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Hello, all! I like to create a Google Account for my smaller clients, so that I can associate Analytics, AdWords, GMB, etc. all with the same account. Problem: I've used my phone number too many times, so I can't get the new account verified. I've also used all three of the other phones in our family.  I tried using the "Burner" iPhone app to create a new number, but apparently the all-knowing Google even has info on phone numbers, as it returned "This phone number cannot be used for verification." I'm sure that there's an obvious solution out there - who among you has found it, and is willing to share?!

Doh!  That was exactly it - thanks so much - you ROCK!!  

Hello, Mozzers!  My client has a rather messy situation, with redirects for HTTP vs. HTTPS, and two different home pages, both in subdirectories.  I could explain the whole setup, but I don't think it's relevant for my question, which is this: OSE is showing three links to the page in question, but doesn't tell me WHAT those links are.  Am I just missing the information somewhere?  Please see screenshot for details.  Thanks so much! ~ Scott

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Wow - hadn't thought of that!  Very creative use of resources!!    Thanks so much ~ Scott

Yep, I was afraid that I'm in the "test group" - hope the test fails!!  That's an important tool for me!  Thanks ~ Scott

Yes, but is it editable at the bottom of the page?  Mine isn't.  Thanks! ~ Scott

In order to emulate different locations, I've always done a Google query, then used the "Location" button under "Search Tools" at the top of the SERP to define my preferred location.  It seems to have disappeared in the past few days?  Anyone know where it went, or if it's gone forever?  Thanks!

Ugh - it turns out that the client wasn't putting http:// in front of the domain, so LinkedIn added httpS since LinkedIn is a secure site.  Duh!  Thanks ~ Scott

I don't actually know if it's showing up on LinkedIn.com with https - I did verify that it happens to other domains.  Finding out the answer to the first question now...  Thanks! ~ Scott

Wow, that's strange.  And yep, we're using the full path.  Thanks for the data point! ~ Scott

One of my clients has been using the "Send a message" function in LinkedIn to reach out to folks with whom he's connected, and it seems that recently (though it could have always been this way), LinkedIn is changing the URL from http:// to https:// when he provides a link to his website. His site isn't secure, since it's not ecommerce and doesn't collect PII, and though I know that Google "likes" sites that are https, it doesn't seem like it's worth the investment. I did test this, and found the same "switcheroo" happening to me. Anyone know if this is a new LinkedIn thing, and if there's a workaround? Thanks for reading!

Exactly what I needed!  Thanks!  

Sorry if this has been asked before (searched to no avail), and it's probably a dumb question...  but if you're still reading...    I'd like to determine which pages of my site show up on MOBILE searches (i.e. user is on an iPhone).  I know that Moz shows searches "from" a certain location, but my understanding (which may be wrong!) is that the SERP on a mobile device is sometimes different from a desktop search.  Ultimately, I'm trying to decide whether to create a whole different layout for my home page ONLY for mobile devices, and if virtually everyone finding my site on a mobile phone would see that page first.  I figured if Moz tracked "mobile SERP rankings", then I could simply see if any pages besides the home page are ranking for my targeted terms.  Any thoughts or clarifications greatly appreciated!    ~ Scott

Hey, all!  I have a client who needs for people to see her website before they call her, or else she spends 15 min explaining what's already on the site.  Her Google My Business rankings are excellent for a lot of keywords (yay!), so people are seeing the number big and bold and just picking up the phone.  I called GMB support to ask if removing the phone number would affect rankings, and they said "I don't think so".  If this weren't a HUGE deal to the client, I wouldn't take the chance, but she feels that she's losing business by being on these calls when legitimate prospects try to call and get voice mail.  So...  any experience with removing phone numbers from GMB, or any other creative solutions to the quandary?  Thanks so much for reading!  ~ Scott

UPDATE: Well, we went ahead and tried it anyway, and our GMB listins on the 7-pack nosedived!  STRONGLY recommend against this, at least with the current algorithm!!  The phone number is back now.  

Makes total sense!  I hoped that having a page that ranks well already due to solid content, might get a slight lift by having a relevant video on it as well.  Thanks again for your help!

Phil - wow, I'm honored to have a direct response from you!  I've been impressed by what I've heard / read from you over the years!  

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that simply sticking a YouTube video on a page would cause it to rank higher (as Google owns YouTube), but that having video content on a page can be a signal that the page has more value, than a page without video content at all.  That would be true, right?  (This assumes, of course, that the video content aligns with the text of the page, and is perceived to add value to the user experience - always comes first, I realize!!)

The main question in my mind is this: in the past, I used Wistia videos in order to get Rich Snippets, which seemed to get better click-throughs from the SERP than non-rich-snippet entries.  I couldn't use YouTube to get Rich Snippets, since they weren't self-hosted.  Now that I'm not getting Rich Snippets at all, I'm trying to decide whether to start using YouTube instead.

Thanks so much for your help - I look forward to reading your blog post tomorrow!  ~ Scott

Hello, Mozzers!  Sorry if I've missed a thread on this, but I didn't find anything after searching for a while...

I've used Wistia for years - LOVE the service and the company!  Had great luck getting Rich Snippets, ranked well...  until the recent Google change.  Now all of my Wistia thumbnails have disappeared (though my rankings have stayed strong, thank goodness!)  M question is, does it make sense to now embed YouTube videos on our site, and to create a video sitemap with those pages, with the hope that Google will rank the page better than it otherwise would have, knowing that there is valuable (video) content on the page?  This is new videos, I'm not thinking of replacing my Wistia videos at this time.

I'll probably need to clarify as I see your responses, since this is a tricky set of interrelated decisions.  Thanks for any thoughts that anyone may have!  

~ Scott

I'm using the Google Keyword Planner, trying to get an idea of search volume, and I'm finding that if I check "Ad Keywords As > Broad Match", I get EXACTLY the same numbers as I do if I select "Ad Keywords As > Exact Match".  I even exported the spreadsheets, and put them side by side, and the only difference between them is that one has "Keyword Type > Exact" all the way down the column, while the other has "Keyword Type > Broad".  How can those numbers be the same?!  Anyone else seeing this, or am I doing something incorrectly?!  Thanks for your input!!

I'm working with a client who is "under attack" by one unhappy customer.  That customer created a Facebook page to share her outrage, and her page is outranking my client's (consistently immediately above his FB page).  I've checked all of the obvious things...

• page name
• page URL
• About section, and all business-related data

He has MANY more "Likes" than she does, makes posts far more frequently (with much better Engagement), references his company name in almost every Post (as she does), and on and on.  My main question is this...  are there one or two factors that seem to have the most impact on how a given FB page ranks?  Thanks for your help, Moz family!  

Thanks so much for the fast response - and thorough, as well!  

Unfortunately, my prospective client has been using ABC for a year, and has dozens of blog posts, so it sounds like I'll have some fun to work through!

I don't have an opinion yet on using ABC + WP, but I will shortly!  Feel free to reach out any time to share experiences or questions (I follow this post, so I'll see it!)  Thanks again!

Hey, jessential - it looks like this post has had numerous views, but no responses.  Were you able to figure out anything?  I have a potential client who uses ABC, and I'm trying to figure out what kinds of issues I may run into.  Thanks in advance!

I have a client who rents kids' party products that are branded (Batman, Curious George, etc.)  Does it help or hurt to put the superscript "TM" in the Meta Title, or other meta or actual content of their product listings?  I have some guesses, but am curious for other opinions / data!  Thanks very much!

I've just started working with a client and have been surprised to find that every page of their site (using Concrete5 CMS) has a rel=canonical pointing to their home page.  I'm feeling really dumb, because this seems like a fatal flaw which would keep Google from ranking any page other than the home page...  but when I look at Google Analytics, Content > Site Content > Landing Pages, using Secondary Dimension = Source, it seems that Google is delivering users to numerous pages on their site.  Can anyone help me out?!  Thanks very much!!

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