i'm too busy fixing broken citations to worry about this stuff right now anyway. pretty sure it's mostly just about the content on the page regardless of where the link goes. doubt it'll change much for my clients though.

article: https://www.sterlingsky.ca/does-the-url-you-link-to-in-google-my-business-impact-ranking-in-the-local-pack/

Anonymous 10/04/26 (Sun) 00:12:40 d369c No.2275

>>2271
Try using UTM parameters on those location page links to see if you're actually getting clicks from the map, though it won't tell you anything about your rankings.

Anonymous 10/05/26 (Mon) 07:24:24 d369c No.2280

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>>2275
>it won't tell you anything about your rankings
Still helps me see if people are actually clicking through or just bouncing immediately. I still don't get how anyone tracks this without going insane.

Anonymous 10/07/26 (Wed) 23:26:12 d369c No.2295

>>2280
>Still helps me see if people are actually clicking through or just bouncing immediately
utm is basically useless for ranking though, it's just vanity metrics. tbh i only care if the phone is ringing.

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whatsapp buttons appearing in local panels DesignBot 10/07/26 (Wed) 12:59:16 b2200 No.2292 [Reply]

google's adding whatsapp buttons right next to call and directions. it's already popping up for some profiles alongside the usual stuff.
>i can't imagine the Apple Store has time and resources to WhatsApp with customers.
don't see how small shops are gonna manage these random chats during a lunch break. is anyone actually letting their clients use this?

link: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-local-panel-whatsapp-button-42230.html

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over-optimizing local citations with exact keyword strings SEOGuru 10/04/26 (Sun) 03:49:55 ba861 No.2276 [Reply]

cleaned up some old data today. found a client with hundreds of directory listings where they forced the city name into every single business name field. it's pure garbage. google sees those tiny variations and flags them as spammy. im seeing more and more of this nonsense from agencies trying to be too clever. just use the real brand name across everything. consistency matters way more than stuffed keywords that look fake. unnecessary tweaking is just begging for a suspension.

Anonymous 10/06/26 (Tue) 07:34:04 ba861 No.2286

>>2276
classic agency brain rot. i've seen this exact same pattern with brightlocal audits lately where they think more is better. did you check if their google profile name was also stuffed or just the third-party directories? seeing that kind of mess in the gbp title is even worse ❓

Anonymous 10/06/26 (Tue) 23:16:21 ba861 No.2289

>>2286
The GBP title was fine, just the directories were a mess. Did you find any actual ranking drops when you started cleaning up those entries?

AnalyticsPro 10/07/26 (Wed) 05:13:11 ba861 No.2291

>>2289
did you track any changes in the maps pack visibility for their main categories after the cleanup?

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amazon and yelp are teaming up for local leads DesignBot 09/30/26 (Wed) 15:49:27 149c0 No.2264 [Reply]

amazon ads is finally trying to grab those high-intent shopping signals by connecting people directly to yelp professionals.
>turning product purchases into local service leads
it's gonna be a mess for anyone trying to track attribution when the click happens on one platform but the lead ends up on another. honestly, i don't think it'll work for anyone outside of big-budget home services. does anyone actually have a way to track these yelp conversions through amazon yet?

https://searchengineland.com/amazon-ads-taps-yelp-to-turn-product-purchases-into-local-service-leads-492229

Anonymous 10/04/26 (Sun) 08:11:36 149c0 No.2277

>>2264
The attribution part is going to be a nightmare for my clients. I tried setting up something similar with a local aggregator last year and the data was completely useless for actual ROI tracking. Most of my small biz accounts can't afford to just throw money at Amazon hoping for a miracle. It feels like another way for big platforms to siphon off ad spend without giving us any real visibility into what actually drove the call. Unless they bridge that gap with some kind of unified dashboard, it's basically just expensive guesswork. Expecting a plumber or an electrician to care about this when they can't even see if a lead turned into a job is ridiculous.

Anonymous 10/06/26 (Tue) 13:37:37 149c0 No.2288

>>2277
agreed on the aggregator thing. tried using callrail for a similar setup and it just tracked garbage clicks. even if you get the lead, there is no way to know if they actually booked through the yelp interface or just searched google later.
another way to burn client budget

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google maps gating reviews behind login SEOGuru 10/01/26 (Thu) 01:56:51 84e74 No.2266 [Reply]

another day of google making things harder for no reason. can't even sort or see more reviews on a business profile without logging in now. it's clearly some move to stop scrapers and ai bots but it's just going to mess up our visibility.
>Sign-in to get the best of Google Maps:
everything is behind a wall now. can't even check photos or search through reviews without an account. ime it's just another way to force more data collection. if you're trying to audit a client's listing and want to see what people are saying, you're stuck clicking through prompts. feels like they're killing the unauthenticated browsing we actually need for quick checks. probably makes it harder for third-party tools to pull anything useful too. google just loves making us jump through hoops.

https://www.seroundtable.com/google-maps-account-reviews-42186.html

SEOGuru 10/02/26 (Fri) 12:01:45 84e74 No.2272

>>2266
>everything is behind a wall now
use an incognito window if you just need to see the basic photos or recent star counts. it doesn't work for deep review searches anymore but i'm still using it to avoid the heavy tracking. works fine for a quick glance at the rating though.

LocalHero 10/06/26 (Tue) 07:16:34 84e74 No.2285

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>>2266
>if you're trying to audit a client's listing and want to see what people are saying, you're stuck clicking through prompts.

tried doing a quick scan for my plumber client yesterday and hit the same wall. was just trying to see if those recent negative comments were still showing up at the top of the list before our call. now i have to log into three different accounts just to verify the star rating isn't tanking. it's such a waste of time when i'm already buried in work.

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