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Question for SEO experts

by tg187
10 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I'm in the process of building a website for an attorney and ranking it in Google. When I do a search for the primary keyword phrases I want the site to rank for there's no Google My Business 3 pack listings. If there's no GMB listings what happens if I create a GMB listing for the client? Will it appear as a single result to the right? Is that how it works?
#experts #question #seo
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  • Profile picture of the author THEroyseo
    Look if the other businesses have a GMB account. Maybe they don't have one because they are not local business and they rank for a local keyword. If it's the case, you will probably be in the maps.
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    Nicolas Roy
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  • Profile picture of the author Blakers1
    Google doesn't necessarily display a local pack result for each and every search term. I'd look at competitors and see what they are ranking for and type in those search terms to see if it triggers a 3-pack.

    If it's a really small market, I could see your scenario playing out where creating a listing triggers some change in the algorithm around local terms that no one has a listing for yet.

    Bottom line - submit your listing and give it 3-5 days after verification. Then check your keywords again to see what changes, if any, you see in the SERP.
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    Blake Akers
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Originally Posted by tg187 View Post

    I'm in the process of building a website for an attorney and ranking it in Google. When I do a search for the primary keyword phrases I want the site to rank for there's no Google My Business 3 pack listings. If there's no GMB listings what happens if I create a GMB listing for the client? Will it appear as a single result to the right? Is that how it works?

    No. If you create a listing it will not just change the results. I'm sure your client is not the only attorney in the area.

    For whatever reason, the keywords you are looking at are not keywords that Google feels should trigger a local listing.
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    • Profile picture of the author yukon
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      Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

      For whatever reason, the keywords you are looking at are not keywords that Google feels should trigger a local listing.


      Maybe, but small towns sometimes don't have a history of 3-packs per keyword. That doesn't necessarily mean they're incapable of happening.

      OP said they're building a website so my question for OP is, is this a new business in a small town that doesn't have any other lawyers? Probably a long shot, but we don't know unless OP tells us.

      Not knowing the keyword ends up with guessing.
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      • Profile picture of the author Blakers1
        Originally Posted by yukon View Post

        Maybe, but small towns sometimes don't have a history of 3-packs per keyword. That doesn't necessarily mean they're incapable of happening.

        OP said they're building a website so my question for OP is, is this a new business in a small town that doesn't have any other lawyers? Probably a long shot, but we don't know unless OP tells us.

        Not knowing the keyword ends up with guessing.
        Exactly, some small towns literally only have 1 doctor, 1 lawyer, and a Dollar General. LOL, there's ALWAYS a Dollar General, even if the population is like 500 people!

        If that's not the case here, Google most likely does not want to trigger a local pack result like Mike suggested. Try searching a few of these and see what you get:

        attorney in <city>
        lawyer in <city>
        <insert specialty> attorney <city, state>

        One of those should trigger a local pack if you are in a fairly large market.
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        Blake Akers
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Originally Posted by yukon View Post

    Maybe, but small towns sometimes don't have a history of 3-packs per keyword. That doesn't necessarily mean they're incapable of happening.

    OP said they're building a website so my question for OP is, is this a new business in a small town that doesn't have any other lawyers? Probably a long shot, but we don't know unless OP tells us.

    Not knowing the keyword ends up with guessing.
    Originally Posted by Blakers1 View Post

    Exactly, some small towns literally only have 1 doctor, 1 lawyer, and a Dollar General. LOL, there's ALWAYS a Dollar General, even if the population is like 500 people!

    If that's not the case here, Google most likely does not want to trigger a local pack result like Mike suggested. Try searching a few of these and see what you get:

    attorney in <city>
    lawyer in <city>
    <insert specialty> attorney <city, state>

    One of those should trigger a local pack if you are in a fairly large market.
    Even in small towns like that, unless it is a brand new business and the only of its type, data aggregators would have already picked up other businesses and there would be unclaimed GMB listings, even if they are not trying to rank.
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    • Profile picture of the author Blakers1
      "unless it is a brand new business and the only of its type" That's exactly what I was referring to. In a past life, I worked for the power company going all over the state to little towns like that. You'd be surprised how many places there are like this.
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      • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
        Originally Posted by Blakers1 View Post

        "unless it is a brand new business and the only of its type" That's exactly what I was referring to. In a past life, I worked for the power company going all over the state to little towns like that. You'd be surprised how many places there are like this.
        Even then, if there is no local pack, there probably won't be.

        Here is an example.

        https://www.google.com/search?q=esta...hrome&ie=UTF-8

        Dillsburg is a town of like 7 people. This is an obvious "local search" and Google is pulling businesses 21 miles away.

        Google has pretty much already decided what searches should and should not show a local search. That may change over time but it's not going to be influenced by setting up a business in a town.
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        • Profile picture of the author yukon
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          Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

          Even then, if there is no local pack, there probably won't be.

          Here is an example.

          https://www.google.com/search?q=esta...hrome&ie=UTF-8

          Dillsburg is a town of like 7 people. This is an obvious "local search" and Google is pulling businesses 21 miles away.

          Google has pretty much already decided what searches should and should not show a local search. That may change over time but it's not going to be influenced by setting up a business in a town.



          I must be seeing completely different SERPs or something because none of those in that 3-pack are from out of town,

          Just because nobody has triggered the 3 pack doesn't mean it won't happen.

          I live outside a small town, less than 1,500 people (in town).

          When I search for "{town} {state abbreviation} plumber" there's no 3-pack because there's no plumbers in town and nobody outside of town is targeting it.

          I get what you're saying about surrounding areas but that only matters If businesses in those surrounding areas are targeting the small town.

          In your example the first ranked in 3-pack is targeting Dillsburg (the small town). They have 31 indexed pages that mention Dillsburg.

          • site:s w l l a w y e r s [dot] com "dillsburg"


          The first listing has a Dillsburg address (xxx Baltimore St, Dillsburg, PA 17019) where what I'm talking about OPs client might be a new business considering OP is building a website. OP hasn't answered the question.

          The 2nd listing also has a Dillsburg address (xxx Harrisburg St, Dillsburg, PA 17019) on Google Maps.

          The 3rd listing also has a Dillsburg address (xxx Tristan Dr #3, Dillsburg, PA 17019) on Google Maps.

          Even the 4th hidden listing has a Dillsburg address (xxx W Church St # 101, Dillsburg, PA 17019) on Google Maps.

          All those businesses are in the same town as far as those addresses.


          BTW, that town has way more than 7 people, lol. That's way way way bigger than my local town.
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          • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
            Originally Posted by yukon View Post

            I must be seeing completely different SERPs or something because none of those in that 3-pack are from out of town,

            Just because nobody has triggered the 3 pack doesn't mean it won't happen.

            I live outside a small town, less than 1,500 people (in town).

            When I search for "{town} {state abbreviation} plumber" there's no 3-pack because there's no plumbers in town and nobody outside of town is targeting it.

            I get what you're saying about surrounding areas but that only matters If businesses in those surrounding areas are targeting the small town.

            In your example the first ranked in 3-pack is targeting Dillsburg (the small town). They have 31 indexed pages that mention Dillsburg.

            • site:s w l l a w y e r s [dot] com "dillsburg"


            The first listing has a Dillsburg address (xxx Baltimore St, Dillsburg, PA 17019) where what I'm talking about OPs client might be a new business considering OP is building a website. OP hasn't answered the question.

            The 2nd listing also has a Dillsburg address (xxx Harrisburg St, Dillsburg, PA 17019) on Google Maps.

            The 3rd listing also has a Dillsburg address (xxx Tristan Dr #3, Dillsburg, PA 17019) on Google Maps.

            Even the 4th hidden listing has a Dillsburg address (xxx W Church St # 101, Dillsburg, PA 17019) on Google Maps.

            All those businesses are in the same town as far as those addresses.


            BTW, that town has way more than 7 people, lol. That's way way way bigger than my local town.

            Okay. Ignore that post. I swear when I did that search earlier, nothing in Dillsburg was showing up. It was pulling locations from York and Mechanicsburg.

            Now I am seeing all local results.

            Weird.

            And the 7 people thing was an exaggeration. There are at least 12 people in Dillsburg.

            If the population is high at all, it is only because of the town limits being pretty big. If you drive through it, it's nothing but fields and woods other than their square.
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