🔍 More reason for local biz to keep GMB hours updated

Aug 10, 2020

Good morning Search Marketer, we hope you had a restful weekend.

Local stores and restaurants have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Days and hours they can open have been in flux depending on local restrictions, safety precautions, and staffing challenges.

Meanwhile "near me" searches have increased during this time and calls to stores, likely inquiring about hours, have also gone up.

Last week, Google began indicating when the hours listed on local business profiles were last updated. This follows similar moves by Yelp, which added "last updated" notices along with other tools for businesses in June.

This is a minor, but important update in Google, which should help relieve some of the call volume to local businesses if consumers can trust the hours listed are current. It's more reason to keep your hours updated as needed and take advantage of other recently added features in Google My Business.

Keep reading for a look at what's new in YouTube Analytics and more.

Ginny Marvin,
Editor-In-Chief

Spotted

Nofollow links, Google ranking update and hreflang.

Follow vs nofollow link distribution. Google's John Mueller said it isn't true that you would need a good distribution of nofollowed links to followed links.

Google search ranking tremors. We are seeing unconfirmed reports that there may have been a Google search ranking update on August 6th and 7th.

SEOs with hreflang. 55% of SEOs said they have worked with hreflang over the past 12-months.

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Social Shorts

YouTube Analytics updates

YouTube announced a few analytics updates for creators last week. Brands posting video content on YouTube can see real-time data on the Analytics tab in Creator Studio. The new "See More" link at the bottom of that section allows you to analyze your real-time performance in full-screen view.

The channel recommendations that appear above the main charts are getting an update. "We've improved our analysis to detect reasons why your video could be over or underperforming, such as changes in search or external traffic," according to the company.

Lastly, YouTube Stories remain largely under the radar, but YouTube is now adding some Stories analytics on the mobile app's home screen when you're logged into your account.

Why we care. For brands, the real-time insights and channel suggestions offer insights on what content is resonating which can inform your video optimization efforts and and ongoing content strategy. Giving creators and brands some insights into their Stories activity could help the format gain some traction.

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