"If you build it, they will come," right? Haha, no chance. Fostering a truly respectful, supportive, and helpful community full of brand advocates and topic experts is no mean feat—and even harder when you're entering a competitive arena or starting from scratch... but the results, both emotional and statistical, speak for themselves when you get it right.

We spoke to Women in Tech SEO's Areej AbuAli about her experience building her global community of passionate and supportive women, what drove her to get started, what lessons she's learned in the process, and what she's still learning today. This is a must-listen for anyone trying to build a community of any kind—Areej really is one of the foremost voices on the topic.

• The many and varied benefits of building a community for a brand
• How to establish rules and guidelines—and the importance of doing so
• How to make a niche community appealing to all
• Which brands are doing a great job with their communities
• How to celebrate exceptional members of the community—and deal with problematic ones
• How best to approach community monetization, if at all
• And much more!

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal's Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

Areej AbuAli is the founder of Women in Tech SEO, a global digital marketing community. Founded in 2019, Women in Tech SEO has over 10,000 global members and 60,000 followers who connect through online groups and in-person conferences in the UK, Europe, and the USA. Areej is an international speaker, a Google Women Techmaker ambassador, and a UN Women UK delegate.

• Women in Tech SEO Community: https://www.womenintechseo.com/
• "Community Building for Marketers" by Areej AbuAli - coming March 3rd, 2025: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Community-Building-Marketers-Connect-Engage/dp/1398616931/
• Buffer Community: https://buffer.com/community
• HubSpot Community: https://community.hubspot.com/
• Sanity.io Developer Community: https://www.sanity.io/exchange/community
• BrightLocal Local Pack: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelocalpack/
• AD - Local Marketing Industry Survey: Agency Edition: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-marketing-industry-survey-agencies/

Adventures in Local Marketing is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile*.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

*Sadly, this is the last episode of Adventures in Local Marketing hosted by Claire Carlile. We thank Claire for all her hard work picking the brains of experts in the industry, and wish her the best for the future. The BrightLocal Podcast will be back in the new year—watch this space!

We often forget that, in local business, local SEO and general SEO are all part of the same whole. Your site needs to be as optimized as your Google Business Profile, but how often do these strategies really speak to one another?

We spoke to Amsive Digital's Dayna Lucio for the lowdown on how, particularly in more complex business models like franchises, it's crucial for SEO and local SEO to speak to each other for the best possible outcomes.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Understanding the intricate relationship between SEO and local SEO
• The challenges faced by franchises in managing their online presence
• Common misconceptions about local SEO
• Why domain management and backlink strategies are outdated
• Why you should focus on a more integrated and strategic approach to local SEO
• The importance of tailoring strategies to specific regions and cultural contexts
• And much more!

About Claire Carlile (Host)

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal's Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

About Dayna Lucio (Guest)

Dayna is an Sr. SEO Strategist at Amsive and has almost a decade’s experience executing and developing comprehensive strategies for multi-location and franchise brands. Her experience in local SEO has spanned a variety of industries including health, beauty and spa, fitness, home improvement, and more.

Resources from this episode:

• Women in Tech SEO: https://www.womenintechseo.com/
• BrightLocal's Local SEO Content: https://www.brightlocal.com/insights/
• Joy Hawkins: https://twitter.com/JoyanneHawkins
• Amanda Jordan: https://twitter.com/amandatjordan
• Lily Ray: https://twitter.com/lilyraynyc
• Delivering Local SEO as Part of a Wider SEO Strategy: https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/delivering-local-seo-strategy/
• AD - BrightLocal's Listings Visibility Study: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/business-listings-visibility-study/

About Adventures in Local Marketing

Adventures in Local Marketing is the podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile. Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

With a deluge of AI-spun content hitting the web today, it's never been more important to ensure you're working with real experts on your brand publication.

Host Claire Carlile is joined by George Nguyen from Wix to discuss how to develop content hubs for brands that want to build their authority and expertise—no matter the vertical.

• Examples of brands with fantastic content hubs and brand publications
• How to overcome the challenges you'll face when starting a content hub
• How to approach working with expert contributors
• How to make your brand publication sustainable in the long term
• The value of diversity in brand publications
• ...and much more!

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal's Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn

George Nguyen is the Director of SEO Editorial at Wix. He creates content to help users and marketers better understand how search works and how to use Wix SEO tools. He was formerly a search news journalist and is known to speak at the occasional industry event.

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn

Find out what George puts in Room 404... rest assured, it's a search phrase many will be happy to see/hear the back of!

Want more from Adventures in Local Marketing? We highly recommend checking out these episodes:

• Steve Wiideman on Navigating Big Brand Local SEO
• Embracing AI with Marie Haynes
• Crystal Carter on Powerful Applications of Schema Markup

• Wix's SEO Learning Hub
• Wix's Podcast: SERP's Up
• Wix Business Website Templates
• The Wix Playground in New York City
• Expert Shoutout: Darren Shaw
• Expert Shoutout: Krystal Taing
• Expert Shoutout: Celeste Gonzalez
• Expert Shoutout: Miriam Ellis
• Expert Shoutout: Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and David Mihm at Near Media

Adventures in Local Marketing is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

Once your brand reaches a couple of dozen locations, the local search tactics you need to employ to grow further only get more intricate and complex.

Host Claire Carlile is joined by Elizabeth Rule from Sterling Sky, to discuss what needs to be in your gameplan when working with a growing brand. They cover what to consider when acquiring another brand, the importance of getting the right information architecture, how reviews and reputation management impact the growth process, and so much more.

You will learn:

 ✅Common challenges with growing local businesses, and strategies to resolve them
 ✅How to manage Google Business Profiles for a growing portfolio of locations
 ✅How reviews can make or break rankings and reputation
 ✅How good password management can boost efficiencies
 ✅Pitfalls to avoid when expanding to new locations
 ✅Factors to consider when expanding to new locations

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:42 Strategies for Scaling Local Businesses

06:22 Acquiring and Rebranding Existing Businesses

08:55 Managing Google Business Profiles for Multi-Location Growth

13:16 Turning Negative Reviews into Opportunities

22:45 Room 404: 'Optimized for SEO'

25:16 Preparing for Growth and Management of Passwords

31:46 Pitfalls to Avoid in Expanding to New Locations

34:27 Managing Google Profiles and Service Area Businesses

37:05 Factors to Consider in Choosing a Location

44:50 Proximity to Competitors and Google's Local Filter

50:00 Resources for Local SEO and Multi-Location Businesses

About Claire (Host)

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal's Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

Where to find Claire:

Website

Twitter (X)

LinkedIn

About Elizabeth (Guest)

Elizabeth is an expert local SEO analyst at Sterling Sky. Over the years Elizabeth has been involved with many local businesses as they grow, both through the acquisition of other businesses and by the extension of their own offering as they build out their brick-and-mortar locations on a national scale.

As a Google Business Profile Product Expert, Elizabeth helps businesses crack the code to gain valuable visibility in local search and helps solve complex GBP issues. She is also a faculty member and speaker at the Local U SEO Conference.

Where to find Elizabeth:

Website

Twitter (X)

LinkedIn

Room 404

Find out what Elizabeth decides to put into 'Room 404', as it makes their heart race, but for all the wrong reasons!

Want more from Adventures in Local Marketing? We highly recommend checking out these episodes:

• Embracing AI with Marie Haynes
• Conversion mindset with Aaron Weiche
• Staying people first with Julian Hooks

Resources

• Sterling Sky's content and research
• Local Search Forum:
• Andy Simpson on X
• Krystal Taing on X
• BrightLocal Citation Builder - for citations at scale

About Adventures in Local Marketing

Adventures in Local Marketing' is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

Copyright 2024 BrightLocal

Storytelling plays a crucial role in implementing memorable and effective marketing strategies that stand out from the crowd.

Host Claire Carlile, is joined by Melissa Popp, to discuss how storytelling can connect brands with their local audiences. They also cover the importance of authentic and unique content, how to get buy-in from various departments, common content creation shortcomings for SMEs, measuring ROI, and so much more. Seriously, this episode is jam-packed!

If you are a local marketer looking for an effective way to connect and engage with your audience, this is a must-listen.

You will learn:

• What is meant by the terms 'local narratives' or 'storytelling in marketing'
• Why unique and authentic content is important in today's SERP landscape, and the impact of the recent Google leak
• How 'brand' and 'storytelling' complement one another
• How to get that all-important buy-in from various departments
• What the common shortfalls in content creation are for SMEs (and even larger brands and enterprises)
• How to do storytelling at scale for multi-location businesses and how to effectively measure ROI
• Plus so much more...

Timestamps:

02:16 - Explanation of 'Local Narratives'

03:13 - Importance of unique content

03:29 - Google leak and its impact on unique content

06:15 - How brand and storytelling work hand-in-hand

07:49 - Content volume is the wrong metric

09:15 - Common content marketing shortfalls for SMEs (and larger brands)

14:27 - How tone of voice can be a challenge

15:40 - Melissa's 'Buyers Journey Process' specific to SEO

17:47 - Finding your origin story

24:07 - The role of customer stories

25:00 - Being too hung up about keywords

26:10 - 'Room 404' segment

29:00 - How to do it at scale

35:00 - Measuring ROI

36:38 - 'Recipe for Success' segment

About Claire (Host)

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal's Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

Where to find Claire

Website

Twitter (X)

LinkedIn

About Melissa (Guest)

Melissa is the Content Strategy Director at RicketyRoo. In this role, she oversees all content initiatives for clients and her responsibilities span from creating high-level content strategies to diving into the minutiae of content creation.

Melissa says she lives and breathes everything related to content. Writing has been her passion since she first picked up a #2 pencil, and she takes pride in making content relevant to readers and illustrating to clients how crucial this connection is for reaching potential customers.

Where to find Melissa

Website

Twitter (X)

LinkedIn

Room 404 & Recipe for Success

Find out what Melissa decides to put into 'Room 404', as it makes their heart race, but for all the wrong reasons. She also shares her 'Recipe for Success' with storytelling.

Want more from Adventures in Local Marketing? We highly recommend checking out these episodes:

• Embracing AI with Marie Haynes
• Conversion mindset with Aaron Weiche
• Staying people first with Julian Hooks

Resources

• BrightLocal's Brand Review Index
• Mastering Franchise and Multi-location SEO with Steve Wiideman
• Try BrightLocal FREE for 14 days
• Book your personalized BrightLocal demo
• Create Once, Distribute Forever by Ross Simmonds
• The Power of Local Narratives in Content Marketing by Melissa Popp
• Join Women in Tech SEO community

About Adventures in Local Marketing

Adventures in Local Marketing' is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

Copyright 2024 BrightLocal

In this month's BUMPER EDITION of Adventures in Local Marketing, Claire speaks to AI and search expert Dr Marie Haynes about all (and we mean all) things Google and  AI. We cover how Google Gemini will underpin all of search going forward, dive into the Google API leaks, and take a detour to learn about a surprise meeting at Google I/O...

It's the longest episode we've ever released and for good reason! It's a meaty topic with plenty to chew on, so step inside Marie's mind and get the most up-to-date insights on Google and AI today.

PLUS we go live with this episode on the same day as Marie's brand-new book (and accompanying workbooks) 'SEO in the Gemini Era'. Check it out for yourself now: https://mariehaynes.com/gemini-era-seo/

Listen to learn:

• Why Marie thinks Google gave us the API leak data  on purpose, and what we should and shouldn't take away from it
• Why and how Gemini goes beyond other large language models
• Why SEOs shouldn't be scared of the future of AI and SEO
• What skills will still be important in  the new age of AI and search
• How the nature of search is changing, and how marketers can react to it
• How to become resilient to changes, and actually benefit from them
• A whole lot more, including how advancements in wearables and brain-computer interfaces will change the future

Resources

• SEO in the Gemini Era - The Story of How AI Changed Google Search, by Marie Haynes: https://mariehaynes.com/gemini-era-seo/
• The Creating Helpful Content Workbook, by Marie Haynes: https://marie-haynes-consulting-inc.ck.page/products/creating-helpful-content
• Google’s Quality Raters’ Guidelines Book, by Marie Haynes: https://www.mariehaynes.com/product/quality-raters-guidelines/
• How to Use Bard, by Marie Haynes: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-use-Bard-Prompts-skills-ebook/dp/B0CQBCYM2H/
• Google Devising Radical Search Changes to Beat Back A.I. Rivals: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/technology/google-search-engine-ai.html
• Ted 2014: Larry Page on Google's robotic future: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26658892
• Marie's Newsletter: https://www.mariehaynes.com/marie-haynes-newsletter/
• Marie's Podcast, Search News You Can Use: https://community.mariehaynes.com/spaces/12946477/feed
• Marie's Training Services: https://www.mariehaynes.com/training
• Marie's online community, The Search Bar: https://community.mariehaynes.com/feed
• Follow Marie on Twitter: https://x.com/marie_haynes

In this episode, Claire chats to Leadferno's Aaron Weiche about how adopting a conversion-focused mindset can benefit agencies and their clients alike.

Listen to learn:

• Why businesses often struggle to identify conversion events
• The importance of making a business easy to work with
• Why agencies should prioritize reporting on leads and conversions
• The role testing plays in optimizing conversion funnels
• What to look out for in Google Business Profile's conversion points
• How authentic media and social proof can skyrocket conversions
• Aaron's five quick tips for improving conversions

Resources

• Following Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronweiche/
• Follow Aaron on X: https://twitter.com/AaronWeiche
• Check out the Leadferno blog: https://leadferno.com/blog
• The Leadferno podcast, Conversion Cast: https://leadferno.com/conversioncast

In this episode, Claire speaks to Julian Hooks, principal SEO consultant at Advertising Commissions and Senior Manager of SEO at Asurion, about the importance of customer-centricity in an industry obsessed with chasing the latest SEO trend or ranking factors study.

Listen to learn:

• Julian's five-point guide to a customer-led strategy
• How to use customer insights and pain points to understand and serve customers better
• How to maintain customer focus as a business scales, and why communication is at the heart of it
• Which brands and businesses are getting customer-centricity right, and why it works for them
• How to use data and analytics to identify trends and address issues at a granular level

Resources

Julian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhooks/

Advertising Commissions LLC: https://www.advertising-commissions.com/

Asurion: https://www.asurion.com/

See Julian speak at BrightonSEO San Diego: https://us.brightonseo.com/talks/beyond-algorithms-customer-centric-seo-as-the-key-to-long-term-success

Get started with Search: a developer's guide, from Google: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/get-started-developers

Rand Fishkin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin

Rand Fishkin's company, Sparktoro: https://sparktoro.com/

Nicole DeLeon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleldeleon/

Nicole DeLeon's company, North Star Inbound: https://www.northstarinbound.com/

Product-led SEO, by Eli Schwartz: 

https://www.elischwartz.co/book

In this episode, Claire speaks to Near Media's David Mihm on the obstacles and opportunities that lie in wait when dealing with Google Business Profiles for multi-location businesses.

Listen to learn:

• Why bulk verification can be such a struggle for enterprise businesses
• The best approach to managing local SEO between HQ and branch levels
• A two-level training framework for local SEO and enterprise businesses
• The value of third-party vendors in highlighting the importance of local SEO
• What's next for schema and GBP Posts
• When we should be expecting Google to launch SGE, and what it might look like

Resources:

• BrightLocal's Brand Beacon Report: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/brand-beacon-report/
• Near Media: https://www.nearmedia.co/
• Near Media's Research and Analysis: https://www.nearmedia.co/tag/analysis/
• The Near Memo Podcast: https://www.nearmedia.co/memo/
• Is Google's DMA Compliance DOA for Local Searches in Europe?: https://www.nearmedia.co/google-serp-restaurants-eu-dma-analysis/
• Don’t Put All Your Eggs In Google’s Basket – Beyond the Google Monopoly: https://www.brightlocal.com/blog/beyond-google-monopoly/
• Follow Near Media on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nearmediaco/
• Follow Near Media on X: https://twitter.com/nearmediaco
• Follow David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmihm/

In response to the findings of BrightLocal's Brand Beacon Report 2024, this episode sees us speak to enterprise expert Steve Wiideman about all things multi-location SEO.

In this wide-ranging and tactical nugget-filled conversation, Steve covers the challenges and opportunities available to multi-location SEOs today, and shares his proven processes for working with brands.

Listen  to learn:

• Steve's expert take on the findings of the Brand Beacon Report 2024
• Why social media isn't the quick fix for multi-location brands that some think it is
• How agencies can develop a one-pager that sets out everything the HQ of a brand needs to know about local SEO
• Why some brands struggle to get on board with local SEO
• Preventing roadblocks and getting buy-in when working with enterprise brands
• The multitude of ways brands can use AI, and what to avoid when generating content with AI
• The data-backed secrets of success for a brand location page
• Advice for SEOs uncertain about the future of search in a world with AI

As you can see from the list above, it's a long one, but absolutely worth getting stuck into if you're working with big brands or looking to do so.

Resources:

• BrightLocal's Brand Beacon Report 2024: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/brand-beacon-report/
• Wiideman Consulting Group: https://www.wiideman.com/
• A Data-Driven Strategy for Optimizing Location Pages to Rank in Google: https://www.wiideman.com/location-pages-for-seo
• Wiideman Search Engine Marketing Tutorials and Checklists: https://www.wiideman.com/learn
• Steve on X: https://twitter.com/seosteve
• Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seoexpert/
• Steve on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seosteve
• Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seosteve/