Local SEO Introduction to Local SEO 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What happens when a business owner claims an already-existing Google Business Profile listing?
- The old listing is deleted and a new one is created
- The owner gains management rights to update and optimize the existing listing (Correct answer)
- Google creates a duplicate listing for the owner to manage
- The listing is suspended pending verification
Correct answer: The owner gains management rights to update and optimize the existing listing
Claiming an existing GBP listing gives the owner management access to update information, respond to reviews, and optimize the profile.
Question 2: Which of the following would be considered a 'structured citation'?
- A mention of a business in a blog post
- A business listing on Yelp with NAP details in dedicated fields (Correct answer)
- A social media post that mentions the business name
- A customer review that includes the business address
Correct answer: A business listing on Yelp with NAP details in dedicated fields
Structured citations appear on business directory sites where NAP information is placed in specific, designated fields.
Question 3: A plumber serves customers at their homes and does not have a storefront. Which Google Business Profile setting should they use?
- Set the address to their home and display it publicly
- Configure their profile as a service-area business and hide their address (Correct answer)
- Create separate profiles for each neighborhood they serve
- A plumber is not eligible for a Google Business Profile
Correct answer: Configure their profile as a service-area business and hide their address
Service-area businesses (SABs) should hide their address on GBP and define their service areas instead, per Google's guidelines.
Question 4: What is the recommended way to handle duplicate Google Business Profile listings for the same business?
- Leave them both active to increase search visibility
- Report or request to merge duplicates through Google Business Profile support (Correct answer)
- Add different information to each duplicate to differentiate them
- Ignore duplicates because Google automatically removes them
Correct answer: Report or request to merge duplicates through Google Business Profile support
Duplicate listings can split ranking signals and confuse customers, so reporting them for merging or removal is the correct approach.
Question 5: How do customer photos uploaded to Google Business Profile affect local SEO?
- They have no effect on local SEO, only on user experience
- They can increase engagement signals and make the profile more compelling to potential customers (Correct answer)
- They decrease rankings because they slow down Google's indexing
- They are only useful if the business is in the hospitality industry
Correct answer: They can increase engagement signals and make the profile more compelling to potential customers
User-generated photos increase profile engagement and provide social proof, both of which can positively influence local visibility and click-through rates.
Question 6: What does 'zero-click search' mean in the context of local SEO?
- A search that returns no results
- A search where the user gets their answer from the SERP without clicking to a website (Correct answer)
- A search performed without using a mouse or keyboard
- A search that doesn't trigger any paid ads
Correct answer: A search where the user gets their answer from the SERP without clicking to a website
Zero-click searches occur when Google provides enough information (like business hours, address, or phone number) directly on the SERP so the user doesn't need to visit a website.
Question 7: Which of the following on-page elements is MOST important for local SEO on a business's contact page?
- A high-resolution hero image
- Consistent NAP information matching the Google Business Profile (Correct answer)
- A large number of internal links to service pages
- A video testimonial from a customer
Correct answer: Consistent NAP information matching the Google Business Profile
Having NAP information on the contact page that exactly matches the GBP listing reinforces consistency signals that local search algorithms rely on.
Local SEO Introduction to Local SEO 4
What happens when a business owner claims an already-existing Google Business Profile listing?