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Understanding Google My Business & Local Search

Google Maps: LBC Now Provides Direct Link to Business Listing

Barry at Search Engine Roundtable was the first to point out that Google has added a link to the Local Business Center that allows a business to locate the particular listing in the Maps index.

Picture 81

It is a simple upgrade, that has long been requested, that hopefully will indicate to new listers and businesses unfamiliar with Maps how to find their listing once it has gone live. It will increase confidence levels amongst users and decrease postings in the forums.

The only question now, is, when the link leads to nowhere, how do you find where your listing went? I have recently seen/heard of cases where the listing is in fact missing in action and this link nor any other search seems capable of dragging it out of the index.

I was also curious as to the parsing of the URL that is generated by the link so I asked Barry Hunter, mapper extrodonaire….

Here is his response to the URL for Rusty Brick:
http://maps.google.com/?hl=en&q=*&georestrict=input_srcid%3A2a3460b2291b0b2d&iwloc=A&iwd=1&mrt=yp

I know some bits, but not sure of it all.

I guess the jump to ‘places’ is because the page notices there is only
one listing, so it might as well just show the fuller ‘places’ page.

http://maps.google.com/?hl=en
just says english 🙂

&q=*
any results – could use keywords here to filter the list

&georestrict=input_srcid%3A2a3460b2291b0b2d
must be the unique ID for the particular buiness. – don’t know
how to find the ID.

&iwloc=A
show the info window for result A (if have multiple businesses, could
perhaps use to specify which to show ‘places’ for.

&iwd=1
Specifies that the infowindow displayed (iwloc=) will be a detailed
(expanded) view.
– which suggests that the ‘expanded’ view is what has become ‘places’
– removing this stops the jump to places

&mrt=yp
only show business (yellow pages) results. Possibly removing that
would show community edits – but doesnt do anythign for RustyBrick

See:
http://mapki.com/wiki/Google_Map_Parameters

I’ve also found my link now, its on the main page of the LBC – because
only have one listing it jumps to the details page for that result.

.. so all the params are to get it to sucessfully redirect to the
result in places – its just very unfortunate it goes about it in a
roundabout way.