LinkNow Media Blog Tag: local search

Why Mastering Search Intent Is Essential for Ranking in 2026

Overview This LinkNow blog covers why understanding what your customers are really searching for is the secret to showing up in Google results and staying ahead of your competition in 2026. Highlights • What Is Search Intent? • Why Search Intent Matters Now More Than Ever • How AI is Changing Search Intent • Practical Strategies To Optimize for Search Intent • Common Mistakes Businesses Make With Search Intent • The Future of Search Intent • Master Search Intent by Working With LinkNow Introduction Search engine optimization isn’t what it used to be. Today, climbing the rankings is no longer a matter of who can squeeze the most keywords into a page—it comes down to who can truly understand the intent behind their target audience. Every time a customer uses a search engine, they’re signaling what they want. The businesses that deliver the right type of answer, in the right format, at the right time, are the […]

It’s Not SEO vs. PPC—It’s SEO and PPC

Overview This blog highlights how small businesses can achieve the strongest marketing results by pairing long-term organic SEO with targeted, short-term PPC campaigns—leveraging the unique strengths of each to boost visibility, credibility, and sales. Highlights • What Is Organic SEO? • When Should You Focus On SEO? • What Is Pay-Per-Click Advertising? • When Should You Focus On PPC? • Why Smart Businesses Use Both SEO and PPC • Tips for Using SEO and PPC Together • Mini Case Study: The Synergy of SEO Plus PPC Introduction When it comes to digital marketing, we here at LinkNow are firm believers that it’s not a battle between SEO and PPC—it’s a partnership. Smart businesses know that while SEO builds long-term credibility and organic traffic, PPC delivers fast, targeted exposure when timing matters most. This blog breaks down exactly how—and when—to use each strategy and how combining the two unlocks serious business growth. What Is Organic SEO? When small […]

LinkNow Case Study: Dry Cleaners in Maine

In today’s case study, we’re highlighting how LinkNow’s effective SEO strategies propelled an established dry cleaner’s online success. Serving the community for nearly seven decades, this local dry cleaning business in Maine built its reputation on reliability and quality. Yet, despite a strong local following, their online visibility failed to reflect that legacy. With modern consumers relying on search engines to find services, a lack of digital presence limited their new customer acquisition. When this client first came to us in 2021, their web presence was the bare minimum, but our services provided them with immediate results that only increased over time. Let’s take a look at their story. A Solid Reputation Doesn’t Cut It Anymore Operating since 1953, this locally owned business built a strong reputation through decades of service. Despite its deep roots in the community, visibility in search results remained a struggle. Competing with larger franchises […]

How to Set Up the Top 5 Citations

Many of us have been preached about the importance of having an “online presence” or building a “digital footprint,” but what does this really mean? It’s certainly not throwing a website together and bombarding it with irrelevant content. What’s the secret? Citations—online mentions of your business’s key information (address, phone, website)—are like digital business cards strewn across the internet. There are plenty of citation sources, but some carry more weight than others. In this blog post, we help you set up the top five (structured) citations to help search engines understand your business’s legitimacy, location, and relevance to local searches—helping customers find you faster. Why Citations Matter for SEO Citations are like playing a raffle in which the likelihood of drawing your (business’s) name is increased manifold. While they aren’t directly used in marketing content itself, they play a role in supporting your overall business marketing strategy through SEO. […]

10 Questions to Ask an Agency Before Buying SEO

As the world continues to evolve into a global digital enterprise, businesses need to adapt to the changes to maintain a strong online presence, which is crucial for their growth and success. How does a business get ahead of the online competition? Through a robust, intentionally designed SEO plan. Search engine optimization (SEO) has become an indispensable tool for improving website visibility, driving organic traffic, and ultimately boosting revenue. However, with countless SEO agencies competing for your attention, it can be challenging to separate the good from the bad. Before handing over your digital marketing efforts to an agency, you want to ask the right questions to ensure you’re making an informed decision. If you’re a small business, here are ten critical questions that will help you evaluate an SEO agency’s expertise, transparency, and ability to deliver tangible results. What Is SEO? SEO is akin to strategically positioning your […]

How to Generate Leads With Local Service Ads

Standing out as a local business can be challenging with so many competitors offering similar services in the same area. However, with Local Service Ads, you can increase your visibility and attract more potential customers to your business. In this blog post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Local Service Ads and how to effectively use them to generate leads for your business. What Are Local Service Ads? Local Service Ads (LSAs) are part of an online advertising service that Google offers to local businesses, such as plumbers, electricians, and landscapers. These ads appear at the top of search engine results pages when users search for services near their location. They’re designed to connect customers with local businesses that meet their needs. LSAs differ from traditional Google Ads because they only target users within a specific geographic area. This means that your ad will only be […]

Long-Tail Keywords: How to Outrank the Competition

Image of a graph and a magnifying glass focused on a key. Text says: Long-tail keywords: Your secret weapon to crush the competition.

Forget about using short, generic keywords. The long-tail keyword (LT) is what you need to boost business. In fact, long-tail keywords are what we use to supercharge our rankings and reach Google’s front page. They’re also what we use to get our clients results like these: Long-tails are a powerful, simple tool to improve your ranking on Google. Let’s look at how you can use them to increase your online visibility and outrank your competition. What Are Long-Tail Keywords? At its simplest, a long-tail keyword is a longer-than-average keyword. It strings together multiple terms to create a hyper-specific, ultra-focused keyword based on what users are searching for. This is where the magic happens. Long-tails home in on user search intent. Unlike short, “fat-head” keywords, a long-tail keyword focuses on a specific search query to address a user’s unique need. That need could be an answer to a question, a […]

Why You Need a Google Page for Business in 2020

When it comes to marketing your small- to medium-sized business, a Google My Business (GMB) page is one of the best tools available. Google My Business is designed to make your business searchable on Google Maps. With more and more consumers using their mobile devices to search for businesses located near them, optimizing your Google My Business page should be your number one priority. In this blog, we’re going to explain what a GMB page is, why it’s so important, and how to optimize it to get leads from local searches on Google Maps. What Is a Google My Business Page? When a consumer searches for your business or a keyword related to your business on Google Maps, your GMB page will show up in the search results. It’s like a social media profile that contains everything a consumer might want to know about you before they call or […]

You Can Now Add ‘Services’ to Your Google My Business Page

If you’re not a search engine optimization geek then you may not have noticed, but Google now allows businesses to add lists of services to their Google My Business (GMB) pages. The rollout appears to be happening quietly but also pretty quickly. We’ve tested a few GMB listings for our clients and it seems like about half of them have the option to add service menus. If this change sticks around, expect it to reach most of the North American GMB community in a few days. The change was reported on by various search engine marketing industry blogs over the last week. At LinkNow Media we’re always trying to find new ways to improve our clients’ local search rankings and we expect this will be a great tool moving into the future. What’s Changed? Have you ever performed a search for a laundromat near you? Go ahead and do it […]

Waze Launches Waze Local Advertising

Waze Local: A Powerful New Weapon for Your Arsenal At 6:30 a.m. this morning, I was packing lunch for my two daughters when my phone started buzzing like a hive. SearchEngineLand broke the news that Waze Local had finally launched and the blogosphere took notice. I was so distracted, I almost added my keys to my morning blender smoothie. Readers—this is a big deal. I Don’t Get It. What’s So Exciting About Waze Local? Waze Local is an advertising tool platform that small businesses can use to transmit their locations to users of the Waze app. At LinkNow Media, we’re always trying to stay on top of the latest developments in search engine optimization and search engine marketing. When we hear about a new ad platform, we get excited. Waze Local was in beta for most of the last year, but now it’s open to anybody who wants to promote […]

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