These type of listings plague Local Florist shops as well.

The returns on local listings on google maps have improved. Yet, the return responses under local listings still do not address search terms accurately.

example:

The searcher used terms florist and Anaheim

Google returns:

Local business results for florist NEAREST Anaheim, CA

The return results should list all florist in the specified local search area first, and nearest should follow after. That is not the case, most often you may see a local florist topping the list, but the site is very well SEO.

It is common because the return results header does say NEAREST.
Therefore, if you look at the above using the above search words you will find there are some local florists from Anaheim, but they are not prominently placed about NEAREST other cities.

The abuses of local listings has caused many local florists to SEO their sites as well. The way it is everyone is trying to find the proverbial end of the rainbow, but it is very elusive. LOL

The listings under the above search terms do return some local florists in the first response pages. Yet, if you look at those sites they do not have the character of a local business. They are SEO hogs just like the internet marketers. This undermines the local nature of business and forces local businesses to become clandestine marketers as well.

Afterall, when they have to expend all the effort to be SEO friendly why not extend the SEO to other local areas as well with a few more well placed keywords and landing pages.

The local florist brick and mortar store has either got to get with the SEO programming or take a short trip to bankruptcy, because they just cannot compete on the web for customers.

Sure, I’ve got some thoughts on solutions, but Google has their own. I’m sure there are considerations I’ve not though about.

When people are looking for local businesses there should be specific responses to those searches that are local businesses.

Return responses under the map are usually peppered with a few local companies, but the SEO optimized internet marketing and directory sites are listed first in results.

The problem with that is the search terms are specifically entered by the searcher, but the Google algorithm doesn’t return those results accurately displaying local businesses.

The florist industry is significantly damaged by these practices. Principally, because florist wire services require local florists to fill orders from internet marketers that use wire services. You might think florists can just quit using wire services…Wire services have been a significant service for florists since the creation of the Telegraph. It is a prominent way of doing business in the industry.

The internet marketers represent themselves to be local companies just as the locksmiths. Some do have local addresses as part of their scheme, but basically that isn’t necessary. The internet marketers and directory sites have sophisticated SEO schemes, and Google doesn’t deal with them appropriately.

Directory sites==

All the directory sites are just advertisement sites. Interestingly, in order to sell their services they do actually place local searches in local order of the search term. In other words, a directory site would display all the searches on florist Anaheim properly. Only Anaheim florists would be in the top levels.

Directory sites are nothing buy advertisers that poke in a few free listings to build more SEO keywords into their content. They are almost identical to Yellowpages in content presentation.

Just search on the two terms florist Anaheim. Click on the return results on the first pages. All the sites are SEO with a preponderance of unnecessary information to acquire better positioning. You have to carefully review a site to determine where they are actually located, and in many cases that is not possible.

Toll free phone numbers are used as well as phony addresses. I recently noticed in my area, where many sites were using phony addresses… even to the point of using another florist shops address.
This is a bit much, but these internet marketers care less. They want their Ecommerce and toll free numbers to bring in orders. They inturn pass these orders from say Anaheim to an Anaheim florist via wire service and the local Anaheim florist has to fill the order.

The buying customers name is not disclosed to the wire service or local florist. Thereby not allowing the local customer to do any marketing to the person in the local area that purchased the flowers.

Consumers do not get the most for their money, but they do get quality flowers. In order to be a wire service subscriber florists are bonded to assure quality. So the internet marketers are taking advantage of a system of distribution that was designed to protect consumers and provide a necessary service by local florist shops.

The sad part is… local florists are losing so much business. The wire services pay 20% commission to the internet marketers and then take 7 to 10% commision, plus monthly fees exceeding $150 from the participating local florists.

The florist shops are small mom and pop businesses. The owners are some of the most decent people you could know. Most of the ones I’ve talked with don’t like the practices that have become so prevalent in their industry. These people aren’t computer literate and sophisticated enough to deal with a scam industry being built up around them.
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If you want to go into the internet florist business all you have to do is click on this link… http://www.floristbusiness.com/ or similar sites. You can buy templated sites all ready to go. You don’t have to have any inventory, equipment, shop or a good location. These sites don’t discuss the efficient distribution system of wire services until you get onboard.

These types of go-into business sites have been around and will continue to be around. It is up to resources like Google to separate the flies in the honey. Local brick and mortar businesses should have preferential treatment in local listings, because they provide services the internet marketers cannot.

http://www DOT wesleyberry DOT net/aboutus.html

These people carry the lie of being a local shop right down to their about page.

All their landing pages link back to the same about page, showing the cute little van in front of the flowershop.

A deceitful lie.

There is no way Google and other search engines cannot pick up on this kind of deceit. If not there is something wrong with their search algorithm.

It should be abundantly clear that anyone who refuses to give their name is both a coward and in this case, clearly misinformed. Anyone doubting my credibility can search the whois records for the domain names mdlock.com and mdlocksmith.com and see that I was the original registrant and have maintained the names continuously for many years. You are guilty of liable and I thank you for providing, in writing, the evidence I need to support my case against you for both libel and slander. I spend thousands of dollars a year to effectively market my businesses, and that includes legal registration of the trade names I use and the associated domain names. Just because you don’t understand the difference doesn’t mean there is no difference. As long as you continue to spread lies about me you will continue to have no future in the locksmith trade, and will fail to effectively compete in this difficult environment. Your attacks should be directed at the companies who are deliberately violating the laws of our state and fail to provide accurate registration information. Additionally, you should conduct a thorough investigation and find out that I am fact a victim of these scammers many times over. You probably did not take the time necessary to call phone numbers of a listing and find out that it wasn’t me at all, but a scammer company that uses one of my trade names without my permission. Because you have chosen to both publicly slander my good name and now libel me here, you will finally have to face me in court and no longer be able to post as an anonymous coward.

Thank you for providing additional information about your identity. Any honest citizen can see that you are so proud that your mother named you “concerned citizen”. In the meantime, put another nail in your own coffin as you are building my case for libel, and I will make every effort to sue you for damages for the false and misleading statements you are making about me. My name is Harold Fink, I run circles around lazy wannabe locksmiths like yourself, and you are obviously quite jealous that I have much more skill and capability in marketing myself than you do. When you finally realize that you have made a serious error in your statements, as you have failed, like so many others, to conduct a thorough and proper investigation of who has created a problem for all of us, then I will expect damages for slandering my name publicly and now here. Thank you for continuing to provide me more evidence.

hey harold, also was wondering what the mis-use of a telephone charge that you received was all about? threatining another locksmith maybe??? now is that libel Harold or the truth??

@Concerned Locksmiths

Pls take your battle elsewhere

I see that the problem isnt just in america, the spam in england is just as bad, its hard for local companies to get anywhere on the first few pages of google maps, i hope google somewhere along the line resolve this issue.

Wisconsin Attorney General has filed suit against the Brooklyn NY locksmith company on November 2, 2009. —- It is very easy to determine if the locksmith you are calling is a bogus locksmith. They simply do not answer the phone with a company name. The usual satutation is: LOCKSMITH; SERVICE; DISPATCH or you get a mechanical recording like ” if this is call back….press one, if you are checking on …. etc” A real honest Locksmith always answeres their phone with their company name. After hours it may be possible to receive a answering machine but even that will have a name in the satuataion that will match the listing you found the number with. Tim

Using Fraudulent information such as fake addresses, local phone numbers that are forwarded to out of state call centers, fraudulent reviews, or other ways to get higher listings are all still fraud.

Fraud is the false information used to get the listings, and ultimatly the customers. If a company has nothing to hide, why would they go this route? Trying to look local, when in fact you are not, is deception. IMHO.

@ Crystal Phillips

they’re not, they get their and shake you down for more like rogue furniture movers…