Here are additional best practices from our testing and conversation with our Google reps:
1. You MUST answer all calls within 15 seconds. Missed calls are a significant part of the algorithm, and not answering quickly costs you ranking in the LSAs. We are coaching our clients to treat these calls like the ‘red phone’ in the Oval Office.
2. Current Reviews. We have always known the algorithm rewards lots of reviews, and we have learned that adding 1-2 new reviews per week significantly contributes to the ranking.
3. 24-7 availability. If you want to show up in the top three positions, you must have an after-hours call service, and they must answer the phone within 15 seconds.
4. Designate all leads immediately. Log in to the LSA dashboard and mark leads as either “Booked” we like this lead or “Archived” this is not a lead in our practice areas.
5. Confirm your credit card can handle the budget amount you set for your bids. Google will ping your card to make sure your budget can handle the clicks you are bidding on.
6. When you make changes to your account, be patient for a minimum of 30 days (and up to 90 days) for the system to reset. If you constantly change bids, markets, practice areas etc. your account will be in a constant state of change.
