Krystal Taing Answers Our Local Search Questions
Krystal is the Solutions Engineer at Uberall and is also a Google My Business Gold Product Expert. She started her career in e-commerce and was originally tasked with making sure their website’s products were accurate to what their customers were searching for. For a while, it was about watching trends and working with high fashion magazines and warehouses to match the collections they had to their own site, but quickly this changed to being led by SEO and conversions. Krystal found this far more interesting than working with the people in the fashion industry, and so began her love for SEO and using local search to tell a story about your company, whether its big or small.
What is Local Search?
Local search is related to any services you search for online that are local to you that you can physically get like a nearby doctor or pharmacy, or searching for a local grocer to buy milk.
Krystal states that local search is transforming throughout the pandemic because a lot more people are thinking locally. There is a bigger need to buy and stay near home and less flexibility to think outside of consumers’ hometowns. A lot of it has to do with Google My Business, it's a great way to put your business out there to be seen through this local search tool but Krystal says its not the only thing that will put you on the map. You also need to be sure your website is being considered from a local perspective and not only focused on the e-commerce side. She also suggests you open your horizons to more platforms other than Google, such as Bing, NextDoor, Yelp, Trip Advisor, and more depending on your industry.
Do you think Google My Business is a social media platform?
Krystal’s stance is definitely that it's more of an SEO tool, although there are social tools that allow you to communicate with users. “Its core purpose should be informational and exposure, less about social,” she argues, although there are new features that allow for messaging and google pulse.
What should businesses focus on to get their Local Search seen and heard?
The most important thing is making sure your information is updated, that's core and it should be something that is simple and should be updated often if your information changes. You should also be making sure you have enough information out there that will answer customer questions and give a good idea of what your business is and what people need to know about you right off the bat. Be sure to leverage all the tools within GMB to get as much as you can out of it, like adding good photo and video elements to give a look and feel, and add in offers to incentivize someone to shop with you.
The next step is to watch out for reviews left on your page. This is what is going to set you apart from your competitors and it can be a great way to engage with your customers, not necessarily from a social standpoint, but more from a business perspective that shows that you are interested in serving the community and care about our quality of work. Listening to feedback or just being thankful for good reviews can put you over the top.
What is your advice to someone looking to get into the Local SEO field?
She suggests a new program called Women in Tech SEO, there is a Slack channel and community board that also has a mentorship program that Krystal is actually participating in. “They have the brightest and best women there,” she explains, there’s a lot of new users there taking advantage of this resource, and you should too if you are a woman.
If you are not a woman, you can head to the Local You and the Local Search Forum, both excellent resources for all your questions.
Krystal’s favourite Local Search resources are:
Joy Hawkins Local Search Forum, you can sign up for their digest and get the top 10 articles from that week.
Last Week In Local Podcast
Agency Ahead Podcast
What’s your favourite SEO tool?
Krystal stands behind Moz as a great resource because it answers the need for businesses of all types. Screaming Frog or Ahrefs is more advanced but she thinks Moz is a great starting point with their support and resources.
Why do you think there hasn't been a general SEO Certification made yet?
Krystal thinks its because of what SEO is, it changes based on business. You really have to understand and analyze a business to understand their needs so it’s open-ended. “What you do for one site and one customer is not going to implement for another,” she explains, it's not necessary to have an in-depth or custom course.
Written by Juliana Bermudez