Kate Herbert-Smith

It’s no secret that Google My Business (GMB) is an incredibly popular platform and plays a huge part in influencing local rankings. According to a survey carried out by Whitespark, Google My Business is the number 1 ranking factor for the local pack. But GMB goes beyond rankings. Many call it the homepage for local… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
June 24th, 2021

Spam has been prevalent in the local search landscape for a long time.  Why? Because everyone is looking for ways to cut corners.  Many businesses unfairly employ spammy tactics like keyword stuffing, multiple Google My Business listings, lead generation websites, and falsified reviews to manipulate local search results and get ahead of their competitors. It’s… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
June 17th, 2021

As a marketing professional or business owner, you’re probably already aware that Google My Business (GMB) is an increasingly important part of local SEO, and that its influence has only increased over the years.  According to a study carried out by Whitespark, Google My Business is the number 1 ranking factor for the local pack… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
June 3rd, 2021

Ranking for local searches requires focus on a combination of different local SEO factors. But with Google’s local algorithm relying on so many different signals, it can be hard to know where to spend your time to maximize your chances of ranking highly.  This is where our Local Search Rank Checker tool (or just ‘Rank… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
April 27th, 2021

If you’re a service-area business wondering how you can use BrightLocal to help improve your local search rankings, grow your reputation and stand out in local search, then you’ve come to the right place.  Service-area businesses can benefit in the same ways as any other business using BrightLocal. The only difference is keeping your home… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
April 7th, 2021

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a new BrightLocal Academy module all about how to use our latest tool: Local Search Grid. The module is called Put Your Rankings on the Map With Local Search Grid and is part of the ‘Level Up Your Local SEO with BrightLocal’ course. It includes lessons on: How… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
March 26th, 2021

We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of our second free course for BrightLocal Academy, called ‘How to Land Your First Local SEO Client‘. We’ve created this course in collaboration with local SEO specialist Claire Carlile because we realized that while there’s plenty of content out there that helps people learn how to do local… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
March 10th, 2021

(Updated Feb 2021 to include Local Search Grid competitor GMB tracking) If you’re wondering who your competitors are, what their local SEO strategies are, and if there’s a gap in the market for you to exploit, then you’ve come to the right place.  In this overview, we’re to show you how to use BrightLocal’s tools… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
February 15th, 2021

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and are thrilled to announce the arrival of BrightLocal Academy: a free online school dedicated to teaching you all about local SEO. Built with busy professionals in mind, it will help you to: Make the most of the time you have to learn with short interactive videos. Fill… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
December 10th, 2020

If you’ve just hit ‘submit’ on your first Citation Builder campaign in BrightLocal, congratulations! We bet you’re excited to see how this will improve your online visibility and rankings, right? You’re probably also wondering how long will it take to see the results and how you can check which listings have gone live.  In short,… Read More

Kate Herbert-Smith
April 14th, 2020