{"id":1670,"date":"2008-12-09T12:53:29","date_gmt":"2008-12-09T16:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2008-12-10T20:10:00","modified_gmt":"2008-12-11T00:10:00","slug":"local-search-how-not-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/09\/local-search-how-not-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Search: How not to succeed in business without really trying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update 12\/10\/08 10:00 am:<\/strong> Google has apparently removed 7098 of these bogus listings. But for reasons beyond my comprehension there are still a few left<\/a> in the index.<\/p>\n

Update 12\/10\/08 7:00 pm<\/strong>:\u00a0Google has apparently removed all of these listings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PromoterLocal.com appears to be a local search firm like many others. They offer a Google Maps listing service for $49.95\/mo with a one time setup charge of $249.95. Unlike some local search firms, PromoteLocal is so confident of their skills that they proclaim: “Don’t Just Get Listed,\u00a0Dominate Your Competition With: First page placement in the Google Local Listings every time!, New SEO technology used only by PromoterLocal<\/em>“. Elsewhere on their site they guarantee first place listings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Their website doesn’t happen to list their address. Whois indicates<\/a> that they are located in Orem, UT.\u00a0In today’s Google Maps for Business Owner Group they were reported to be spamming in Sunnyvale<\/a> and in Fairfax<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Google Maps seems to think that they possess somewhere on the order of 7,107 locations<\/a> across the United States with over 400 in the NYC area alone<\/a> and with business names like “Always On Top Marketing Houston<\/a>” and “Advertise Real Estate<\/a>” in Bowling Green.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it is a generational thing or a lack of vision on my part, but why would a company predicate a business strategy on such a thin “advantage? I can understand getting laid off by a large corporation. I can’t understand laying off yourself when your lame business idea is found out. Why put any effort into such a short term process? Is the cash really that good?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update 12\/10\/08 10:00 am: Google has apparently removed 7098 of these bogus listings. But for reasons beyond my comprehension there are still a few left in the index. Update 12\/10\/08 7:00 pm:\u00a0Google has apparently removed all of these listings. PromoterLocal.com appears to be a local search firm like many others. They offer a Google Maps …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-google-maps-google-local"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t