Blog

Apr '25

Yelp Vs. Google Reviews (Which Are More Important?)

Yelp vs. Google has been a topic of discussion among small business owners for more than a decade. While it was once a legitimate comparison, Google reviews are far more critical than Yelp reviews in 2025.

The numbers are indisputable: most consumers check Google reviews, while fewer than half check Yelp.

Key Takeaway

According to a 2025 BrightLocal survey, 83% of consumers check Google reviews, compared to just 44% who check Yelp reviews.

The Best Platform for Customer Reviews

Google is the best platform for customer reviews, as they contribute most to your online visibility.

Google dominates the U.S. search engine market share at 88%, meaning most of your future customers are active on the platform.

Your Google reviews are displayed to users every time they view your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), which can appear in Map 3-Pack results, branded search results (via the knowledge graph), and Google Maps results.

The Multi-Platform Review Caveat

While Google reviews are more impactful than their Yelp counterparts, 74% of consumers still check two or more review platforms when researching a business.

Since Yelp garners the second-highest consumer use percentage among review platforms, many of your customers are likely checking both before deciding on whether to use your services.

Yelp Vs. Google: Lead Generation

A Google Business Profile listing is likely to appear when someone searches for a relevant term on Google.

Your Yelp profile may also appear, but it will likely be lower on the search engine results page.

In general, Google Business Profile will make you more visible to those using Google, which accounts for about 8.5 billion searches per day.

Compare that to the 178 million monthly users on Yelp, and you can already see a bit of a discrepancy.

Google Business Profile

One of the most fantastic things about Google Business Profile is that you can use your free listing to generate more leads for your business.

The platform allows you to write a bio and share critical information, such as the areas your business serves, the services you provide, and an overview of your business.

The more you fill out your profile, the more visible you will be to people in need of your services.

Yelp for Business

Yelp business listings are also free, but they are less likely to generate leads organically without paying for ads.

Yelp businesses can spend as little as $5 per day to appear in “sponsored” results for location-specific keywords.

This setup differs from Google Business Profile, which can appear on Map 3-Pack listings without payment.

Yelp Vs. Google: Mobile Experience

Both Google My Business and Yelp have mobile apps. Both are also helpful for business owners.

You can do anything on the desktop version, so it’s pretty convenient when you’re on the go.

You can reply to reviews on both mobile apps during downtime and even update your business’s information. However, inequality is more evident on the consumer side.

While 63% of Google’s organic search traffic comes from people using mobile devices, the Yelp mobile app is used much more frequently. The Yelp app has 37 million unique users every month.

However, Yelp’s mobile app is most closely associated with reading restaurant reviews.

While you can find pretty much everything on Yelp and even devoted tabs for home and auto services, you will see the first tab for restaurants.

Yelp Vs. Google: Requesting Reviews

Asking for reviews is very important for your business’s online reputation. Especially since 72% of consumers are more likely to leave a review if asked.

Google Business Profile has a distinct advantage because you can ask consumers for reviews directly. You can create a short link to your review page and send it to all your customers.

Yelp not only discourages you from requesting reviews directly from customers, but it may also violate their terms of service.

Google Business Profile Benefits

Google My Business is generally considered the best review platform for most businesses, especially contractors.

Because of its integration with the world’s leading search engine, Google reviews’ benefits are immense:

Local SEO

Google Business Profile is essential if you want your business to be more visible in relevant search results. Of course, Yelp listings will also appear on Google results, but not as prominently.

Google prioritizes its platform and will likely list a Google Business Profile listing higher than a Yelp listing.

Ease of Use

With Google, your customers won’t have to create a special account to leave a review. Instead, they only need a Gmail account, which most people have anyway.

Trust

It’s much harder to dispute a review on Google than it is on Yelp, so people tend to trust Google reviews more. Furthermore, Google reviews often appear at the top of search results, creating automatic trust.

Google Business Profile Drawbacks

Although Google offers numerous appealing benefits, it also has a few drawbacks.

While these should not discourage business owners from focusing on the platform, they should be monitored to avoid pitfalls.

Slow Posting

Google reviews take more time to post than Yelp reviews, which are nearly instant.

Disputes

As we mentioned in the pros, Google reviews are hard to dispute – a definite con if you have an inaccurate review on your hands.

Yelp Benefits

Yelp remains a proficient review platform for small businesses, even if it has lost some of its market share to Google and other platforms.

While Yelp’s domain authority allows it to appear high in search results for most queries, it’s still lower than Google Maps 3-Pack results.

Great for Restaurants

If you’re in the food business, you want to be listed on Yelp.

Disputes

Yelp makes it easier to dispute reviews and remove them if they are deemed biased or inaccurate.

Yelp Drawbacks

Yelp has faced its share of criticisms in recent years, particularly regarding its increasingly strict review filters.

Yelp’s reputation has suffered because of its seemingly arbitrary decisions to terminate business listings. Take a look at some of the common criticisms:

Autonomy

Yelp reviews are filtered, which means they can reject a review if they determine that it violates their terms of service.

Listing Termination

Yelp can terminate your listing at any time and has been known to wield its power liberally.

Yelp vs. Google: Final Call

Google reviews should be your primary focus if you’re a contractor or any non-restaurant business, as they help more with SEO and are beneficial to all companies, not just restaurants.

Ultimately, however, you should aim to collect reviews on both platforms and showcase them on your primary website.

The DataPins Local SEO plugin allows you to request reviews on Google and Yelp and display them directly on your website.

Apr '25

Backlinks vs. DataPins: What’s Better for Local SEO?

Backlinks have always been closely associated with Google SEO because they began as a fundamental component of Google’s search ranking algorithm.

In Google’s early stages, backlinks helped distinguish the quality of its search results from those of competitors like Yahoo, AOL, and Altavista.

Anchor text, which is the words that are linked from one website to another, was the factor that most influenced rankings.

As the SEO industry grew, professionals began to game the system to make their client’s websites rank for specific keywords based on paid backlinks from spammy content farms.

Google figured out this loophole and shut it down in April 2012 with the Penguin Algorithm Update, which targeted link schemes.

Since then, Google has made hundreds of thousands of improvements to its algorithm to mitigate link manipulation.

How Backlinks SEO Influence Diminshed Over Time

Technology has advanced, allowing Google to shift the weight once given to backlinks to other, more applicable ranking factors.

One of those factors is RankBrain.

This article from Backlinko shares how RankBrian may value links based on search query:

“Depending on the keyword, RankBrain will increase or decrease the importance of backlinks, content freshness, content length, domain authority etc“

RankBrain is just one-way links’ value on modern SEO has changed.

More broadly, the impact of links on Google rankings has been increasingly dwindling since at least 2023.

Google search analyst Gary Illyes said the following in 2023:

“I think they are important, but I think people overestimate the importance of links. I don’t agree it’s in the top three. It hasn’t been for some time.”

Other Google staff members have rejected the premise of links as SEO currency, including John Mueller, the Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst, who said the following in 2024:

“There are more important things for websites nowadays, and over-focusing on links will often result in you wasting your time doing things that don’t make your website better overall.”

Links for National SEO and Local SEO

The first part of Illyes’s statement is ” I think they are important,” which may prompt some readers to overlook the context of backlinks as they relate to SEO.

As a local plumber, you don’t compete with national sites like Wikipedia, which has hundreds of thousands of inbound links, which they’ve accumulated over twenty-four years of brand building.

You can never replicate their link acquisition or brand development because these things occur not from purchasing backlinks but building and sustaining a brand.

Secondly, even if you came close to their backlink quantity, Google still would not rank your website.

Why? Google’s algorithm is highly sophisticated in terms of user intent and legitimacy.

So, in essence, Google does not want a local plumber to aspire to be Wikipedia, as it dilutes the topical authority of their website (which is supposed to be about local plumbing services).

Also, Google would know that any website that acquires that many links in such a short period is using banned techniques and will be diminished in search results.

Simply put, a backlink’s value depends on whether a website is doing national SEO or Local SEO.

Backlinks have always been more critical in the national SEO and less important locally.

Local SEO expert Joy Hawkins states the following about backlinks for Local SEO:

“links play a crucial role in boosting organic search rankings, but their impact on local pack rankings is limited”

But What About Local Organic Rankings?

Backlinks can influence local organic rankings, but businesses that get these links do so through community outreach and offline brand building.

Valuable local links come from other credible sources in your community and not from purchasing links from an online vendor.

Furthermore, backlinks are only one ranking factor for local organic rankings and do not supersede user intent or E-E-A-T.

For example, a plumbing website that does not mention Rheem water heater repair will not rank for Rheem Water Heater Repair Near Me even if it accumulates thousands of backlinks.

Meanwhile, a plumbing website with zero backlinks in the same service area will rank for Rheem Water Heater Repair Near Me if it shows proof of a Rheem water heater repair job on its website.

DataPins Comparative Impact on Local SEO

We’ve had Google employees and Local SEO experts concede that backlinks do very little, if anything, for Local SEO.

Compare that to DataPins, which has been proven to increase the number of keywords and variations in Local SEO rankings by several thousand.

DataPins founder Nolen Walker, who has been in the SEO industry for over 15 years, states:

“It’s not a question of if DataPins impacts Local SEO because DataPins is Local SEO. It consolidates every local ranking indicator that Google looks for, from unique images to E-E-A-T to people-first-content, location context, etc.”

DataPins	Backlinks
SEO value growing	SEO value fading
Pinpointed service locations	General website links
Always fresh job content	Static and stale
Real reviews, real work	Hints of authority only
Auto schema markup	Needs dev work (if any)
Rank for “Service + City”	Mostly homepage links
First-party, full control	Third-party dependency
Job photos and check-ins	No visual proof
Safe, white-hat SEO	Risk of penalties
Scales with real jobs	Manual & expensive to scale

Final Verdict: DataPins vs. Backlinks

DataPins are better for Local SEO than backlinks. The impact of backlinks on Local SEO has always been minimal, at best, and has further decreased in recent years.

That’s not merely speculation, as Google officials have come out and said that backlinks are overvalued for SEO.

Alternatively, DataPins generates each Local SEO ranking factor and publishes it on the client’s website.

The results are stark; many small business owners pay $5,000+ monthly on backlink packages and see no difference or negative results.

Meanwhile, SABs pay $799 monthly for DataPins and have consistently seen thousands of new keyword rankings and significant increases in website traffic.

Mar '25

How To Rank Your Website & Brand on ChatGPT

Learning how to rank on ChatGPT is the new wave of search engine optimization, even if the numbers don’t yet do it justice.

While ChatGPT’s 5.4 billion monthly users are impressive, it still pales in comparison to Google’s 139.9 billion.

Here’s a little secret: These numbers always have a delay, meaning more people search on ChatGPT than is reported.

Ask your friends and neighbors how they find information online, and you will notice that more and more people are mentioning ChatGPT and how much better it is than Google.

Even if we believe the numbers from recent projections, ranking on ChatGPT is still worthwhile, as it helps your business gain a slight competitive advantage over those who ignore this evolving trend.

Perhaps more importantly, we are merely in the early stages of a clear digital revolution and a fundamental paradigm shift in search behavior.

Much like SEO influenced decades of Google search rankings, your AI strategies will determine how well your website ranks on ChatGPT search.

In the following guide, DataPins will outline how to rank your website on ChatGPT in 2025.

Understanding How ChatGPT Ranks Content

ChatGPT doesn’t “rank” content in the way that Google and other traditional search engines do. However, it does prioritize websites, brands, businesses and products in its responses.

In that sense, saying ChatGPT does or does not “rank” content is a matter of semantics.

For businesses with websites, the goal is to appear at the top of ChatGPT’s responses for queries that lead to new customers.

Here are the known factors ChatGPT considers when ranking content:

Brand Mentions: Consistent and favorable mentions of a brand across multiple credible platforms
Relevance: Relevance to the ChatGPT user’s input based on semantic meaning, keyword matching, and contextual cues.
Reviews: Verifiable customer feedback on credible review platforms like Google and Yelp.
Authority and Trust: Much like Google’s EEAT standards, ChatGPT looks for evidence of trust and credibility before relying on a source.
Weighted Training Data: ChatGPT knowns which of its training data sets are most credible, such as scientific research papers
Jobsite Check-ins: ChatGPT pulls specific job data from jobsite check-ins or pins

Every ChatGPT user will get a different response, meaning “rankings” are less consistent than on traditional search platforms like Google.

Nevertheless, consistently appearing in AI-generated responses from ChatGPT will lead to website traffic, branded searches, and consumer confidence.

6 Proven Ways to Rank on ChatGPT Search

1) Allow ChatGPT to Crawl Your Website

Much like indexing is the first step to ranking on Google, opening your website to ChatGPT crawlers is the foundation of ranking on their platform.

In most cases, AI crawlers can access your website unless strictly prohibited (which would require blocking them through your robots.txt file)

However, some websites take this further by explicitly asking ChatGPT to crawl its website.

For example, you can modify your robots.txt file to enable AI indexing while restricting sensitive areas.

Some may experiment with llms.txt file to provide AI with structured guidelines for understanding your content hierarchy and key information, though this is not a commonly recognized standard.

These additional steps are usually unnecessary for small business websites, as ChatGPT can already access your content by searching the web through search engines like Bing.

2) Actively Pursue Brand Mentions

In traditional SEO, links are considered the currency for building a website’s authority. With ChatGPT, the brand mentions this currency.

Companies should actively pursue brand mentions, whether they result in a backlink. The most effective brand mentions appear on articles or blog posts that cover your main topic.

Even better is the list of articles, such as “The 10 best pest control companies in Spokane, WA.” When ChatGPT trains its LLM on this article, the listed brands become part of its base knowledge.

Businesses can pursue brand mentions through email outreach to bloggers and investing in digital PR services.

Brand mentions can also occur organically for active companies in their offline communities.

Additionally, a strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube typically increases brand mentions.

3) Publish AI-Friendly Web Content

The point at which SEO and ChatGPT optimization overlap is quality website content. Like Google, ChatGPT values content that uses natural language processing and satisfies user intent.

From this standpoint, you don’t need to alter your SEO strategy much unless you still engage in old-school spam, like keyword stuffing and hidden links.

If you’ve adapted to Google’s newest standards, which are rooted in the Helpful Content Update and EEAT guidelines, you’re already publishing ChatGPT-friendly content.

A well-structured website hierarchy is another overlapping factor with Google and ChatGPT, as your pages and posts should be easy to access from your homepage.

Your content formats should follow a logical structure with topical headings and a natural progression for readers.

4) Manage Reviews and Reputation

Since ChatGPT relies heavily on credible platforms to prioritize responses, your reputation on Google Business Profile, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and TrustPilot can all influence visibility.

Any competent Local SEO strategy will already include an automated system for requesting customer reviews.

To increase ChatGPT visibility, it’s essential to accumulate customer feedback on multiple platforms beyond Google.

To show consistent activity regarding your business, make it a habit to respond to every customer review on every platform, whether positive or negative.

If you don’t yet have listings on the major review platforms, create one and list accurate contact information.

Read Our Guide to Local SEO for ChatGPT

5) Participate in Online Discussions

ChatGPT often browses the web when formulating responses to user queries, meaning that high-ranking Reddit and Quora threads can influence the final response.

If your website’s primary topic often yields Reddit or Quora threads on traditional search results, it will influence ChatGPT’s output.

You can help control the narrative about your business by participating directly in these threads.

There’s one important caveat: forum users can easily spot spammers and scammers and will gladly delete your posts if they are found to be nefarious.

Considering this, your forum participation should be completely organic and only emerge in the context of a natural discussion.

6) Showcase Jobsite Check-ins

Showcasing your actual jobs directly on your website is a powerful way to appear in ChatGPT answers.

Tools like DataPins allow contractors to create pins for each job, consolidating jobsite check-ins, images, schema markup, mini-maps, and geo-coordinates into an expansive content signal for AI.

ChatGPT has already shown that they pick up these pins directly and show them in their responses.

Pin-based responses help companies stand out, prompting ChatGPT to describe a specific service performed instead of the generic SEO copy used in standard web content.

Not only does this help websites “rank” #1 in ChatGPT searches, but it also makes their company look far more credible than the subsequent listings.

ChatGPT Pin Context in AI-Generated Response

Tracking and Measuring ChatGPT Traffic

It’s impossible to fully measure ChatGPT traffic or mentions since the platform is somewhat of a “black box,” and not all responses generate links to the source.

That said, there are methods for getting a general measurement of ChatGPT website traffic.

The best method is UTM tracking in Google Analytics 4.

Using Google’s Campaign URL Builder, anyone can create a unique UTM link with parameters like source (chatgpt), medium (referral), and campaign name (chatgpt_mention).

After completing this setup process, navigate to Acquisition reports and filter by UTM parameters.

This is far from a foolproof system, as some of the traffic signals may be misattributed or lost.

Future Trends in ChatGPT & AI Search Rankings

Google’s market share remains dominant, and homeowners will not soon abandon the powerhouse.

Nonetheless, ChatGPT is now making its mark on search behavior, even if its significance is not yet apparent in the data.

Optimizing your website to rank on ChatGPT is an obvious move today, and if you choose to put it off, it will become an unfortunate regret tomorrow.

We already know the factors influencing ChatGPT rankings, such as brand mentions, reviews, jobsite check-ins, and brand authority.

While many of these overlap with a modern SEO strategy, the importance of brand mention grows.

Building a legitimate digital brand will be the foundation for your ChatGPT rankings for the next decade.

Whether that means acquiring more customer reviews or generating more digital branded signals through pins and jobsite check-ins, the objective is clear.

ChatGPT answers are highly personalized and will not directly mirror traditional search results. However, the foundational goal remains constant: to drive more website traffic and ultimately get more business.

Pins can help you generate AI-friendly content today, allowing you to rank your website and brand more frequently on ChatGPT search.

Mar '25

Local SEO for ChatGPT: The Future of AI-Driven Search

Google has dominated local search for 20+ years, but things are shifting. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT are reshaping how people find businesses.

Instead of ranking local businesses the old-fashioned way, AI-driven search engines pull from multiple sources, including your website, trusted directories, business listings, and customer reviews.

If your business isn’t adapting, it might get left behind. That’s where Local SEO for ChatGPT comes into play for businesses worldwide.

Why ChatGPT Matters for Local SEO

Unlike Google, which relies on backlinks and traditional ranking factors, AI-powered search engines work differently. They gather information from various sources and summarize results more conversationally.

That means businesses must be visible across different platforms, not just their website. Some key factors include:

Business Listings – AI tools pull data from sites like Yelp, Foursquare, and Yellow Pages.
Location Data – AI considers mini-maps and geo-coordinates on a website.
Structured Data – Schema markup helps AI understand business services.
Customer Reviews – AI analyzes reviews for keywords and sentiment.
Website Content – Clear, informative content improves visibility in AI search results.

No Ads Helps ChatGPT Win Local Searches

Unlike Google Search, which has traditional Google Ads and Local Service Ads above most of its local results, ChatGPT Answers doesn’t have any ads.

This is why some homeowners are switching to ChatGPT to find local plumbers, roofers, HVAC companies, and electricians.

As a local business owner, it’s always important to understand where your consumers are looking and what their user experience entails.

ChatGPT’s ad-free local results could allow others to gravitate to their platform for these queries.

How DataPins Helps Businesses Get Found in AI Search

DataPins produces the signals AI platforms seek when training their large language models (LLMs).

If you want ChatGPT to recommend your business to local homeowners, the models must know and trust your brand.

Here is how DataPins helps them do this:

Showcasing Real Jobs with Geo-Tagged Check-Ins

AI search engines prioritize real-world business activity. DataPins allows businesses to create geo-tagged check-ins that showcase actual work being done, showing AI search engines that your business is active and locally relevant.

Example:

An HVAC contractor in Warner Robins, GA logs job check-ins with details like the service performed, the location, and customer feedback. AI-powered search tools pick up on these details, making the business more visible for local searches.

Screenshot of ChatGPT Local SEO Ranking for HVAC Company

Boosting Visibility Through Customer Reviews

Reviews play a role in AI search rankings. The more detailed and relevant they are, the better. DataPins makes it easier to collect customer feedback that contains real service-related terms that AI tools look for.

Why It Works:

More positive reviews improve business credibility.
AI search picks up on common phrases like “best plumber in Austin.”
Authentic, recent reviews help businesses stay relevant in AI-driven results.

Helping AI Understand Local Business Services

Traditional search engines rely on backlinks, but AI tools focus more on structured data. DataPins enhances LocalBusiness schema, directly embedding job details, services, and real-time updates into a website.

Key Benefits:

AI-powered search engines easily process business details.
Helps businesses appear in voice and AI-generated search results.
Improves chances of being included in AI-generated recommendations.

Showcasing Location Data on Your Website

AI search engines don’t just rely on Google Maps—they also pull location data from your company’s website.

A BrightLocal study found that company websites make up 58% of all local sources in ChatGPT.

Businesses need to ensure that their location information is displayed prominently rather than just mentioned in text.

Writing Local Content That Works for ChatGPT

Unlike the traditional Google SERP, which serves up a list of links, AI tools generate responses that answer user questions directly.

That means businesses need content that AI can easily process and summarize.

Best Practices:

Write naturally, as if answering a customer’s question.
Make website content clear and to the point.
Use structured data to highlight key business details.

How DataPins Helps With Local AI

DataPins automatically edits your job captions using 15 years of proprietary SEO data to better suit ChatGPT’s requirements.

Some of your technicians might quickly write captions that lack clarity, but DataPins fixes them for ChatGPT and other AI platforms.

Does Google SEO Still Matter?

Of course. Google isn’t going anywhere, but AI search is growing fast. Businesses that optimize for both Google and AI-powered search engines will have the biggest advantage.

How to Stay Ahead

Keep business listings updated on Yelp, Facebook, Angi’, and other directories.
Inject structured data and geo-tagged check-ins into your website.
Encourage customer reviews that mention real services and locations.
Maintain consistent business details across multiple platforms.

Google’s Adoption of AI

Google already shows AI overviews in their search results, which means optimizing for AI will also help your Google visibility.

These overviews are powered by Google Gemini, which is Google’s version of ChatGPT.

Furthermore, Google recently started testing its AI Mode for users who have been accepted into its Search Labs program.

While we don’t yet know what AI mode holds for the future of search, it is likely to present as a hybrid of Gemini and Google Search.

Final Thoughts

Search is changing, and businesses that rely only on Google might struggle in the coming years. The DataPins software was developed to equip businesses with the tools they need to thrive online in the AI era, both on and off of Google.

Make no mistake, DataPins is not merely a shiny plugin to boost conversions (although it does that); it is a consolidation of signals to get your business to appear in local AI search results.

Learn More About DataPins

Want your business to appear in AI searches? DataPins can help. Schedule a demo to see how geo-tagged check-ins, AI-friendly schema, and customer reviews can improve your local SEO.

Dec '24

51 Social Proof Statistics for 2025 (with/Marketing Examples)

Job photos, award badges, online reviews, and user-generated content are all forms of social proof.

The term social proof was first coined in 1984 as a psychological and social phenomenon where people conform to the actions of those around them to try and conform to a behavior that they believe fits the situation.

Today, the term has evolved to mean something slightly different: online consumers gauge the trust and credibility of a website, business, or brand based on its social engagement and perception.

In an age of highly targeted digital advertising, social proof presents a much-needed dose of authenticity in which opinions about a business are formed based on others’ genuine experiences.

To showcase how significantly social proof impacts businesses and digital marketing campaigns in 2025, we’ve compiled an array of updated social proof statistics:

Key Social Proof Statistics

1) Consistent social proof can increase revenue by 62% per customer.

2) 92% of consumers hesitate to buy when no customer reviews are available.

3) 88% of consumers trust user reviews as much as personal recommendations.

4) 79% of consumers watch video testimonials to learn more about a brand or product.

5) 50% of consumers find website trust badges reassuring regarding trust and security.

Online Reviews Statistics

6) 68% of buyers say positive reviews make them more likely to use local businesses.

7) 33% of customers always read online reviews when searching for a local business.

8) 87% of consumers would not consider a business with less than a 3-star average rating.

9) 57% of consumers will only buy or use a business service with at least a 4-star rating.

10) 97% of consumers say online reviews help them decide what to buy.

11) 85% of consumers think online reviews older than 3 months aren’t relevant.

12) 45% of consumers are likelier to shop with a business that responds to negative reviews.

13) Customers are willing to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews.

14) 76% of consumers are “always” or “regularly” reading online reviews.

15) The average consumer reads ten online reviews before purchasing.

16) A one-star increase in Yelp rating leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue.

17) 58% of shoppers choose pricier products due to better reviews.

18) Products with 5+ reviews sell 270% more than those without.

19) 50% of consumers visit a website after reading a positive review.

20) 66% of consumers say positive user reviews are the most important when purchasing.

User-Generated Content Statistics

21) 84% of consumers place greater trust in brands who use UGC in their marketing campaigns.

22) 75% of marketers believe user-generated content makes their marketing more engaging.

23) 56% of consumers prefer user-generated photos and videos from brands.

24) 37% of consumers say user-generated content is more authentic than branded content.

25) UGC increases web conversion by 29%.

26) UGC-based ads reduce cost per click by 50%.

Social Media Statistics

27) Over 90% of consumers use social media for purchasing guidance.

28) 39% of consumers have bought products online after seeing influencers use them.

29) Businesses earn $6.50 per $1 spent on influencer marketing.

30) 66% of consumers are influenced by other customers’ social media posts.

31) 71% of customers are likelier to purchase based on a social media referral.

32) 44% of consumers list social media video shorts as their preferred product medium.

33) 13% of customers will share a negative purchase experience with 15+ people.

Trust Signals Statistics

34) Reviews on a website’s homepage influence 86% of consumers.

35) Website images with human beings can increase conversion rates by 48%.

36) Testimonials can increase conversions by 34%.

37) Articles with relevant images receive 94% more views.

38) Photos can increase content recollection by 65%.

39) 52% of consumers are influenced by media mentions.

40) Consumers spend 25% more on trustworthy brands.

Product and Service Research Statistics

41) 87% of buying decisions begin with online research.

42) 82% of Americans seek recommendations from friends and family before purchasing.

43) 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to buy after reading a trusted review.

44) 54% of consumers research visual proof of a product or service before purchasing.

45) Other customers’ experiences influence 74% of consumers.

Local SEO Statistics

47) 5-star aggregate review ratings for GMB listings increased CTR by 28%.

48) Websites with multiple pin pages get 80.9% more Google clicks than those with one.

49) DataPins users that utilize automated review requests increase frequency by over 94%.

50) 78% of local searches result in a purchase.

51) Businesses with a Google Business Profile increase consumer consideration by 50%

Social Proof Examples

The key to website-based social proof is credibility and verification, whether a customer review, an award badge, or a geotagged photo of your company providing services.

Below are some tangible examples of social proof on a business website:

Social Proof Marketing Examples (Infographic)

Customer Reviews

Most websites have a testimonials or reviews section. However, the feedback only qualifies as social proof if it comes from a verifiable source.

For example, a screenshot of a customer review is not social proof because the web admin can manipulate the photo to serve an agenda.

Consider using a plugin like DataPins, which inserts a reviews slider onto your website.

The slider plugin pulls Google and Facebook reviews via API so users can see genuine reviews from top platforms and click them.

Award Badges

If you receive an award, the platform should provide a custom badge that you can upload to your website’s homepage using its HTML.

In addition, the nominator should send you a transparent image file, usually in SVG format. Ask your web developer to insert the image onto your site.

Awards can come from various sources. However, the best social proof comes from reputable institutions within your industry or region.

For example, a roofing company in Denver, CO, should showcase awards from roofing-related institutions or regional and local organizations.

Brand Videos

Videos are vital for building trust with consumers, as evidenced by the numerous statistics on video’s influence.

Considering this, filming, posting, and embedding branded video content (both shorts and long-form) that includes your staff and work is integral to social proof.

Upload your video content on all major social media platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

Embed your YouTube videos onto your website so visitors can access the content and gain trust in your brand.

Project Gallary

Showcasing recent jobs or projects your business performs in a gallery is a form of social proof on a website.

Much like reviews, project highlights are more valuable when validated by credible information, which is where a tool like DataPins can help.

DataPins converts your project information into consolidated local SEO signals, including schema markup, geo-coordinates, images, descriptions, and mini-maps.

This added information gives search engines and their users more context regarding the project, leading to more engagement and credibility.

Applying Social Proof to Your Marketing Campaign

These statistics reveal that social proof, such as online reviews, social media mentions, award badges, and user-generated content, significantly influences consumer behavior.

In addition, social proof also impacts search ranking visibility, creating a multi-faceted boost in your impressions and conversion rates.

However, statistics are only valuable if you can put them into action.

At DataPins, we developed software that automates social proof for small businesses through local SEO and reputation management.

Business owners can use the DataPins app to convert recent projects into SEO-friendly social proof on their websites.

Also, the DataPins app features automated review requests through SMS and email to drive more reviews and enhance reputation.

To learn more about how DataPins inserts social proof onto your business website, call 800-775-1250.

Dec '24

Multi-Location Website Design Guide (w/Best Practices)

Multi-location website design applies to businesses that service multiple cities or occupy numerous office locations.

While listing multiple locations on a website doesn’t seem that difficult, the SEO implications of mishandling this delicate process can be far-reaching and damaging to online visibility.

At DataPins, we help multi-location businesses thrive through digital marketing software and targeted and customized local SEO campaigns.

This is essential since over 80% of multi-location businesses plan to expand this year.

Of course, the foundation of every successful multi-location company is a website or websites that correctly promote services in a specific location.

The following guide will outline the best practices for multi-location websites and how to audit your current strategy to improve online visibility.

Multi-Location Website Design (Guide Cover)

What is Multi-Location Website Design?

Multi-location website design is the process of creating a customized website for a multi-location business that maximizes the company’s visibility and conversion rate in each of its target locations.

There are no one-size-fits-all strategies for multi-location websites. Still, there are best practices that have been tested and proven to maximize online visibility for businesses with multiple locations.

Separate Websites vs. Unified Domains

The fundamental decision for companies with multiple locations is whether to create one or multiple websites. Your choice depends on whether your secondary locations serve distinct service areas or overlap with your primary location.

For example, a Dallas-based business should not create second and third websites for Plano and McKinney, respectively, as these cities are considered suburbs of the Dallas Metropolitan area.

The inverse is also true, as a Plano-based business should not create a second website for Dallas.

However, creating additional websites is typically the most salient SEO strategy if your secondary locations are distinct (generally more than 65 minutes or 50 miles away).

Multi-Location Business Statistic (Infographic)

When to Create Separate Websites for Each Location

Google does not have official distances for when to create separate websites. However, our research concluded that locations over 65 minutes of driving from the primary location best suit an individual website.

For example, a pest control company with locations in Tuscumbia and Huntsville, Alabama, should create separate websites for each location.

When to Use One Domain for All Locations

If all your locations are within a 50-mile radius, it’s best to keep them on a single website. To target particular cities, you can create individual city pages under a single domain.

Furthermore, you can link your secondary Google Business Profiles to those city pages under the same domain.

6 Best Practices for Multi-Location Websites

1) Create Unique Location Pages (City Pages)

You need a location page for each city you service. If you have verified office addresses and Google Business Profiles in some of these locations, you would place them on their corresponding city pages.

You may also service nearby cities where you don’t have an office. In these cases, you must publish additional location pages targeted at those consumers.

For example, if your office is in Orlando, FL, you can create an individual city page for Altamonte Springs, FL, and write local content unique to that location.

Be careful when publishing hundreds of city pages with similar content, as it may trigger an algorithmic filter that dilutes your website’s overall rankings.

Instead, the best strategy is to make each page unique.

2) Connect Local URLs to Your Google Business Profile

While your Google Business Profile listing is separate from your website, they are connected to your online marketing strategy. The highest-ranking business listings have a complete website with content for each location.

Each office address should have its own Google Business Profile listing. In the GBP website tab, connect your main website to each listing.

Include images of offices, signage, information on which areas you service, operation hours, and services offered.

It is also essential to keep this information accurate and updated. NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) information must remain consistent between your multi-location website and your Google Business Profile.

Accurate and consistent NAP information helps your rankings. Google prefers to display recently updated content when available, so update your Google My Business listing often.

3) Optimize for Local User Experience (LUX)

The subtle differences in your audience make the difference in higher or lower conversion rates.

These subtleties should be reflected in the individual location pages targeting customers hyperlocally.

For example, share reviews and recent job photos from only the page’s location so that users will only consume content relevant to their area.

This concept is known as Local User Experience or LUX, a localized user experience or UX variation.

As search results become more personalized with the adoption of AI, speaking directly to your target customers will help you stand out from competitors.

4) Link to Location Pages From the Main Menu

Your website’s main menu must have a service area tab that lists each of your secondary locations and links to the corresponding city page.

Since your homepage holds the most website authority, distributing its equity to your location pages will be crucial for helping them rank well in search results.

If you fail to make your location pages easily accessible to Google crawlers, they may become “orphan pages,” which means they lack internal links, may rank poorly, or may not even enter Google’s index.

In addition to inserting these cities into the main menu, look for other opportunities to link to these pages when they are relevant and user-friendly.

5) Enhance Location Pages with DataPins

There needs to be more than just switching out city names in bland, uninteresting text to make your location pages satisfy search engines and their users. DataPins: a local SEO tool for contractors, helps you keep your pages unique with fresh, hyperlocal content.

DataPins consolidates location-based SEO signals based on recent jobs or projects and publishes them onto your corresponding city pages.

For example, each pin contains schema markup (structured data), geo-coordinates, unique project photos, mini-maps, and job descriptions.

The tool also sends review requests via email and text message.

You’ll find that DataPins automates unique content by ensuring only location-specific content appears on the appropriate pages.

The tool serves as a curator of user-generated content, social proof, and reputation.

6) Build Citations for Each Location

Building NAP citations on Yelp, Angi’, HomeAdvisor, and the Better Business Bureau is part of any local SEO strategy.

For companies with multiple locations, build citations for your legitimate business addresses and link them to the corresponding location page.

These external citation links send positive location signals to each of your city pages, increasing their authority and maximizing their ranking potential for location-based queries.

Only employ this technique if you have legitimate business addresses for your secondary locations.

Multi-Location Website Design Examples

Sometimes, seeing examples of websites that correctly implement multiple locations is the best way to apply those methods to your own campaign.

Below, DataPins showcases some examples of a business website targeting multiple locations:

Shoreline Snuba

Shoreline Snuba’s website does an outstanding job of linking to its individual dive locations from the main menu, located in the website design’s header.

This feature helps visitors easily navigate to their desired location and book a private snorkeling tour for their upcoming trip.

Multi Location Website Menu (Screenshot)

Majestic Outdoor Lighting

The Majestic Outdoor Lighting website showcases how one domain can house dozens of unique location pages, all within the general radius of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.

While the business does have multiple Google Business Profiles, it also targets cities for which it does not have a specific office address but serves as a service area business (SAB).

Multi-Location Website Design Example (Screenshot)

Other Considerations for Multi-Location Websites

When following the best practices for multi-location business websites, it’s important to note that other variables will come into play depending on your location, industry, and website authority.

Below, we’ll outline other factors to consider with multi-location websites:

Structured Data Markup

Adding structured data markup and schema markup to your website helps Google and other search engines understand the specifics of your various locations.

You can add LocalBusiness schema to your homepage and location pages to solidify the local intent of each page.

Adding this data to your website can indirectly boost rankings while making your pages eligible for rich snippets within local search results.

Social/Brand Signals

One of Google’s primary ways to measure a brand’s legitimacy is social and brand signals from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Yelp, paid ads, and emails.

When social media users navigate to your website from a social media app, these are known as social signals, which convey to Google that your brand exists beyond organic search results.

Social signals are one component of a broader signal currency known as brand signals, which can expand beyond the scope of social media to other platforms like business directories, emails, paid ads, and even in-person promotion.

Multi-location businesses must pay extra close attention to generating these signals so that their brand earns enough credibility to support rankings in multiple cities.

Local Content Updates

There is a tendency for multiple-location business websites to neglect lower-priority cities regarding content updates and location accuracy.

This is a marketing misstep, as low-quality content on any portion of your website can degrade its site-wide SEO signals, resulting in lower rankings for all your cities.

Considering this, it’s essential to invest content resources for all of your locations, including regular updates of your city pages and NAP updates for each citation any time your information changes.

Location Performance Tracking

Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console make tracking location performance simple when you collect user data for specific city pages.

For example, if your Seattle location page receives 90 visits and your Spokane city page receives 30, you can use those as a baseline for improvement and fluctuation.

Naturally, higher population areas should attract more visits, but the authority of each page can also influence traffic.

Underperforming city pages should be audited and improved based on competitor research and the use of DataPins.

URL Optimization

Each location-specific page should have unique URLs containing the name of the city it corresponds to.

Also, make the URL format as consistent as possible. This will make it easier for search engines to index your pages accurately on relevant searches.

For instance, a remodeling contractor in Miami and Key West should have clean URLs like “/key-west” at the end instead of “/contractor-key-west.”

SEO Supplementation with Paid Ads

If some of your locations still need to accumulate enough authority to rank in organic search or Google Maps, supplementing the traffic with paid ads is one way to get quick results.

You can use either Google Search Ads or Local Service Ads (LSA) to send traffic to specific city pages or Google Business Profiles.

Search Ads are made for landing pages, like your location pages, and use a PPC model, while LSA ads are for Google Business Profiles and abide by a pay-per-lead model.

We advise against paid advertising as a variable long-term strategy for multi-location businesses. Still, they can work well in short spurts to supplement your comprehensive local SEO campaign.

Conclusion: Building a Strong Multi-Location Online Presence

Multi-location websites can challenge businesses seeking to rank for local queries in multiple cities. Still, with the correct design principles, your site can maximize performance for each distinct business address.

Creating unique city pages and connecting them to their corresponding Google Business Profile location is the foundation of a high-performance multi-location business website.

In addition, adding DataPins to your city pages while enhancing the local user experience can increase rankings and conversion rates.

Don’t forget to create separate NAP citations for each of your legitimate business addresses to build authority for each of your distinct locations.

Call us at 800-775-1250 to learn more about multi-location website design and how DataPins integrates with this process.

Nov '24

How To Rank a Service Area Business (SAB) in Multiple Cities

Business owners trying to figure out how to rank a service area business in multiple cities are often presented with conflicting or unhelpful advice.

Implementing a successful Local SEO strategy is more challenging for businesses that provide services outside their primary location.

These businesses, known as service area businesses or SABs, often serve dozens of smaller cities within a general area.

Google’s local algorithm is not engineered for these types of businesses because the local map pack results are shown based on the searcher’s proximity to the businesses’ verified addresses.

For home service providers like HVAC and pest control, this confines their Google Maps clicks to a small sub-section of the consumers they are trying to reach.

Luckily, with innovative software solutions and website content tweaks, SABs can rank on Google in multiple cities.

Ranking Service Area Business in Multiple Cities (Blog Cover)

Steps to Ranking a Service Area Business in Multiple Cities

Since the early days of SEO, small businesses have consistently faced the problem of ranking for keywords in multiple cities. This is incredibly challenging for service area businesses (SABs), which often serve many areas and communities.

Although their office address (or home office) may be in a small suburb, they can travel 10 minutes to reach consumers in a much larger metro area. But how are these consumers going to find them?

The following steps reveal how to rank an SAB in multiple cities on Google:

1) Create Unique City Pages

Google’s organic algorithm (the traditional ten blue links) is less constraining than its Google Maps counterpart, providing a better opportunity for SABs to rank.

Considering this, service area businesses should publish high-quality city pages that target their service type (e.g., pest control) in specific cities (e.g., Plano, Mesquite, Allen, etc.).

Like any page that Google ranks on its first page, the content must be 100% unique and provide value to the customer based on E-E-A-T principles, which mean experience, expertise, authority, and trust.

2) Utilize DataPins

DataPins is the software we created to include on city pages for service area businesses, such as HVAC and pest control companies.

DataPins generates pins based on recent jobs, consolidating local SEO signals such as geo-coordinates, schema markup, job descriptions, unique photos, and mini-maps.

Pins are a digital hand raise for Google, displaying 100% unique content based on real jobs.

3) Establish a Digital Brand

The final step in this process is more of a long-term investment in building your digital brand.

While you cannot become a household name overnight, regularly accumulating Google reviews, showcasing proof of work, and publishing E-E-A-T signals on your website can help you do so over time.

As your brand gains authority, your city pages and Google Business Profile can rank for a broader range of keyword terms than a run-of-the-mill competitor.

Other Considerations for Ranking in Multiple Cities

Google Maps Results Favor Address Proximity

Many local SEO experts have demonstrated that Google Map Pack rankings favor the local listing whenever possible. The location data is based on the verified address of your Google Business Profile.

If you are a roofer whose business listing is set in Plano, TX, you will have trouble showing up for terms like dallas roofer, or roofer near me when the searcher’s device is pinged within a Dallas zip code.

See an example below:

Plano roofing companies will have difficulty ranking for queries containing “Dallas.”

Organic Rankings are Based on Other Factors

Generally, local SEO city landing pages will only rank if A) they are endorsed through links from other relevant entities within that community or B) they have original content (like user-generated reviews and pins) that validate a business’s credibility within a specific geographic radius.

With DataPins’ technology, reviews and pins are added to location pages (automatically), which allows the page to rank in a city that your business has serviced but is not actually located in. See an example:

Plano Roofer Organic Search (Screenshot)

It’s easier to rank outside of your address city on traditional organic results (with city pages)

Google Business Profile Service Area Challenges

Google Business Profile is an essential tool for marketing your business. It makes it easier for people who need your services to find you. But what if you are a service area business?

Ranking outside your main zip code is notoriously tricky because Google prioritizes local searches based on which businesses have a physical address within the specified area.

And, the further you venture out from your physical address, the more competition there is. You may only have ten competing businesses within your zip code, but that number balloons to dozens the further you go out.

Google is always trying to enhance its user experience, and location specification is a big part of that. That’s why it has been so tricky for service area businesses to get ranked in the areas that they serve.

The following guide examines the challenges related to Google Business Profile service area ranking. We will also discuss some ways you can overcome those challenges and be seen by more people outside the city where your business is physically located.

Google Business Profile Areas Served

Google Business Profile used to have a feature that allowed businesses to set their physical location and then an “areas served” radius that surrounded that centralized location.

It was a nice and convenient feature, to be sure. But people started abusing it. Businesses frequently exaggerated their service area radius to appear in more searches even though they didn’t really work in those areas.

So naturally, as part of Google’s ceaseless quest to please its users, it struck this feature down.

As many businesses have found out, ranking using the Google Business Profile service area feature isn’t easy. However, as Google shut one big door, they opened a window simultaneously.

Service Area Businesses (SABs)

Service area businesses were thrilled when Google unveiled its new service area features. While it’s not as easy as expanding your area’s served radius on a map, it increases the quality of search results, which, in the end, is better for your business.

A Google Business Profile wizard now helps you specify all of your unique areas served. And while it can be a bit tedious (especially if you operate in many cities), it is very simple.

The Google Business Profile setup process now includes a “Where do you Serve Your Customers” section.

You can list as many areas as you want in this section. The city names you enter will then appear under the Overview section of your Google Business Profile.

Zip Code SEO Rank

Business owners operating in large cities like Los Angeles and Dallas may encounter another challenge with their Google Business Profile service area.

These cities are massive and have multiple zip codes within their specific areas and neighborhoods.

The problem is that these smaller areas are still covered under city names like Los Angeles and Dallas. So, business owners in these areas haven’t been able to let their customers know that they serve their area until recently.

In addition to including city names, Google has made it easier for searchers to find businesses in large metropolitan areas.

You can now enter specific zip codes for areas that may not have their own specific name.

Adding New Service Areas to GMB

Another way Google has made it easier for businesses to manage their Google Business Profile service area is by not locking them into one area after they set up their profiles.

You can go into your Google Business Profile dashboard and change the Storefront Address and Service Area sections as needed.

This is an excellent feature for growing businesses and frequently adding new cities to their service coverage area.

Projecting Future Google Business Profile Updates

The challenge of ranking outside one’s own zip code is just one in a series of many more. As Google finds ways to improve its service, there will surely be more changes that will frustrate business owners and DIY marketers.

It’s important to understand these challenges as they arise so that you can find ways to overcome them.

Here at DataPins, we must stay abreast of all such changes in ranking criteria and other marketing trends. Our software was designed specifically to address these service area challenges.

Google Business Profile Address Requirements

Google requires a physical address to verify your Google Business Profile, but it does not have to be visible to the public.

Google sends a verification number to the physical address you provide to verify you as a real business. Your listing will be verified once you confirm this verification number with Google.

Once you verify your address through Google, you can mark your listing as a Service Area Business (SAB), which allows you to hide the verified address from the public.

You must verify your physical location with Google, but you can then hide it from the public

Using a Home Address for Your Google Business Profile

Home services providers can use their home addresses to verify their Google Business Profile, even if it is not a storefront or official office.

Before you consider not creating a Google Business Profile and focusing only on organic results, please understand that it is critical for service area businesses to have an active GBP.

Your Google Business Profile is where customers leave reviews for your business, and it is what will show up when people search for your brand name on Google.

Hiding your GMB Address

The process of listing your home address on Google Business Profile but keeping it invisible to the public is actually very easy:

Navigate to the dashboard of your Google Business Profile
In the top right-hand corner, click the button that reads “Manage Now.”
Provide the business name information it asks for during the prompts
Once you have filled out your business name information, you will be prompted to list an address for your business.
List your home address or the residential address you wish to use
Check the “I deliver goods and services to my customers” box
Then, check the “Hide my address (it’s not a store) box
Complete the setup process as normal

Now, your business can be verified, and your home address will not be visible to the public.

Service Areas

Now that you know how to set up your Google Business Profile listing without using a business address, it’s time to list the areas you serve.

Listing service areas on GBP is absolutely crucial for service area businesses.

When people click on your Google Business Profile, they will see whether or not you operate in their area under the overview section.

97% of people will use online resources like Google Business Profile to research local businesses.

You simply cannot afford to omit this step. Luckily, the process is pretty easy, if not a bit tedious.

Google My Business now allows you to enter as many locations as you want when setting up your listing. In the setup wizard, you will see a section titled “Where do you serve your customers?”

In the field they provide, you can type in the names of the cities that you service. If you want/have to be really specific, you can also enter zip codes.

Using DataPins to Rank in Multiple Cities

The DataPins software is designed to help SABs rank in multiple cities throughout their service areas. Hundreds of businesses are already using this tool on their websites.

To expand your ranking radius, you should create unique city pages, implement DataPins, and build a long-term digital brand. The software helps you achieve all three of these goals.

Google and its users really want the same thing: to be presented with helpful content that meets their search intent.

When a homeowner in Plano, TX, requires a pest control service, they seek the most qualified company rather than the closest office (since the provider will have to come to them).

While the Google Maps algorithm will continue prioritizing businesses with nearby addresses, the organic rankings will showcase websites and city pages that best meet users’ specific needs.

Oct '24

Map Pack SEO: 16 Useful Tips for Improving Rankings

Map Pack SEO is critical for local businesses in 2025. The Map Pack appears at the top of search results for most local queries, making it prime digital real estate for companies looking to generate local leads online.

In some home services industries, up to 70% of Google searchers interact with the Google Map 3-Pack before making a purchasing decision. You can’t ignore those odds if you plan to maximize your local customer acquisition.

While most small businesses want to rank in the map pack, few understand the optimization process required to secure these positions.

For example, most people don’t know that Map Pack SEO is based on a separate Google algorithm. Therefore, improving your position on Google Maps requires different strategies than you would use for a website.

Below, we’ll share 15 proven map-pack SEO tips to help your small business capture these rankings.

16 Map Pack SEO Tips for 2025

1) Optimize Your Google Business Profile

The first and most important thing you must do is get listed on Google Business Profile. If you don’t, you have no chance of ranking in the Google Map Pack.

Getting set up is free, though you will have to go through a verification process, which you can get started here.

Once you are listed, start loading up your profile with a concise description of your business, the areas you service, the services you offer, your hours of operation, and accurate contact information.

Don’t forget to include a link to your main website.

Bonus Tip: Stay Consistent with GBP Updates

Once you have everything set up, don’t just leave your profile idle. Instead, try to update it as often as possible. For example, if your company just started servicing a new area, add it to your profile.

In addition, people will be able to leave reviews of your business on your Google Business Profile, so be sure to respond to those reviews as much as possible.

Remember that Google loves fresh content, so keep your Business Profile updated as much as possible. You can add Google Posts automatically using the DataPins Local SEO tool.

2) Add Local Content to Your Website

Standard SEO overlaps with Map Pack SEO via local website content. However, to utilize this method, you must include your website URL within your Google Business Profile under the website field.

Once you’ve connected your website to your Google Business Profile, it can begin influencing your Map Pack rankings via web content.

Bonus Tip: Connect a Local Landing Page to Your Business Listing

For example, adding a local landing page or a service page can increase your rankings on Google Maps for related queries.

This is because Google associates your website’s content with your Google Business Profile.

For example, say you run a plumbing business in Akron, Ohio.

Whenever someone searches for plumbers in Akron, Google will crawl websites associated with nearby map listings, searching for plumbing-related information.

3) Submit Citation Listings

Your NAP (name, address, and phone number) is like a digital ID for your local business. Citations help verify and disseminate that identification.

Directories like Yelp and Angi and social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn create NAP citations for your local business.

Off-page citations are any mention of your business or website anywhere other than your own website. The more of these citations you have, the more signs you have pointing to your website.

As a result, Google trusts your business listing and may rank it higher on the Map Pack.

4) Install DataPins

DataPins is a Local SEO tool that increases Map Pack rankings with schema markup, geo-coordinates, and user-generated content.

In addition, DataPins publishes social proof on your local business website, which contributes to your Google Business Profile rankings.

The best part about DataPins is that it auto-generates local web content based on your job and location.

So once you take a photo of your job and write a short caption via the mobile app, the software does the rest by publishing the pin to the correct page.

Each time you submit a pin, another geo-coordinate, and mini-map appear on one of your pages, and your Map Pack rankings have a chance to increase.

5) Publish City Pages

City pages are another way to boost Map Pack rankings. One of the most challenging things to do is rank on Google Maps outside your primary service area.

Using local landing pages combined with DataPins, you give yourself a chance.

Let’s say you operate a roofing company in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s relatively straightforward to show up on the Map Pack in Fort Worth.

However, showing up in nearby cities like Southlake and Grapevine requires publishing individual city pages.

Bonus Tip: Ensure Unique Content for Location Pages

The key to creating successful city pages is writing unique and locally-driven content.

Unfortunately, most websites use duplicate content for their city pages and swap out the city name.

Google’s algorithm is far too sophisticated to provide you credit for duplicate content pages.

6) Build Local Links

Local links also influence Map Pack rankings for local businesses. As a result, many companies wonder whether they should build links to their Google Business Profile or their website.

Of course, the answer is your website.

We’ve already outlined how Google can associate your website URL with your Google Business Listing. As a result, the links pointing to your website will also influence your Google Maps rankings.

Aside from the apparent SEO benefit, building links to your website ensures you own the digital property.

For example, if you were to build links to a suspended profile, those links would be rendered useless.

7) Be Aware of Your Map Marker

The most overlooked Map Pack SEO ranking factor is your map marker. Spoiler alert: Google Maps is an interactive map with markers for every business listing.

Even service area businesses with hidden addresses have a map marker on Google Maps’ internal mapping system.

As a result, your physical location will directly influence your rankings.

If your office address is in a prime location of a central metropolitan area, your listing will receive many more impressions than a business located on the outskirts.

Google’s proximity ranking factor is very significant.

Bonus Tip: Consider Moving Your Business Location

While you can’t manipulate your map marker, you always have the option to move your office to a better location.

Once you re-verify your business via postcard, Google will move your map marker to your new location.

8) Get More Google Reviews

Last but not least, get as many Google reviews as possible. Use a tool like DataPins to automate review requests through SMS and email reminders.

In addition, ask all of your customers personally after finishing a job. The majority of consumers will submit feedback if requested multiple times.

The number of reviews on your profile absolutely influences rankings.

For example, searching for seattle hvac company will show you that nobody with fewer than 100 reviews ranks on the Map 3-Pack.

Bonus Tip: Respond to Reviews

While review frequency is important, always make sure the feedback is legitimate.

You will get a few negative reviews on Google as you gather more customer reviews. When you notice a negative comment, reply professionally and attempt to resolve the issue offline.

Customers will often remove the review or change it to a positive one.

9) Use Google Maps Ads to Boost Engagement

Businesses with a visible physical address can appear on the Map 3-Pack through paid advertisements using Google Ads Location Extensions and Performance Max campaigns.

Unfortunately, service area businesses (SABs) are not eligible for Map 3-Pack ads. We recommend utilizing Local Service Ads (LSA) for SABs.

While Local Service Ads do not appear within the Map 3-Pack, they integrate your Google Business Profile information, including reviews, into the ads.

10) Demonstrate Website E-E-A-T

Google’s objective is to show users legitimate and trustworthy businesses and avoid showing spam, which makes their acronym E-E-A-T highly relevant to local businesses.

E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, which can be showcased on your business website (which is connected to your GBP).

Examples of showing E-E-A-T on your website include award badges, recent job photos, and a review slider widget that pulls verified Google reviews via API.

11) Embed Google Maps on Your Site

Consider embedding a Google Map of your business location onto your website’s Contact Us page or, in some cases, the homepage.

This enhances the user experience for your website visitors by showing them your business location in Google Maps form. It also helps connect your web entities (website, GBP, citations) for a cohesive digital brand.

Google Maps makes embedding a map in your website easy by providing a “Share a map or location with others” button. This button generates custom HTML code you can copy and paste into a custom WordPress element.

12) Embed Reviews on Your Website

The reviews widget is a great way to integrate Google reviews into your website design.

Embedded reviews (through API sliders) are far more effective than publishing screenshots of your reviews, which can be easily doctored, especially in the age of artificial intelligence.

Embedding an API-driven reviews widget into your website’s codebase is the most effective way to leverage Google reviews for trust.

13) Use Responsive Web Design

Websites that users can adequately navigate across all device types (mobile, desktop, tablet) foster a superior user experience, enhancing Google Maps rankings.

After all, Google doesn’t want to send its Maps users to a website they cannot access through a mobile device.

Ensure your web developer uses RWD in your web design process and test your site across all device types.

14) Increase Branded Searches

We know that Google Maps’ prominence ranking factor considers the popularity of brands that branded searches can influence.

When users search directly for your brand name, Google assumes they’ve learned about your company elsewhere, such as offline, digital advertising, or social media.

Considering this, you should get your brand out into the community as much as possible, both online and offline, leading to more people searching for your name.

Branded Search Volume Example from SEMRush

Source: SEMRush

15) Add Local Business Schema

Schema markup is a structured data format injected into your homepage’s HTML code. It provides Google with context about your local business.

The LocalBusiness Schema helps you mark up business information such as your website URL, business name, address, phone number, and hours of operation.

Because Google scans the website URL connected to your GBP, the schema’s impact can expand into your Google Maps rankings.

16) Secure Google Maps Justifications

Google Maps justifications are relevant text snippets that appear in the Map 3-Pack and Google Maps based on the user’s search query.

Your GBP can earn justifications through website content (on the URL connected to your listing) or from informative reviews from your customers who mention specific service types.

Types of justifications include:

Review Justifications
Website Mention Justifications
Services Justifications
Menu Justifications
Sold Here Justifications
Provides Justifications

Next Steps for Map-Pack SEO

The DataPins app was designed to rank your local business in Google’s Local Map 3-Pack.

Consequently, installing the software on your website will give you an immediate chance to increase your rankings.

Meanwhile, there are several things you can do to continue to expand your presence on Maps.

For example, ask your customers for reviews in person, in addition to the automated email request from the DataPins app.

You can also build partnerships with other local organizations to improve your backlink profile.

Combining DataPins with these additional steps turns your local business into a Map-Pack SEO powerhouse.

Oct '24

How to Optimize Your Google My Business Cover Photo

The following post outlines how to optimize your Google My Business cover photo. Remember that Google My Business is now called Google Business Profile, but the same steps apply.

Most local businesses understand the importance of an optimized Google Business Profile listing and want to take every step to enhance their profile. A strong cover photo can help achieve this.

Key Takeaway

The ideal image size for your GBP cover photo is 1024 x 576.

Why are Google Business Cover Photos Important?

The quality, size, and message that your Google Business Profile cover photo sends will impact how many people click on your business profile. Google Business Profile listings appear on the local map pack.

The map pack is typically the top result people see when searching for a local business, product, or service.

You want to make a good impression as your Google Business Profile cover photo is likely the first interaction a new (or potential) customer will have with your business.

Steps to Optimize Your GBP Cover Photo

Your GBP listing is hugely important to your search engine rankings because Google will prioritize its own services as often as possible.

As a result, a Google Maps listing will appear on the first page of a Search Engine Result Page(s) (SERP).

The Google Map Pack is the most frequently indexed SERP feature, appearing on the first page when users search for a local-intent query. Furthermore, Map-Packs appear above regular organic listings.

Below, we outline ways to optimize your Google My Business cover photo.

Image Dimensions

First, you must have a good image size for your photo. It used to be that Google would require a 16:9 aspect ratio image for your Google Business Profile cover photo.

While that is not the case anymore, and they offer more leeway, they implemented that requirement for a reason: it’s a good size aspect ratio for the sizes of images displayed on GBP listings.

Key Takeaway

The ideal image size for your GBP cover photo is 1024 x 576.

While you can upload other sizes like 854 x 480, 1024 x 576 is good because it’s small enough not to slow down your listing loading time but not too small to be a poor resolution.

Remember that the searcher will see only a small image when your listing comes up, so choose a good one while remembering that they can see more photos if they click through.

While you will probably need to play around with the dimensions of your picture to land on the perfect size, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Load Time Affects Rankings: You never want your image to slow down your listing’s loading time. Remember that Google recommends a load time of 2 seconds or faster, so make sure your picture is not so big that it loads slowly.
Quality Matters: You should always have an HD image as your Google My Business cover photo. Poor quality, blurry, fuzzy, or off-center images speak of unprofessionalism or carelessness.
Storefront Images: If you have a storefront business, making your storefront your cover photo may be helpful, as it will quickly let people know what your storefront looks like if they are physically searching for it.

File Format

Google also gives you a choice of which format or file type of image to upload. For example, you can choose between PNG or JPG.

Here is a brief breakdown of the pros and cons of both:

PNG: PNG images tend to be in higher resolution, but their file sizes are larger. The bigger size makes them look good but can cause them to load slowly.
JPG: JPG images can be compressed, so the file sizes tend to be smaller and load quicker.

The quality of a JPG can be compromised by compression. However, by and large, they still offer an adequate resolution for a Google Business Profile cover photo, so our overall recommendation would be JPG.

File Size

You will need to stay within the file size parameters of 10kb and 5MB, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you stay within the 480 x 270 and 2120 x 1192 resolution range.

Google will notify you if your file exceeds its size limit and prompt you to choose a different cover photo or temporarily leave it blank. In addition, you can use image-editing software like GIMP to reduce file sizes.

Image Guidelines

Also, you should ensure that your Google Business Profile cover photo is devoid of filters that drastically alter the appearance of your image.

Google doesn’t like business owners misrepresenting their stores, products, or services with doctored photos.

Of course, it can be tricky to know how much photo alteration is too much, but as a general rule of thumb, you should stick to only tweaking saturation levels and brightness.

If you go overboard with the doctoring or upload an image that doesn’t comply with Google’s requirements, they may replace your image with their own selection.

By using DataPins, you can consistently upload new, unique photos to your GBP listing.

Next Steps for GMB Optimization

Attending to all aspects of your Google Business Profile is integral to the Local SEO Process. This includes optimizing your Google My Business cover photo.

However, no single task can fully optimize your Local SEO presence. Instead, the combination of multiple optimization efforts will separate you from your nearby competitors.

Check out our YouTube channel to learn more about how DataPins can help optimize your business profile.

Jul '24

Local SEO Guide for Garage Door Companies (New Updates)

The traditional form of Local SEO for garage door installation companies is obsolete in 2024.

Mass-producing generic service pages or city pages won’t help your business stand out on Search.

Google does not care about word count or total number of pages.

They care primarily about one thing: E-E-A-T.

What is E-E-A-T for Garage Door Installation Companies?

E-E-A-T is experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

Experience: First-hand involvement in garage door installations

Expertise: Vast knowledge of the nuances of garage door installations

Authoritativeness: Respect and acknowledgment from residents and industry peers

Trustworthiness: Credible and reliable when providing garage door information

Read Google’s Document on E-E-A-T

How to Demonstrate E-E-A-T for Garage Door Installation Companies

To demonstrate E-E-A-T, you need a software tool called DataPins.

This software app was built for E-E-A-T.

DataPins takes your jobs and converts them into E-E-A-T signals, including:

Geo-coordinates
Schema markup
Unique images
Unique captions
Mini-Maps

DataPins allows you to showcase recent jobs with relevant digital signaling.

None of your private information is publicized; it is only information that helps market your business and showcase E-E-A-T.

Why SEO Doesn’t Work for Garage Door Installation Businesses

SEO doesn’t work unless you rank on Google Maps and Google Search for service-based keywords.

Most blog posts about garage door installation don’t rank, and the ones that rank don’t convert.

In fact, 96.5% of blog posts get zero traffic.

SEO strategies that rely on blog traffic don’t build businesses or drive results.

When a local garage SEO campaign fails, an over-emphasis on blogging is typically the culprit.

Local Keywords for Garage Door Companies

A “keyword” is merely something a real person types into Google.

Keyword tools are based on obsolete data and are more of an estimate than a full-proof measurement.

That’s why Google Search Console doesn’t recognize over 50% of queries for local contractor websites.

They are for terms that Google doesn’t have in their system, which means they are hidden or long-tail terms.

Everyone is different, just like your customers.

Don’t rely on estimated keyword volume to inform your local targeting.

Link Building for Garage Door Installers

Backlinks have always been a point of contention in the SEO industry for various reasons.

While professionals can argue over the impact of link building, we will simply provide you with objective facts.

First of all, most links violate Google’s guidelines.

Secondly, most links don’t work.

Here are some link strategies that will help your SEO campaign.

Submit your company to local directories.
Wait for people to link to your brand.

Organic links are helpful for rankings, but they require taking a long-term view of your online presence.

The SEO Foundation

The only essential element of SEO is to get your website crawled.

If Google cannot crawl your website, you cannot appear in search.

Luckily, Google is really good at crawling websites.

Make sure your pages are indexed before moving on to other SEO tasks

Google Business Profile

For local SEO, your Google Business Profile is essential.

Why? Google Business Profiles are needed to rank on Google Maps.

Google Maps is where over 50% of your traffic will come from.

Let me cut to the chase: Create a Google Business Profile (if you haven’t already)

Google Reviews

Another SEO essential of Google Business Profiles is Google Reviews.

Most customers will only call a business with at least ten reviews.

So start getting more Google Reviews.

Use DataPins to send automated requests to your customers.

If somebody leaves a negative review, who cares?

The goal is to get so many reviews that a few bad ones don’t matter.

You can always respond to a bad review (but stay professional) – as other prospective customers will read your response.

Content Strategy is Misleading

Content for local garage door companies is really about building trust.

You cannot build trust with a boring blog post.

As we noted earlier, 96.5% of blog posts get zero traffic.

The best way to build trust is to showcase recent jobs and reviews.

This way, visitors can see like-minded customers who’ve experienced your services first-hand.

Local City Pages for SEO

Mass-producing city pages that proudly violate Google’s public guidelines.

The last thing the internet needs is more cookie-cutter, near-duplicate content that serves as nothing more than doorway pages to mislead visitors.

Conversely, DataPins users show evidence of real jobs they did for real customers.

The Purpose of Garage Door Installation Websites for SEO

In 2024, a website aims to demonstrate E-E-A-T and power your Google Maps rankings via your Google Business Profile.

Your website is not an Encyclopedia Britannica; nobody wants to read boring blog posts.

When you show visitors that you can install their garage door, they send better user signals.

Guide Conclusion

As a garage door installation company, you want to get new customers.

You can get new customers with E-E-A-T and a Google Business Profile.

While using old-school tactics like blogging and links is tempting, demonstrating E-E-A-T works best.

The DataPins app allows businesses to showcase recent jobs and gather customer reviews on Google and other platforms.

By consolidating these user signals into prominent SEO information, DataPins helps your website stand out.

Call us today to learn how DataPins can power your garage door installation company.