Will the Real Google LBC Ad Please Stand Up!

I am not an Adwords expert and do not follow closely the issues around brand integrity etc with Adwords. I do know that Google has been criticized in the past for being too liberal in allowing others to leverage a brand and also they have been criticized (although exonerated) for allowing deceptive ads to be …

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Yelp Announces Transparent View of Filtered Reviews to Increase Trust

I received this email from Yelp today announcing increased transparency around filtered reviews, the end of the “Favorite Review” option for advertisers and a SMB advisory council. Here is the email that was sent: —————————————————————— This Week: About that Review Filter… —————————————————————— A few weeks ago, we directed you to a detailed explanation ( http://bit.ly/= …

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Google to Offer Local Business Center Webinar to SMBs

The Google Maps team will be offering a brief 45 minute webinar about the basics of the Local Business Center with a focus on Local Business Center for small businesses. It will cover: – adding and verifying your local business listing to Google – creating a great listing – frequently asked questions You will need to …

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Review Solicitation – Dumb and Dumber

Yesterday I highlighted a review service that was managing the review process for SMBs and posting the good ones into Google, Yahoo etc… an idea that is sure to have a short shelf life and one that is not a good long term strategy. Well here is another. Aggressive marketers often engage their mouth long …

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Reviews – Do Positive Only Review Services have a place?

Over the past few weeks, I detailed several successful ways to generate reviews. I promised at the time to detail some ways that I think are ultimately bound to failure. Here is one. ReviewBoost claims to “Authenticate and Publish positive reviews across the Internet, maximizing online reputation for businesses of any size.” They claim to …

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Did Google Really Say this?

According to the NY Times (http://s.nyt.com/u/Q6T), Alan Davidson, director of United States public policy for Google, while testifying before congress, is noted as saying: “censorship had become more than a human rights issue and was hurting profit for foreign companies.” Is Google so self focused that they would elevate even $1 of their profit over …

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Which Review Sites Should You Use?

I am frequently asked: Which reviews sites should I send my clients to? Which one should I pick? My answer: think about your customers needs first (easy, choice), think about your business needs second (leverage) and consider using as many sites as make sense. I asked this question of David Mihm, Local SEO expert, and …

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