Good morning, search marketers, are you making the most of your business' positive reviews?
Google Posts has begun recommending customer testimonials for business owners to publish on their Google My Business listings. The suggestions are automatically generated based on recent four- or five-star reviews. It's not clear which countries are getting this feature just yet, so check your inbox and keep an eye out the next time you sign into Google My Business. If it rolls out where you are, it might be a worthwhile way to distinguish your business from local competitors.
There are a number of polarizing topics in our community, and link building is one that's been dividing SEOs for nearly two decades. Depending on who you ask, it's either an essential part of any SEO strategy or a dead practice waiting to get buried.
Adamant that resources are better spent on crafting content that matches user intent, opponents argue that links that aren't organically-given inherently violate Google's webmaster guidelines. On the other side of the line, proponents channel the "if a tree falls and no one is there to hear it" thought experiment, asserting that competition is just too fierce for content to rise up the ranks without links. Whatever position you take, it's always good to keep in mind that links are there to provide users with resources and context — not to dictate search rankings.
Don't stop now, you're on a roll. Keep reading for Mordy Oberstein's soapbox on what a mixed blessing Featured Snippets can be, Steve Costanza's advice on setting return goals for audience segments and much more.
George Nguyen,
Associate Editor
