How to rank in different languages

Hello!

Here are your weekly local SEO tips 👇️

1. You can optimize your GBP to rank in different languages

Watch this video to learn how 👇️

@darrenshawseo

Nobody knows this: you can optimize your Google Business Profile to rank in different languages. Here’s how: 1. Go to Google Maps 2. Selec... See more

No TikTok? Watch the video on Instagram!

2. Clicks don’t only influence Google rankings

They also affect AI visibility.

Cyrus Shepard just published an amazing article about how click behavior drives search visibility for websites and brands, and there are a couple of really important takeaways that most SEOs overlook.

Here’s what Google is likely measuring when someone clicks your website in the search result:

• If someone clicks your website and immediately goes back to Google, that’s a bad signal.

• If they stay on your page for 30+ seconds, that’s a good signal.

• And if your result gets clicked and the user never goes back to the search results, that’s even better.

In other words, it’s not just about getting the click; it’s about the quality of the click. But this behavior doesn’t just impact Google search rankings; it also influences AI because:

• Google uses real search behavior to ground its AI answers.

• AI Overviews pull heavily from top-ranking results.

• Even other AI platforms like ChatGPT rely on Google’s results as a source.

Better click behavior —> better rankings —> more visibility in AI

Cyrus also shares a really smart way to think about optimizing for this. It comes down to three things:

• Prove your relevance via the title and description (get them to click)

• Prove your usefulness (deliver on the page)

• Fully answer the query (get them to stick)

If you can keep users from going back to search, you’re sending a very strong signal to Google. And that’s exactly what both search and AI are looking for.

You can find a link to Cyrus’s article in my LinkedIn post.

3. “What keywords should I track?”

This is one of the most common questions we get, and now Whitespark’s Local Ranking Grids answers that for you.

We’ve added keyword suggestions to Local Ranking Grids, so you don’t have to work your brain so hard.

P.S. If you want to try the new feature, you can run 8 free 5x5 grid scans with our trial, no credit card required 👇️

4. Remember these?

If you do, you’re an SEO OG 👴

5. Catch up on the pod

Attention all businesses that use QR codes to request Google reviews:

Don’t link the QR code directly to your GBP reviews section. There’s a better way:

Claudia Tomina recently published an article talking about Google’s updated policies on filtering fake reviews. In it, she includes a special warning about QR codes in particular, citing a few potential problems:

• QR codes are often included in on-site signage, but reviews posted from the business location are against Google’s policies.

• Business cards with QR codes might get into the hands of a person who has never interacted with the brand on Google. If they directly leave a review without this prior interaction, their review might get removed.

So, how do you sidestep this problem? Two things to consider:

1. Encourage the customer to leave the review after they have left your business. Give them a business card with a QR code to make it easy for them.

2. Instead of linking the business card QR code to the review section of your GBP, link it to a branded Google search.

This way, you get them to interact with the brand online first, which will increase Google’s trust in the legitimacy of the review. Additionally, you’ll get the ranking benefits of someone searching for your brand name and engaging with your Profile.

Last week’s special podcast guest Claudia and I talked about this topic in length. We also discussed:

• Google Business Profile Updates Identity Change Policy Language

• How a Topic Entity Update Increased AI Visibility 10.8% (Aimee Jurenka)

• The new “What people are saying" feature

• Top Takeaways from the New Google Business Profile Playbooks (Miriam Ellis)

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Darren

P.S. Whitespark can help you ⬇️

😍 Visualize your local search performance on the most beautiful ranking grids

🚨 Get notified when Google updates your GBP and reject unwanted changes

🚀 Increase your local rankings and conversions

📈 Track rankings across different zip/post-codes

⭐️ Get more reviews

🧹 Clean up and build citations

🔍 Find citation opportunities

✍️ Learn local SEO for free

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