Google Local Service Ads: To Brand or Not to Brand?

Y’know what’s super annoying?—Google thinking it was okay to just auto-enroll all LSA clients into their branded queries. Sheesh. Later, should we all be mourning the death of links for SEO (again)?  ----- Google… someday, we’d really appreciate it if you stopped being so presumptuous. Listen up, business owners—Google’s auto-enrollment scheme in branded queries for LSAs might be leading you to spend money unnecessarily, but it’s all a little too murky to know what’s really happening. The good news is: you can opt out if you want to. The bad news is: the current data is so fuzzy that it’s pretty darn tough to tell whether opting out is the right move. Gyi and Conrad pick apart their findings thus far and offer insights into how to navigate these shifts in your LSAs.  The Link is dead; long live the Link? A recent article headline caught our attention: Google Confirms Links Are Not That Important. Is this really true, though? Nah. Links may have decreased in significance in some ways, but they still absolutely have a place in the SEO kingdom, and Gyi and Conrad explain why.  The News: Google just shared their Q1 earning call, and nearmedia.co has all the deets.  Whaaaaa..?! Google Confirms Links Are Not That Important Google’s March 2024 Core Update Finished April 19th — Hopefully any turbulence you experienced has died down by now.  Next, Google tests scan-to-call QR codes and extra images on sponsored ads. If you see one within the legal sphere, send it to us!  For all 2 of you who needed to know, you can no longer manually update ads on Bing as of April 30th: Microsoft Ads to replace Manual CPC with Enhanced CPC by end of April  Old news? The Federal Trade Commission Announces Proposed Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials. Somebody’s gonna get in big trouble, y’all; we’re looking at you Banana Slicer. Gyi and Conrad will both be participating in the Law Firm Growth Summit from May 21-23.  And, LocalU Detroit is coming up on June 24th!  Mentioned in this Episode: The Bite - Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Newsletter! Brand Conquesting: Dirty and Underhanded? || How would you spend $5000? - LHLM Episode Join us live for LHLM Office Hours on LinkedIn or Youtube, May 17th.  Leave Us an Apple Review  Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on YouTube  Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok