Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
in Local Search
GetListed Portland
Today, I am presenting at the sixth GetListed.org Local University in Portland, Or. If you are coming PLEASE take a moment to introduce yourself as I would love to meet you.
For those of you that attended the presentation these links will provide background information and details for a pathway to dig deeper into the world of managing your listing on Google Maps. For those of you that are not in attendance, the links provide a good overview of critical base line ideas and tactics that every local campaign should embrace.
Google Maps – Its not your mother’s yellow pages.
Slide 2 – January 2011 Search Engine Market Share
Slide 12/13 – The Importance of Page One Visibility
Slides 16/17 – How the Google Cluster Works
Slide 21- Choosing the Right Category – A Tool
Slide 21 – Writing a Great Business Description
Slide 21 – Google Places Policies: Quality guidelines
Slide 22 – Creating a GeoSitemap – A tool
Slide 28/29 Local Search Ranking Factors – the many variables
Slide 28/29 A brief list of 10 Ranking Factors – somewhat old but still valid and a quick read
Slide 28/29 Thinking about your Business Name in the Internet Era
Slide 30 – Custom Maps – A Goldmine
Slide 30 – User Generated Content – Geo Tagged Photos
Slide 30 – How To Gather Reviews
Slide 30- Where to Gather Reviews
Slide 31- The Importance of Citations
Slide 31 – 20 Citation Sources in the US
Slide 36- A Listing management tool
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Comments
3 Comments
Mike: I was glancing through the slides and the first one, (slide 2) representing very recent info on search market share: http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/2/comScore_Releases_January_2011_U.S._Search_Engine_Rankings
It got me thinking about an issue with which I’m dealing with now, and with which I’ve had to readdress several times in the past.
Its not directly related, but I was glancing at market share vis a vis google, bing, and yahoo.
All of which takes me to a recurring issue I’ve faced:
I don’t know about others but it appears that my claimed Yahoo listings have ZERO stickiness. I get them up, their claimed, verified…..and some months pass….and they are gone.
Now, it doesn’t make me nuts: market share on yahoo is not big…but in retrospect while our traffic numbers for Yahoo and Bing for a variety of businesses/websites are somewhat lower than the overall market shares….Yahoo and Bing roughly represent the value of important 2ndary terms in Google. And in that regard they are valuable.
All in all this recurring problem doesn’t make get me as worked up as when Google has similar problems with Local/Places/Maps.
But then Google has what was traditionally described as monopolistic control of market share. Yahoo, and Bing, ultimately don’t create much impact…..they are like 2ndary keyword phrases, at least IMHO.
…and that reminds me; a couple of years ago I tried to assist a business that was facing a problem, had contacted google in the forums about an information glitch in Local that was misdirecting people to an old bad address. A google staffer responded and said they would get back to the business. Nine months ensued. Then the glitch was finally cured in google. Meanwhile nobody got back to the business, even with repeated efforts at engaging them.
Meanwhile, Yahoo Maps had the exact same problem. It had information that was misdirecting people.
The business continuously got calls from lost potential customers. In every case the business rep would ask the lost person where they got the information.
In every case….the lost person would say google. Every case. We tracked it.
That is a “hands on” definition of monopolistic control of market share.
In any case I have this problem with Yahoo Local. I’ll address it. Hopefully they’ll fix it. Meanwhile based on long experience its not making me crazy.
Okay, enuff for that little rant. 😀 😀
“I don’t know about others but it appears that my claimed Yahoo listings have ZERO stickiness. I get them up, their claimed, verified…..and some months pass….and they are gone.”
EarlPearl, for what it’s worth, GetListed users occasionally report the same thing to me. I go in and investigate, thinking it’s a bug in our system, but lo and behold the listings have actually disappeared from Yahoo.
My hunch — ZERO info Amar Patel this past week (and an attendee asked him point blank) — there must be some internal negotiations going on about whether Bing Local is going to subsume Yahoo Local, and Y! is sitting on its hands until those decisions have been made…they’ve not innovated that product in several years…
Thanks, David
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