Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
One Very Strange Survey – Is Google Getting Into the Data Distribution Business?
This survey from Ipsos, a market survey company, claims to be on behalf of Google. If that is true then the questions are quite bizarre and really makes one wonder what Google is up to. Is Google looking to replicate what Yext has done with real time data distribution? Or just shooting an arrow across their bow? Update: Google has confirmed that they in fact did send out this survey.
I asked Yext if was their survey and they said that it wasn’t theirs but they had heard of it from some of their clients.
If the survey is in fact not from Google then it would seem that the survey world seems to following in the footsteps of 29Prime and just claiming its from Google to increase participation.
Either way very strange. I am sure you will agree when you look at some of the questions:
See more of the survey questions:
© Copyright 2025 - MIKE BLUMENTHAL, ALL RIGHT RESERVED.
Comments
10 Comments
I received the survey this year and received it last year as well. Last year, Google was comparing itself to other engines, like Bing and Foursquare, rather than other listing management services or aggregators. This time, my survey compared Google to Yahoo Local rather than Yext. In this year’s survey, Google is asking participants to indicate which services they use to manage their business listings, and options are: Google My Business Locations, Yext, InfoUSA, Facebook, Yelp, Yahoo Local, and Other (specify).
Very odd indeed Mike. Especially the 1st 2 Qs in the top survey screenshot. How can you compare GMB Locations and Yext? 2 totally different types of products.
@Sara thanks for confirming.
@Linda
Very odd indeed. But Google has confirmed that it is theirs.
I received the exact same survey only the questions pertained to Yelp instead of Yext.
@Jeff
Interesting.
It’s sooooo strange that Google refers to My Business as a “local listing distribution product” or that we might expect it to ” fix data conflicts”.
@Mary
very strange indeed.
Weird survey. The Yext questions don’t seem designed to get at much other than do you like them or not. Makes me think this is more about brand messaging than anything else.
Seems worth a thought experiment though – how would local brands and publishers respond if Google created a local listings distribution service?
1. Would it work? There are still enough crazy edge cases in GMB that if the service were tied to GMB’s backend, chances are these issues would come along for the ride, driving potential customers and publishers crazy.
2. How would they sell it? An add-on to Adwords Express? Another upsell from your GMB page? We could be heading towards the “too many SKUs” territory which has doomed many a local marketing service.
3.Would publishers take the data? Sure everyone wants better data, but I doubt there is any publisher that wants to give Google even more control over their business. So Google would either have to give it away for free – so another non-revenue generating product it would have to support with everything that goes along with “free” – and it would likely have to pay the big publishers to take the data – most of which I imagine would prefer to do business with “independent” companies like Yext.
My bet is this is mostly an exercise in market research. They are likely seeing a lot of activity in the listings management space, Yext is right in the middle of it all and someone needed some data to fill in that pie chart on slide #17.
One more thought. Since when has Google ever shown any interest in giving data to other websites that wasn’t an ad?
Great find, Mike.
Wise points, Andrew. I’d also add: how could anyone have confidence that Google’s distributions product wouldn’t end up in the crowded Google Graveyard after a year? It’s always a vicious cycle: Google releases a product halfheartedly, it doesn’t catch on, it gets thrown in the reject pile, and everyone recognizes Google as a cruel Old Testament god.
Tricky problem, that adoption thing. And the “too many SKUs” factor that you pointed out wouldn’t help much.
Comments for this post are closed.