Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Google Local Search Phone Hack
Tim Colling and Helmut Schmidt (Google Local TC Extraordinaire) both pointed out to me that if you add the word ‘phone’ to your keyword local search, Google DOES in fact surface the phone number.
Thus while a search like emergency services buffalo or emergency plumber buffalo would not return a phone number (even though they should…Google what are you thinking???), a searcher can surface it with the search emergency services buffalo phone
I have not found a way to surface street address in the Local Pack but maybe there is one?
Maybe this will make our good friend, Dave happy… hmm probably not. 🙂
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Comments
6 Comments
Great hack. And timely: I’ve noticed that the phone numbers have vanished from the 3-pack again, as of last night.
…as you just posted today. Dang, that was fast.
I looked at 90,000 keywords for an smb from back when we knew keywords. There were 3 phrases with “phone number” 3 I wouldn’t call it a “hack” in the context it is going to be used. Its nice and its interesting but I wouldn’t call it news.
Google doesn’t want the public to have phone numbers. Why?
Yep, noticed that a couple of weeks back and it was outside of the scope of my normal seo work. I was literally trying to find a local restaurant for my wife and I searched over desktop and lo and behold no phone in the 3 pack. I then put in the word ‘phone’ after the keyword search and yep, there they were.
Got me thinking that Google perhaps wants users to click through to the business to find the phone which enhances the CTR. Plus then you can drill down into more details on that business and of course you can read full reviews, business info, and competition. Also, it may be a way to push users to use mobile which has a Call button next to each results. Or perhaps over desktop, it’s a way for them to push Google Hangouts which if you click on the number, it uses that.
Goes back to enhancing user experience I guess. but it is frustrating imo. it’s almost like they want you to make a very informed decision before reaching out to a particular business.
The trouble is, how many people are going think to add the word ‘phone’? I guess I will now, having read this post, but I wouldn’t have thought to do that on my own. Call me a dodo, but I just wouldn’t have considered adding that word to my search. And if I were having an emergency, I really wouldn’t be sitting around thinking about how to modify my search to get a phone number to appear.
Agree with Dave – Google is intentionally testing results with no phone numbers. Why?
@Miriam
No clue.
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