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Post Info TOPIC: Google moves Map Listings


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Google moves Map Listings
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Google is changing things up again. 

If you relied on your map listings for phone calls you may be bummed.

If you are like me and had a bunch of map listings above your ORGANIC listing, you should be pretty happy about this!

Google moves maps | SEO tips and Tricks


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Doug MacDonald
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Doug
We were serving our website from our house server and it was hidden from the web but it was free to operate. As of 3 Months ago we decided to use yahoo and we moved our web site over. My questions, are we easy to find & is there something we should be doing differently?

Thanks,
Bob Jr.

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WDE


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I think the layout change is a good thing. What I hate is the query prediction change..

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The map is great for all of us in more rural areas.  puts our company right at the top in the map.  Of course, most of ya are in a major metropolitan area and the map just makes a big muddle of everything.  Makes every operation look as an equal regardless of size.

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Doug can we work with this new Google yet. I need an SEO expert for paid work, can you help with the new auto format??

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WDE


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What new google...auto format?

-- Edited by WDE on Friday 29th of October 2010 12:42:11 AM

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It starts to change the whole page as you type in the search box. do a search for something and then start typing in the search box after the results are up and you will see it happen

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Baltimore MD Roof Cleaning 410-482-4367 wrote:

It starts to change the whole page as you type in the search box. do a search for something and then start typing in the search box after the results are up and you will see it happen



Yeah, thats a fairly new feature as well, called "google instant".
Some people love it, some hate it.   If you are one who hates it, fear not, you can turn it off.

heres more about it:

 



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Doug MacDonald
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Baltimore MD Roof Cleaning 410-482-4367 wrote:

Doug can we work with this new Google yet. I need an SEO expert for paid work, can you help with the new auto format??




Yes, there are some cool new tweaks in google places (local) too!

Did you email me as well?  I will reply with a more detailed response tomorrow. :)



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Doug MacDonald
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WDE


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Yea, that's googles query predictions...

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Bob Jr wrote:

Doug
We were serving our website from our house server and it was hidden from the web but it was free to operate. As of 3 Months ago we decided to use yahoo and we moved our web site over. My questions, are we easy to find & is there something we should be doing differently?

Thanks,
Bob Jr.




Hey Bob,

I see you @ #8 for "detroit window cleaning"  Not bad, but you wanna be a little higher. your onsite optimization is good enough.

You need more backlinks with keywords in the anchor text.  Shameless plug WARNING: I do provide a link building service, that can get you where you want to be for a very affordable rate.



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Doug MacDonald
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Doug,

Gezzzz I impressed I am #8 because I do not clean windows? 

Shhhh I can't let the wife see this or I will be #1 for cleaning windows. I currently let her clean the windows and I bumped up her life insurance policy.  wink

When I search for my website I type in roof or shingle cleaning Mi not window cleaning?

Confused  confuse

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ROFL - That's a good one Bob. Thanks for the morning guffaw, great way to start the day. I just hope your wife doesn't see that awful picture of her you put up. :) If Bill ever put a picture of me out there in that house dress, he'd - well, I don't think I should put what would happen to him. It would be bad.

Thanks for the heads up Doug. I look forward to your email today.

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Bob, I think you need to invest some of those dollars your making and get your wife a new robe so she can throw away that old nasty thing.

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Bob Jr wrote:

Doug,

Gezzzz I impressed I am #8 because I do not clean windows? 

Shhhh I can't let the wife see this or I will be #1 for cleaning windows. I currently let her clean the windows and I bumped up her life insurance policy.  wink

When I search for my website I type in roof or shingle cleaning Mi not window cleaning?

Confused  confuse




OOOOPS!  I meant I see you at #8 for roof cleaning, sorry for the typo.

But I just ran the search again to make sure I didn't actually search for window cleaning the first time by mistake, and I actually see you @ #10 for "roof cleaning detroit." when I searched for it this time.



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Doug MacDonald
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Did this happen yesterday???

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It is about TIME Google did away with that local BS anyway.
Here is a good read on it.

Adapting To Google's New Local Results

By: Ross Dunn
2010-10-29

The writing has been in the sand for a while now but today Google rolled out a truly game-changing format for local search results. By totally eliminating the Onebox and removing most non-Google maps results from the first page, Google has made it more important than ever before to have a strong Google Places profile.

Adapting To Google's New Local Results
Adapting To Google's New Local Results

Onebox " Huh?: In case you are unfamiliar with all this hoopla you should know what local search results looked like before the transition. In this older Google search results screenshot you can see the Onebox in its original glory with 10 local business listings aligned directly next to a Google map of the related area. When the original Onebox was released it caused a major stir because it pushed down organic search results which would have normally been the first results seen on the page; a lucrative spot which was now gone due to this changeover. The next major change came when Google reduced the local results to 7 instead of 10, made each listing double-lined, and allowed business owners to purchase a Google Places Tag which enhanced listings in search results for $25 per month. Up until this point the local search results were considered a lucrative place to be for local-targeting businesses but no where near as lucrative as it will be as of today.

Here is a screenshot of the local results as of todays changes (click for a much larger version or here):

A partial screenshot of Google's new Places search results along with arrows pointing out points of interest.

Significant Changes:

  • The Google Map is no longer fixed within the center column next to search results. It is now on the right and it follows your screen as you scroll through search results.

  • Instead of a short list of 7 Google Places in the Onebox, the local results have now supplanted the organic search results on the majority of the page; in some tests I found 3-4 organic listings after more than 10 local results.

  • Instead of an incongruous number of reviews next to the listing, the new results show the average review rating out of 5 stars along with a link to the reviews and the official Google Places Page for the business. (shown as the first arrow on the right)

  • Under the description for each result the address is provided followed by a phone number to provide rapid access to the business. (see the middle arrow)

  • Most interesting has been the addition of the most prominent websites providing reviews for the associated business. (see the middle arrow)

  • An image of the location has been added to the search results completing a very impressive beginning snapshot of each location for comparison shoppers.

  • When a user clicks on Next Page at the bottom of the results then they are led into the organic search results which, until today, had appeared on the first page.

  • The only way to see more than one page of Google Places results is to click on the new Places button listed in Googles left-hand search options menu OR click on the More results near <location> text at the bottom of the local results listed.

  • There can be as many as 30 or 40 results on the first page this makes the first page far more valuable than ever before because it is less likely a user will go to the second page of results.

* The final arrow on the left points to what seems to be a glitch in the Google results I viewed on my computer. What is it? The word Personalization has been cut off by the Google logo and below is the option to turn off personalization which results in the removal of advertisements and some changes in results. Do you see this as well? So far I havent encountered anyone else with this glitch.

What Does This Change Mean for Business Owners?

In no particular order here are things to consider if you have a business that depends on local business:

  1. Reputation management is at a whole new high now that review ratings are exposed so readily to searchers.
    What to do: Start building your reviews as soon as possible by initiating a customer outreach program requesting feedback on various online profiles. Be certain to monitor your profiles regularly and respond appropriately to any issues that arise; check out the book Radically Transparent for great tips.  Sit down and create a reputation enhancement strategy designed to steadily improve your online reputation " even if you already have a great one.

  2. In many cases I noticed the business description used in local search results is being sourced from the Meta Description tag on the associated business page.
    What to do: Ensure your Meta Description tag is crafted to drive traffic. You need to keep in mind the tag has absolutely no weight in how your website is ranked so you can freely optimize the tag for improving click-throughs to your site; this is your chance to win over the searcher.

  3. Google Sitelinks are being used for some businesses in the results (see the 2nd one down for the Fairmont Empress).
    What to do: Visit your Google Webmaster Tools account and under Site Information go to the Site Links report and be sure to block any links you do not want to potentially appear in results.

  4. Images speak loudly about a location and will often play a large role in determining the next step for a searcher.
    What to do: Make certain all of your images in your Google Places profile are recent and attractive so they drive clicks. Remember to view the image in thumbnail format (81 pixels wide by 56 pixels high) before determining a photo is worthy since that is how searchers will first view the picture.

  5. Links from relevant sites that prove your locality can dramatically help with improving your local search rankings.
    What to do: Try to be included in as many relevant, local-focused websites and directories as possible. For Canadians I recently released (rather quietly) a list outlining directories and websites Google is known to consider when evaluating Canadian-based local rankings; the Free Guide to Improving Local Search Rankings in Canada. I do not, however, have a US-based listed created yet (it is on my very long task list) but here is one I found which does not appear to be too out of date (just dont quote me on that!).

Final Take Aways

The most important lesson to be learned is if you have not claimed the Google Places listing for your business do it now!



-- Edited by Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 on Friday 29th of October 2010 11:32:13 AM

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I personally don't like it. Seems they are trying to figure out a way to make money on folks that have worked hard at getting #1 organic placement for local searches. They keep pushing that spot further down the page. And it also seems that if you are in their "Local" area on the first page, they are excluding you from the organic on that same page.

The Local area has always been the hardest and weirdest area to predict and rank for. Now we have to put it in tha hands of Reviews and possible competitors false reviews on themselves or us.

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KY Roof Cleaning wrote:

I personally don't like it. Seems they are trying to figure out a way to make money on folks that have worked hard at getting #1 organic placement for local searches. They keep pushing that spot further down the page. And it also seems that if you are in their "Local" area on the first page, they are excluding you from the organic on that same page.

The Local area has always been the hardest and weirdest area to predict and rank for. Now we have to put it in tha hands of Reviews and possible competitors false reviews on themselves or us.



Google Local was out of hand here in Tampa area. Guys were simply lying about where they really were, linking to a google map, and presto, they were in the roof cleaning business!

 



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813 655 8777

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Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

 

KY Roof Cleaning wrote:

I personally don't like it. Seems they are trying to figure out a way to make money on folks that have worked hard at getting #1 organic placement for local searches. They keep pushing that spot further down the page. And it also seems that if you are in their "Local" area on the first page, they are excluding you from the organic on that same page.

The Local area has always been the hardest and weirdest area to predict and rank for. Now we have to put it in tha hands of Reviews and possible competitors false reviews on themselves or us.



Google Local was out of hand here in Tampa area. Guys were simply lying about where they really were, linking to a google map, and presto, they were in the roof cleaning business!

 



That is still the problem though Chris. The Local listings are still there. They are just appearing as organic looking listings and Organic is being pushed lower.

 All the Local listings are popping up above the Organic with no rhyme or reason. At least Organic was not difficult to learn what Google needed in order to place you. This Local crap is tied to too many un controllable factors. The largest being you ADDRESS. I live and have my mailing address in Nicholasville, KY but in 9 years haven't washed a handfull of jobs here. My market is Lexington. With my address not being in Lexington, it is hard to rank in Local without fibbing a little. I do have a shop in Lexington that we use as address. But is is very Mnkey how Local determines the order in which they display local listings. Age is certainly not a factor as I was the ABSOLUTE first to claim a listing. Distance from city center doesn't seem to be a factor. We have link structure going to our actual local page, trying to give it link juice. Can't figure out what Google wants to get listed at top of Local listings. I personally think ORGANIC should ALWAYS be #1 listing.



-- Edited by KY Roof Cleaning on Saturday 30th of October 2010 09:45:35 AM

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First Choice Power Washing LLC
859-983-5955
 An awesome Lexington KY Roof Cleaning Company
40503 40504 40515 40502
Servicing the Central KY Bluegrass area and counties.

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