Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Entries Written By Mike Blumenthal
iBegin Source – a radical approach to local data
Ahmed Farooq of iBegin.com contacted me several weeks ago to alert me to a new product that his company is releasing today: iBegin Source, a free and low cost source for business data in the 50 states. Traditionally business data from InfoUSA and the like is expensive and very restricted in its use. For example, …
Your mobile phone meets the ether
As a partner in a small firm that relies heavily on technologies that support and enhance telecommuting to maintain customer contact, I found three (totally unrelated) announcements of interest: Microsoft acquires TellMe. I have been a big fan of 877-520-Find as a safe and productive tool for cell phone calling. It demonstrates effectively how voice …
Yahoo introduces Local Maps Suggestion Board
locally type(d) has a write up of the new Yahoo Local/Maps suggestion board where users can suggest, comment and vote on the best ideas for improvement. If you have a idea for Yahoo Local you canmake your suggestion here. I find the differing approaches of Google and Yahoo to map corrections/suggestions of interest. Yahoo one …
Google Maps Custom Attributes differ by industry segment
Thursday, Google introduced the ability to add custom attributes to a business listing at the Local Business Center. It is of interest that the default custom attributes change by industry. The choices for additional detail fields change as well. For example with a service industry the first field is Price, in the restaurant business it …
Greg Sterling: Print Yellow Pages: What’s the Real Story?
Greg Sterling’s recent post: Print Yellow Pages: What’s the Real Story? is one of the best summaries of the issues and realities of the print Yellow Pages and their positioning vis-a-vis the internet yellow pages and local search. I have fallen into the “detractor” camp for a number of years but have recognized that my …
Creating the world’s database, with all of the world’s information
Speaking of schema and the semantic web, the NY Times today had an article on Freebase(registration req’d), from start-up Metaweb that has the goal of “trying to create the world’s database, with all of the world’s information,†based on the ideas of the semantic Web. According to the NY Times, “since it could offer an …
Local Search is messy… but so is my bedroom
Business Week wrote a piece recently (03/08/07): Where Search Stumbles criticizing most of the local search engines. Greg Sterling has repeatedly pointed out that accuracy is the potential achilles heal of Local and there have been plenty of complaints elsewhere and here about quality and about complexity. But as I tell my relatives: I love …
NYU Medical Center reports Maps problems
Another report of large medical center problems with Google Maps: == 1 of 1 == Date: Thurs, Mar 8 2007 9:22Â pm From: “Michael” Â I have the same exact problem. I am the web director for NYU Medical Center. I have the correct address and phone number listed in over 20,000 pages on the footer. …
Google Upgrades Local Business Center
Google has upgraded the Local Business Center with a range of new features. You can now: *Add photos to your Google Maps listing (within the guidelines) *Add custom attributes to your business listings *Correct and adjust your Google map marker location, so if it is slightly off, you can move it to the right spot …
Ask shape announcement may shape the future of Maps
The Ask.com announcement, The New Shape of Local Search has been widely reported. However, not many commentators have noted how cool and useful this feature really is. OK so you can draw on the map, big deal I said to myself. Then I started drawing. When I noticed the email and permalink I thought, how …
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