Comments on: The Importance of Google’s Business Listings http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/ SEO and Internet Marketing Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:23:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: MiriamEllis http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17980 MiriamEllis Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:18:15 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17980 <p>Hi Lisa, Yes, the problem you've pointed out regarding the vet not having claimed their listing is one of the chief examples of communication breakdown we see in Local. Mike recently blogged about a whole cartload of established florists whose listings got hijacked resulting in massive loss of business for them. None of the florists who were damaged had even known they were supposed to claim their LBC listings. </p> <p>Google has indexed local business information without actually alerting the businesses to this fact, and so many of them remain totally unaware of the 10-pack or Maps and how this may be affecting their business. It would be like finding out your company had a big ad in the Yellow Pages with the wrong address and phone number when you hadn't purchased an ad at all. All you know is that, for some unknown reason, business has fallen off. </p> <p>Eventually, hopefully, such business owners wend their way to a blog like Mike's and begin to study Local Search. Google certainly isn't going to tell them to.</p> <p>By contrast, Yahoo! picks up the phone and calls SMBs, asking for them to purchase premium listings, etc. I was talking to a friend who has gotten 2 calls like that from Yahoo! recently. And Yahoo! also makes it extremely easy for you to talk to them about your local listing. It's a totally different approach.</p> <p>Glad you found a vet. Miriam Ellis </p> Hi Lisa,
Yes, the problem you’ve pointed out regarding the vet not having claimed their listing is one of the chief examples of communication breakdown we see in Local. Mike recently blogged about a whole cartload of established florists whose listings got hijacked resulting in massive loss of business for them. None of the florists who were damaged had even known they were supposed to claim their LBC listings.

Google has indexed local business information without actually alerting the businesses to this fact, and so many of them remain totally unaware of the 10-pack or Maps and how this may be affecting their business. It would be like finding out your company had a big ad in the Yellow Pages with the wrong address and phone number when you hadn’t purchased an ad at all. All you know is that, for some unknown reason, business has fallen off.

Eventually, hopefully, such business owners wend their way to a blog like Mike’s and begin to study Local Search. Google certainly isn’t going to tell them to.

By contrast, Yahoo! picks up the phone and calls SMBs, asking for them to purchase premium listings, etc. I was talking to a friend who has gotten 2 calls like that from Yahoo! recently. And Yahoo! also makes it extremely easy for you to talk to them about your local listing. It’s a totally different approach.

Glad you found a vet.
Miriam Ellis

]]> By: Mike Blumenthal http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17979 Mike Blumenthal Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:04:11 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17979 Hi Lisa It isn't that I am not completely satisfied with Google's guidelines, it is that I am dissatisfied with Google's approach to Mapspam and Local quality standards in general. These guidelines are a start but the important issue is how they are implemented and whether they are expanded and further clarified. Google Maps is very unlike Google organic in that the standard for presentation should be truth not just relevance. Your personal example above points out just how critical truth is when you are lost and you need trustworthy directions. If the listing had been hijacked due to your vet's lack of awareness of the process then you would have been up the veritable creek without a paddle. Given that the Local listings need to be truthful, the test of these guidelines is whether Google implements them proactively or reactively. The other test will be whether Google's explores all use cases and makes it clear whether Local is about local or about being just a marketing tool for the unscrupulous. If they only respond once a spam instance has been reported Local as you described it above will not work. This has been Google's approach in organic and for the most part it works because an algo can identify relevant and spammy and provide relevant results. In Local that just isn't the case. Changes to records need much more thorough vetting both algorithmically and ultimately by a human to be sure that they are accurate. Google, because of their culture, approaches most problems as computing problems and I am worried that they will persist in that approach in Local. Google is the one company that appears to be in the driver's seat in pushing Local data out to the greatest number of people If Local ultimately succeeds it Google will play a large part of that. We can only hope that they implement high enough technical & listing review standards that Local needs to be successful. Local has the chance to be a truly useful resource but if that opportunity is lost due to inadequate standards than it will become nothing more than the snake oil salesman of the new millennium. Mike Blumenthal Hi Lisa
It isn’t that I am not completely satisfied with Google’s guidelines, it is that I am dissatisfied with Google’s approach to Mapspam and Local quality standards in general.
These guidelines are a start but the important issue is how they are implemented and whether they are expanded and further clarified.
Google Maps is very unlike Google organic in that the standard for presentation should be truth not just relevance. Your personal example above points out just how critical truth is when you are lost and you need trustworthy directions. If the listing had been hijacked due to your vet’s lack of awareness of the process then you would have been up the veritable creek without a paddle.
Given that the Local listings need to be truthful, the test of these guidelines is whether Google implements them proactively or reactively. The other test will be whether Google’s explores all use cases and makes it clear whether Local is about local or about being just a marketing tool for the unscrupulous.
If they only respond once a spam instance has been reported Local as you described it above will not work. This has been Google’s approach in organic and for the most part it works because an algo can identify relevant and spammy and provide relevant results.
In Local that just isn’t the case. Changes to records need much more thorough vetting both algorithmically and ultimately by a human to be sure that they are accurate. Google, because of their culture, approaches most problems as computing problems and I am worried that they will persist in that approach in Local.
Google is the one company that appears to be in the driver’s seat in pushing Local data out to the greatest number of people If Local ultimately succeeds it Google will play a large part of that.
We can only hope that they implement high enough technical & listing review standards that Local needs to be successful. Local has the chance to be a truly useful resource but if that opportunity is lost due to inadequate standards than it will become nothing more than the snake oil salesman of the new millennium.
Mike Blumenthal

]]> By: Michael D http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17978 Michael D Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:59:06 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17978 <p>I'm really glad you brought this up Lisa, I'm seeing a terrible amount of map spam popping up in my industry. Everything from doctors getting PO boxes to add more locations to keyword stuffed business names. I suspect some rogue seo's are behind the practice, likely signing up clients en mass and creating spammy listings. Researching further. </p> I’m really glad you brought this up Lisa, I’m seeing a terrible amount of map spam popping up in my industry. Everything from doctors getting PO boxes to add more locations to keyword stuffed business names. I suspect some rogue seo’s are behind the practice, likely signing up clients en mass and creating spammy listings. Researching further.

]]> By: Lisa http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17977 Lisa Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:57:30 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17977 Burgo, Ah, thanks so much for pointing that out. It's been fixed and the link inserted. :) Burgo,
Ah, thanks so much for pointing that out. It’s been fixed and the link inserted. :)

]]> By: Burgo http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17976 Burgo Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:00:35 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2008/09/the-importance-of-googles-business-listings/#comment-17976 <p>And, for those looking for the Blumenthals post that Lisa mentioned above, you can find it here:</p> <p>http://blumenthals.com/blog/2008/09/16/google-maps-announces-quality-guidelines-reinclusion-option/ </p> And, for those looking for the Blumenthals post that Lisa mentioned above, you can find it here:

http://blumenthals.com/blog/2008/09/16/google-maps-announces-quality-guidelines-reinclusion-option/

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