Mike Blumenthal

Yesterday, Google Maps rolled out a new Local Business Center User Guide. The guide has more specific details about the listing process, the meaning of various messages and an improved interface to the information. The LBC User Guide is a definite improvement over the previous help system and may ameliorate some of the business listing …

Update 4/13: Google Maps now in lead over Mapquest, according to Hitwise Compete.com has shown Google Maps as having more traffic than Mapquest since January. Hitwise on the other hand has Google Maps gaining but not yet surpassing Mapquest. Here are the latest numbers from Hitwise: Both Hitwise and Compete show an uptick in March …

Analytics is not something that I specialize in but given the increasingly high profile nature of the Local 10 Pack and no easy solution from Google for distinguishing this traffic, I turned to Martijn Beijk for advice. Martijn Beijk works as a SEO at Onetomarket, one of the leading online marketing agencies in Europe with offices …

According to Compete.com , Google Maps continued to gain market share in the maps market as it grew somewhat faster clip during the past month. Both Google Maps and Mapquest saw increases in visitation, however, Google Maps grew at 13.5% rate over the previous month compared to Mapquest’s 10.8% growth.

Review spam in Google Maps has been a problem since reviews started being accepted by Google. There has always been a link to tag the review as inappropriate but no clear indication of what was and what was not acceptable nor when or how a review would be removed. Google has at least dealt with …

Update:: Google Confirms 10 Pack Expansion Google’s newest showing of Local results on non geo modified phrases will dramatically enhance the role of local data and of branded local data in search. Its impact will be felt every where from the local dentist to the largest retail brands in the US. It offers up the …

For a brief period earlier in the week, the White House listing in Maps was hijacked by a blackhat locksmith. The hijacking, consistent with previous mapjackings, was reported to me by the locksmith “deepthroat” that previously reported the Maps hijacking technique. It was quickly returned to its normal community editable condition by Google. In related …

Google is now showing the Local 10 Pack on broad single phrase searches with obvious local intent (nods to Florist SEO Watch who spotted this on Saturday and Cathy Rhulloda for pointing it out) without geo modifiers. In US searches, the Local 10 Pack appears on phrases such as – plumber – locksmith – dentist …

Over a year ago I compared Google Maps to Yahoo Local in the nature of their communication upon listing a business in the respective services. I praised Yahoo for proactive, if automated, communications and followup. Yahoo, in contrast to Google, made the signup process seem like not walking off of a cliff in the dark. …

Google Maps has made a small change in the interface (thanks to ever observant LA Florist, Cathy Rulloda) removing the obvious links to toggle between Maps View (seen when entering via Maps link) and Text View (seen when entering via a Universal Local Result). The change, one of many since the August Blue Line role …