New Google features reinforce local news in the search engine and offer tools for content producers to prioritize local news in their publications. A trend that had already been perceived, but now gains the contribution of the giant of the searches. Follow the text for details!
The term “news near me” has never been so high. Google reports that users' interest in local and community-related news has tripled over the past five years, reaching the highest in May 2020.
The intention with the novelty is that when searching the internet, people receive really relevant content locally. What for us at Nvx is a source of pride and comes to prove a bet/investment that we made 13 years ago with the portal Eye on the Island, specializing in news from Florianópolis.
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Contents
Toggle- Valuing local production comes in good time
- Priority for News
- SEO has to be taken seriously!
- The contents are multiplatform
- Local news helps sell
- Avoid clickbaits
- Build a network of digital employees
- Search for good content
- Editorial calendar
- Conclusion
Valuing local production comes in good time
The company said it expanded a previously launched resource for searches on Covid that adds a local news carousel when relevant for the query of the person who is searching. For example, a search for “football” may bring news about local sports.
A study by The Poynter Institute, an American journalism defense group, indicates that over 90 local news organizations closed during the pandemic. This is added to the decline in traditional activity that has been going on for years. In 2019, New York Times reported that 1 in every 15 U.S. newspapers had closed for the last 15 years.
In Brazil, too, we see the disappearance of traditional news companies and printed publications all the time, migrating to the digital. Interest in local information has taken the lead of those who produce news without looking into their own backyard.
Therefore, it is certainly commendable that Google finds ways to give the surviving local news ecosystem more visibility.
Check out the new features:
- Local news carousel: Google will display a carousel dedicated to local news when there is a relevant location for the user query.
- Main news carousel: reliable local news sources will appear more frequently on the main news carousel, which is usually reserved for stories from national publications.
- Deeper understanding of the topics: Google is refining its ability to connect broad topics with local stories. For example, “football” surveys can return stories about the researcher’s local teams.
- Local Tweets: local news researchers can now bring tweets from authorized local publications and journalists. In addition to adding the local news carousel, Google is also adding a “Popular Twitter” carousel for queries on local news topics. Although tweets from local news organizations may be included, the feature will also get tweets from a variety of sources that it considers to have local authority over these topics.
- Census mapping project: a built-in map that displays census data at national, state and municipal level, as well as census tracts. Data collected and processed by The Associated Press.
- Common knowledge project: a new version of this existing tool, which allows US journalists to explore local data, full feedback from journalists and new features, including geographical comparisons, new graphics and images. Still no prediction of reaching Brazil.
Priority for News
Google spokesperson Meghann Farnsworth said that the content of any editor is eligible for carousel rating if it is relevant to what the reader is looking for: “Editors with more experience, authority and reliability for a particular topic or location will be classified accordingly.”
But Google has recognized that the new carousel is not reserved for local publishers, only local content. “Local news includes sources with news about the user’s location, which are usually local producers, but sometimes may also include national issues,” Farnsworth said.
It is important to know that in recent years Google has invested more in news media and news distribution. This movement is part of a company strategy to be the main source of information on the Internet.
An article from The Next WebIt shows that the giant wants to occupy a part of the space that today belongs to Twitter. The social network has started to adopt an increasingly news tone in recent years and today is the first place that many people are informed. Twitter issues even lead to a large part of the media.
But before you go posting local things to win Google's carousels, pay attention to some important tips that can help be relevant when a user is searching for local news:
SEO has to be taken seriously!
Seriously, it's no use creating content without aligning your text with the most basic SEO techniques to rank organically. Therefore, pay attention to key words to be used that can meet the expectation of those who seek terms such as “‘last news from Florianópolis’. It could be for example an H2 (subtitle) of an article.
Another decisive SEO action for those who view carousels in the search is the titles that, if too long, end up damaging the display. Look for short H1 titles and goals.
The contents are multiplatform
By producing content that you want to rank in the searches keep in mind that it is not enough to create blog texts/articles or the news portal. Have videos, a good YouTube channel, testimonials, podcasts, and of course, be active on social networks.
This naturally gives more work and requires some resource, but the investment you will be making is in your local business or news service to be found and with this generate traffic and conversions.
Local news helps sell
Producing local content is also good for advertisers, who find nested and target-specific geo audience spaces located to sell products and services.
Partnerships are a source of revenue for both sides, with the possibility of marketing campaigns together, attracting qualified leads and customer journeys with delivery focused on traffic and sales goals.
Avoid clickbaits
It doesn't cost much to say that clickbaits (strange or sensationalistic) headlines to generate traffic are a bust and undermine the reputation of any digital business.
Google penalizes content that is not appropriate with its ranking rules that determine the organic range of news, for example. Building authority wrongly, even if the goal is to sell, can compromise the visibility of your brand.
Build a network of digital employees
Remember that today the information is fast and almost everyone has a mobile phone pointed to something or fact, so sharing content and disclosing employees can be important to get relevant local content.
Many local influencers use stories on Instagram to show community situations where they live, which can be interesting guidelines to address topics of common interest.
Search for good content
Use your community's research and data to produce content that may be highlighted on Google. Google Trend Topics can help with this search, as well as the current Twitter topics, also called TTs.
Enquiring social networks on certain topics or topics contributes to better local coverage, understanding the behavior and habits of users.
Editorial calendar
Build an editorial calendar to increase the frequency of new posts.
In addition to publishing local news, take advantage of new visitors coming from this Google feature for lead generation, advertising, sales or whatever you need.
Remember that local dates or events should always be on your calendar, because people value actions where the community is collaboratively involved, even for leisure.
After offering a high quality experience, you can now, perhaps... ask something in return.
Conclusion
Look for more than anything, expand your content marketing strategy. Map the recommended practices that Google uses to categorize a content, blog, or web page as relevant to your search results.
It's only a matter of time before Google increases its selection of business segments on display for local results. Instead of waiting for that to happen to improve your content strategy, how about we start right away?
Applying a robust and aligned content marketing strategy, you can: expand your blog or portal traffic, increase conversion rates, generate new sessions and make your business more profitable.
The sooner you start taking advantage of Google's new local search features, the greater the chances of getting better and more relevant results with them.
