Google Carousel Now Appearing on Results for “People Also Searched For” Kerry Fager pointed out a recent post by Alex Cordes where he noted that the Local Carousel was showing for searches on professionals when you clicked through to the “People Also Searched For” results at the bottom of any given Knowledge Panel. It appears that this expanded display of the carousel is happening on almost all general queries that return a 7 pack when you click through to competitor results. I guess Google really does want to make sure that folks also search for some other business and when they do, the results sure get dressed up.
This points out the need for every business to be sure that their listings look the best they can possibly look with the critical element being the profile photo that shows in their knowledge panel, at the bottom of competitors knowledge panel and now (apparently) in the carousel. The carousel is tough because it crops the bottom of profile image off in such weird ways it is often tough to get one image that works in all situations. As Google Upgrades Google Maps Business Listings, Conflicts Happen Including Duplicate Listing Issues. Google has been automatically upgrading Google Place listings from the old system to the new Google Places dashboard. With this upgrade, there may be conflicts that prevents the upgrade from completing. The latest conflict is that there are duplicate listing issues and Google needs you to step in, fix the issue and then complete the upgrade process.
Google has recently began sending out notices of the duplicate place listings conflict via email to those impacted by this issue. The email reads: We’d like to inform you that Google Places no longer accommodates more than one authorized owner per business location. Jade Wang from Google posted a detailed how to fix this issue in the Google Business Help forums where she summed up the issues two-fold: (1) Your account and another account that you don’t control became verified for the same business using the old Places dashboard. (2) You may have verified the page multiple times using accounts you control. From Jade of Google: Google Sending Warnings To Business Owners: 3 Weeks To Save Their Google Places Listing. Business owners have reported on the Google Business Help forums that they are getting emails from Google with the subject line: “Action Required: You have 3 weeks to save your Google Places Listing.”
This information was first reported by Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable. The body of the email reads as follows: Hello, Due to changes in Google Maps, we’d like to inform you that unless you review and confirm the information in your Google Places account, we will no longer be able to keep and show it to Google users after February 21, 2014.If you wish to keep your listing active, follow these three easy steps:1.
Log in to your Google Places account 2. Review and update your information 3. Jade Wang, Google Business Community Manager, has confirmed that this is a legitimate email Google is sending out saying Google is making some changes to Google Places for Business and Google Maps. Editor’s Note: This post has been amended to include the source of the first report. Google Places Guidelines No Longer Prohibit City in Your Category Field – Should You Add It? Joy Hawkins of Imprezzio Marketing, alerted me to this post in the Google forum where a business noted that the Google Places for Business Guidelines do not prohibit the use of city in the category field .
Apparently Google has recently changed the Google Places Quality Guidelines and removed the prohibition against the use of geography in the category field. Should you now add your city to a custom category? The short answer: No. Google knows where you business is located. Here is the long answer. The Google Places Guidelines have apparently been rewritten to apply to the new Google Places for Business Dashboard.
Those of you in the old Dashboard still have the capability to add custom categories but I would strongly urge you not to add city to your category field, even if competitors are doing so. That algorithm change is still in effect even though the rule isn’t. Please consider leaving a comment as your input will help me (& everyone else) better understand and learn about local. Katndmouse : "I just got screwed by... 10 Things SEOs & SMBs Should Know About New Google Places Dashboard. Recently, Google announced some significant changes to their Google Places dashboard.
The wires have been humming ever since, and the reaction has ranged from fall-off-seat excitement to ‘humph, is that it!?’ Whatever the opinion, the truth is that these changes signify a big development in the way Google handles ‘Local.’ Google has been talking up the importance of local for an age, and the increased real estate given to local results in SERPs backs this up. They have also updated and iterated their local product almost more than their main search product in the last 12 months. But, despite this rhetoric and commitment, Google has given scant attention to how SMBs use and manage their data within maps/Google+ Local.
Tuesday’s announcement changes this. Hang on… before I go too far with the praise, let me make one thing very clear. Listed below are ten things SEOs and SMBs should know about the new dashboard. 1. 2. Also, the dashboard is only currently available in the US. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. How To Add Your Business Listing To Apple Maps. Source: OMGDroid Want to know how to add your business to Apple Maps? Too bad. You can’t. Not directly, anyhow. But there are some rudimentary tools available for you to optimize your business presence on the maps as much as possible and add a location if it’s missing. Search for Your Business Get your hands on an iPhone or iPad that has been updated to iOS6. . - business name + city - business name + city + state - business name + street address - business name + street address + city - business name + street address + city + state - business phone number If your business listing does not appear for any of these queries, it’s possible that you may have one of the following issues: - Apple Maps does not have your business in its database - Apple Maps is confusing your location with a different location (e.g.
Here are some ways you can try to correct the situation: Adding Your Business Listing To Apple Maps Database There are three main ways to currently add a US-based business to Apple Maps: Should You Count Reviews & Ratings Out In Google Local Rankings? For years now, there has been some discrepancy between statements from Google Local engineers and general optimization advice from some local search marketers where reviews and ratings are concerned. So, what’s the skinny? Rating values may simply not affect your rankings. Read on to see why. Ratings Vs. Reviews First, a quick note on terminology, since many refer to ratings simultaneously with reviews.
A rating is usually a qualitative measure — essentially, a numerical score which a consumer selects when critiquing a business — such as on a 5-point or 10-point scale, or one to five stars, grades between “A” or “F”, or some other qualitatively measured scale between “poor” and “excellent.” A review is typically some text one has written about a business. In this article, we’re primarily referring to the standardized rating value — on a numeric scale, 5-star rating, popcorn bags, whatever — not, the written review info.
Manipulating Ratings Written Reviews Are A Different Matter Takeaways. New Google+ Local Business Wrapup Video from Jade - Sept 19. Google on Reviews: Asking for them is OK, Soliciting them is BAD. What is the difference between asking for reviews and soliciting them? It seems that a number of SMBS have discovered that one leads to jail time. Google has been throwing out reviews left and right of late. This is not a bug but the outcome of a newly aggressive review spam filter. The forums were rife with complaints from businesses about lost reviews and from individuals whose reviews would not post. In a consolidated thread Google indicated that most of the reports were a function of the new algorithm and not a function of the problems that had caused lost reviews in the past.
Aug 6: Hey guys — popping in to say that we’re investigating. Aug 15: Still looking into this, guys. Aug 15: Well, first — mobile reviewing can only be done through: Google Maps or Google+ for Android, or, Google+ Local app on iOS. The technical issues for reviews still exist — those are more common in my experience with pages that have had duplicate or merging issues in the past. Google Places DUPLICATES – Have Doctor, Dentist or Lawyer DUPES? You NEED to Read This - Google Places – Google+ Local SEO Blog. If you deal with Dentists, Doctors and Lawyers – hang on, because there are more changes brewing that Agencies and SEOs need to get a grip on.
I’m preliminarily sharing what I know with you guys FIRST. Then I’m going to Google for clarification and confirmation on some of this. UPDATE: 6/26 – Just posted strategy and tips, so the practitioner dupes won’t impact ranking for the main practice listing. Overcoming New Google Places Duplicate Listing Problems for Dentists, Doctors, Attorneys OK, so you guys know dupes are the bane of my existence, right?
If you’ve been doing Places optimization you also know they can kill rankings, splinter reviews into different profile pages and cause other problems. So I used to always teach that the best strategy in most situations is to only have 1 main practice or Dr. listing and try to eliminate any extra Dr listings (or individual attorney listings). Well now according to GOOGLE SUPPORT – they will no longer remove individual Dr listings from the index. Google Places Marries Google+, Gives Birth To New Google+ Local Pages. Say goodbye to Google Place Pages, and say hello to Google+ Local Pages.
That’s the name for Google’s new baby — a result of the marriage, or merger, of Google Places and Google+. It’s the main part of several related announcements today from Google. As I’m writing this late Tuesday night, there’s no link yet for me to send you to, so let me suggest you check out Greg Sterling’s detailed overview of the news on Search Engine Land – plenty of information, screenshots, etc., in his article. Update: Google’s announcement is here. The TL;DR version for small business owners is this: About 80 million Google Place Pages worldwide have been converted into the new Google Plus Local Pages.
If you had a Place Page, it’s gone; you now have a Google+ Local Page, instead. And what I’d consider to the biggest change/impact of all: Google+ Local Pages are being indexed and will show up in Google’s search results — probably quite visibly. There are obviously big implications where local SEO is concerned. Google Places Pages Are No More – But What has Changed? Today Google announced the integration of business pages with Google + and the demise of their Google Place page. This is a change that has long been anticipated and one that simultaneously gives a business more control over their page AND dramatically enhances the review environment. Greg Sterling has a good overview of how specific details will change. Effectively Google + has become a destination for local search and a shared local experience.
And tasks that were accomplished on the Place Page like reviews will happen on Plus instead. This explains the missing review buttons on mobile and the desktop. According to Greg Sterling “Not unlike some similar functionality offered in Foursquare, users will be able to sort and filter search results by several criteria, including “your circles,” which will reveal places “touched” by friends. But while the display of the page has changed, many other parts of the local ecosystem at Google have remained the same. Lets look at #3 first. Local Citation Building Study Part 1: Niche-Relevant Citation Sources. As part of our citation building service, I research local citations and their influence on the organic local search rankings daily. That is why I decided to publish a series of articles related to the topic of citation building for local SEO. The current one is related to one of the most important factors in measuring the value of different citations (according to Google’s “Generating Structured Information” patent) – relevance of the source.
And there is undoubtedly no better way to measure relevance in Google’s search results than checking the search results themselves. Similar studies have previously been done – first by Andrew Shotland, and then by Ash Nallawalla, both in 2009. The focus of mine is a little different though. I try to study the importance of different citation sources based on their relevance to particular industry. Methodology and Specifics The research is a small scale study that in no way pleads completeness. I also chose 15 cities in the United States. Results. Google Maps Changes PO Box Rules. Vanessa from Google announced a new PO Box policy in the Google Places Help forums. The new policy forbids you to place your PO Box information in both the address 1 or 2 fields.
Previously, if you had a PO Box, Google recommended you put it in the address 2 field - that is no longer the case. Vanessa explained: As it stands today, we allow users to list their P.O. So what do you do, it depends on your situation. (A) Have a verified listing containing a P.O. Make sure your listing remains active: 1) Sign in at places.google.com 2) Select “Edit” 3) Remove the term “P.O. If this change requires reverification, and you can’t verify using the available options, please visit this contact form and select the following options: Select: I tried PIN verification for a single listing → Yes, the listing already appears owner-verified B) Are you setting up a brand new Places listing?
Try creating and verifying the listing using your physical location. Note: Users with a “P.O. Pleasanton personal injury attorney. SMX West Presentation about Onsite SEO + An Interview! - Nifty Marketing | Nifty Marketing. Google Places & Local Search Buzz – Issue #1 April 27 2012 - Google Places Optimization and Local SEO Blog. Introducing the Google Places & Local Search Buzz A new weekly roundup of the most important tips and news in the world of Google Places and Local SEO. Milestones in a Google Places Campaign That’s Working | LocalVisibilitySystem.com – Your business is unlikely to inch up or down in the local rankings. The problem is that can make it very tough to tell if you’re doing things effectively or back-asswards.
You need some indicators that you’re at least headed in the right (or wrong) direction. The Google Places Purgatory and How to Get Out of It – In the last month there were many cases of disappearance of Google Places analytics data and complete listings from the organic search results while the listings’ statuses were still showing “Active”. Contractor Files Suit Against Google To Unmask Google Places Reviewer – MediaPost Publications 04/26/2012 - Contractor Seeks To Unmask Commenter Who Questioned Reviews.
13 Best-Practices for Picking Google Places Business Categories. The “business categories” you choose for your Google Places page matter—big-time. Your choices can help get your business visible to all the local customers you’re trying to reach, or they can cause Google to pluck your business off the map (and not put you back until you fix your categories). Fortunately, it can be easy to pick the optimal categories when you’re first creating your listing, and it’s also easy to change your categories later if you didn’t get them quite right at first.
All you have to do is login to your Places page and change them—and you don’t even have to get a PIN and re-verify your ownership of your Places page. Whatever stage your Google Places page is in, you can get visible to the maximum number of local customers by picking your categories according to 13 best-practices: 1.
Follow the Google Places Quality Guidelines. They’re straightforward and concise regarding categories. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. For picking custom categories: 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Why You May Need To Hide Your Google Places Address ASAP. Get an inbound link here. Best Local Search Tools - 2012. Local Links For Local People - Many Google Places Searches Are Showing an Increased Radius For Search Results. San jose health insurance. Top 50 Citation Sources For UK & US Local Businesses. Login - Advertising Age.
21 Local SEO Resources. Having a problem with your Google Places listing? Visit a new feature of our Help Center - Google Places for business Help. What Are the Top Local Search Directories? | Sales & Marketing from AllBusiness. Compendium of Banned Words in Google Places – Terms Not Allowed By The Nanny Bot. How to add PPC Ads on Google Places Competitors Pages.
Local SEO: A Free Tool to Build GEO Sitemap and Schema.org Compliant Files. Schema.org - Home. How Google Panda & Places Updates Created A Rollercoaster Ride For IYP Traffic. Blended Local Search vs Pure Local Search: Why Google Shows One Result over Another. Eye-Tracking Google SERPs - 5 Tales of Pizza. Turn Negative Google Places Reviews Into a Rallying Cry | Social Media Commando. How are people looking for local businesses? Will yours get found? Google Places Descriptor Snippets. New research showing which of the Google Places gets the most clicks. Is Google drowning business? The Local-Search Daily. Check Out Incredible Interactive 3D Business Tours on Google Places. 10-Point Maintenance Routine for Your Google Places Visibility. Geo sitemap generator | Create Geo Sitemap and KML files for FREE! Business Registration Manager. 19 Species of Google Places Photos – Good and Bad.
How Local Businesses Can Grow Using Online Customer Reviews. SMX West 2011: Up Close with Google Place PagesBruce Clay Blog. Small Business Alert: Google is from Mars and You are from Venus. Red Hat Local SEO – How to Make Hidden 3rd Party Google Places Reviews Stand Out. Google Places Phone Verification Workarounds. Google Places Star Counts Impact Direct Website Traffic.