Google pre-populates its local index with data from various yellow pages directories and such. The more about this place links you see in that unclaimed listing are the various directory listings Google has found that use the same location info (phone number and address).

You client needs to claim his listing. At top of Places page for that biz you should see a “business owner?” link. Click that to go through the process of claiming it. Is also the first step towards optimizing it.

My client has a professional with only a web site and no Places entry.

google pulls them up with a Map and more about this place at the moment. And they have lots of organic results through multiple domains and directory listings.

Without a Places entry will they loose out?

Or does the scraped web site ‘count’ as a Maps result and is equivalent to a Places entry?

Cheers. Andrew.

I would think there would be lots and lots of experimentation. Google has boat loads of data on existing patterns of user actions based on millions of searches and clicks. These current phenomena are new, experiencing some changes in presentation. Its a TBD situation, at least in my mind.

Based on Mike’s find that the experiment shows combinations of organic and local listings…and that smbs w/ higher rankings in both categories tend to rank higher it leads me to two notions:

1. Bigger businesses w/ a bigger budget for seo will do better. If you really want higher listings you’ll need on page optimization, links to compete in a competitive environment for organic rankings and then citations, and UGC with links to do well in a competitive Local ranking situation. In a competitive environment, its a lot of effort.

2. And w/ that observation…..that is a real opportunity for the local seo group/especially w/expertise in both areas.

3. Thirdly it becomes an added incentive for a business to be in direct communication w/ google via claiming its listing.

and once that business is in communication w/ google..it opens the door for google to direct sell PPC.

Its all interesting.

Sorry I wasn’t clear.

I was referring to the current situation whereby a business without a website could still do well in the 7-Pack.

For example on the search for San Francisco Bakeries there is a bakery in the 7 Pack called Golden Gate. In the test results they don’t show up.

They would have to build a website to gain any presence.

Now, may I ask a question about one detail, above? You say:

“If a business doesn’t yet have a website they will likely loose out on local search all together.”

How do you figure this? Couldn’t a future website (not yet built) eventually do well, what with results being a fluid thing (changing over time)? Or, is there something about the new hypothetical results that will actually bar future businesses from inclusion?

Again, many thanks for this reading treat.