Comments on: Blackhats to Google Maps: Take That! http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/ Developing Knowledge about Local Search Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:37:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Google Places Gets Down and Very Dirty | Understanding Google Maps & Local Search http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-538008 Google Places Gets Down and Very Dirty | Understanding Google Maps & Local Search Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:00:23 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-538008 [...] of bad actors, whether the computer repair company that got carried away with bulk uploads, the non existent locksmith, the plastic surgeon with fake reviews or the less than savory payday loan folks [...] [...] of bad actors, whether the computer repair company that got carried away with bulk uploads, the non existent locksmith, the plastic surgeon with fake reviews or the less than savory payday loan folks [...]

]]> By: Mike http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-354619 Mike Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:56:06 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-354619 I would agree with you that Google does understand nor do enough to get users to participate in local. That being said, those that do have seen significant returns if their industry has in fact moved over to the internet. As to SEO's not bothering with Local, feel free to send those clients this way. :) Mike I would agree with you that Google does understand nor do enough to get users to participate in local. That being said, those that do have seen significant returns if their industry has in fact moved over to the internet.

As to SEO’s not bothering with Local, feel free to send those clients this way. :)

Mike

]]> By: Terry Van Horne http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-352441 Terry Van Horne Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:58:54 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-352441 Mike, Google may not lose credibility but the maps will for finding businesses... but... IMO, more people use maps after they find what they need because the business listings are far from "saturated" whereas the top ten in organic search are lined up into the parking lot! My brother doesn't leave the house without googling the maps for the location. IMO, that how the maps are frequently used I don't see people using the maps to search for products maps are too exclusive when they should be inclusive. Google thinks everyone knows all about what they are doing when in reality most business people don't and a lot of SEOs can't be bothered with it because it's such a hassle with the verification. I have a google account why shouldn't I be able to use maps the same way as analytics or AdWords. I mean it's not like business directoriues haven't been doing that for eons! Mike, Google may not lose credibility but the maps will for finding businesses… but… IMO, more people use maps after they find what they need because the business listings are far from “saturated” whereas the top ten in organic search are lined up into the parking lot!

My brother doesn’t leave the house without googling the maps for the location. IMO, that how the maps are frequently used I don’t see people using the maps to search for products maps are too exclusive when they should be inclusive.

Google thinks everyone knows all about what they are doing when in reality most business people don’t and a lot of SEOs can’t be bothered with it because it’s such a hassle with the verification. I have a google account why shouldn’t I be able to use maps the same way as analytics or AdWords. I mean it’s not like business directoriues haven’t been doing that for eons!

]]> By: Joe http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-352303 Joe Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:29:39 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-352303 @Mike We used to use one account until Google started making PIN Verification mandatory on <b>every</b> listing. That basically made the bulk upload feature unusable because of the "Unverified Listing" label and the low exposure listings would receive (i.e. almost no chance of being in the 10 pack). We sell over 60 accounts a day now. Due to manual account limitations Google has put in place (no more than 100 listings in an account), we need to create a new Google account everyday. Needless to say this is quickly becoming a administrative nightmare. Google needs to come to grips with the reality that agencies are here to stay. We need proper tools so we will not be confused with the blackhats of the world and be able to provide our customers with useful reports. Agencies provide a useful bridge to SMBs at this point because Google does not do it as well directly. --Joe @Mike

We used to use one account until Google started making PIN Verification mandatory on every listing. That basically made the bulk upload feature unusable because of the “Unverified Listing” label and the low exposure listings would receive (i.e. almost no chance of being in the 10 pack).

We sell over 60 accounts a day now. Due to manual account limitations Google has put in place (no more than 100 listings in an account), we need to create a new Google account everyday. Needless to say this is quickly becoming a administrative nightmare.

Google needs to come to grips with the reality that agencies are here to stay. We need proper tools so we will not be confused with the blackhats of the world and be able to provide our customers with useful reports. Agencies provide a useful bridge to SMBs at this point because Google does not do it as well directly.

–Joe

]]> By: Mike http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-352294 Mike Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:11:46 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-352294 @Joe I agree that it is unmanageable for most. I manage about 50 listings and it is a nightmare just tracking changes that occur for no obvious reason like the url changing back to maps.google.com or the address no longer geocoding correctly. I was contacted once to see if I would participate in a test of an easy to use tool for measurement of local results but they never followed up with me. In several interviews last year Google spoke of an "agency model" to facilitate verification and management Nothing has come of either initiative as of yet. Do you mange each of the 7000 in their own account or do you attempt to manage multiple listings in one account? Mike @Joe

I agree that it is unmanageable for most. I manage about 50 listings and it is a nightmare just tracking changes that occur for no obvious reason like the url changing back to maps.google.com or the address no longer geocoding correctly.

I was contacted once to see if I would participate in a test of an easy to use tool for measurement of local results but they never followed up with me. In several interviews last year Google spoke of an “agency model” to facilitate verification and management

Nothing has come of either initiative as of yet.

Do you mange each of the 7000 in their own account or do you attempt to manage multiple listings in one account?

Mike

]]> By: Joe http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-352289 Joe Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:58:27 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-352289 Mike, my company manages over 7,000 customer each with their own Google Maps listing. It is a struggle everyday! Especially with all the new user content features that can be abused. If Google provided tools for us to manage and test these things, we would be able to get a better view of the big picture. Do you know if they have any plans to add this type of functionality? Maybe a Google Analytics for Maps? Right now you see view and clicks but this information is stuck in the LBC, there is no way to export it. Yahoo at least sends my team a warning via email when a user attempts to edit a listing or add content. So this becomes manageable. Google needs to provide something similar, especially for their verified listings. --Joe Mike, my company manages over 7,000 customer each with their own Google Maps listing. It is a struggle everyday! Especially with all the new user content features that can be abused.

If Google provided tools for us to manage and test these things, we would be able to get a better view of the big picture. Do you know if they have any plans to add this type of functionality? Maybe a Google Analytics for Maps? Right now you see view and clicks but this information is stuck in the LBC, there is no way to export it.

Yahoo at least sends my team a warning via email when a user attempts to edit a listing or add content. So this becomes manageable. Google needs to provide something similar, especially for their verified listings.

–Joe

]]> By: Mike http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-352217 Mike Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:00:54 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-352217 I agree with you that more and more people will discover the weak underbelly of Maps going forward. I have seen more and more small business people visiting and commenting on this site compared to last year when it was primarily search professionals. What the tipping point to Google's reputation going bad is though, is hard to assess from where I sit. I (and to some extent many readers of the blog) have a very limited view of the total picture. We see one stolen listing here, another corrupted one there and they frame our point of view and cause us to legitimately question Google's ability to maintain their reputation in the market. What we don't have any idea about is how many results are right at any given moment AND what % of bad results will be enough to push the perception needle of Google to "do evil". Mike I agree with you that more and more people will discover the weak underbelly of Maps going forward. I have seen more and more small business people visiting and commenting on this site compared to last year when it was primarily search professionals.

What the tipping point to Google’s reputation going bad is though, is hard to assess from where I sit. I (and to some extent many readers of the blog) have a very limited view of the total picture. We see one stolen listing here, another corrupted one there and they frame our point of view and cause us to legitimately question Google’s ability to maintain their reputation in the market.

What we don’t have any idea about is how many results are right at any given moment AND what % of bad results will be enough to push the perception needle of Google to “do evil”.

Mike

]]> By: Joe http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-351452 Joe Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:03:41 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-351452 @Mike Both. As more small business owners look more cheap ways to market themselves online, they will enviably find out about these issues. That will make them less likely to put more user content into their listings which will affect the overall user experience. If this type of blackhat tactic is not stopped and spreads to other verticals, users are going to find other sources of more accurate information. IMHO, Google Maps needs to make fixing this priority number one. @Mike
Both. As more small business owners look more cheap ways to market themselves online, they will enviably find out about these issues. That will make them less likely to put more user content into their listings which will affect the overall user experience. If this type of blackhat tactic is not stopped and spreads to other verticals, users are going to find other sources of more accurate information.

IMHO, Google Maps needs to make fixing this priority number one.

]]> By: Mike http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-351421 Mike Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:04:15 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-351421 @Joe Do you think that this problem is affecting the credibility of Google amongst the bulk of the average shoppers or is the loss of credibility limited the small businesses owners that have been affected? Mike @Joe
Do you think that this problem is affecting the credibility of Google amongst the bulk of the average shoppers or is the loss of credibility limited the small businesses owners that have been affected?

Mike

]]> By: Joe http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/03/18/blackhats-to-google-maps-take-that/comment-page-1/#comment-351406 Joe Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:49:02 +0000 http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=2792#comment-351406 Someone with some time should just blackhat them back. This is getting ridiculous and it is making Google Maps lose credibility amongst users. Not that the hole over at Yahoo Local are any smaller. Someone with some time should just blackhat them back. This is getting ridiculous and it is making Google Maps lose credibility amongst users. Not that the hole over at Yahoo Local are any smaller.

]]>