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Understanding Google My Business & Local Search

Knowledge Graph Dropdowns & Crowd Sourcing the Future on Twitter

On Friday Sebastien Socha alerted me to the fact that Google was now including inline Knowledge Graph Dropdowns in general and local search results.

Besides the fact that it provides mostly irrelevant, distracting. repetitive and non specific Wikipedia type results to very specific queries, I saw it as an annoying addition to local search with little of value for the searcher or the business.

Here is an example of the search result. Note that the Ikea Knowledge Graph drop down link with exactly the same, limited content appears above the fold twice as does the Yelp Corporate information panel.  Given that the card is static, after you have clicked it once, you know all you need to know – never click again.

Screen Shot 2014-02-09 at 1.18.47 PM

I didn’t have time to write about it at the time, so when Cyrus Shepard tweeted it, I retweeted his image.That led to a lively discussion about the present and future of Google with @CyrusShepard@MikeGracen@JohnAndrews & @SEOAware (Melissa Fach).

I am reproducing it here because it says so much about us as SEOs, Google, our fears, the present and the possible futures we all face. And it says a lot about how Twitter can sometimes be very enjoyable.