I Sure Wish Google Would Get It Together with Business Local Search Tools!

May 17, 2013 By + 2 Comments

guy so frustrated that he wants to smash the computer with a hammer<rant>

I’ve been a fan of the various Google incarnations for business listings for some time now. First it was Google Maps. That became Google Places. OK fine, same thing, slightly different tune. I had lots of great reviews on Google Maps/Places and was careful to keep my profile fully up to date.

I switched phone companies (long story), which meant I had to change my toll-free number. No big deal, just log in and change it, right?

Nope.

Had to re-verify the business. Of course, I couldn’t do it with a phone call either. I had to go the post card route. OK, whatever. Got that verified, but AAAGH, all my reviews disappeared! I had 18 or 19 five star reviews – all 100% legitimate glowing reviews, mind you (I don’t play games). These were all past students who had attended my class over time, and raved. Very grateful for that, but changing my phone number means they all go away?

*sigh*

Spin forward to this year. I changed my corporate address. No big deal. Just go into Google Places and change it, right? Urgh. Have to re-verify the damn business with another PIN. Of course, it has to be by post card. I had to ask for it FOUR TIMES before I finally got it in the mail today. Verified my business AGAIN and now I get a message that it’s “PENDING” – being reviewed. Huh? Hover over the bubble and it says, “Please allow several weeks.” Reviewed by whom and for what purpose?

google places screen shot showing pending

Waiting for Google To Make Up Its Mind

 

Meanwhile the business isn’t showing up.

Oh yes, that Google+ thing. I was an early G+ user when it was still a by-invitation-only system. But at the time, there was no business listing, only personal. Last year, Google started setting up Google+ business listings. Great!

I thought that Google was converting Google Places pages to Google+ business listings last year. Never happened. So I set up a business listing for myself. Guess what I have to do? Verify the blasted listing. Same address, same phone number, as my Google PLACES page (which by the way, in case you forgot, I will have to wait several weeks for it to be reviewed by someone).

I’ve asked for the verification post card for Google+ now THREE times (yes, by mail – can’t do it by phone). Still nothing in my mailbox.

Wow, Google. What’s up with all these machinations? It sure as hell isn’t this hard to set up a business listing in your competitor, FACEBOOK. Click, click, type, claim your URL, DONE.

</rant>

Yeesh.

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Filed Under: Local Search, Rant Tagged With: , , , ,

Local SEO: What to do About Google’s Utterly Unpredictable Moods

April 23, 2013 By + Leave a Comment

Local Search Can be a Frightening Place

alice and the cheshire cat“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

Local Search is a visit to Wonderland through the Looking Glass.  I’ve encountered this strange terrain increasingly as I work with more and more clients who need to be present in local search results.  I’m going to use a recent adventure that I encountered on behalf of my client, and I want to share what I learned as a cautionary tale.  Warning, this is not for the faint of heart.

 

 

 

“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”

alice and humpty

Local means what Google says it means, neither more nor less.  The client I referred to above is ranked very well for traditional organic results but is invisible in local results.  This stems from some interesting confusion about their address (I wrote a separate blog post about the mess surrounding that situation and how we resolved it: “What to do When Google Maps Has it Wrong“).

One of our goals for this client is to make sure that they establish a presence in Google Local results.  This means targeting the infamous Google “7-Pack,” the block of local results that Google displays when they think the searcher has “local intent.”  In this case our client is moving company in a major metropolitan area.

A local listing can be a great advantage, but at the same time, Google has so stripped down what local search results display that in our practice we would always prefer a traditional organic listing to a local listing if – and this is a major “if” – the organic listing tops the 7-pack.  The reason for our preference for a pure organic listing has to do with our desire to optimize the title of the listing for improved conversions.  Typically the title of the search engine results page (SERP) listing is drawn from the “Title Tag” of the page that the listing links to.  But in local, typically the title of the listing is the business name.   This leads to an undesirable result if the business name is less than intuitive.  For example, I found this listing in a search for moving companies in San Diego:

 

Google search results for 7-pack listing

(click to see larger)

 

Additionally, you may have noticed that Google does not display an additional text snippet in local results, which in traditional organic results is usually taken from the Meta Description tag (especially if one has been optimized for the page, something we always do for our clients).

This leads to another, related concern: usually Google seems reluctant to display a traditional organic listing for business and a local search listing on the same page.  This is sometimes called a “double.”  And in some markets for some terms it’s easy to score a double, but usually only if there are very few results for the search term.  The following is an example of a double:

screen shot of google local results

(click to see larger)

But in this case a double seems unlikely.  I checked the term “moving companies” in about 6 different metro markets and could not find a single instance where any of the search results showed the same company in both organic and local results on the same page.   While I was checking, I was struck again by the stark inconsistency of how Google displays results.  And this is not an issue of personalization of search, because in each case they are displaying the results to the same confused person: me.

So take a look at the following screen shots, which contrasts the different results in 3 metro areas.  Below the screen captures, you’ll see my takeaways on this mess.

A Split 7-Pack in Google Search Results for San Diego

screen shot of google search for moving companies san diego

In San Diego only the top two traditional organic listings appear above the fold, and both of those are claimed by Yelp. So, good luck in San Diego.

 

 In Salt Lake City the 7-Pack Rules the SERP

 

screen shot of google search results for "moving companies salt lake city"

In Salt Lake City not a single traditional organic result for "moving companies" appears above the fold.

 

 In Los Angeles Your 7-Pack is Down to a Threebie

 

screen shot of google search results for "moving companies los angeles"

Only 3 local results in L.A. Probably because it's such a small city.

 

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” 
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master – - that’s all.”  

So how do you master such uncertain terrain as what Google has created for us?  Really you only have one option: you have to master it all.  Your best result would be a top organic ranking, if it shows above the 7-pack.  But since you have no guarantee that will happen, you must also work toward a position in local results.  My recommendation would be to go aggressively after the traditional organic ranking by studying the competitive landscape.  Be present in Google Places/Plus Local, but don’t abandon your traditional SEO for a local emphasis just yet.

I’d love to here your experiences in Wonderland.  Leave a comment.

By the way, our Master SEO Class (which I teach in Colorado and Utah) goes into considerable depth on the techniques that you need, not merely for traditional SEO, but local search optimization as well.  To find a class near you, check out our schedule of SEO Workshops.

 

 

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Local Search Optimization: What to Do When Google Maps Has it Wrong

April 19, 2013 By + Leave a Comment

image showing huge Google push pinGoogle Gets Confused Just like the Rest of Us

Local Search is a strange place, but one thing seems to be clear:  One of the single most important factors in Local SEO is something you might hear cryptically called “NAP Match” or “NAP consistency.”  NAP stands for “Name, Address, Phone.”  Making sure that the NAP is consistent between various local directories, and especially that it is consistent between your website and Google/Bing/Yahoo/Yelp (otherwise known as the “Gang of 4″) is one of the basic best practices of Local SEO.  (You can find this and other information contained here in David Mihm’s incredibly useful local search ranking factors survey.)  Naturally, you run a big risk if you choose to represent your address in a way that conflicts with Google.  Unless of course you can get Google to see reason and correct their version of the address.  Doesn’t that sound easy?  Well, sometimes.

how to submit a problem report in Google Maps

(click to see larger)

Correcting An Address When it’s Easy

To correct your address, you can log into your Google Places page, if you’ve verified that you’re the owner, and correct it.  Or, if you don’t own the business, you can conduct a search at maps.google.com, find the listing, and “Report a Problem.”  (See screen shot at left)

But, what happens when Google does NOT show your business, verified or not, in its vast and conflicted database of local businesses?  How do you submit a correction?

I recently had to struggle with a situation where Google did not have the business in Places, but was convinced that the business address was incorrect.  Allow me to clarify.

My client has a business location in a fairly new industrial park in Las Vegas.  By fairly new, I mean it’s only been there about a year.  However even that is long enough for Google to show the industrial park correctly in a map view.

 

Spring Valley “Trumps” Las Vegas

Unfortunately for my client, Google decided that the neighborhood was more important than the exact city in showing the address.  When I Google the address for this business, notice what Google changes the city to in the next screen shot.

screen shot of address mismatch in Google places search

(click to see larger)

Now before we go any further, let me explain that the address I typed into the search field is a postal-service-verified address, and that the actual city really is Las Vegas.  Spring Valley is an unincorporated township within Las Vegas, in essence a sub-division.  My client needs to be recognized as being a Las Vegas business, not a Spring Valley business (I think lots of Las Vegans don’t know where Spring Valley really is, and I grew up near Spring Valley in San Diego County, so the potential for confusion is considerable).

What adds to the complication is the fact that my client’s business name was unknown to Google.  When I Googled my client’s business, I got irrelevant, unrelated business results.  The client has no Place Page, in other words.

In order to try and figure out what was going on, I gave it another try, but this time I omitted the zip code when I searched.  Hurray!  Google let me keep the city name as Las Vegas.

image of another local search address mismatch in Google

(click to see larger)

But wait.  What’s this I see?  They’ve changed the zip code to 89148.  That’s not even close.

I won’t even mention the variant where Google gave me the correct city but switched the zip code to 89118, but they did that as well.

Can You Fight Google Hall?

At this point I had a dilemma.  Do I create a place page using an address that Google won’t validate?  I already have on client where Google simply won’t accept a correction I made to their address via their Place Page.  I can’t really move forward and list the client with an inaccurate zip code, and although Spring Valley might create an address where mail will find them, it’s an unacceptable marketing and branding situation.

 

Getting Help

At this point I turned to an excellent resource for local search issues, the Catalyst eMarketing Local Search forum run by Local SEO guru Linda Buquet.  My question sparked a very informative thread that reminded me of a long forgotten, and little noticed, branch of Google’s empire called Google Mapmaker.  And mapmaker proved to be the solution to my problem.

I was able to log into my personal Google account, navigate to http://www.google.com/mapmaker and create a business listing at the correct address.  Google allowed me to input whatever I wanted in that way.  Google reviews such submissions, but I was able to attach a note explaining the situation and clarifying the correct zip and city name for the client’s business.  Google reviewed and approved it within 24 hours and, voila!, my client’s business now shows under its correct and approved name.  Additionally, they also immediately showed up in Places and I was able to merely claim them using the traditional claiming process.

screen capture of adding a place to Google map maker

(click to see larger)

Now that Map Maker is back on, er, my map…I can see one more option in my steadily increasing list of local SEO tools.

By the way, in our Master SEO Class we do an in-depth module on local search.  The class is in a workshop format and is taught across the United States, as well as Europe, Asia, and Australia.  For SEO class dates, please check our schedule.  And if you are looking for specific local SEO information, I highly recommend Linda and the community at http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com.

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Goodbye Google Places, Hello Google+ Local

November 9, 2012 By + 4 Comments

Google LocalRecently, tech giant Google introduced Google+ Local, replacing Google Places, as one of its brilliant options in the Google Plus network. Google+ Local is similar to Google Places in terms of its function as the user’s guide in discovering and locating places anywhere in the world. But, Google+ Local is an improved version of Places as it comes with many features that make interacting in the “circles” of Google Plus a more exciting experience.

Activities in Google+ Local

Google+ Local is another reason why you should create an account in Google Plus. With this option, you can create and publish reviews of your favourite places and share the reviews with the people in your circles. Also, you can upload photos of the places you love and let your friends see why they’ve become your favourites. Likewise, you can receive place recommendations from the people in your circles. From the coolest places to hang out to the most stunning sites to tour, Google+ Local is the best option to find the places you would want to visit.  View your friends’ reviews and photos about their favourite places and discover the places you both like. In addition, Google+ Local lets you read the summaries of Zagat users’ place reviews. Furthermore, this option helps users like you to view a business’ local page on Google+ and view their info, photos and reviews.

How Google+ Local Works

First, log into your Google Plus account.  Along with the “Home”, “Profile”, “Pages” and other options, choose the “Local” option. Once you are in the Local page, this option will recommend categorised places according to several factors. One factor is your default location. For instance, if you’re living in Brisbane, Local might recommend Newmarket or Paddington based on their higher ratings compared to other restaurants. All the hotels, bars, restaurants, museums and more are shown by Local with helpful ratings and reviews of people who actually went in these places and also the number of check-ins that a user has added. The places listed can be clicked so you can be redirected to a page containing lots of information about a particular restaurant, hotel or any other place.

Enjoying Google+ Local

With this new feature, Google Plus does not only perform well in revolutionising the online social networks but also in helping users in making better decisions on where to go and what to visit. Google+ Local can be fully enjoyed by users who would like to know more about the friends in their circles by reading their friends’ reviews on the places they have visited. Since we tend to put our trust on our friends when it comes to some decisions such as where to eat next or where to check-in while visiting a particular destination, we can say that incorporating Google+ Local as a new feature is a nice move by this tech giant.

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Google Places is Replaced with a New Google+Local Tab #SEO

June 22, 2012 By + 1 Comment

Google Places is Replaced with a New Google+  Local Tab

Google has just announced that Google Places will be phased out and replaced with a Zagat infused Google+ Local tab, the tab can be found underneath the Games button.

Google! & Google Places

 

 

 

When you click on the tab, you will receive recommendations based off of previous reviews of your circles and Zagat ratings. If you recall Google and Zagat had a merger about a year ago. Remember the days of the 1-5 star ratings? Well they are gone and have been replaced with the Zagat 30 point system. If you take a look at the Local Tab the layout is about as close as you can get to Yelp, you can enter in what you are looking for including the city.

Here is a brief overview of some of the changes.

  • The appearance of a “Local” tab within Google+
  • The integration of Zagat
  • The integration of Google+ Local pages across Google. Mobil, search and maps.
  • Static Places now give way to Google+ Local pages.
  • Google’s 5 star ratings are replaced by the Zagat 30-point rating scale.

Below is an example SERP for “Sushi near Palm Springs.” The top screenshot reflects the Old Google Places look and feel. And the second is the new Google+ look and feel.
Old Google SERP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Google SERPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Local Search, News Tagged With: ,