The Local Memo

In this week’s update, learn about the new Local Search Ranking Factors report; Google Shopping updates emphasizing local availability; Apple’s surprise iOS 14 update; a guide to TikTok for business; delayed photo insights in GMB; and emojis in GMB review attributes.

In this week’s update, learn about GMB’s new health and safety attributes; Verified Calls for Android; a new website that is crowdsourcing business safety information; a GMB bug affecting service-area businesses; how to choose GMB categories; and new tech experiments in the grocery sector.

In this week’s update, learn about Apple’s possible plans to launch a search engine; signs of another shakeup in local rankings; voice search ranking factors from SEMRush; Bing’s removal of Yelp reviews; making GMB profiles more clickable; COVID-19 tracking in Google Maps; predictions for a “Corona Xmas”; and GMB links to virtual meeting providers.

In this week’s update, learn about new rich menus from GMB; ratings and photos in Apple Maps; the characteristics of the average GMB profile; updated GMB guidelines for hours and virtual offerings; new GMB badges for “LGBTQ-friendly” and “Women-led”; and Apple and Google reports on consumer mobility.

In this week’s update, learn about Google’s search trends showing a need for connectedness; Foursquare’s new accreditation; a primer in GMB attributes; wildfire boundaries in Google Maps; Snapchat for local businesses; and new GMB metrics in Search.

In this week’s update, learn about an update that lets businesses optimize their GMB listings directly in Search and Maps; a glitch that temporarily disrupted rankings; expanded service features in GMB reviews; contactless gas payments on Waze; and recommendations for voice search and Knowledge Panel optimization.

In this week’s update, learn about the “photo updates” pilot and a new “Call” button in Google My Business; a list of items that are not ranking factors; a survey showing consumers want mask enforcement; another survey showing consumer preference for contactless transactions; and a clarification from John Mueller on the influence of negative reviews on ranking.

In this week’s update, learn about public user profiles in Google Maps; the proportion of Google properties in search results; the impact of primary category on GMB features; a new COVID Alert app in Canada; the GMB “Black-owned” attribute; and John Mueller’s comments on the impact of negative review sites.

In this week’s update, learn about Google’s new paid feature and online operating hours in GMB; a guide to Core Web Vitals; proximity as a less important ranking factor; and Yelp data showing consumer interest related to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

In this week’s update, learn about ecommerce’s unprecedented growth in 2020; Google’s “Wear a Mask” alert; new GMB notifications for suspended and duplicate listings; Google hours updates showing to the public; Yelp’s COVID-19 page title updates; and the new Web Core Vitals component in the Google search algorithm.