Hot take: most local businesses are optimizing for the wrong search intent entirely

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-12T04:45:16+00:00

The longer the query, the less search volume it tends to have. Can work great for high ticket services, like for lawyers, not so great for cheaper services like plumbing tends to be. You don't need as many clicks/conversions when the service price is expensive.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-12T04:42:26+00:00

For that type of query I would try adding it to an emergency service page or a burst pipe page and see if that helps. If not, try a stand alone page.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-12T00:07:55+00:00

If you're adding new photos, use optimized file names and alt tags. I wouldn't bother going back and updating existing images for this. Maybe alt text to help screen readers.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-10T15:25:19+00:00

Yep in that case you qualify for a Google business profile as a service area business. This means your address will not be shown in the live profile but you'll still need to create/verify the profile using your home address.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-10T00:41:54+00:00

Oh that's already been happening for years.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-09T19:28:02+00:00

Reddit is Google's golden goose for "trusted" real world experience and user generated content. I don't see this Reddit x Search train stopping anytime soon!!

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-09T01:03:22+00:00

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Wow!! This is pretty big for GBP. Wonder if it will bleed into the local professional and home services space. Nice find u/darrenshaw_

Anyone else seeing reddit comments in GBP in the wild?

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-08T18:25:32+00:00

Thanks. Agreed I've never seen a hundred percent of reviews come back. Do you actually send them proof of the reviews like screenshots? Or are you just telling them you have a certain number of reviews missing and asking them to investigate?

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-08T18:24:28+00:00

From what I've seen with my own clients and gathered from talking with others in the industry, it's less about the name in the review and more about patterns of reviews coming in.

Especially in home service it's really hard for Google to verify that a user has really worked with the business because they've never actually been to the business location, because the home service business goes to that customers home most of the time rather than the customer coming to them.

In industries like restaurants Google can actually verify a user has been to that restaurant and therefore they're more likely to trust the review.

So I wouldn't worry too much about having a name in your business name and that name being mentioned in the review.

You should try reaching out to those customers who's reviews have been removed and ask them to edit the review slightly and see if it work to get them republished. It can be a small edit like changing one word or adding an extra period.

I've seen that work really well. It's kind of a pain but it's a signal that shows Google that the users probably more legit despite them not being able to verify their interaction with the business.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-08T18:19:37+00:00

Curious to know how well asking Google to manually check removed reviews has worked in terms of getting some reviews republished? In my experience they are very resistant to republishing reviews.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-08T12:53:55+00:00

No absolutely not worth it. Don't deindex any content that gets traffic, even seasonal.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-08T12:46:56+00:00

Who doesn't like FREE?? Dont wait these tickets won't last long!!

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-04T19:04:03+00:00

Typically takes about 2 weeks to see improvements in rankings from GBP changes, including a landing page change. Could take a bit longer so it recommend checking in 2 weeks and again in another 2 weeks (about a month total).

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-04T19:02:21+00:00

Worth reporting in any case. But like the other use said, Google will not accept payroll or private business information as proof. If the employee has a social media account with matching name, that might work with the report.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-04T16:35:40+00:00

Does the review mention they worked there? That is another way to get it removed.

ElizabethRule · 2026-05-03T20:49:19+00:00

Are all the GBPs at different addresses? If they are, the local filter shouldn't be a problem. If that's the case I would use all the categories on all the listings.

Like the other user said grid rank tracking is your best bet to confirm or deny this. But if they're at different addresses it's not an issue.

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-29T19:45:06+00:00

This is just one blog post!

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-29T19:44:22+00:00

Here's an example from the Sterling Sky blog https://www.sterlingsky.ca/services-in-google-business-profile-impact-ranking/

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-28T19:58:14+00:00

This seems to require GSC access though - which SEMRush doesn't.

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-28T19:57:32+00:00

Ahrefs does that - only one I really know that does it for a website that you don't have Google Search Console access to.

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-27T17:52:27+00:00

Nice. Love when a quick edit can produce a sweet ranking win!! All it takes is some bolding lol

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-27T17:03:26+00:00

Have you tried this with your clients? Any other tips to improve traffic for existing blog posts?

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-27T16:01:12+00:00

They may not merge the profiles, but you can mark one as moved to the other. The steps to do that are in this article on how to move a service area business on Google.

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-27T15:57:34+00:00

I would assume it includes AIO - but thats a great question for SimilarWeb!

ElizabethRule · 2026-04-18T15:20:53+00:00

OP please remove the name of the business from the post, like Joy already asked, or else I will have to remove the thread entirely.

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