This article is from our Agency Growth Handbook—a collection of guides created to help local SEO agencies grow and succeed. It is chapter one of ‘Part Two: Processes and Workflows‘.

The world of content marketing is changing at what feels like the speed of light. When you think you have figured out how to scale your content needs, a new AI tool or Google algorithm update arrives to throw a wrench in your workflow. While that’s one of the many things that makes our field exciting and dynamic, it continues to show us we’re not just writing for humans; we’re also navigating Google’s algorithms and adapting to AI advancements. 

Content marketing is a key part of a digital agency’s offering. This guide is designed to help you balance the constant changes while scaling your content output. It’s also valuable for in-house marketers managing content to help promote multiple locations.

From dominating local search results to crafting content that deeply connects with your audience, this guide provides resources for scaling up content production without compromising quality. It offers insights that can help you evaluate agency performance, set realistic expectations, and understand what high-quality, localized content looks like.

Ready to improve your content strategy and drive business growth? Let’s begin.

Setting Up Effective Content Workflows and Processes

Creating content consistently and at scale is a challenge, especially for busy marketing teams, no matter how big or small your clients—or their budgets—are. As an agency with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and workflows, you should already have some content processes ironed out.

Before we explore how to improve your workflows and processes, we recommend reviewing your content processes regularly to ensure we’re efficient in delivering quality content. Think of these tips below as a review of your processes. Consider each one and ask yourself: Does our current process, or the process we hope to build, account for this step in the content workflow?

Defining Clear Objectives and Goals for Content

Clear goals keep content projects on track. SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) give you a solid plan to follow. They help you focus your efforts and see if you’re making progress.

For instance, a SMART goal might be to increase organic traffic to a client’s website by 20% over six months by publishing three optimized blog posts weekly. Here’s how to break this down:

Aligning content objectives with broader client goals ensures that every piece of content contributes to our client’s overall growth strategy. This might involve increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or improving customer retention.

For example, suppose a client aims to enhance their presence in a specific area. In that case, content objectives include creating location-specific landing pages and blog posts highlighting local events and culture. Here’s how to implement this:

• Research Local Events and Culture: Use local news sites, community calendars, and social media groups to find relevant local events and cultural highlights.
• Create a Content Plan: Develop a schedule for when and how these topics will be covered in blog posts and landing pages.
• Engage with the Community: Reach out to local event organizers and cultural leaders for interviews or guest posts to add authenticity and depth to your content.

When defining goals, consider both short-term and long-term objectives. Short-term goals might focus on immediate improvements, such as increasing social media engagement. In contrast, long-term goals could be to establish the client as a thought leader in their industry. Regularly review and adjust these goals based on performance data to ensure they align with the client’s evolving business needs.

Building a Strong Content Team

A successful content team includes vital roles such as writers, editors, strategists, and more. Each member plays a critical role in the content creation workflow, and having a well-rounded team is essential for producing high-quality content every single time. This team is essential to scaling your content output.

Writers

Writers are responsible for generating content based on briefs and guidelines. They must have strong research skills, the ability to write in the brand’s voice, and an understanding of SEO best practices. Training should include familiarization with the client’s industry, target audience, and specific content objectives.

• How to Hire Writers: Look for candidates with a portfolio of published work, preferably in the relevant industry. Use writing tests to assess their skills and fit your brand’s voice.
• Training Writers: Provide comprehensive training on your style guide, SEO best practices, and content creation tools. Regular feedback sessions help writers continuously improve.

Editors

Editors ensure content quality, coherence, and adherence to brand voice. They check for grammar, spelling, punctuation errors, and overall readability and flow. Editors should be trained to maintain consistency in style and tone across all content pieces.

• How to Hire Editors: Look for candidates with strong editing experience and a keen eye for detail. Tests on editing sample content can help assess their capabilities.
• Training Editors: Offer training on your content standards, style guides, and editing tools. Encourage editors to stay updated on grammar and style trends.

Strategists

Strategists develop content plans aligned with client goals and SEO best practices. They conduct keyword research, analyze market trends, and create content calendars. Strategists also track content performance and make data-driven adjustments to strategies.

• How to Hire Strategists: Seek candidates with a content marketing and SEO background. Experience with analytics tools is crucial.
• Training Strategists: Provide training on your strategic objectives, content tools, and data analysis methods. Regular strategy meetings help keep them aligned with client goals.

When building a content team, it’s important to look for individuals skilled in their respective roles and able to collaborate effectively. Regular team meetings, workshops, and feedback sessions help maintain alignment and improve the overall quality of the content produced.

Solo Content Teams

A successful content team ideally includes writers, editors, and strategists. However, many agencies and small businesses may have just one “content person” wearing multiple hats trying to scale content. If you’re in this situation, don’t worry – you can still create great content.

For solo content creators, tools can help fill the gaps:

• Writing tools like Grammarly or the Hemingway App can assist with editing
• SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush can aid in strategy and keyword research
• AI writing assistants can help generate ideas or outlines

The hardest role to supplement is often the strategist. If you’re a solo content creator, consider investing time in strategy courses or seeking mentorship to develop these skills. Ultimately, a mix of human skills and smart use of tools can help you create quality content, even without a full team.

Creating a Content Calendar

A shared content calendar keeps everyone on the same page. It helps plan out when to create and publish different types of content. This way, you can balance making location pages, service pages, and blog posts to meet your client’s needs.

To develop a content calendar:

Choose the Right Tools

Numerous tools are available for managing content calendars and workflows, from simple spreadsheets to sophisticated project management platforms. The key is not which tool you choose but consistency in using it. Whether you opt for Trello, Google Calendar, Asana, or any other project management tool, the principle remains the same: create a system that allows you to track content pieces, assign tasks, set deadlines, and facilitate collaboration.

Choose a tool that fits your team’s needs and budget, then stick with it. The most important aspect is that your team uses the chosen tool consistently. This ensures clear communication, helps meet deadlines, and keeps your content strategy on track. The best tool is the one your team will use.

Managing content calendars effectively isn’t about the specific tool you choose—whether it’s Trello, Google Calendar, Asana, or even a simple spreadsheet—but about consistency in using it. Establish a system that tracks content pieces, assigns tasks, sets deadlines, and facilitates collaboration. Choose a tool that aligns with your team’s needs and budget, and stick with it to ensure clear communication, meet deadlines, and keep your content strategy on track.

When involving clients, the approach can vary. Some teams prefer to maintain an internal calendar and send updates to clients, while others might offer a shared calendar or view-only access to a project management tool. The key is balancing transparency with manageability, ensuring that your system works for your team and your clients without creating unnecessary complexity. Ultimately, the best tool is the one everyone will consistently use.

Determine Post Frequency

Decide how often to publish content based on client goals and available resources. For example, a client aiming to boost their local SEO might need frequent blog posts and regular updates to location pages. Assess the client’s goals and resources. A common frequency might be weekly blog posts, bi-monthly location page updates, and monthly service page reviews.

Allow Flexibility

Be prepared to adjust the calendar for timely topics or unexpected opportunities. Flexibility is crucial for capitalizing on current events, trending topics, and emerging opportunities. Allocate buffer days in your calendar for unplanned content. Regularly review and adjust your content calendar based on performance data and emerging trends.

A content calendar helps in planning and ensures that content is consistently produced and published, keeping the client’s website active and engaging for their audience. It also allows for better resource allocation and workload management within the team.

Developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

SOPs help maintain consistent content quality. SOPs ensure that everyone on your team is on the same page and that deliverable quality is the same across the board. With good SOPs, new team members can learn the ropes faster and start scaling your content needs more efficiently. Key components of effective SOPs include:

Detailed Style Guides

While having a comprehensive brand style guide is ideal, the reality for many local businesses is quite different. Few have fully developed branding materials, but we can still create consistent, on-brand content. At RicketyRoo, we’ve developed a process to bridge this gap:

1. We use detailed questionnaires to extract as much relevant information as possible from our clients about their brand voice, values, and preferences.
2. We then work within our internal style guide, adapting it to each client’s needs based on their responses.
3. We document the preferred tone, language style, and formatting rules gleaned from our interactions with the client, creating a lightweight but effective style guide for each.
4. We remain flexible, updating these guidelines as we learn more about the client’s brand and their needs evolve.

This approach maintains consistency across content pieces without a formal brand style guide. It’s about adaptability and working with what we have to create the best content for our local business clients.

Templates

Provide standardized formats for different types of content. Templates can streamline content creation by providing a clear structure for writers. This is especially useful for recurring content like blog posts, service, and location pages. Create templates for each content type, including headings, subheadings, and key sections. Ensure they are easy to use and adaptable for various topics.

Checklists

Ensure all necessary steps are followed in the content creation process. Checklists include keyword research, SEO optimization, internal linking, and proofreading. These serve as a quality control measure. Break down each stage of content creation into individual tasks. Use tools like Google Sheets to create interactive checklists that can be easily updated and shared.

Approval Workflows

Outline the steps for reviewing and approving content before publication. This might include initial drafts, revisions, final edits, and client approvals. Clear workflows help prevent bottlenecks and ensure timely publication. Define each stage of the approval process, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines. Consider using your existing project management system to track the progress of your workflow or invest in something for your specific scaling needs if what you’re currently using doesn’t fit your content workflow.

Here is a basic approval workflow to get started, where you can add or remove steps as needed:

1. Initial Review

   1. Responsibility: Internal Reviewer (e.g., editor, senior team member)
   2. Action: Conduct a thorough review focusing on content accuracy, adherence to brand guidelines, and overall quality.
   3. Feedback: Provide clear, actionable feedback.
   4. Deadline: Set a deadline for completing this review, typically within 2-3 days of receiving the draft.
2. Revisions
   1. Responsibility: Content Creator
   2. Action: Revise the content based on the feedback from the initial review.
   3. Deadline: Set a deadline for revisions, usually within 1-2 days of receiving feedback.
3. Second Review
   1. Responsibility: Internal Reviewer
   2. Action: Review the revised content to ensure all feedback was addressed and the content is ready for final approval.
   3. Approval or Further Revisions: Either approve the content to move forward or request additional revisions if necessary.
   4. Deadline: Complete this within 1-2 days of receiving the revised content.
4. Client Approval (if applicable)
   1. Responsibility: Client or External Stakeholder
   2. Action: Present the content to the client for their approval.
   3. Feedback or Approval: Clients provide feedback or approve the content as is.
   4. Deadline: Set a deadline for the client to review and provide feedback, typically allowing 3-5 days.
5. Final Edits
   1. Responsibility: Content Creator or Editor
   2. Action: Make any final adjustments based on the client’s feedback or internal review.
   3. Final Quality Check: Conduct a final quality check to ensure everything is ready for publication.
   4. Deadline: Complete final edits within 1-2 days of receiving the last round of feedback.
6. Final Approval
   1. Responsibility: Project Manager or Senior Team Member
   2. Action: Give the final approval for the content to be published.
   3. Sign-Off: This is the final checkpoint before publication.
   4. Deadline: Final approval should be given within a day of receiving the final version.
7. Post-Publication Review (Optional)
   1. Responsibility: Internal Reviewer or Project Manager
   2. Action: Review the published content for any issues or updates needed.
   3. Monitoring: Ensure the content performs as expected and address any issues that arise.

SOPs make content creation smoother, and help meet quality standards. They give the team a guide for best practices. This way, everyone can work more efficiently and consistently.

Ensuring High-Quality Content Production

Research and Ideation

Good content research encompasses market trends, keyword analysis, competitor insights, and client-specific information.

• For location pages, focus on local search trends and area-specific keywords. 
• For service pages, dive into industry-specific terminology and customer pain points.
• Blog posts require a broader approach, considering trending topics, evergreen content opportunities, and long-tail keywords.

Regardless of the content type, always start by asking your clients probing questions about their customers’ needs, challenges, and behaviors. This comprehensive approach ensures you’re not just creating content that ranks well and satisfies E-E-A-T but genuinely resonates with the target audience and addresses their needs. Your goal is to create content that truly stands out from the “sea of sameness” by being relevant and valuable to your client’s customers.

Why E-E-A-T Inspires Local Content Creation

Learn More

Market Analysis

To create truly resonant content, you must ask your clients the right questions about their customers. Use tools like Google Trends and industry reports, but also encourage clients to conduct customer surveys or interviews. Ask clients about their customers’ pain points, frequently asked questions, and purchasing decision factors.

Analyze this data to identify common themes and emerging trends. Combining broad market data and specific client insights helps you create targeted content that connects directly with your audience’s needs and interests.

Keyword Research

Effective keyword research is fundamental to content strategy. Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to identify terms customers use when searching for your client’s products or services. Begin with a broad list of potential keywords, then refine it based on search volume, competition, and relevance to your client’s business. Aim for a balanced mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords to cover various search intents.

Don’t just focus on high-volume keywords; consider the user’s journey and include terms relevant to different stages of the buying process. Also, consider semantic search and related queries to ensure your content comprehensively covers topics. Remember, keyword research isn’t just about finding terms to sprinkle through your content; it’s about understanding your audience’s language and needs, which should inform your entire content creation process.

Competitor Analysis

Competitive analysis is a crucial step in content strategy. Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to analyze competitor websites, identifying their top-performing content, keyword strategies, and backlink profiles. Look beyond just mimicking what works for competitors; instead, focus on finding gaps and opportunities for differentiation. This might involve creating more comprehensive guides, offering unique insights based on your client’s expertise, or addressing underserved aspects of customer needs. Pay attention to content formats as well – if competitors are succeeding with video content, for example, consider how to create even more engaging visual content. 

The goal isn’t just to match competitors but to surpass them by providing superior value to the audience. This approach helps your content stand out in crowded SERPs and positions your client as a thought leader in their industry.

Competitor Analysis for Local SEO

Read more

Content Creation Best Practices

Knowing what your audience needs and struggles with helps you make better content. You can give them solutions and useful information. This matters for all types of content you create, such as:

• Location Pages: Focus on unique local angles, incorporating local landmarks, events, and cultural nuances to make the content relevant and engaging. Highlight local testimonials, case studies, and success stories to build trust and credibility. Research the local area to find unique selling points. Include detailed descriptions, high-quality images, and customer reviews. Use local keywords to improve SEO.
• Service Pages: Highlight the unique selling points of the client’s services, addressing common customer questions and pain points. Use clear, concise language to describe services and include call-to-action buttons to guide users toward conversion. Break down services into easily digestible sections. Include FAQs, benefits, and use cases. Use compelling visuals and CTAs to enhance user experience.
• Blog Posts: Use engaging storytelling techniques to offer insights, tips, and detailed information on relevant topics. Blog posts should be well-researched and include data, examples, and visuals to support the content. Aim to provide comprehensive and actionable information that positions the client as an authority in their field. Always start with a strong introduction to hook your reader. Use subheadings, bullet points, and visuals to break up the text. End with a clear call to action that encourages further engagement.

Avoiding the “sea of sameness” requires focusing on unique angles, incorporating personal insights, and engaging storytelling techniques. For example, instead of generic location pages, create detailed guides that offer real value to local customers. Personal anecdotes, case studies, and expert opinions can add depth and authenticity to the content.

Editing and Proofreading

Good editing makes your content clear, coherent, and professional. It helps readers understand your messaging better. Here are some tips for effective proofreading:

• Using Tools: Utilize tools like Grammarly for grammar and spell checks. These tools can help catch common errors and improve the overall quality of the content. Integrate Grammarly with your content creation tools. Regularly update the tool settings to align with your style guide.
• Reading Aloud: Catch awkward phrasing and errors. Reading the content aloud can highlight issues that might be missed when reading silently—schedule time to read content aloud during editing. Encourage editors to read slowly and clearly to catch all potential issues.
• Multiple Reviews: Have multiple team members review the content from different perspectives. Peer reviews can provide valuable feedback and help ensure the content is polished and professional. Create a system where at least two team members review content. Use collaborative tools like Google Docs to facilitate real-time feedback and editing.

Polishing your content isn’t just a final touch—it’s a crucial step to make or break your message. Think of editing and proofreading as the difference between serving a home-cooked meal and a five-star dining experience. Both might taste good, but one leaves a lasting impression.

Analytics and Reporting Tools

Tracking content performance is crucial, especially when juggling multiple roles or working solo. Tools like GA4, Google Search Console, and others, can help measure success and identify areas for improvement, aligning with your SMART goals:

• Using GA4: Set up tracking for key metrics that align with your Specific and Measurable goals. For example, if your goal is to increase engagement, monitor metrics like time on page and bounce rate. Build custom reports to track how individual content pieces perform against your Achievable targets. If you’re finding GA4 a bit much, you could create a Looker Studio dashboard to make it easier to digest.
• Using SEO Tools: Regularly check for SEO opportunities in tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to ensure your content is relevant to your audience’s search queries. Monitor your rankings for key terms and earned backlinks. Use these insights to adjust your strategy and workflow where needed, making them more Timely and responsive to current trends.
• Connecting to SMART Goals: Use these tools to set benchmarks for your Specific goals, Measure progress, ensure your goals remain Achievable, check the Relevance of your content, and adjust your strategy in a Timely manner.

Regularly reviewing this data allows for ongoing optimization of your content strategies. Whether you’re a solo content creator or part of a team, use these insights to identify what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve, always keeping your SMART goals in focus.

Getting Started with GA4 Local SEO

Read more

Transform Your Agency’s Content Strategy

We’ve outlined key strategies for agencies and in-house marketers to scale content production effectively without compromising quality. From setting clear objectives and building strong content teams to developing robust workflows and leveraging analytics, these approaches provide a framework for creating high-quality, unique content that adheres to Google’s guidelines and resonates with target audiences. The emphasis on research, creativity, and content creation best practices underscores the importance of producing valuable content that stands out in the “sea of sameness” prevalent in search results.

By implementing these workflows and processes, agencies and in-house marketers can significantly enhance their content strategies and drive business growth. These techniques not only help in creating more effective content but also in maintaining consistency and efficiency across multiple locations or clients.

Whether you’re an agency looking to grow your content offerings or an in-house marketer managing multiple locations, adopting these strategies can improve search visibility, stronger audience connections, and, ultimately, better business outcomes. The key lies in balancing scalability with quality, ensuring that each content contributes meaningfully to the overall marketing objectives.

Host Claire Carlile is joined by George Nguyen from Wix to discuss how to develop content hubs for brands that want to build their authority and expertise—no matter the vertical.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Examples of brands with fantastic content hubs and brand publications
• How to overcome the challenges you’ll face when starting a content hub
• How to approach working with expert contributors
• How to make your brand publication sustainable in the long term
• The value of diversity in brand publications
• …and much more!

Watch the Video:

About Claire Carlile (Host)

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal’s Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

Where to find Claire

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn

About George Nguyen (Guest)

George Nguyen is the Director of SEO Editorial at Wix. He creates content to help users and marketers better understand how search works and how to use Wix SEO tools. He was formerly a search news journalist and is known to speak at the occasional industry event.

Where to find George

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn

Room 404

Find out what George puts in Room 404… rest assured, it’s a search phrase many will be happy to see/hear the back of!

Want more from Adventures in Local Marketing? We highly recommend checking out these episodes:

• • Steve Wiideman on Navigating Big Brand Local SEO
  • Embracing AI with Marie Haynes
  • Crystal Carter on Powerful Applications of Schema Markup

Resources from this episode:

• Wix’s SEO Learning Hub
• Wix’s Podcast: SERP’s Up
• Wix Business Website Templates
• The Wix Playground in New York City
• Expert Shoutout: Darren Shaw
• Expert Shoutout: Krystal Taing
• Expert Shoutout: Celeste Gonzalez
• Expert Shoutout: Miriam Ellis
• Expert Shoutout: Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal, and David Mihm at Near Media

About Adventures in Local Marketing

Adventures in Local Marketing is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

Host Claire Carlile is joined by Melissa Popp to discuss how brands can connect with their local audiences through customer-centric storytelling. They also cover the importance of authentic and unique content, how to get buy-in from various departments, common content creation shortcomings for SMEs, measuring ROI, and so much more. Seriously, this episode is jam-packed!

If you are a local marketer looking for an effective way to connect and engage with your audience, this is a must-listen.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What is meant by the terms ‘local narratives’ or ‘storytelling in marketing’
• Why unique and authentic content is important in today’s SERP landscape, and the impact of the recent Google leak
• How ‘brand’ and ‘storytelling’ complement one another
• How to get that all-important buy-in from various departments
• What the common shortfalls in content creation are for SMEs (and even larger brands and enterprises)
• How to do storytelling at scale for multi-location businesses and how to effectively measure ROI
• Plus so much more…

Watch the Video:

Podcast episode timestamps:

02:16 – Explanation of ‘Local Narratives’

03:13 – Importance of unique content

03:29 – Google leak and its impact on unique content

06:15 – How brand and storytelling work hand-in-hand

07:49 – Content volume is the wrong metric

09:15 – Common content marketing shortfalls for SMEs (and larger brands)

14:27 – How tone of voice can be a challenge

15:40 – Melissa’s ‘Buyers Journey Process’ specific to SEO

17:47 – Finding your origin story

24:07 – The role of customer stories

25:00 – Being too hung up about keywords

26:10 – ‘Room 404’ segment

29:00 – How to do it at scale

35:00 – Measuring ROI

36:38 – ‘Recipe for Success’

About Claire Carlile (Host)

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal’s Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

Where to find Claire

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn

About Melissa Popp (Guest)

Melissa is the Content Strategy Director at RicketyRoo. In this role, she oversees all content initiatives for clients and her responsibilities span from creating high-level content strategies to diving into the minutiae of content creation.

Melissa says she lives and breathes everything related to content. Writing has been her passion since she first picked up a #2 pencil, and she takes pride in making content relevant to readers and illustrating to clients how crucial this connection is for reaching potential customers.

Where to find Melissa

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn

Room 404 & Recipe for Success

“And every time someone says we’re going to _________, I love you all in this industry. But I want to punch each and every one of you in the face.”

Can you fill in the blank? Find out what Melissa decides to put into ‘Room 404’, as it makes her heart race, but for all the wrong reasons. She also shares her ‘Recipe for Success’ with storytelling.

Want more from Adventures in Local Marketing? We highly recommend checking out these episodes:

• Embracing AI with Marie Haynes
• Conversion mindset with Aaron Weiche
• Staying people-first with Julian Hooks

Resources from this episode:

• BrightLocal’s Brand Review Index
• Mastering Franchise and Multi-location SEO with Steve Wiideman
• Try BrightLocal FREE for 14 days
• Book your personalized BrightLocal demo
• Create Once, Distribute Forever by Ross Simmonds
• The Power of Local Narratives in Content Marketing by Melissa Popp
• Join Women in Tech SEO community

FAQs

Below, we’ve answered FAQs related to topics discussed in this episode. For a more detailed understanding, make sure to listen to or watch the episode.

How is storytelling used in marketing?

Storytelling in marketing is using an engaging or compelling narrative to communicate messages with customers. It’s an effective way for brands and companies of all sizes to connect on a deeper level with their audience.

Is storytelling a strategy?

Yes. Storytelling is one of the most effective and memorable ways to communicate with others. Many brands and organizations use storytelling in their marketing and content strategies, and achieve better results.

Why do brands use storytelling?

Done correctly, brand storytelling can help you stand out from your competitors. It’s all about crafting a compelling story that is authentic and engaging. One of the key goals of brand storytelling is to increase brand loyalty and advocacy.

What are the 5 C’s of storytelling?

The 5 C’s are commonly used to ensure the story being crafted is both engaging and compelling. The 5 C’s include Character, Context, Conflict, Climax, and Closure.

What is meant by customer-centric?

Being customer-centric, or adopting customer-centricity, is a strategy where brands put customers first, in order to create positive experiences and build stronger relationships. To be able to do this, brands and businesses need to understand customer’s situations, perceptions, and expectations.

About Adventures in Local Marketing

Adventures in Local Marketing is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

To work alongside your current efforts and local SEO tools, here’s a rundown of what local digital PR is, how it can help your client’s business to grow, and how you can measure its success. 

What Is Digital PR? 

Digital PR is the combination of traditional PR and an SEO strategy that works to increase a brand’s online presence. With its roots in link-building (or even link-earning), the practice looks to secure relevant media coverage and backlinks to a site, to improve the site’s ranking on the SERPs. 

Brands and businesses of all sizes employ digital PR strategies. While it originated as a way to generate links, and so boost ranking positions, it has broadened into an effective marketing strategy to improve public perceptions of brands and heighten visibility. In other words, the perfect mix of SEO and PR. 

A successful digital PR campaign will earn topical links to your client’s site from relevant publications which can help to elevate their ranking positions and experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T).

How Is Local Digital PR Different?

Local digital PR differs from other types of digital PR because of its focus. Rather than trying to boost a brand or business in front of the whole world, it focuses on where that brand operates. This way, the added awareness will be more meaningful, often directly translating into leads.

While international links will still help local businesses shoot up the rankings—and contribute to a healthy link profile—it is the targeted aspect of local digital PR that works so well alongside your existing local SEO efforts. 

While the campaigns themselves can be national, they are designed to establish a business as an expert in a local geographic area. This is done through gaining links from local publications, boosting SERP position generally, and ensuring the website ranks for local keywords. Any good SEO company should be able to do it, but it’s often best performed by a specialist local SEO company. 

Creating a Digital PR Strategy

In most cases, a digital PR strategy will highlight ideas and plans to secure external links, gain off-site coverage and boost brand awareness. Technical audits, backlink profile analysis, and competitor backlink investigation are typically included in local digital PR strategies in the analysis phase. We’d always recommend performing research on what you need to do, before going full steam ahead.

Cornerstones of an Effective Digital PR strategy

There are many aspects of a solid digital PR strategy, each worthy of dedicating time and attention to.

Identifying Target Publications

Not all links are created equal. Links from high authority websites are always appreciated, but aren’t super helpful if they’re not from a relevant website. Links from websites that are relevant to your client’s niche will always be more beneficial because they tell search engines that your client’s website is an authoritative one in that industry or for that topic.

With local digital PR, you can add another layer here, too: localization.

While a link from a high authority international website would do amazing things for brand awareness, it may not do quite as much for your local visibility. For instance, if you’re a restaurant looking to improve your local rankings, getting a link from a local press site or blogger could do more for your SEO than a link from a huge international news site.

The sweet spot would be a site that’s local to your area and thematically relevant to your niche.

This is why digital PRs will target specific outlets, to ensure they are sending the digital PR campaigns they create to:

1. People who will be interested in the campaign
2. Journalists who will be likely to share it
3. Publications that can get them in front of their target audience

Decide on Your Target Pages

Once you’ve identified your target publications, you’ll want to think about the pages of the website you wish to target. Links to the homepage are, relatively, easier to earn. But links to deeper pages, where product pages and content reside, can be more valuable in terms of SEO. 

By encouraging links to deeper pages, search engines more easily crawl the whole website, and are more likely to rank them for niche searches that are relevant and that the page seeks to answer. It also helps pass authority and equity to deeper pages that are more likely to convert customers.

You will need to consider that some publications may not link to deeper pages, and will only offer homepage links. Others may not link at all, or only supply ‘no-follow’ links. This doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying to target specific pages, though.

Consider Your Target Anchor Text

Anchor text is the written part of a hyperlink. It will fall naturally within a sentence, but when clicked it will take users to a separate webpage. A great tip for SEO and digital PR is to use the keywords for the page you’re linking to as the anchor text. This tells both search engines and users what the page is about, but also has the extra benefit of helping search engines to categorize the page. 

An effective local digital PR strategy will include campaigns to target different anchor texts. For example, while you may target your client’s homepages for most of your digital PR efforts, you can make sure you keep a healthy link profile by including variations of the anchor text. 

By including the links you desire with targeted anchor text within a press release, you encourage journalists to simply use it the same way. Out-and-out asking for specific anchor text can get a bit murky, as various laws and Google link spam guidelines touch on this. Many journalists and writers may not like it either, so using optimized anchors in your outreach can give them the gentle nudge they may need without having to specifically ask.

Create Story-first Content Ideas

Before you’re able to send out any digital PR campaigns, you need to come up with ideas first. These need to be interesting enough that your target publications will want to cover them, but also relevant to your client’s niche to help boost their authority.

We’d always advise you to think story-first when you’re creating an idea, rather than format first. Rather than thinking ‘We need an infographic!’, think ‘What would resonate with our target audience?’ or ‘What would our target publications, and their journalists, find interesting?’. Then, once you’ve worked this out, you can consider the type of campaign you’ll want to create and whether you’ll need to get things like data.

Do You Need Data?

Data isn’t necessary for all digital PR campaigns, but it can provide the basis for great ones. Data-focused campaigns offer irrefutable information on compelling topics. There are generally three types of data campaigns:

• Internal Data that only your client has access to. This data is completely unique to you or your client, and as such can provide exciting opportunities. Whether it’s anonymized customer data or a data set that only you can scrape. It also provides unique linking opportunities, as well as the potential for organic linking opportunities.
• Commissioned reports. If you haven’t got any internal data that’s newsworthy, you can still get your hands on data that’s completely unique to you, whether that’s commissioning a survey through a reputable company or running focus groups.
• Open-source or third-party data sets. There’s a startling amount of data available to tap into online. Again, you don’t always need to have access to your own. In the UK, for instance, the Office of National Statistics releases data on all kinds of things, from road usage to housing statistics. This is just one example, too, and many are free to use. You can put in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, scrape other data sources, and create your own story or angle.

Each of these will come with its own advantages and disadvantages. Often this could be cost or lead time, which is why internal data can be so useful.

Create Graphics or Visuals

Graphics and other visuals, like tables, are a great way to provide information in an accessible way. Reams of numbers and jargon can be mind-boggling, but a cleverly designed graphic can hold all the same information and look great at the same time. 

Whether it’s graphs and charts to show the data, tables with all the data laid out clearly, or images that drive a point home—visual aids draw attention and help to keep it.

A clear and simple data visualization can be the difference between a passing mention in a piece and a proper feature with a link, where they’ve sourced the image. So always consider that, too.

Not only that, but in some cases, a truly beautiful data visualization could be the reason you get links at all. A bit of design flare can make a real difference.

Craft the Perfect Press Release or Outreach Email

Press releases are packets that digital PRs send out to journalists. They include a summary of the information and the data, as well as pointing toward any particularly interesting findings. Journalists can use these directly to craft their articles, though usually, the press release provides a link to further information.

Press releases themselves aren’t quite as widely used as they were. Some digital PRs opt for a shorter and punchier outreach email that gives the receiver as much information as possible up-front. It’s down to you to decide which you think is better. Some publications will prefer a press release, for instance.

Perform Your Outreach

Once your campaign is ready, and you’ve written your press release, it’s time to send it out. 

Even the most brilliant digital PR campaign, rich in data and insight, needs to be seen by the right journalists if it’s going to do what it’s created for. This is why digital PR experts will curate a list of contacts while the campaign is still being developed, so they will be able to send it out as soon as it’s ready and the information is at its freshest and most relevant.

Companies that specialize in local digital PR should have studied the local area, picked out publications where the target audience hangs out, and tailored their outreach to these to provide maximum SEO and awareness benefits.

A good campaign may even have multiple angles that let you tailor specific stories for each individual publication or niche that you outreach too.

Different Types of Local Digital PR Campaigns

Expert Comment

Expert comments are pretty much what they sound like. They are a comment from an expert in the industry being discussed. This could be a case of the CEO of a cleaning firm offering advice in an article on tackling carpet cleaning, or a manicurist offering tips on caring for dry cuticles.

In this example of an expert comment, the experts at Construction2Style offered advice and styling tips for a post by MidWestHome called “2022 Ideas to Steal”. Their advice focused on wood, in particular a brand of furniture that uses wood, and how it benefits their clients and themselves. 

This helps to establish Construction2Style as experts in home decor and house styling while earning a link back to their own website. So, not only is their website positively affected but their brand reputation too. 

Reactive and Newsjacking

Reactive campaigns, also known as newsjacking, are digital PR campaigns that piggyback onto current news or events. This could be a chocolate company reacting to Valentine’s Day, or a sportswear company taking advantage of the Super Bowl.

In response to the warmer weather returning, the experts at First Choice Environmental released an infographic on battling pests in the garden. This also leads to data-led digital PR campaigns, as it contains both expert comments and some useful statistics. 

This led to more links for First Choice Environmental, as well as establishing themselves as experts in their local area. 

The ideal reactive local digital PR campaign focuses on your client’s realm of authority and expertise. This typically takes advantage of trending news or holidays, and pairs this with information only experts in your client’s industry would know.

An example of this kind of reactive, and local, digital PR campaign is the one below, on how damaging pumpkin guts can be to drains and pipes. It is reactive because it was created in response to a national holiday or occasion—in this case, Halloween.

The plumbing experts at Roto-Rooter released a statement, advising the public of the dangers of flushing pumpkin guts down the drain. 

By writing about Roto-Rooter in conjunction with some important keywords, it establishes them as experts in the area. It also results in their website earning more links and more traffic, and has the benefit of directing customers to the expert they need if they do flush pumpkin guts down the drain.

Product PR

Do you think all those lists of ‘the best pillows to buy 2023’ are all just organic? I mean, in some cases they may be. But the reality is that many lists just like that one will include PR products and a link back to a product or category page.

This will often work in a similar way to expert commentary or reactive PR. Often a journalist will put out a request for products, whether that’s the dehumidifiers or places that do afternoon tea in a particular city. Then PRs have an opportunity to submit their client for consideration. Many people do this proactively, which is a staple of more traditional PR.

Sending out gifts and samples or inviting people along to try out an experience or meal can get you featured when these sorts of lists are created.

This can get you links to product or category pages that would otherwise be awkward to create, and it’s not just limited to people with physical products.

Data-led Campaigns and Reports

A data-led campaign focuses on information or statistics—this can be from a survey, scraping websites like Twitter, or from reputable external sources. This could be a review of hygiene ratings in local restaurants or sentiment analysis of the nearby green spaces.

In the above example of data-led digital PR, or content marketing, Blacktower US Financial Management Group looked into which US states were best to retire in. By looking at the crime rate, the average age of the population, cost of living, life expectancy, and property prices, they ranked US states from best to worst. 

A data-led campaign brings a multitude of benefits. For one thing, providing data that no one else has brings exclusivity, so even competitors will link to your client’s site if the information is compelling enough. 

Being so heavily data-focused makes the content more believable, even though the information may be surprisingly astounding. As with any statement in the modern age, you need to bring the receipts to back it up. This also makes the content more interesting and compelling. 

Providing new, highly relevant data also shows your client as actively contributing to their industry, establishing themselves in the eyes of audiences and Google as thought leaders.

A thoroughly researched data-led campaign can end up being cited long after your outreach phase has ended, gaining links over years rather than just weeks.

Examples of these kinds of campaigns from BrightLocal include their annual Local Consumer Review Survey, which doubles up as a valuable industry report offering unique insights into consumer reviews, and a piece that can attract links from respected publications.

Another is BrightLocal’s Big Brand Review Showdown on which states prefer McDonald’s or Burger King, based entirely on Google reviews, which taps into a slightly more wide-appeal, consumer-focused type of data-led campaign.

Benefits of a Robust Digital PR Strategy

Credibility is hugely important to any brand, including local businesses. In today’s digital world, most of that credibility needs to be established online. Gone are the days when you’d hire a service or make a purchase based solely on word of mouth—87% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses in 2022.

Google is becoming smarter every single day, whether it’s shutting down fraudulent business profiles or fighting against disinformation. It’s more able to filter out any dodgy businesses, so it’s important to differentiate your client from their competitors. 

If you can showcase on your client’s website all of the wonderful publications and outlets that they have been featured in, your client will gain instant credibility with all site visitors.

1. Digital PR Increases Online Presence 

Improving credibility is just one of the benefits a robust digital PR strategy can bring. A great digital PR strategy will also grow your client’s online presence, making it easier for customers, old and new, to find you. 

Digital PR uses proven SEO techniques to rocket your client’s brand up the SERP and into the spotlight. The higher a SERP position, the more likely a result is to be clicked. 

2. Digital PR Improves Brand Recognition

Digital PR doesn’t just improve a website’s standing in terms of SEO—it can also be used to boost brand recognition across the board, whether that’s by getting your brand’s name into national papers, or ensuring their status as an expert in a certain area. 

3. Digital PR Provides Audience Connection

Digital PR can be laser-focused. What we mean by that is, you can target the exact audience or demographic you want, and tell them exactly what you want them to hear. This helps your audience to understand exactly what your brand is about and what to expect from you. 

4. Digital PR Drives Traffic

As your brand is noticed more and regarded as an expert, more people will visit your website. This begins a cycle of more websites linking to yours, which only boosts your SEO and SERP standing, which leads to more visitors to your website. 

How Digital PR Ties In With Local Link Building

Link building is the process of earning links to your client’s website from other websites. Digital PR is just one way to do this. 

Digital PR is a process of truly earning links, by providing useful or interesting information that others will want to write about and share. The idea is, when they share this information, they provide a link to its source—your client’s website. 

Local digital PR and link building go together like peanut butter and jelly, and the same is still true when it comes to local link building. The tactics just shift slightly. By focusing efforts on publications, outlets, and other trustworthy resources in a specific area, a brand gains credibility and authority in that region. 

Whether this is a full on-site asset, laden with data, on a local-area-based blog, or an expert comment in the local paper, getting your client’s brand name out there works wonders. 

Which Metrics Should You Track in Local Digital PR?

Historically, digital PR has focused on links and links alone. While counting the number of links is still important, there’s a lot more to digital PR success than sheer volume—there’s a lot more nuance than that.

Keyword Rankings

Improving a brand’s or website’s SEO is one of the primary reasons that digital PR exists and is practiced. A healthy backlink profile is the stuff that SEO dreams are made of!

Relevant links are the bee’s knees. When a website ranks for the keyword they are targeting, the cycle begins. The higher the ranking, the more likely the website is to be referenced and linked to. 

Social Media Engagement

If the digital PR campaign you’re crafting for your client has a social media element, then tracking social media engagement is vital. The specific metrics vary depending on which social media you will be focusing on. 

For Instagram, likes and follows will be the most significant. On LinkedIn and Facebook, shares come into play more. 

Overall, tracking the audience size and the number of impressions, as well as what sort of post earns more impressions, will be vital to ensure further success. 

Keeping an eye on social media is also important if you’re relying on potential customers to perform social media searches to find your client’s business! 

Leads and Conversions

It’s not always the case that blog posts and social media lead to sales, but it can happen. That’s why it’s important to use Google Analytics to keep track of your client’s leads and conversions. By monitoring those who come onto the main campaign page, and seeing the pages they navigate to next, you can keep track of campaign successes. 

Referral Traffic 

Links are awesome in helping your client’s site rank for the keywords important to them, but that’s not the only benefit to measure. What is also important is the number of people who click on those links, also known as referral traffic. 

Referral traffic will indicate how many real human customers out there find your campaign interesting, and monitoring things like bounce rate as well as referral traffic will give a clear picture of that. 

Inbound Links 

The number of total inbound links a campaign earns (and the number of referring domains they come from) is one of, if not the most, important metrics to measure. 

By monitoring the backlink profile for a campaign, you can track how many links are earned. This can be used as a metric for success. It’s also possible to monitor the quality of the links earned. 

The key for any campaign is to look beyond the sheer number of links. You want to aim for links from the target sites you identified earlier, then measure all links by their value to the website you’re working on, asking yourself how relevant they are. Are they in the right niche and the right location?

Don’t always simply look for overall stats like domain authority when you’re performing local digital PR. You need to look at the whole picture. Some niche local sites may have lower overall authority but incredibly high relevance to your local area and industry. 

This backlink profile also allows monitoring the sentiment of those linking to your client’s website. Are they waxing lyrical about the amazingness of the campaign, or are they saying “look what these clowns did”? Google doesn’t seem to care either way, but it can help to know how people feel from a traditional PR standpoint, especially if they’re your client’s neighbors and potential customers.

Local Digital PR for Your Clients

Local digital PR can have an incredible impact on your client’s website standing and business overall, and there are many approaches to get there, to suit all brands and businesses. 

Whether your client is a local gym that wants to do a data-led piece on how much protein that protein products actually contain, a hairdresser who wants to jump on a reactive about Zendaya’s latest look, or a therapist who wants to lend an expert comment on Christmas stresses, the benefits of local digital PR will ensure an ROI. 

Update March 2023. This article was written when ChatGPT was still in its early stages and Google was yet to unveil Bard. Both of these technologies have since been launched or, in the case of ChatGPT, updated and both are ever-evolving. Learn more about AI in local search.

The year is 2023. A robot skeleton is walking across an apocalyptic wasteland. It turns to you, and while you quake in fear, its eyes glow red and it points a finger in your direction. Its mouth opens and…

It drops a battle rap about local SEO, with some sick bars.

So, er, while the early forays into AI aren’t exactly what everyone imagined them to be in movies, AI is most certainly advancing at an astonishing pace. The above screenshot from OpenAI’s ChatGPT is solid evidence of this. The question is not really a ‘what if’ but more of a ‘how can I use this to improve my work?’, and a lot of marketers are already doing just that.

Now we’re in a position where AI is readily available in the marketing and SEO industry, we want to see how it can help or hinder, and how it’s already being used by thousands of people.

AI and SEO

There are a number of reasons why the conversation around AI has become so prevalent in SEO. First of all, ChatGPT is owned by OpenAI, who are in partnership with Microsoft thanks to heavy investment by the tech leader, and there’s already talk about what that means for Bing.

Secondly, there’s been conversation about what services like ChatGPT mean for search in general. For instance, if you can ask AI a question and it gives you the answer, then what does that mean for search engines themselves and informational queries? If someone can ask it a question and not have to click through several different links, then what does that mean for informational searches? Is this the return to the “answer engine” as many predicted back in the day?

And then, finally, there’s the automation aspect. In search, this takes on a few different faces. These automations can save marketers hundreds or even thousands of dollars, as well as plenty of time and the cost savings that come with that.

Where is AI already being used?

The truth is that search marketers have been using forms of AI for years, it’s just ramped up with recent updates. Sure, ChatGPT has brought the conversation to the forefront, but there’s a bunch of other software that already uses AI. A few examples of where it’s already been used, specifically in search, include:

• Autocomplete and writing support. Google has had an autocomplete functionality for years, whether that’s in the search bar, Gmail or Google Docs. This uses AI and machine learning to guess what you want to write next. Not only that but all sorts of tools from Grammarly to Hemingway support writers by improving their copy.
• Google Vision. This is a pre-trained machine-learning model that allows developers to assign labels to images. This helps improve Google image search by identifying things within images like text and objects.
• Search algorithms themselves. It’s pretty safe to say that Google, and other search engines, have been using AI and machine learning in their algorithms for several years now, for both text and voice search.
• Spammy content creation. There have been reports of major sites using AI to make content, and sometimes the reaction has not been good, especially when the AI has extensively plagiarised other work. In reality, content farms have been creating spammy content for a long time; AI simply allows anyone like this, for whom cost trumps quality, to make massive cost savings in the labor department.

There are a number of other ways AI has been used specifically by marketers, though, and we’re going to touch on that a little later in this article.

Pros and Cons of AI in Search

Potential Uses for AI in Local SEO

As we’ve already established, search marketers are already using AI, but what they do and how they do it is evolving.

Are you already using AI for your local SEO activity?

What are you using it for? Let us know in the replies.

(And no, we don't just mean using Chat GPT to write humorous poems)

— BrightLocal (@brightlocal) January 6, 2023

But how are local businesses and local marketers using AI? Sure, everyone’s had an infuriating conversation with a chatbot that goes round and round in circles, but how are people using them specifically to do the jobs that help their visibility?

Let’s dive into just a few potential uses for AI in your local marketing.

AI for Content

One of the biggest uses for AI that’s often talked about is content creation. Many people are divided on this, but it’s still being used for each of the following tasks every day.

Writing Blog Posts

You know it’s happening. Whether it’s right or not is another issue. There are a lot of ethical considerations to be made, and while you’re unlikely to get something truly unique, many people will be doing this to generate content quickly.

The simple truth is that people already outsource huge amounts of content to cheap content farms, so if they can speed up the creation of spammy content, they’re going to do it. If you choose to do this, just be very careful. Google is investing in spotting AI content, remember? And, as you’ll see below, industry experts advise a great deal of caution when using ChatGPT for content.

Creating Scalable Content for Multiple Local Landing Pages

On the flip side of this, if you’re creating content for a huge number of location pages, AI like ChatGPT could be a quick way to make content for these without having to do extensive research.

You’d still need to take steps to differentiate your local landing pages, but automating a section could save you a whole lot of time when you’re creating large numbers of pages at scale. The below, with a few simple edits, could form the basis of one page. Then, with a few other prompts, it could let you create content at scale for multiple landing pages that only need a few additional things to make them truly unique.

Writing Simple ‘How To’ Content

Brands across the world spend many hours a year writing simple ‘how to’ content. Some of these brands will see something like AI as a real time-saver. As always, though, the question is whether the pieces will always be accurate, and how much time you’d need to spend tweaking them.

Creating Article Outlines

A more sensible approach that many are already using is consulting AI tools for article structures. This is better because you’re using the tool for inspiration rather than relying on its at-times-questionable ability to churn out accurate content.

Give the AI some keywords or prompts and it can spit out a proposed structure of headings and subheadings, much like Jasper’s Blog Post Outline feature, seen below.

Source: Medium

Ideas for Headlines or Email Subject Lines

Crafting the perfect headline or subject line is an art. AI, when given the right prompts, can spit out a bunch of different ideas for your piece that you may not have thought of yourself. At the very least they can be a kickoff point.

Ideas for Local Content

Inspiration is key here. If you have a subject or topic but aren’t sure what to write, you can simply ask. This is the kind of automation that could help busy content writers, or people without a team to bounce ideas off, to generate a variety of different things to write about.

FAQs

Along with metadata, creating FAQs is a least-favorite task for many a content writer. It’s something that feels like it saps the creativity out of you. Now, with a few simple prompts, you can get a list of FAQs for pretty much any page. Then, if you’re feeling brave, you could even get the AI to write the answers for you!

Metadata

Another task that can feel endless when you’re doing it at scale, writing metadata should be done with care to try and help your click-through rate, but when you’re doing it en masse, AI like ChatGPT could be a real help. You can even set parameters for length and tone in the prompts, too!

AI for Research and Insights

Quick Local Keyword Research

ChatGPT and other AI platforms open up all sorts of new handy ways to perform localized keyword research:

• Discovering ‘near me’ keywords
• Finding how people are searching for a particular service, in a particular area
• Refining the intent behind a particular search, with tools like KeywordInsights.ai

Strategy Development

It’s safe to say that this one should be taken with a pinch of salt. I wouldn’t base your entire strategy on something ChatGPT gives you in 5 seconds, but it could offer some inspiration if you’re struggling to get started.

Automation for Regular Local SEO tasks

Writing a Google Business Profile Description

Look, writing isn’t for everyone, and your Google Business Profile will need some copy. If you’re stuck for a way to describe your own business, or that of your client, then AI can help. A number of local SEOs have commented on their surprise at the quality of the GBP descriptions they’ve seen come from AI.

As ever, though, you’ll probably need to add a few things to make it properly personal, as you probably know more about your own business than the bots do (for now).

Generate Local Schema Markup

Yes, you read that right: you can even use AI to generate schema for your website. All the different kinds. While this may sound great, it’s also not necessarily any more powerful than a standard schema generator, and you’re probably more likely to have to triple-check it.

Much like generating website code with AI, this option is best used by people who already know what good, accurate schema looks like!

Responding to Reviews

Whether or not you respond to reviews can play a big part in how much consumers trust businesses. However, if you’re doing particularly well at review generation, you might have far too many to deal with.

As Steady Demand’s Ben Fisher explained in our State of Local Search 2023 webinar, you can prompt ChatGPT to write detailed review responses for you—as always, though, be careful to check and edit before posting.

Creating a Site Structure for Local Content

If you’re not sure of the best way to lay out a section of your site, AI can help here, too. With the right prompts and questions, you could ask it to help with your services or even local content.

AI for Art and Design

It’s a cliché that a picture paints a thousand words, but in the world of prompt-based AI image generators, the opposite is finally true.

With tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Lensa AI and DALL-E now mostly available to the public and more advanced than ever before, anyone and their dog can create professional-looking images quickly and (sometimes) completely free.

For example, we created the image of our in-house AI, Randall Bott, using the simple prompt “40-year old male SEO expert in plaid shirt, headshot, professional lighting” on the Midjourney Discord server (yes, we leant heavily into the SEO stereotype, there).

Beyond the dizzying array of AI artists creating fictional and creative worlds (some, artists embracing new technology, and some, less visually-artistic people creating images for the first time), there are many using AI image generators to create uncannily photorealistic images in order to illustrate their content.

There are plenty of potential uses for AI image generators in local SEO, including:

• Blog post headers
• Location page “photos”
• Website backgrounds
• Inspiration for logos

However… due to the nature of visual art, in that it is immediate (and therefore immediately recognizable), the conversation around the ethics of these image generators is a far more heated one. Firstly, there’s an inherent bias towards non-minoritized people, due to the AI’s source material being skewed by images of white people. Then there’s the issue of copyright: who owns the copyright of these images when they’re based on, well, everything?

While some argue that AI art always creates completely new variants and mutations, there are plenty of examples (like the one below) of platforms clearly leaning into well-known imagery in its datasets:

The images below aren’t @McCurryStudios “Afghan Girl”.

They are AI generated images via Midjourney’s latest V4 release. Yet another example that AI models can *heavily* plagiarize. pic.twitter.com/XeeKqwsyrs

— Karla Ortiz (@kortizart) November 5, 2022

The short and skinny of AI art for local marketers: You can go ahead and use it to generate images if you like, but be prepared to have tough conversations around ethics, copyright, and more. You’ll need to decide for yourself whether it’s worth the potential backlash, which is admittedly a greater risk when working with larger brands.

Other SEO Tasks That You Could Automate

• XML sitemaps
• Creating a robots.txt
• Generating breadcrumbs

What do local marketers think of AI?

With subjects like this, it’s always good to get another opinion. Local SEO is a wider world than you may think, so we asked a few industry experts for their thoughts.

Andrew Shotland

CEO at Local SEO Guide

When you are using AI to produce local content, there are a few considerations to make for your approach: 1) What data do you use to create prompts? 2) What’s your method for refinement and editing? 3) How do you test your AI content?

AI shines when it’s being used to speed up the scale of content production with templates that have a find-and-replace type of copy for different versions (e.g, location pages). Ideally, you would use AI to make these kinds of repetitive pages more unique, as this can have an impact on their indexation and ranking.

At Local SEO Guide, our process includes code for fact-checking, fine-tuning, and avoiding plagiarism. We start with content written by people and then fold that into data we have about the location, subject, and so on. Through some careful editing and having checks in place, we make sure our content is good and original, and simultaneously avoid repetitive work.

Like Terminator 2, amazing results can happen when humans and machines team up against SkyNet.

Melissa Popp

Content Strategy Director at RicketyRoo

I have a few thoughts on ChatGPT/OpenAI and how content marketers could (and should) be using it now.

If anyone doubts AI is part of the future of SEO and content marketing, I don’t know how to convince them otherwise. So many are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, worried about the impact of AI-written content on our jobs and work. However, low-quality content has always been in our space; it’s always ranked, and it’s always found its way to the top until Google catches up, and it’s not there anymore.

This is the nature of our work as SEOs and content marketers with search engines. Something new comes along and knocks us around—then we find a way to use it to our advantage, for better or worse. Search engines do the same.

Where ChatGPT and OpenAI-based content platforms are going to succeed is with the guidance of content marketers and SEOs like us to build on the foundation of AI-generated content starts as. Anybody publishing the first draft of what they’ve written on the internet is lying to you—or shouldn’t be writing in the first place.

This is work we should already be doing to help ourselves, and our clients, create the best possible content. We’re just now going to be using ChatGPT as our “first draft.” From there, the possibilities are endless: where we take that content, how we add to it, or even how we leverage AI to help us create more around a given topic. With feedback from subject matter experts and our clients, we can create something unique from something that starts out as a diamond in the rough.

Ben Fisher

VP Marketing, Founder at Steady Demand

We need to tread very carefully. We need to understand the impact on our workflows. … Google, historically, had a huge spam department. They’re … probably looking at this with a fine-tooth comb right now. They’re tweaking their algorithms, they’re feeding the machine and they’re basically coming back and saying ‘okay, what kind of heuristics can we create to test and filter’.

There’s been some conversations in the back rooms with Google … They’re going to get good at this. Be really careful, don’t be too overzealous.

Amanda Jordan

Director of Digital Strategy at RicketyRoo

I see ChatGPT as an unreliable intern. ChatGPT … is a stepping block to make tools or things to make your job easier, but it should not be what you depend upon and rely upon for your final answer. If you’re depending on ChatGPT to give you any output and you’re just copying and pasting that, you’re gonna have a bad time. Even when it does things like schema, it’s not exactly correct. It has issues with it and you have to fix it.

Joy Hawkins

Owner at Sterling Sky

It’s a tool to help you do your job better and faster and pick up where it might be difficult. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to put the words ‘near me’ into content naturally … and it’ll do that, and probably do that faster than I could do it. The one tip I saw … was asking the AI to make something NLP friendly. That was really fascinating. What came back was very different to how I would have worded it. So using “semantically friendly”, “NLP format”, those kinds of prompts can really give you insight into “oh, maybe I should reword it like this.”

I do not suggest using it to spin out 50 pages of content without editing. But keep in mind that that’s not new … SEOs have been doing that for decades.

Things to Consider

When it comes to AI there are a few things you need to consider before you dive in and start using it for absolutely everything like a crazy person.

The Database for ChatGPT Has a ‘Knowledge Cut-off’

This means it only knows things up to a certain point in time (2021, to be exact). Therefore new products, changes in laws, or other updates just won’t be something it answers. In some instances, it even suggests using traditional search engines for a query instead.

Double-or-triple-check Everything

It’s one thing if the out-of-date knowledge gives you bad information in content, but if you’re using it to generate code or create markup, you need to be very careful, especially as language models can do what is known as ‘hallucinate’ and spit out complete falsehoods when it doesn’t understand the prompt.

The time it takes you to check over it may not save you as much time as you think, and in some cases, you may only spot an issue if you happen to be well-versed in the topic already.

Miriam Ellis, of Moz, touched on a number of times ChatGPT was just flat-out wrong when she gave it a try recently.

Be Careful with Tone and Personality

If you ask a basic ‘please write me something on [subject]’ prompt, you’re going to get something that’s (probably) factually correct, but lacking any kind of personality.

There are ways around this, sure, like you can ask it to write in a particular style or voice. But it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get it to speak in your brand tone of voice without major edits. AI content is functional, but you’ll struggle to rely on it when you’re building a brand. Even the stuff with a bit more ‘personality’ isn’t always great:

Things Could Get Tricky, Legally

As you can probably tell from the tone of this piece, we’re not here to expressly endorse using AI for all your tasks. We believe AI has the power to make mundane jobs more fun and hard jobs easier, but we’re also keenly aware that, as with any emerging technology, the legal ramifications (particularly around copyright) will only be truly understood once the waters have been tested via landmark court cases.

As such, there have already been a number of concerns about plagiarism and even a lawsuit directed at AI ‘art’. Things are still in their early days, and as AI uses existing content from around the internet to develop its knowledge, there’s a chance things could get murky in the future. For example, there’s already talk of a digital watermark being created to help identify AI content.

If this is a particular concern for you, the tool Originality.ai comes recommended as a plagiarism checker.

Google Has… Opinions… About AI Content

It’s not even a new subject for them. Historically, they’ve said it goes against their guidelines. Obviously, they have to identify that content first, but based on the potential of a watermark, and the fact that a number of people are already working on software to identify AI content, I think we can probably trust that Google isn’t too far off it. These are the folks, remember, that built an AI that one developer genuinely believed was sentient.

Final Thoughts: There’s Opportunity, but Be Careful

AI offers some really exciting opportunities for local marketers. Whether it’s speeding up your boring tasks, offering inspiration, or simply just a new outlet for creativity, there’s something it can help you with.

While that’s the case, though, you need to be extremely careful how you’re using it. If you’re generating anything technical, like code or markup, you’ll need to create new processes for checking accuracy.

Meanwhile, if you’re using it to generate content, you need to make sure you’re properly reviewing it to make sure it’s unique. There have already been issues with some AI-generated content and plagiarism. Running it through a plagiarism checker like Grammarly is a start, but uniqueness isn’t simply about the order of words. You need to make sure that you’re bringing true personality and expertise to the table.

Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust) parameters are more crucial than ever, especially since the rollout of the Helpful Content Update. So if you are truly keen to use AI, make sure you’re ready to make changes to the content. You’ll also need to be wary of those digital watermarks mentioned above.

Finally, it’s worth noting that, thanks to the widespread access to the legitimate phenomenon that is ChatGPT, this conversation is just getting started. We had to revise, redraft and expand on this piece multiple times to react to the AI news pieces that flew into our inboxes at gatling-gun pace.

But because it’s new, and because it’s fast-moving, it’s naturally exciting. That doesn’t mean you should abandon your tried-and-tested local SEO strategy just to play with the shiny new thing. Baby and bathwater, and all that…

Content silos help you leverage proximity, relevance, and prominence, as they’re some of the most important local SEO ranking factors. 

For relevance and prominence, a content silo helps your client’s content and business show up in relevant search results and, when you’ve showcased your expertise on your subject, it offers you a chance to earn backlinks from reputable websites. 

This increase in relevant rankings can help your client’s business earn more qualified organic traffic which, in turn, can increase conversions. 

If your client’s local business has several branches in different locations, creating a content silo with location-specific content helps you to optimize for proximity. It also makes it easier to track local rankings when you have specific pages optimized for important terms.

In this article, I’m going to share four actionable ways to create content silos for local SEO, provide examples of local businesses with these silos, and show you how you can build them for your own client’s local business. 

Strategy 1: Build a Content Silo Around Service Verticals 

Searchers looking for specific services that a local business provides will end up frustrated when they can’t find the service they’re looking for. 

So, having a content silo that dives deeper into the services your client’s business centers around is key. This also allows you to align with the searcher’s intent by answering the questions searchers have, and helps them move to the next stage of the buying journey. 

Content silos around the service vertical also help you create content that addresses specific pain points that potential customers have, which can help them convert. Answering any objections or questions gives them a better understanding before they click the ‘buy now’ button or take that highly sought-after medium of communication: a phone call.

How do you make sure that the content silo you create around a service vertical stands out?

Step 1. Narrow Down Your Services

Start by narrowing down the services that your client offers and compare that with the services the competition is offering. As you do this, you may identify services your client can provide that no one else is providing, presenting you with the opportunity to fill in the gap.

In some instances, it may even highlight a chance to narrow down three to five services your client can focus on providing and do better than anyone else. 

Step 2. Identify Major Topics

Once you have a list of services your client provides, identify major topics around each of these services and then create different types of content on each of them. 

If your client has customers already, you could run a survey asking them what they would like to learn about each of these services, and then build content around these topics.

Performing keyword research around your products or services can also unearth a number of potential topics, as can viewing the ‘People Also Ask’ in Google for related keywords. Each of these can help you spot topics you may want to include in your silo. 

For example, Southern Premier Roofing provides six types of roofing services, and when you click on each service, you’ll read a detailed description of what each service entails:

Digging deeper into each of these services, you’ll find a landing page describing each service in detail. On the roof repair page, for example, you have a section talking about different signs that point to a worn-out roof and the process that they rely on when repairing your roof.

Readers who need a roof replacement might start with more basic questions, and won’t convert simply by arriving on the roof replacement landing page. That’s where the content silo comes in.

Southern Premier Roofing has organized the content silo around this service by creating different types of content that first educate them on roof vocabularies, such as roof underlayment and roof membrane, and then different types of roofs that customers can consider. 

Then, there’s comparison content that dives deeper into comparing different roof types; for example, hip roofs vs gable roofs. We also have more bottom-of-funnel content such as ‘how to prepare a house for roof replacement’ and identifying different signs that point to someone needing a roof replacement. This helps nudge the reader towards considering roof replacement services.  

While this might seem like a linear path, the different types of content in this silo make it easier for Southern Premier Roofing to get hold of more readers who might be interested in their services and, crucially, keep them on their site so that eventually some become their customers. 

Strategy 2: Build a Content Silo Around Each Location You Serve

If your client has offices in different locations, build a location-based content silo by creating web pages for each office and linking to it from the “main locations hub” page on your client’s homepage.

If your client has a service-based business where they have to go to the customer’s location, build out individual neighborhood, community, or local landing pages and make them subsets of the main city page in the city that your client operates in. 

Here’s how Baker Roofing does it: 

They provide roofing services and have a list of different locations they operate in with a search bar that you can use to set your preferred distance to see how far they are. There’s also a map showing you the different locations.

How to Create Location-based Content Silos

To create a location-specific content silo, have a list of the cities or locations your client serves, then create specific web pages for each of these locations. 

Once you do this, link them to the main locations hub on your client’s homepage so that web visitors can navigate to their preferred location easily.  

Once you have created each of these web pages, go ahead and create different types of bottom-of-the-funnel content such as competitor comparison content and listicles. Performing localized keyword research can help you identify topics and questions around a specific area.

Some queries that searchers use are not only satisfied by writing content that matches the search intent. You need to match the context around each search. 

For example, a searcher who just bought a new house in one of the locations that Baker Roofing serves will need more than just a list of different locations. 

They would also benefit from content that talks about different roofing services and even content that provides comparative data that pits Baker Roofing against the competition to help them make an informed decision. 

Strategy 3: Build a Content Silo Around Localized Content for Specific Services and Locations 

Another content silo you can build contains localized content for different locations and services that your client provides. 

For example, a real estate company in a given state has to comply with state and local laws for each county of the state they serve. The content they create needs to help potential homeowners understand these laws based on their location. 

This is very useful for businesses that serve a large area where localization is important based on different laws. Pay It Forward Lending has a section on FHA loan limits in each county in Nevada:

When creating localized content for specific locations, focus on what makes each location unique. Here’s how Smith and Wollensky do it:

Once you click on any of the locations above, a new tab will load and you’ll see a different header image that matches each location that the steakhouse serves. 

Swapping your copy and inserting a different location won’t cut it. Not only will you have lots of duplicate content, but you’ve not said anything different to highlight real expertise about an area. Ask yourself what’s special about each location that would resonate with the readers in those locations. 

There could be a few nuances in terms of language, specific challenges your client’s customers face, and geographical landmarks that influence the needs of the people your client serves. 

Bonus Strategy: Optimize Your Google Business Profile to Augment Your Silo Strategy

Local Pack results will include your client’s Google Business Profile, which potential customers are likely to see before your website.

If they’re in the decision stage, the content of your client’s Google Business Profile could determine if they choose to work with your client or go to a competitor. So, how do you make sure it complements your silo strategy? 

Optimize your client’s Google Business Profile by adding links that point to specific landing pages. 

For example, this law office’s Google Profile Post links to each landing page that’s relevant to the post’s subject. For example, this one leads to the Medical Malpractice page:

If your client is running a brick-and-mortar store, you could include photos of the area surrounding the business and inside the business to give your customers a feel for what it would be like when if visit the premises.

If it’s an outdoor service, include photos of your client or their team at work. It helps bring the service to life and potential customers can then decide whether that’s what they need.

Here’s a handy checklist that you can use to help you optimize your client’s Google Business Profile to complement your content silo strategy: 

What else should you consider when implementing silos for local SEO?

When creating content silos, consider the different stages of the local customer buying journey, and create content that resonates with them at each stage. 

You may decide to build your silo by creating content targeting customers who are in the decision stage. That will yield quick wins in the short term, but you also need to play the long game. Consider creating content for other buying stages to drive awareness of your client’s local business, and help those in the evaluation stage to learn more about the solutions available to them. 

Going back to our roofing example, Southern Premier Roofing creates content about different types of roofs to drive awareness: 

You can also provide a list of different services for potential customers in the evaluation stage, sharing different features, and the pros and cons of each of these services: 

What stands out about this review piece is that, in addition to providing a list of virtual mailboxes, it is up to date. It talks about the best mailboxes and business addresses in 2022, so the reader doesn’t have to wonder whether they’re still in service.

Alternatively, you can create actionable content that empowers your client’s customers to solve an immediate problem they have, such as learning how to create better marketing strategies for their business: 

Once you have published content for readers in the awareness and evaluation stages, link it to your main location, service, and localized content pages. It will improve the user experience by helping readers naturally progress to the next stage of the buying journey. 

Consider having a simple URL structure for your content, and work towards earning backlinks from service directories and from other reputable blogs that are relevant to your client’s customers. 

Make sure you keep your on-page SEO consistent across all pages within the content silo. Optimize your content for H1, H2, and H3 tags with relevant keywords to include location, city, and services they need. For location pages, embed maps, and keep your name, address, and phone number details up-to-date on relevant pages. 

Lastly, make your client’s content accessible through proper formatting, adding relevant alt text to images, and using keywords in your title tags to help the reader have an easy time reading your content.

Conclusion

You now have what you need to get started with creating content silos for your clients. As a quick recap, the content silo you choose to create will help you leverage ranking factors and increase the amount of traffic and conversions your client’s business gets. 

To get started, pick any content silo that we’ve discussed and start building it by creating content and optimizing it for readers and search engines. Keep tracking and optimizing the results you get from your efforts to identify areas of improvement.

Read on as our contributors dive into AI, LLMs, visual search, and much, much more. First, we’ll start with a summary of the predictions, for those short on time, then move on to the predictions in full, in alphabetical order by surname.

Expert Predictions: The TL;DR

1. Google Business Profile (GBP) Optimization

Overview: GBP will continue to be a cornerstone for local SEO, with businesses needing to fully optimize profiles and leverage new AI-driven features.

• AI features like automated descriptions, sentiment analysis, and holiday hours suggestions will grow.
• Integration with social media content (posts and UGC) is likely to enhance GBP relevance.
• Businesses must ensure consistency across GBP and other listings.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “Big changes are brewing in Google Business Profile (GBP) … pulling social posts and other content into GBP … feels like the natural next step.” (Elizabeth Rule) – see the full prediction
• “AI features will continue to grow both in the main Google SERPs as well as the Google Business Profile product.” (Colan Nielsen) – see the full prediction
• “Optimizing profiles entirely and backing up the information by keeping it consistent across listings … will be important.” (Dayna Lucio) – see the full prediction

2. Visual Content

Overview: Visual assets like photos, videos, and AR will dominate local search visibility and user engagement.

• Search engines like Google will reward high-quality, regularly updated visual content.
• AR and other visual enhancements in Google Maps will transform user interaction with local businesses.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “Photos, videos, and even augmented reality … are stepping into the spotlight, making them essential tools for standing out and connecting with customers.” (Rachel Ellen) – see the full prediction
• “Being able to browse local businesses through AI-sorted photo galleries … will fundamentally change how users discover and choose businesses.” (Claudia Tomina) – see the full prediction
• “Google especially rewards businesses with fresh, high-quality visuals by boosting their visibility.” (Rachel Ellen) – see the full prediction

3. AI and Machine Learning

Overview: AI is reshaping how businesses optimize for local search, from automating content creation to understanding user behavior.

• AI Overviews and multimodal searches (e.g. voice + video, text + image) will redefine search intent understanding.
• Businesses will need structured, AI-readable content to remain competitive.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “Multimodal search is more aligned with the natural, intuitive ways people search for stuff … search engines can understand user intent more deeply.” (Myriam Jessier) – see the full prediction
• “AI-powered descriptions, review sentiment analysis … will expand features available on [GBP] profiles.” (Jenny Bernarde) – see the full prediction
• “Google’s use of AI in search results also warrants close attention … making it vital to track how these changes impact … customers.” (Steve Wiideman) – see the full prediction

4. User-Generated Content (UGC)

Overview: UGC like reviews, photos, and videos will increasingly shape local SEO outcomes.

• Google Maps and search results will feature more UGC as trust signals.
• Businesses should actively encourage and curate UGC to build credibility.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “We are already seeing more images, reviews, and videos created by users being featured in Google Business Profiles.” (Clarissa Filius) – see the full prediction
• “User-generated content will continue to thrive … Businesses will need to embrace authentic interactions on social forums.” (Elizabeth Rule) – see the full prediction
• “Encouraging clicks and engagement … makes these features highly impactful for businesses optimizing their profiles.” (Claudia Tomina) – see the full prediction

5. Diversification of Channels

Overview: Businesses need to expand beyond Google for visibility, leveraging platforms like social media, Bing, and AI search tools.

• Hyperlocal targeting (neighborhood-specific strategies) will become more effective.
• Social media platforms and AI-driven search engines (e.g. ChatGPT) will grow as starting points for consumer journeys.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “It should be about matching user intent and delivering real value to your community … blending solid SEO with authentic community engagement.” (Celeste Gonzalez) – see the full prediction
• “Hyperlocal optimization … means diving deep into individual neighborhoods.” (Vera Shafiq) – see the full prediction
• “SearchGPT and other LLM tools … are becoming increasingly significant as starting points for customer journeys.” (Claire Carlile) – see the full prediction

6. Content Quality and Authenticity

Overview: High-quality, human-driven, and authentic content will stand out in an increasingly competitive and AI-saturated market.

• Businesses must avoid generic AI content and focus on storytelling and user-centric narratives.
• Unique, locally relevant content will dominate.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “Users and search engines alike are demanding more … focus on storytelling that builds trust and drives action.” (Melissa Popp) – see the full prediction
• “Google is rewarding information gain, so authentic site experiences with content written by real humans are going to start winning.” (Greg Gifford) – see the full prediction
• “The more unique and specific your content is … the better you’ll look in local SERPs.” (Elizabeth Linder) – see the full prediction

7. Emerging Technologies

Overview: Wearables, AR, and AI tools will expand search capabilities and local business engagement.

• AI-driven features like Immersive View and voice search will further enhance user experience.
• Wearables will create new opportunities for local SEO in real-time interactions.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “The transition from the phone to wearables is just beginning … augmented reality and wearables can benefit local SEO.” (Ben Fisher) – see the full prediction
• “Google Maps’ evolving UI … will make visual content far more engaging and searchable.” (Claudia Tomina) – see the full prediction

8. Back to Basics

Overview: Foundational practices like consistent NAP data, regular updates, and responsiveness will remain essential.

• Businesses must revisit and refine old content to align with current offerings.
• Improving communication channels and user experience will be a focus.

What the Experts Are Saying:

• “Foundational SEO tasks will be more important since so many are using AI to optimize page elements.” (Greg Gifford) – see the full prediction
• “If you have a lot of old content, make 2025 the year to revisit it … and re-publish it as new.” (Tim Capper) – see the full prediction

The Expert Predictions In Full

"AI search engines will begin to display content from social platforms to create richer local search results."

Jenny Bernarde, Social & Community Manager at BrightLocal

I predict that AI search engines will begin to display content from social platforms to create richer local search results. For example, social proof in the form of TikTok videos, or tagged Instagram posts could be added to the AI-generated results pulled from organic web sources. This would definitely better inform the searcher!

Social media has always been an excellent place for local businesses to establish their presence, but this presence may become increasingly vital in the coming year due to AI advancements.

"Expect to see many more businesses in competitive verticals flaunting the guidelines to their advantage."

Tim Capper, Owner at Online Ownership

I think we will have to work hard in 2025 to be local.

Google Business Profile is on its support knees, with reducing staff in favor of automation, which is not going so well— with manual actions from redressal submissions not being acted on. So expect to see many more businesses in competitive verticals flaunting the guidelines to their advantage. Dust off those local guide accounts for suggested edits, which is the only thing working in the wake of GBP suspending manual actions from redressal reports.

Successive HCU updates have removed old content that performed well for years. If you have a lot of old content, make 2025 the year to revisit it, update it to current offerings, prices, and brand messaging, and re-publish it as new. This will also help you find gaps in your current content that you can fill in.

Looking back at my opening sentence, “I think we will have to work hard in 2025 at being local”: this is going to separate you from the businesses jumping on the LLM (I refuse to call it AI when it just isn’t) train and churning out sub-standard stuff. People want to see the businesses as local and support local.

A great example of this was with an optometrist I recently worked with. They tried the TikTok bandwagon and spent a lot on professional video, which did not work out as expected. We repurposed the videos into an introduction to the business, including the front and back of the business staff, reworked their About page, and added the video. They then created a nice little “Thank You for your Business” card with a QR code that takes you directly to the video—this is included in every pair of glasses shipped out to online customers, showing who they supported “in real life”.

Repeat orders and prescriptions have nearly doubled, so put a face to your businesses if you don’t always see your customers in person.

Get Creative, Go Back to Being Local in 2025!

"Measurement using meaningful metrics must be central."

Claire Carlile, Local Search Advocate at Jepto

Oooh, it’s that time of year again! So, what does 2025 have in store for us?

I believe businesses will need to take AI more seriously. Large Language Models (LLMs) like Chat/SearchGPT are likely to become increasingly significant as starting points for customer journeys. Monitoring how searches related to your brand and queries relevant to your products or services evolve will be critical. Staying updated on the methods needed to optimize for visibility—whether it’s Bing Places, Tripadvisor, or other sources these models use to populate their answers—will be important.

Google’s use of AI in search results also warrants close attention. AI-generated overviews could become more prevalent in bottom-of-the-funnel local searches, making it vital to track how these changes impact the ways that your potential customers find (or fail to find) your business. Regularly monitoring the search engine results page (SERP) for your brand and key queries across relevant locations will remain an important aspect of any local SEO strategy.

Understanding how AI can benefit your business—whether by saving time, providing valuable insights, or optimizing the systems we use to serve our clients—is, in my view, essential. While current AI technologies have their limitations and are far from being a silver bullet, they are undeniably useful and can deliver meaningful outcomes for users.

As businesses, it’s crucial that we learn to harness these tools effectively, integrating them into our processes and aligning them with how we choose to build relationships with our customers and communities.

Perhaps 2025 will be the year many businesses finally adopt a more customer-centric approach. Truly understanding how your target market seeks to solve their problems requires stepping into their shoes—exploring their motivations, drivers, search behaviors, and the myriad touchpoints that can capture and maintain their attention along the journey.

Of course, Google will continue to play a dominant role, as it will still drive the lion’s share of leads for most businesses. If businesses haven’t yet fully optimized their Google Business Profiles or created locally relevant, highly optimized, and CTA-driven content for their websites, now is the time to do so.

Finally, with marketing budgets shrinking in many organizations—both internally and externally—demonstrating ROI will be more important than ever. Measurement using meaningful metrics must be central to everything we do, enabling us to justify spending and retain clients.

"Take action by carrying out queries about your brand to ensure that the content LLMs provide is accurate."

Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications at WIX STUDIO

Local SEO teams should be looking at how they can utilize ChatGPT and other LLMs as channels for traffic and conversions. Start by monitoring traffic in GA4 then take action by carrying out queries about your brand to ensure that the content they provide is accurate. Provide feedback on factually incorrect responses directly in the LLMs and take steps to increase your brand visibility in LLMs by getting links from websites that form part of LLM training data.

"2025 is the year to elevate your local visual strategy."

Rachel Ellen, Local Search Strategist at Croud

An area I am excited to prioritize in 2025 is visual content. This is no longer just a nice-to-have—it’s the lifeblood of your online presence, as photos, videos, and even augmented reality are stepping into the spotlight, making them essential tools for standing out and connecting with customers.

It’s a no-brainer concept that people love to see what they’re getting before they commit. A stunning photo of your café’s latte art, a before-and-after comparison of an impactful home renovation, or a quick video showing off your boutique’s cozy vibe isn’t just eye candy—it’s trust-building gold.

Advancements in AI and image recognition mean search platforms can understand and leverage visual content better than ever. We’ve seen Google especially reward businesses with fresh, high-quality visuals by boosting their visibility and pulling back the golden rope to let them into the red-carpeted area of new and emerging visual SERP features.

If you’re not keeping your gallery updated or experimenting with short-form video, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.

2025 is the year to elevate your local visual strategy. Be consistent, be creative, and most importantly, be real. The more effort you put into making your business look and feel approachable online, the more likely you are to attract and delight customers.

"Getting the basics right will remain the biggest challenge for most companies."

Clarissa Filius, Teamlead SEO at iO

In 2025, user-generated content (UGC) is expected to continue growing. We are already seeing more images, reviews, and videos created by users being featured in Google Business Profiles, and this trend is likely to expand. Google appears to be focusing on making Google Maps more centered around UGC and user engagement.

Local search will remain important, as people frequently rely on navigation apps to find nearby locations. More businesses are likely to realize the importance of optimizing for local search, especially in Europe, where there is still much room for improvement. Despite ongoing changes, getting the basics right will remain the biggest challenge for most companies.

While we may not see dramatic changes, some innovations are on the horizon. AI will likely become more integrated into navigation apps, though AI-powered search engines are not expected to replace core navigation functions anytime soon from my perspective. There is a possibility that Gemini will be integrated into Google Maps in 2025 or we may see local results return within AI Overviews. Additionally, features like Immersive View are expected to become more common—which I am really looking forward to.

"Citations will rise in importance."

Ben Fisher, Owner at Steady Demand

1. More GBP features will be AI augmented.

We started to see this already with the generative description inside GBP and the editorial snippet now being created by Generative AI. It only makes sense that we will see many more changes to GBP, allowing generative AI to make things “easier” for merchants.

My predictions: reviews, posts, and services all may get a generative AI upgrade.

2. Voice Search and the Rise of Conversational Queries

People are increasingly using voice-powered answer engines to search, like Perplexity and SearchGPT. This alters behavior from “type it in and look through results” to a more natural conversation with an AI agent or tool that will deliver high-quality results in a faster fashion.

My prediction: SearchGPT will continue to erode market share from Google. I would not be surprised to see a +10% drop off in 2025. Businesses will need to provide highly structured, AI-readable content, including FAQs, schema markup, and conversational language that aligns with voice search. Implementing natural language in content and focusing on long-tail keywords will become crucial.

3. Growth of Zero-Click Searches

Google will emphasize zero-click searches, where users find answers directly in search results through features like Local Packs, Knowledge Panels, and FAQs. Businesses must optimize their Google Business Profiles (GBP) and ensure their information (NAP, hours, reviews) is accurate and appealing.

My prediction: Marketers will need to make a more concentrated effort to ensure that a consistent narrative is feeding AI and zero-click results. Local citations will rise in importance. Negative SEO will emerge in a way that capitalizes on the use of misinformation, and on the flip side marketers will learn how to “train” answer engines.

4. Wearables

Local search is a perfect fit for wearables. The transition from the phone to wearables is just beginning and I think we will see our first example of how augmented reality and wearables can benefit local SEO.

My prediction: We will see more competition in the wearable space. Meta started with the RayBan glasses and integration of AI, this will be followed closely by Samsung, Google, and others. Marketers will need to understand what can be “trained” to augment the data that is fed back to users. The race for your face is here!

"Google Business Profile reviews and website location pages … will continue to play a key role in Local SEO."

Bambi Frazier, Snr Product Manager of Local SEO at Amsive

I think Google Business Profile reviews and website location pages (for multi-location businesses) will continue to play a key role in Local SEO in 2025. Search engines are consistently trying to “get it right” by prioritizing user trust signals through reviews and utilizing truly helpful, relevant local content on location pages (hello, schema!).

Because reviews directly influence consumer decisions, and well-optimized location pages can enhance discoverability and user experience, we’ll continue to see their need and significant impact.

"People are going to have to do real marketing again."

Greg Gifford, Chief Operating Officer at SearchLab Digital

I think 2025 will be the year of getting back to basics. Everyone has become distracted by AI and new tools and “SEO hustle bros” offering quick wins that don’t really work.

Now, with the proliferation of AI-generated content, there’s more crap than ever on websites. Google is rewarding information gain, so authentic site experiences with content written by real humans are going to start winning in search results.

People are going to have to do real marketing again—it will be all about building the brand and helping that brand stand out in the sea of noise. The basic foundational SEO tasks will be more important since so many are using AI to optimize page elements. Humans still outperform AI in sounding human and making human decisions. Plus, doing all of the basic “marketing” stuff will also play nicely with the up-and-coming AI search options, so it’s going to be a win-win all around.

"Success will come from blending solid SEO with authentic community engagement."

Celeste Gonzalez, Director of RooLabs at RicketyRoo

I hope that, in 2025, local SEO will be all about smarter diversification. Local businesses are starting to realize you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. It should be about matching user intent and delivering real value to your community.

I think we’ll see businesses focus on building trust and visibility through multiple channels: optimizing for user behavior and creating a brand that resonates both online and offline. Success will come from blending solid SEO with authentic community engagement and taking a data-driven approach to testing what really works. It’s about showing up for your users everywhere they are, not just in a traditional search way.

"Businesses need to ensure their digital presence can be easily interpreted across different search modalities."

Myriam Jessier, Fractional SEO + Trainer at PRAGM

Multimodal search makes it easier. Multimodal search is more aligned with the natural, intuitive ways people search for stuff. Using various input methods, such as text combined with images or voice with video opens new doors for businesses.

For local businesses, this means optimizing content not just for keywords but for the broader context and intent behind queries. This is thanks to vector embeddings, which capture the semantic meaning and context of concepts, allowing search engines to understand user intent more deeply. On the local SEO end of things, this is something local businesses know well, otherwise, they would not be able to meet their customers’ needs.

Things will get easier for some as a result: for instance, a user might take a photo of a leaky pipe and receive recommendations for local plumbers based on reviews and expertise along with other deciding factors such as responsiveness and affordable rates.

Businesses need to ensure their digital presence can be easily interpreted across different search modalities.

This table illustrates multimodal search patterns I think about in the shower.

"It’ll be necessary in 2025 to understand where your audience is searching and be visible in these places."

Elizabeth Linder, Director Of SEO at Kick Point & KP Playbook

Previously my predictions on local search for 2024 revolved around the importance of continuing to provide high-quality, unique content that is beneficial to your target audience—this I believe will continue to be true in 2025.

There’s so much more opportunity to build better local content with the support of AI, including uncovering helpful topics from your own search console data and building strong outlines to work from.

We’ve also seen a shift towards building brand recognition and not just focusing on optimizing your website, but taking time to find out where else your local audience searches for your goods or services—like social media or community forums! It’ll be necessary in 2025 to understand where your audience is searching and be visible in these places. You’ll want to diversify and tailor your content for these different formats.

Local businesses can also benefit from communicating across different channels. We unfortunately still live in a world where we will contact a local business, like our dentist, and not hear back after either filling out a form or calling! In 2025 I would love to see more local businesses improve their communication with customers.

Your reputation is also still extremely relevant. It’s more difficult than ever to rank in competitive local spaces, and the more people talk about you (in a positive way) the more proof you’ll provide to both users and search engines that you’re the best at what you do. But please don’t buy reviews.

Lastly, the more unique and specific your content is to your local business, the better you’ll look in local SERPs. It’s a world of AI and online scams, the more real you appear, the better. Don’t use stock or AI images, have real images and videos of your business, team members, products, and/or services.

"More SERP features will be introduced in 2025."

Dayna Lucio, Sr. Strategist, SEO at Amsive

1. One of my predictions is that there will be more AI-generated features within GBP. We’ve seen some “experimental features” on profiles, such as the feature where restaurants can generate menus from photos or PDFs, as well as the option to create AI-powered descriptions. I think Google will continue to test different profile features using generative AI. I also think that Google will continue expanding features available on the profiles to share more information about businesses; with the emphasis on reviews that we’ve seen in the past, I could see some type of feature that serves as a review sentiment analysis summary to add something beyond the star rating and topic clusters we currently see in that section.

2. When it comes to GBP, I think it will be necessary for businesses to ensure they are optimizing their profiles entirely and backing up the information by keeping it consistent across listings (Yelp, Bing, ABC, etc.), along with having that content available on their website. This will be important because I can also see Google leveraging profile and location page content to help with AI Overviews for businesses and other AI-generated SERP features. We saw testing of local packs when they first experimented with the SGE Lab Results, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that type of testing continued in 2025.

3. Looking beyond Local SEO, I think more SERP features will be introduced in 2025, resulting in more zero-click searches. Brands will need to start thinking beyond Google when it comes to search, focusing on social media, YouTube, etc., and finding ways that different channels can work together so marketing efforts aren’t siloed.

"AI Slop will be widely used and widely effective."

David Mihm, Co-founder at Near Media

1. Regulatory risk will lead Google to make substantial SERP changes in Europe and possibly the UK

Google’s obligation to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) continues to be the most underreported story in local search.

Thus far, aside from a bad-faith reversion to ten blue links in the Hotels vertical in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia, the impact of the changes Google has introduced to the Local SERP in response to the DMA has been infinitesimally small. Across restaurants, home services, and hotels, we’ve found Google clearly continues to self-preference its own Business Profiles in terms of ranking, and the Places Sites comparison module has been designed in such a way that it receives almost no user engagement. (Disclosure: Near Media presented our restaurant data to members of the European Commission in March 2024.)

In 2025, there will be enough zeroes on the end of the penalty number that the cost-benefit analysis of noncompliance will start to tip in the direction of significant SERP layout changes, even if those changes yield a lower revenue-per-query than Google’s historically achieved.

2. Google will aggressively push users to adopt Gemini as their primary search engine

Much as Meta’s original flagship social product is now a shell of its former self, supplanted by Instagram and WhatsApp for all but the oldest, least-savvy users, Gemini could become Google’s primary go-to-market search brand.

I think we’ll see Alphabet pushing Gemini every way it possibly can in an effort to keep users inside its ecosystem, but using a completely different (better) product. We’ll see television ads (check), modal windows, Gmail calls to action, Chrome notifications—the kitchen sink.

AI Overviews will continue to infiltrate an increasing percentage of SERPs and we’ll see other AI experiments from the Google search product team. Google’s market share will remain above 90% for most of the Western world, driving the lion’s share of brand awareness and website traffic for most companies.

But we might very well look back on 2024 as Peak Google (though by no means Peak Alphabet).

3. AI Slop will be widely used and widely effective (and maybe that’s OK?)

We’ll continue to see manual penalties and whipsawing Core Updates in 2025 as engineers continue to play Edge Case Whack-a-mole on the altar of Brand as a cesspool-sorting mechanism. But AI-produced content will proliferate and continue to deliver value to publishers and readers.

LLMs have gotten incredibly good at generating content themselves (to wit: the podcast feature of Google’s own Notebook LM which went viral last year). At a minimum, a well-structured prompt to ChatGPT or NotebookLM that draws on an editorially-curated list of sources is relatively unlikely to hallucinate and can synthesize almost any input into a cohesive narrative with astonishing “skill.”

In many cases, humans consuming AI-produced content prefer it to human-created stuff anyway!

So I think we’ll see more businesses of all sizes continue to deploy AI content in this manner at scale: a strategy which will be validated by its ranking and conversion performance.

"Q1 will bring some massive, game-changing shifts to the local algorithm."

Colan Nielsen, VP of Local Search at Sterling Sky

1. AI features will continue to grow both in the main Google SERP’s as well as the Google Business Profile product. I think Q1 will bring some massive, game-changing shifts to the local algorithm.

2. This annual prediction of mine hasn’t come true since I started making the prediction pre-covid: service areas in GBP will start to influence ranking. 2025 is the year!

"We might start to see more businesses leveraging subscription models as a new stream of income."

Sammy Paget, Research Lead at BrightLocal

1. I think we’ll see a rise in written blogger review content, whether from personal interest bloggers or experts contributing reviews to larger publications. Whilst the last few years has seen many bloggers shifting away from writing content on their own websites, and instead focusing on just creating Reels or TikToks, there is evidence to show that ‘business mentions’ within various publications are appearing prominently in SERPs and AI Search result source lists for plenty of different industries (see Business Listings Visibility Study and Uncovering ChatGPT Search Sources).

I kind of see this happening as a bit of a ‘hyper authentic’ backlash to AI, where people may feel a sense of nostalgia towards the innocent years of microinfluencers.

2. As a follow-on from this, I think reinforcing expertise and authority authentically (à la E-E-A-T) will prove to be a big focus for local marketers in 2025. So, considering ways to tap into the above types of content should be on the agenda—whether that’s leveraging influencers in your business to contribute expert content to external publications, focusing on the surprise and delight factors that will get others writing about your business organically, or even building your own blog.

3. Subscriptions and tiers. As consumers, we’re well past just having subscriptions to video and audio streaming platforms. Creator platforms like Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee allow brands and individuals to monetize their content. Some of these platforms also provide an exclusive sense of community with direct access to creators. I think we might start to see more businesses leveraging subscription models as a new stream of income.

"Local businesses must focus on storytelling that builds trust and drives action."

Melissa Popp, Content Strategy Director at RicketyRoo

In 2025, local SEOs must shift from simply ticking off optimization boxes to crafting engaging, hyper-relevant content that speaks directly to their audience’s needs. The days of throwing together generic location pages and hoping for rankings are gone. Users and search engines alike are demanding more. With increased competition, local businesses must focus on storytelling that builds trust and drives action. This means using deep local insights, user-generated content, and expertise-driven narratives to create content that doesn’t just rank but converts.

"We’ll see Google streamline GBP by phasing out less popular, proprietary features like posts and Q&A."

Elizabeth Rule, SEO Analyst + Account Manager at Sterling Sky

Looking ahead to 2025, I see big wins for businesses that double down on building their brand both online and offline. Why? Because Google loves brands that people love. The more people talk about, engage with, and share your brand, the more Google is inclined to trust your content—and reward it with prime search visibility. Brand SEO is becoming wildly important, to help business owners control what users see about a brand no matter where they are searching – especially off Google. Plus, user-generated content will continue to thrive. Businesses will need to embrace authentic interactions on social forums and social media to stay topically relevant, authoritative, and trusted.

2025 isn’t just about improving search rankings—it’s about making your brand stand out where it matters and leading/contributing to the conversations your customers care about most.

Big changes are brewing in Google Business Profile (GBP), too. I suspect we’ll see Google streamline GBP by phasing out less popular, proprietary features like posts and Q&A. Instead, they’ll likely lean into connecting GBP with social media platforms. Why? Because businesses and customers are already engaging so much on social media, pulling social posts and other content into GBP (a trend we’re already seeing) feels like the natural next step.

"Video content is evolving from a nice-to-have into a local SEO powerhouse."

Vera Shafiq, Marketing Strategy Consultant at Vera Shafiq

Looking ahead to 2025, three powerful trends are poised to revolutionize the local SEO landscape. As someone who’s spent years helping businesses thrive in their local markets, I’m particularly excited about these game-changing developments.

First, video content is evolving from a nice-to-have into a local SEO powerhouse. We’re seeing remarkable results when businesses create authentic, snappy videos that showcase their unique local flavor. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes peek at a family-owned restaurant or a quick tutorial from a neighborhood hardware store, these videos are gold when optimized with local keywords and shared across platforms. What makes this especially powerful is Google’s increasing preference for rich media in local search results, particularly through Google Business Profile integration.

The second wave is the strategic application of AI in local SEO. We’re moving beyond basic keyword research into sophisticated local market analysis. Smart businesses are using AI tools to decode their local competitive landscape and understand community conversations in real time. This lets them craft content that truly resonates with their neighborhood audience—it’s like having a constant pulse on your local market.

Perhaps most intriguingly, we’re witnessing the rise of hyperlocal optimization. Gone are the days of targeting just “Chicago” or “Los Angeles.” Success in 2025 means diving deep into individual neighborhoods. Think Wicker Park in Chicago or Silver Lake in LA. By creating neighborhood-specific landing pages and getting listed in local community directories, businesses are connecting with customers literally around the corner.

These trends aren’t just changing the game—they’re rewriting the rules of local search entirely. Businesses that embrace these shifts early will find themselves with a significant advantage in their local markets.

"It’s time to take a long, hard look at who and what is being featured in the AI Overviews."

Andy Simpson, Senior SEO at Digital Law Marketing

In the words of Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin’. Sundar Pichai has already said that Google search will “change profoundly” in 2025! We’re going to see an increase in AI Overviews, there’s even been mention of a dedicated “AI Mode” which users will be able to switch to from the top of the SERPs. I think we’re also going to see featured snippets slowly get filtered out and replaced more with AI Overviews, so if you’re currently seeing an AI Overview and a featured snippet, I don’t think we’ll be seeing this for much longer. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to take a long, hard look at who and what is being featured in the AI Overviews. These can change sometimes on a weekly basis, but with the right content, you can also shoehorn yourself into them as well.

I’m honestly “currently” not concerned about losing traffic to Perplexity or SearchGPT, as the percentage of traffic we get from these is tiny, even less than what we get from Bing, and who’s worried about Bing?

But we should not be ignoring it, as again, it’s not going away and is only going to grow over time. So be aware of it, use SearchGPT, search for your brand, and see what results are returned. Customer comments and reviews don’t always come from Google, SearchGPT does currently reference Google and Google Maps but who knows when they’ll change this and it’ll be local results from Bing and Bing Local? So what’s your Bing Local presence looking like at the moment? You do know that SearchGPT uses Bing, much of the search functionality “appears” to be powered by Bing’s index. Bing index tip, use “IndexNow” to have your content indexed almost immediately by Bing, which surely means it’s then known by SearchGPT

Here’s a 2025 must-have report on traffic from AI Tools in GA4 from Dana DiTomaso, this is a great way to see what content on your site is getting interest/traffic from Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.

2025 is a year of not being left behind with what’s happening not just on Google but with the other LLM platforms. Keep checking, don’t ignore them, your clients will be asking about them, so be aware and understand them.

"The moonshot: More policies shaped by local laws."

Stefan Somberac, Local SEO Analyst at Sterling Sky

My niche is Google Business Profiles, so that’s where all my predictions are focused. And I’ve got three: the obvious, the less obvious, and the moonshot.

1. The obvious: More AI. In 2024 Google gave us AI tools to write the GBP description and to convert a photo or PDF of your restaurant’s menu into an editable text menu on your profile. They started using AI to put a business overview on the Knowledge Panel in the SERPs, and now Gemini can answer questions about a business in the Maps app.

I believe Google will continue to add more AI tools to help business owners manage their profiles. By scraping the business website and social media profiles AI could recommend additional categories or services, suggest updates to business hours during the holidays and write posts. With some training to learn the voice of the business, AI could respond to reviews. There are lots of possibilities!

2. The less obvious: More transparency. The relatively new Appeals tool tells us (albeit vaguely) why a profile was suspended. In 2023, Google gave us a tool to give us insights into account suspensions. In 2024, Google started sharing with business owners reasons why their video verification failed. We’re miles away from total transparency but every little bit helps business owners create and maintain a verified Business Profile. I expect to see more of it in 2025.

3. The moonshot: More policies shaped by local laws. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Economic Area (EEA) imposes significant new regulations on the biggest internet companies. We’re seeing Google make changes to remain compliant, from changes to the SERPs to giving businesses options to request information that is not already available in existing help documents. At the end of 2024, Google added a new rule to the Business Profile Guidelines that requires businesses associated with age-restricted products (e.g. alcohol, cannabis) to have a storefront. This requirement eliminates unlicensed delivery services that can easily get away with weak age verification practices. Is Google concerned about listing businesses that may be breaking local laws? Historically, Google has largely been concerned with users following the Google TOS. I’m curious to see if they introduce more policies that align with local laws (or at least, insulate Google from law-breaking businesses using Google Business Profiles.)

"More marketers will diversify away from Google."

Greg Sterling, Local Marketing Expert + Co-founder at Near Media

Obviously AI is going to continue to have a major impact on the market. Google will remain far and away the dominant search engine—and there will be many more changes to SERPs, as Big G introduces new AI features and elements (and tries to preserve ad clicks)—but some number of consumer searches will migrate to AI tools like ChatGPT. These tools may wind up complementing search or they could erode informational query volumes on Google. But consumer behavior is definitely changing. This is part of a larger “fragmentation of search” that’s been going on for some time: think TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Apple Maps, and so on.

We don’t know yet what’s going to happen to Google following its antitrust defeat in 2024 and its second antitrust trial, which has yet to deliver a final judgment. More likely than not, there won’t be any major changes, but potential “structural” remedies (e.g. sale of Chrome or Android), if they were to happen, could significantly impact both users and marketers.

Apple is a wild card. Improvements to Siri via Apple Intelligence, along with Apple’s OpenAI partnership, will peel away search queries from Google on the iPhone. If it continues to improve, Apple Maps could also take some local search queries away from Google. Apple Maps (Apple Business Connect) is often neglected by local marketers. It drives considerable traffic and should be a higher priority.

Speaking of which, more marketers will diversify away from Google. Google will remain central, but the antitrust trial exhibits and various search-related leaks in 2024 have revealed the importance of developing a brand on other channels so that people search more directly for your company or client vs. battling it out for category search or generic keyword rankings. In addition, people discover companies very often in a lot of places other than on Google. Marketers can and should invest more time in those places depending on their audience(s). Google, however, will remain the focus for local SEOs.

As a final note, I believe that ChatGPT will start to become competitive with Google for local information in 2025, including local business information. It may develop something akin to Google Business Profiles at some point this year.

"We will continue to see the rise of social media features and carousels."

Krystal Taing, VP of Solutions at Uberall

In 2025, I think we will continue to see the rise of social media features and carousels, as well as more focus on photos and videos. These types of mediums help provide more business context to searchers, and search engines are highlighting these more prevalently, both alongside your business profiles and in search results.

"Photos and videos … will be the focus for Google Maps in 2025."

Claudia Tomina, Founder at ReputationArm

One of the biggest shifts I anticipate in local SEO for 2025 is Google Maps’ evolving UI and its deeper integration of AI-powered photos and videos. We’ve already seen the beginnings of this transformation in 2024, with photo galleries being categorized under headings next to “latest,” “by owner,” and “street view.”

Google is now creating more specific labels in photos for food items and other categories. No doubt we will see a lot more of these photo categorizations across all categories and as the AI models evolve. The labeling and organization of photos are going to make visual content far more engaging and searchable in the coming year.

We see the “Discover Through Photos” feature for search queries, allowing users to visually explore options based on images. I predict we’ll see this functionality expand in 2025. Photos are also starting to appear alongside review sentiments. For example, if a med spa has 25 reviews mentioning “lips,” clicking that sentiment may show related photos, not just from reviews but also uploaded by the business itself. Being able to browse local businesses through AI-sorted photo galleries that showcase key offerings or services will fundamentally change how users discover and choose businesses.

Of course, it’s not always perfect—AI occasionally pulls unrelated photos or labels them wrong—but the focus here is user interaction. Even when the content isn’t flawless, the ability to encourage clicks and engagement makes these features highly impactful for businesses optimizing their profiles.

Photos and videos, paired with a new user interface, better labeling, categorization, and discoverability through AI, will be the focus for Google Maps in 2025.

"This is the year consumers really begin to explore different ways of finding places."

Steve Wiideman, Owner at Wiideman Consulting Group

Change in the local SEO space in 2025 is inevitable as consumers continue to adopt AI technologies, such as using their voice with ChatGPT Search, exploring Google’s Gemini, and wearing wearables such as Ray-Ban Meta and Humane. Younger searchers spend their time in social search, but where they search is uncertain, as demonstrated by the TikTok ban.

Google Web Search is a product, and as long as there is demand for a product, it’s unlikely going to go anywhere anytime soon. This is the year consumers really begin to explore different ways of finding places. It’s the local business community that should be investing resources into understanding where else consumers are searching, how they are searching, and what factors might ultimately play into decision-making.

2025 might be a Listen and Watch Year at its core. Forward-thinking organizations might be thinking about allocating resources towards a “no website traffic” search ecosystem where they help their customers get what they need even in an environment where the customer never actually reaches the website. A hands-free AI-assisted experience that will eventually include users taking action, the way they might make a purchase with Amazon Alexa.

We should be excited about the prospect of action schema tied to services that enable future search engines to interact with our business in ways that never require a page on our website to be visited by a human.

Exciting times await us, but for now, listening and watching should be our priority for the new year.

What’s Next for 2025?

We don’t know, but whatever it is, we’ll be letting you know the skinny via our newsletter. A huge thanks to the 25 experts who shared their expert predictions with us this year!

That’s where this article is here to help. Unfortunately, we’re not going to offer you tips on creating an amazing Christmas campaign from the ground up or help you come up with heartstring-tugging adverts for Hannukah or New Year. What we are going to do, however, is help you get the basics right for your digital marketing, so you don’t have anything to worry about.

Google performed a study with Ipsos in November 2022, which showed that 86% of consumers say online sources helped them make informed decisions for the holiday season. The same study highlighted that 32% of searchers used maps to find businesses.

With this in mind, we want to make sure you’re ready for whatever comes. Be prepared for potential influxes of reviews, or season-specific questions your customers may have. Get your emails scheduled for the right times, your sales pages optimized and ready, and know exactly what you’re posting on X (formally Twitter).

So, without further ado, here’s our holiday marketing checklist to help local businesses navigate Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, Hannukah, and the New Year.

Social Media Checklist for the Holidays

On social media, the key is to communicate what you are doing for the holiday season effectively. This could be as simple as a special menu or updating your opening hours or as complex as creating a whole campaign, like an advent calendar. Our top tips for social media in the holiday season are:

Communicate your offers

Let customers know if you’re offering gift cards, holiday offers, or discounts. Use social media channels to get the word out about what you’re offering, and how your audience and customers could benefit. 

Share any updates to opening hours

Even if you’ve updated your GBP for the holidays, you should share when you’ll be open on all your channels. You can’t rely on someone googling your business. For many people, your social channels are their first port of call. If you’re going to be closed for a night for a Christmas party, for instance, or open for longer during the holiday period, make sure you let people know.

Share any updates to your menus

If you serve food, there’s a good chance you’ll have some special items on your menu. If you’re updating your whole menu for the next couple of months, make sure you share it on your social media platforms for people to see. This works in a couple of ways, it gives them access to something up-to-date but it can also get people excited about that deep-fried cranberry & blue mac n cheese you’ve spent all year planning.

Here’s Starbucks announcing its holiday menu on Instagram for some inspiration.

Consider adding new photos of any holiday offering, like decorations

If your store is offering holiday products like decorations, gift ideas, holiday menus, Santa appearances, boiler maintenance Christmas deals, seasonal products like Christmas tree delivery or disposal services, let your customers know! Here’s a great example of how Zabar’s & Co. announced an exclusive product and discount for Hanukkah via social:

Share any special events

If you’re running one-off experiences or events, or even just know that you’ll get particularly busy on certain days, let people know in advance to help them plan.

Consider a holiday-specific campaign

This doesn’t have to be something complex that you’ve spent 6 months planning, either. Social can help you put something simple together, like an advent calendar, with 25 days of offers, or 25 days to share services, menu items, or gift ideas. Unveil a new product over 25 days, or something completely new.

@connie.mp4 Toronto local small business gift guide part ii #toronto #wishlist #christmasgiftideas #holiday #shoplocal ♬ original sound – Connie ❀

It’s just as easy to create videos for Reels as it is TikTok too, doubling your efforts across social platforms with minimal stress. Plus, the holiday season means you can add timely and relevant sounds to your videos. Think Mariah, Brenda Lee, and Michael Buble—the perfect soundtrack to your holiday marketing.  

Run a competition on social media

Want to get people excited about your new offering? Consider a “like and share to win” for a holiday meal, experience, or gift.

Consider adding holiday designs to any of your social graphics

This could be as simple as a dusting of snow on your cover photo, or you could go for something more advanced in any of your promotional images. It’s up to you (or your brand guidelines!).

Offer a gift list/gifting suggestions

This is particularly important if you’re a retail store. Getting on TikTok to show off your holiday products and services could be a great way to kickstart your holiday campaign in an authentic way that doesn’t require much huge investment in time and money. From the 2023 Local Consumer Review Survey, we know that 20% of consumers find out information about a business on TikTok, making it an obvious choice to spread the word about your holiday offering.
This example from a local gas station works well:

@maryledbetter9 Check out Reeder’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma! #tulsaoklahoma #shoptulsa #localbusiness #christmasshopping #familybusiness ♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

The creator shares each holiday-themed product that can be found in her business, makes use of a popular Christmas hit as the video sound, and uses local keywords throughout her video and through hashtags in the caption.

Partner with other local businesses to offer something unique, or share content with

If you’re offering locally sourced food, consider partnering with a local brewery to create a food and drink gift basket people can buy. If you’re a landscape gardener, consider partnering with Christmas tree wholesalers to deliver Christmas trees around the local area.

Remember to wish people a happy holiday season

If your audience is from a range of backgrounds, it’s a good idea to share the love this holiday season. Don’t just limit yourself to the holiday you’re celebrating yourself.

How to Get Your Google Business Profile Holiday-ready

learn more

Get Your Website Ready for the Holidays

While many local businesses still forgo a website, they’re a key aspect of your digital presence. At this time of year, there are a number of things you can do to help you prep for potential heavy traffic moments, like end-of-season sales, or increase your online visibility.

Prepare for heavy traffic

Do you need to check your server, or consider a queue system? Basically, if you’re expecting an influx of additional traffic, can your current site hack it? This won’t affect everyone, but for those who know it could happen there are a few things you can do. Make sure your server can cope with the potential additional traffic, or even consider investing in queue software if you’re expecting particularly high demand.

Pin seasonal posts in your blog

If you create seasonal content that’s relevant every year, then make sure your customers can find it! A simple way to do this is by pinning holiday posts to the top of your blog page for the duration of the season. This means you may not have to write whole new posts every year just so people can find them again.

Showcase seasonal reviews

If you regularly offer different services or have seasonal products there’s a good chance you may have reviews for these. This is the time of year to put these front and center. Showcasing reviews is something you should do all year round, as it’s excellent social proof, but at this time of year, it could be worth reviewing the ones you’re using.

Update posts for freshness

That being said, if you are pinning old posts to the top of your blog, you need to make sure they’re up-to-date. This applies to any of your seasonal posts. There’s a chance that most of the information in your holiday posts could be absolutely fine, but it’s worth checking to make sure data, dates, or other information is still accurate and relevant. Avoid simply re-publishing with a new date, though. Google watches out for this kind of activity with its Helpful Content Updates. If you’re going to do that, make sure you’ve genuinely added new content.

Prepare your sales & promotional pages

You should already have pages created for these that you use every year. If you don’t, this is your cue to do that. You should have an evergreen page for your holiday promotions and sales. This page should remain live all year, just not linked prominently from your homepage. This way your main promotional pages for key events will gain authority from links and age over time, and you won’t be trying to rank a brand new page every time. Now that you’ve got your evergreen pages, make sure they are completely up-to-date with this year’s information.



Bed, Bath & Beyond has had its ‘Holiday’ category live with the same URL structure since 2015, with other subfolders coming off it. This has allowed it to gain links and rank for related keywords.

Check for consistency

Make sure your promotional messaging is consistent across your entire website. If you have a banner saying one thing and your landing page says another, you’re in trouble.

Check metadata is correct for this year

If you’re using your evergreen pages, there’s a good chance you optimized your meta titles and meta description for the previous year. Make sure each one is accurate for this year. Consider optimizing them to include what the deal actually includes, too. Are you offering cut prices, a special service, or free shipping? Your meta title or description could be your customer’s first impression of your deals or events.

Communicate key information where applicable

If you’re running special menus or deals, make sure you communicate these where you can. Similarly, if you have restricted opening hours or a final postal date, make sure you clearly communicate this.

How To Smash Your Email Marketing This Holiday Season

In an ideal world, your holiday email marketing communications would be all-singing, all-dancing campaigns with seasonally appropriate designs and GIFs galore, right? But in reality, when it comes to communications as a local business, the most crucial elements of your holiday emails will be the need-to-know items.

Opening hours reminders

Don’t give your customers a chance to tell you they didn’t see your holiday opening hours! As well as on your website, GBP, and social channels (plus any in-store signage you may have), come at your clients from all angles and reinforce any changes to opening hours or contact details in your email marketing. Much more active on IG stories or your Facebook Page? Direct email subscribers to the most relevant channels for regular updates.

Communicate service or product ordering and delivery deadlines

Likewise, for any significant holiday deadlines, ensure your customers have plenty of notice—whether it’s the last order and delivery dates for gift giving, seasonal food ordering ahead of any big days, or your availability for particular services.

Prepare the ‘signing off’ email

If your business is closed during any of the holiday periods, it’s always a good idea to send a ‘signing off’-style communication. This is a nice opportunity to wish your subscribers happy holidays, whilst communicating key reminders about how and when customers can expect to receive support throughout this time. You can also use this as an opportunity to recirculate helpful resources such as FAQs or any guides you might have created.

Sharing the joy of shopping local

The winter holidays in particular can be a great opportunity to reinforce how much the support of your community makes a difference to your business, as it catches consumers at a time when they’re feeling generous and bighearted. Create content to remind them of all the reasons to shop local, such as highlighting the uniqueness of independent gifts and personalized services, or sharing a personal story behind your business.

Automate key messages and prepare ahead of time

Even if you’re going to be out of the office for certain periods, the importance of timeliness never diminishes. For example, the period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is prime for discounts and sales promotions, so in the run-up to key holiday periods, ensure these key emails are planned, created, and scheduled.

Make Sure Your Promotions Are Optimized

Need-to-know information aside, these busy promotion periods do call for some creativity. As commercial dates like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas approach, the need to stand out from the hundreds of notifications pinging your customers’ inboxes or sponsored ads filling up Instagram feeds comes into play. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Be descriptive with your offers

Absolutely everyone is going to be bombarding users with ‘BLACK FRIDAY SALE’ messaging, and it’s more than enough to just turn people who aren’t actively looking for something off. In emails, use your subject line or pre-heading text to be descriptive about what you’re offering and therefore why it’s such good value. 

Creating a sense of urgency

We can’t all be like Glossier, which so rarely holds sales that it causes the internet to go into meltdown, but we can learn a thing or two about how it creates urgency. If you aren’t the kind of business that usually discounts products or services, you can utilize messaging to create excitement or a sense of urgency (AKA incite a sense of FOMO). Some brands make good use of ‘flash’ offer messaging, which can be made all the more effective via app push notifications, while others utilize a live countdown in emails or on-site to drive urgency.
Can you handle demand?

This applies to both the what and the how of any promotions you’d like to run, so not just the product or service that your customers are buying, but the logistics of fulfilling them and your business being able to keep up with any issues. Consider the following:

• Do you physically have enough products in stock?
• Is there a limit on purchasing?
• Do you have adequate customer support in place?
• Is your site set up to receive discount codes?
• Can it handle significant traffic and amounts of transactions?
  

Rewarding loyalty / high-value customers

Some consumers see pre or post-holiday promotional periods as a free-for-all and, while it can be a great opportunity for you to grow brand awareness and gain some new customers, it’s worth considering what value they will place against your brand as a one-time promotional purchaser. Why not consider how this could be an opportunity to reward your existing, loyal customers? You could create an exclusive customer discount, an early-access event, or a live interaction via social channels that seek to reward your most engaged users.

Be smarter around timeliness

UK health and beauty retailer, Boots, has already kicked off the 2023 winter holiday season with discounts and loyalty point boosts for its Advantage Card members with a clever twist: some personalized vouchers can be used twice, some combined with others, and some reward you for ‘getting ahead on gifts’ for purchases during a specific period. However, it’s especially smart as it’s teasing promotions well ahead of time, while also encouraging customers to spend over longer periods, rather than inciting a rush around Black Friday that dwindles ahead of Christmas.

How to prepare your local business for Black Friday

Learn more

Preparation Is Key for a Relaxed Holiday Season

So, are you feeling ready? Our checklist should help every local marketer get the business ready, whether you’re launching a festive menu, closing on different days to everyone else, or simply optimizing your promotional pages

We hope our tips for the holiday season will have you feeling prepared to tackle everything that comes your way over the next couple of months.

Before you get started with your holiday marketing strategy, why not run a Google Business Profile Audit or benchmark your visibility with Local Rank Tracker? Make sure you can measure the impact of everything you’re doing across Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and beyond.

There are a lot of mixed messages about the best ways to approach this, which can make it difficult to know where to turn and how to get started.

Luckily, we’ve enlisted local SEO expert, Claire Carlile, to create a brand-new BrightLocal Academy course—How to Create Website Content For Local SEO—to help you.

In this course, Claire looks at important types of local content, such as regional landing pages, service and product pages, blog posts, and evergreen content types.

During the eight lessons, Claire shares her wisdom on: 

• why content is important; 
• how to match content with searcher intent;
• how to use keyword research to inform a content strategy;
• types of content to create for the top, middle, and bottom of the marketing funnel;
• and what to include on pages to make them successful.

Here’s Claire with an overview of the course:

Who is this course for?

This course will suit organizations and businesses looking to build out their understanding of local content strategy and on-page optimization with a local SEO focus. 

How can I join?

Whether you’re a BrightLocal customer or not, you can get access to this course. You can also be among the first to find out when new courses drop by enrolling for free. Here’s how…

If you’re a BrightLocal customer, you can access the academy via your BrightLocal account. Simply log in, click ‘Learning Resources’ at the top of the screen and select ‘BrightLocal Academy’ from the dropdown menu.

You’ll need to create a free BrightLocal Academy account before you can enroll in the ‘How to Create Website Content For Local SEO’ course.

If you’re not a BrightLocal customer, you can join BrightLocal Academy for free here and follow the same steps above to enroll in the course.

Want to know more about BrightLocal Academy? 

Check out the official BrightLocal Academy FAQs here: 

What is BrightLocal Academy, how does it work, and how can I enroll? 

What courses does BrightLocal Academy offer and how long do they take? 

If you have any questions of your own, feel free to get in touch with us or leave a comment below. We hope you find this fresh new course useful, and can’t wait to hear how it’s helped you improve your local SEO skills.

However, when creating a content silo, copying what competing local businesses are doing won’t cut it. 

You need to differentiate your content silo by identifying the underlying core terms behind local searches and aligning them with your client’s business objectives to create relevant categories. Then, once they’re live you’ll want to set up rank tracking to see how you’re doing.

Throughout this article, we’ll explore several ways to create a differentiated content silo that will outrank the competition. 

What is a content silo and why do you need one?

A content silo is a website structure that allows you to organize, create, and publish content around specific categories. A silo lets you structure your content more efficiently for both search engines and users, by grouping content into clear sections on your site.

Content silos take different formats that vary from one local business to the other, depending on needs and goals. 

That said, why do you need a content silo?

With 88% of customers equating the buying experience to the quality of the products and services you sell but only 57% of small businesses pursuing any content marketing, you have a competitive advantage when you can unify the buying experience with relevant content. 

You should then make sure that they can find said content whenever they need it on their buying journey. A content silo will help you do that.

Let’s assume you have a content silo based on the products your client sells locally. For example, let’s look at Hunter Douglas:

Source: Hunter Douglas

Potential customers won’t start by landing on the homepage if they don’t even know whether the company exists. 

Depending on their needs, their search will reflect a specific intent. If a searcher looks for energy efficient window treatments, here’s the search result they might get: 

Notice the search result coming in the first page leads to Hunter Douglas. Once the searcher visits the page, they’ll join one of their categories, “Browse by Need.”  

All the content in this category is linked together. This means once a reader clicks on one category, they get all the information they need based on their intent. 

For example, if clicking through the search results for energy-efficient window treatments, the links in the blog content point to their product page listing different energy-efficient shades. 

A potential customer then has an easy time finding what they need. They view the business as one that understands their needs, which opens the door to conversions and sets the stage for customer retention. 

Besides, from a branding perspective, being the local business that has structured their content to ensure ease of access and unifies their buying journey. They don’t have to move from one place to another to find what they need. 

Even in a local setup, the customer buying journey isn’t linear. Still, customers look for solutions to their problems and prefer using the most convenient path to arrive at these solutions. 

If you create a content silo with content that acts as the vehicle to their destination, then the experience you deliver is as good as the product or service your client sells.

Why is creating content silos a challenge?

Creating content silos is a challenge for two reasons:

1. Bad advice that’s hard to shake off

In previous years, “publish content daily at a specific time of the day’’ seemed like sound content marketing advice. After all, if your competitor was publishing two or three times a week, then all you needed to do was to hustle and increase your publishing frequency to outdo them.

The problem with taking only this advice is that initiatives around publishing quality content don’t feature anywhere in your content operations.

2. A lack of clarity on where each piece of content fits

This problem comes up when you’re either publishing too much or too little content. Potential customers are at different stages of the buying journey. What you publish needs to satisfy their intent to help them move to the next stage of the buying journey. 

If your content strategy and content don’t align with their needs, then creating a silo seems impossible. 

Creating content silos is an approach based on principle (quality over quantity) and being mindful of evolving customer expectations and an effort to deliver better buying experiences. 

How to create content silos for local SEO (with examples)

The first step when creating content silos is to identify core terms for your client’s site and make sure they align with your client’s business objectives. 

If you’re working with a window cleaning business serving local clients, the core term in Google searches will be based on the different types of services your client can provide such as “power washing services”, “residential washing services” and “commercial washing services.” 

Source: Next Level Window Cleaning

You can also create categories based on the type of content you want to create for your client’s local business. For example, Lawn and Weed Expert has several informational categories based on what potential customers look for:

Source: Lawn and Weed Expert

Or, create categories based on location, if your client serves different locations: 

Source: CorePower Yoga

A point to note is that when creating a content silo for a multi-location business, make sure that the Google Business Profile links point to the corresponding landing page for that location within the same silo.

Lastly, differentiate your blog content by creating categories based on frequently asked questions about the product your client sells: 

Source: Budget Blinds

Once you identify core terms that make up your categories, identify relevant modifiers for each of these categories to expand them to find content ideas. 

Use the Five W’s (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) to create more ideas covering different types of search intent. Here’s an example of lawn care questions with an accompanying content idea: 

• Who: Who is the best lawn care service provider? 
  Transactional search intent: “Best lawn care service providers in South Wales”
• What: What is lawn care? 
  Informational search intent: “Ultimate guide to lawn care”
• When: When should I take care of my lawn? 
  Informational search intent: “How to maintain your lawn during fall”
• Where: Where can I find lawn care services? 
  Navigational search intent: “10 locations that [business] provides lawn care services”
• Why: Why is my lawn dry? 
  Informational search intent: “How to treat brown patches on your lawn”

Use a keyword research tool to identify long-tail keywords and start creating content around them. They’re easier to rank for since fewer local businesses are trying to rank for them. 

Besides, long tail keywords indicate more clarity in intent, which is often transactional. 

Once you create content for each core term and its related modifier, organize the content in different folders using relevant URLs and tags, and then link the pages together. Using our lawn care example: 

• Core term: lawn-disease-protection
• Relevant content sub-category: Red thread, Fungus/Mold, Dry Patches, Brown/yellow patch
• Example of related content with relevant URL: /lawn-disease-protection/yellow-patches/

Pitfalls to avoid when implementing content silos for local SEO 

By now, you already have some ideas about what type of content silo to create. Before you get started, here are a couple of pitfalls to avoid:

Creating too many silos at once

Most of the examples we’ve shown above are from established local businesses with several silos. 

Their content strategies have evolved over time, allowing them to create more silos and get better results from their efforts.  

If you’re working with a local business that launched recently or has never had any content silo before, start with one category, improve on it, and then create a new one. 

Creating content that doesn’t satisfy search intent

After identifying a core term that reflects what potential customers are looking for, create content that satisfies search intent to improve the quality of your silo and establish credibility. 

Otherwise, you won’t be able to capitalize on the benefits of increased organic traffic to your website. 

Poor internal linking

The goal of the silo is to make sure relevant content is linked together for proper crawling and indexing by search engines. 

Link relevant content together by using relevant anchor text that makes it easier for crawlers to index all your content properly and for readers to understand the context behind the link. 

Conclusion

A solid content silo helps you achieve your content marketing objectives by helping you focus on creating content that drives business objectives. 

And if you’re creating your first silo, start with one silo and build up from there. Identify your core terms and relevant modifiers to use and then create content that satisfies search intent. 

Once you do this, add relevant tags, URLs, and add links to relevant content within your category to help search engines index your content so that it shows up in search results. 

As you go, keep an eye out for improvements you need to make to location-based content, new categories you need to create, old content to update, and so on. Doing this will make sure all your content is fresh and relevant to your readers.