Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Entries Written By Mike Blumenthal
Will Google Maps Coupons Rise From the Dead with the New Mobile Option?
Coupons in Google Maps have long been the forgotten step-child with little promotion on the part of Google and even less visibility in Maps and in the main search results. The result has been that they have been of little real value to anyone. Is that about to change? The Google LatLong just announced that …
Looking for a Legend In All the Wrong Places
Zebedi recently posted this comment on my Get a Virtual Office With a Keyword Stuffed Maps Listing article. I thought it worth highlighting and responding: As a small business person, I cannot find an SEO that can tell me how to genuinely appear in search results in the areas we genuinely service. Why is it …
Google Local Listing Ad Heatmap
Like all in the industry, I am curious about how a user might view and respond to the new display that Google is presenting when the Local Listing Ads are included. Between the Adwords, new Local Listing Ads & the 7 Pack organic results have been pushed very far down the page and user behavior …
Is Google AdWords Testing a New Local Adwords Display Type?
In July, Google upgraded AdWords to allow advertisers to add the full address to their search ads through location extensions. It appears that they are now testing a new ad layout similar to the one developed for Local Listing Ads. Tim Coleman of A Second Opinion, sent along this screen shot from last week of …
Google Maps Local Listing Ad Spam & Other Notes
As Google Local Listing Ads rollout it is no surprise to see spam creeping in and potential trademark questions once again coming to the fore. Pierre Kairouz has shared a screen shot with me for the search taxi San Francisco which brought up this Local Listing Ad. It is interesting in two respects, the use …
Traveling – light postings
I am traveling to San Francisco today thru Sunday and will be posting extreemely lightly until next week.
Get a keyword stuffed Google Map listing with a virtual office thrown in for free!
Creative abuses of Google Maps for profit always intrigue me and this “ad” is one that certainly wins an award for chutzpah. PanzerMike, never one to let a potential spamming competitor sneak through & frustrated by Google’s spam fighting efforts, sent me this example. Apparently with the real estate business in a downturn, an enterprising …
Google Maps LBC Local Listing Ads: Additional Details & Interface Review
The Help Pages for the Local Listing Ads have been “beefed up” and now total 32 pages of instruction with ad policy details, and payment timing and much, much more. Several of the help pages did answer previous questions and provide some nuggets of interest : Will my monthly fee change? Your flat monthly fee is unlikely to …
Photo Experiment with the iPhone – the path to widespread mobile local adotion
It snowed again the other day, at the higher elevations that I travel to work. As the sun was rising over the hilltop, the contrasts, lighting and colors were striking and I embarked on an iPhone photo experiment to see how well I could capture the scenes with the low end camera in the phone. …
Google Changes Guidelines AGAIN!
Stefano Gorgoni has pointed out that Google has once again changed the Business Listing Guidelines as regards to legal business name, switching back to the standard that was in use previously: Previous Guideline New Guideline The business name on Google Maps must be your full legal business name. Represent your business exactly as it appears …
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