Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Entries Written By Mike Blumenthal
Google 7-Pack Heatmaps & User Behavior Study
While Google has shifted the typical Places layout from the 7-Pack to the blended organo-local results, these 7-Pack heatmaps and research from ionadas local still hold a lot of value. This snippet is of particular interest: And our most surprising finding certainly still applies. The conventional wisdom has been that the map itself should be …
Google Places – Are Reviews Now Being Filtered?
Last week I wrote an article, Google Places – Reviewer Names No Longer Showing. Feature or Bug?, where I highlighted the fact that reviewer names were not showing on reviews on a business’s Places listing. I and a number of readers noticed that some names were showing and some were not. I received two reviews …
Google Places: Another Reason to Move to Canada; Duplicate Listing Removal
I can think of several reasons one might want to move to Canada: they have single payer health care that every citizen receives and they usually are not using unmanned drones to shoot people in Pakistan and Yemen. I have found a third reason: the duplicate removal procedure in Google Places. In the U.S., the …
Google Places – Reviewer Names No Longer Showing. Feature or Bug?
Last week the name of review posters disappeared in Canada. It appears that they have now stopped showing for reviews in the US now as well. Here is a review on Places today: . Here is the same review from October 20th of this year: For a serious student of reviews I find this loss …
Google Places Search: Hiding Address No Longer Buries Listing
Update: While the Hide Address feature does not impact Blended results it STILL impacts Maps and 7-Pack results from showing so use with caution. The new Google Places Search has its winners and losers. For one group though, it is turning out to be an incredible plus – those home based and service businesses that …
Google Places Search to IYPs – What is the Message? Go Microformats, Young Man!
There has been a lot of discussion* (David Mihm, Greg Sterling, Chris Silver Smith, Andrew Shotland) in the local search community about the meaning and impact of the new Places Search organo-local blending of results on IYPs, directories and Review sites. All interesting and all of value. Clearly there will be winners and loosers, clearly …
Nexus One Support Forum- RIP
This notice is now posted on the Google Nexus One Forums. The Nexus One was/is a great phone but Google soon learned that 1) They couldn’t really sell phone without primary carrier engagemet and 2)They weren’t very good at support (no surprise there). The Nexus One was a great reference platform that defined what a …
What are the implications of the new integrated Local Search results?
Update: It appears that Google is rolling out the new integrated local that I started writing about in July. They have been reported in Europe and are being reported as widely visible in the US. This was first written in August but it is essentially still valid today. ****** Since the beginning of July I …
Reviews: Lipstick on a Pig Leads to User Backlash
Reviews have become important. Having them helps with rank, the good reviews bury any negative comments and create higher averages. Good reviews and good rank lead to sales. I am a big believer in actively managing a review solicitation process. It is a winning combination if done correctly and respectfully of customer needs. The pressure …
Google Tags Update: Google Giveth and Google Taketh Away
This screen shot just came across my desk of a new change to Tags where by the website option (the most effective from my perspective) is being phased out as a Tags destination. You may continue to use it but if you change to another Tag type you will be unable to use the website …
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