Google Places - BIG Changes!

[teeniegenie]

He's saying he supports Aberdeen football club, a Scottish club in the same football (footie) league as my beloved Hibernian.

When I say football I mean proper football, not American football

Oh geez, I never would have figured that one out...I'm all for soccer (ahem, "football"), but had never heard of that team before...What can you expect from a Yankee?

 

[Tamra]

The focus of my offline business isn't just seo. I will never tell a client that I can "get them on the first page of G00gle." I help them increase their sales while cutting marketing expenses. Bottom line...they need more customers and/or sales. They don't necessarily have to be on the first page for that. There are so many way to help a business using internet marketing techniques. Don't limit yourself to just getting on the first page.

This will not be the last change G00gle makes in an effort to improve local search results and to stay ahead of marketers who they see as "gaming" its system. Frankly, G00gle is probably the biggest gamer of them all.

One thing I did learn from AP (d*ck who skipped out on his WSO) is don't depend on G00gle for your client's or your livelihood.

T

 

[graddis]

Tamra-
Can u elaborate on what else you do for a client? Facebook? Twitter etc?

 

[Tamra]

Tamra-
Can u elaborate on what else you do for a client? Facebook? Twitter etc?

The best thing you can do for a business is help them build a list. Just keeping in contact with their customers on regular basis, offering special deals and upsells does wonders. All the things IM do, brick and mortar businesses need these things too.

--autoresponder on website
--newsletter (online version)
--update current website, make it client oriented.
--Facebook Fan Page
--Twitter
--Business Directories: Yelp, Merchant Circle, etc
--Press releases
--Article writing
--online commercials (videos )

Offline stuff works great too.
--A physical newsletter. (the best) Client pays for this.
--Teaching the business how to answer the phone.
--Teaching the sales clerks to up sell when a customer is making a purchase. Fast food restaurants have this down cold.

All these little things mean a lot to a business. Check the download section
for stuff from AP. He was d*ck, but his stuff is golden. If you can't find it. PM me.

T

 

[lewi]

The best thing you can do for a business is help them build a list. Just keeping in contact with their customers on regular basis, offering special deals and upsells does wonders. All the things IM do, brick and mortar businesses need these things too.

--autoresponder on website
--newsletter (online version)
--update current website, make it client oriented.
--Facebook Fan Page
--Twitter
--Business Directories: Yelp, Merchant Circle, etc
--Press releases
--Article writing
--online commercials (videos )

Offline stuff works great too.
--A physical newsletter. (the best) Client pays for this.
--Teaching the business how to answer the phone.
--Teaching the sales clerks to up sell when a customer is making a purchase. Fast food restaurants have this down cold.

All these little things mean a lot to a business. Check the download section
for stuff from AP. He was d*ck, but his stuff is golden. If you can't find it. PM me.

T

Hey,

Great post and your right about not just relying on google

If anyone has any other ideas about services for offline business's then let me know on this thread -> http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackh...-business-clients-what-do-you-offer-them.html

Sending you a PM now for these threads!

Lewi

 

[seobizwiz]

I have several sites that rank above the map section, there does not seem to be a reason why some are above and some got morphed together. I don't think there are many people out there with as many google submissions as me. 3 years 10k clients..
not bragging just saying i have done alot of work on local. But always leaning everyday.

 

[marketer14]

Great info. Google is always changine, what's new.

 

[Spielmann]

It looks like a combination of two -organic search position and google places ..

I have a client that was ranking on the first page for many local keywords (lets say windows replacement city) and didn't even know he has google profile. Now his profile is #3 on the first page, so overall it's even better than before when organic listing was pushed down by local map. Another one though was #2 for interior design and now is barely making to the first page in the last position. It would be interesting to see if it will change when we create google profile.

If this is a combination of two - I think I like it. I wasn't stepping into Google Places because none of the techniques from organic ranking was working there and I don't want whole day writing reviews, I'm good in what can be automated
I guess G realized that soon every local niche will be filled with sites with hundreds faked reviews trying to get to local pack.

I also like that floating map covering PPC listings - what a great sales point for my services..

Кинчев forever))

 

[nickster]

Oh geez, I never would have figured that one out...I'm all for soccer (ahem, "football"), but had never heard of that team before...What can you expect from a Yankee?

Lol, call yourself a soccer fan and you haven't heard of the famous ABERDEEN. tut tut

 

[nickster]

Found this article in my inbox earlier....worth a read

Google Local and Map have become a big influence on how people search and get results. We can demonstrate this by searching for ‘accountant' and the search result returns a broad list of ‘accountants', but perhaps too broad so we tend to search again by narrowing the result - adding a location to the search - ‘accountant in city' and the results we see are now closer to home. So it's no surprise that Google should be taking a closer look at how we search and attempt to refine the process and provide a more meaningful search result by changing the Google Local search algorithm to make it easier for us to find what or who we are searching for locally.
Today, November 8, 2010 we see searches that reference local business and all the relevant places in that location in a new clustered visual display located in the upper right corner of a search result page. The now familiar map displays each business with red lettered pins, and links to each business. And as you scroll down the page the Google Places Map will scroll with the page so that it is always visible.
In addition to the way we see businesses displayed on Google Places, a new product is being launched - Google Boost.
Google Boost is a Google AdWords product that allows local businesses to feature more prominently in local searches. It allows small to medium size businesses the ability to feature more highly in searches, and concentrates much more on the relevance and location of that business than ever before. Now searchers will see sponsored location searches appear on the Google Places map as blue lettered pins and in search results with the blue marker pin next to the content description.
Search results for the ‘accountant in city' will now appear first below sponsored listings and above organic listings. What this means is that results for a business in a location will now appear grouped with the other search results, making it much easier for searchers to find what they are looking for in a local area.
Google reports that Place Search results will begin appearing automatically when Google determines that you are looking for a ‘business in location' search result.
Google also says "We've made results like this possible by developing technology to better understand places. With Google Place Search, we're dynamically connecting hundreds of millions of websites with more than 50 million real-world locations. We automatically identify when sites are talking about physical places and cluster links even when they don't provide addresses and use different names."
Google Places is being rolled out across the world and will be available everywhere, in 40 languages once complete. Google is hoping to provide a better, local search to users, while exploiting a different revenue stream. It's also competing with Facebook Places which was launched a while ago. Facebook was able to use very targeted advertising to provide a similar service to its users.
Google should have the advantage here though, as most Facebook advertising is passive, appearing alongside the primary content. Google's Place Search is active and should have the advantage when it comes to conversion.
Location-based services are seen as a growing market, with Facebook Places and location aware services like Foursquare enjoying significant growth since their inception. Placing Google Place Search alongside search results, Google can hedge its bets while not detracting from its standard offering.
From an SEO perspective Peter Bowen at First One On says, "One of the downsides to this new display of results is how it will affect businesses that previously enjoyed number one placements for ‘business in location' or featured well alongside the old Google Map."
"Now with the introduction of Google Place Search in results it is quite possible that businesses that had worked hard to get top placements on page one now find themselves listed on page two! Other businesses that did not even have a listing on the old Google Map are now being brought to the top of the search results based on the location of their business and business listing in Google Places."
What this means is that in the long run it will be more difficult for businesses to rank at the top of a local search unless they realize that they will have to spend much more time and effort on local search engine optimization. Businesses that had previously enjoyed a prominent position on the old Google Map without a website, which was possible before, will now find it almost impossible to maintain a listing without a well developed and locally optimized website.
Businesses will now have to have a visible and physical location if they want to be listed in a local search. In the past, businesses could hide their physical location and yet still be found locally through their websites, but now consumers searching for a business in a location will be able to determine if they contact that business or not based on their location. So as Google exposes competitors in searches, it is now revealing where those businesses are located - hopefully providing the consumer with more information before making a purchase decision.

 

[Tamra]

Sending you a PM now for these threads!

Lewi

Hey Lewi,

Just now getting back to the forum. I'm working on a couple of projects and really needed to focus. I replied to your pm. I didn't look for the links in the download section, but sent you links to all the AP stuff I have.

T

 

[wigui]

So, how do you post reviews and what are some of the most influential business directories that clients should be listed in?

 

[localdominator]

I have been satisfied with the changes google has made. Frankly I think that the local places results are here to stay even though Google has said that it is still beta. The overall structure is in place for it to be their new "king" of the front page. Especially with them doing stuff like Hotpot and sponsored tags, droplets, etc. This is the direction they are going. All it means is that now we have to do organic and local seo as a combo for most traditional businesses. For me, I have found it pretty nice. We do all the local and have partners do all the organic. It has allowed us to focus on being the best at local and not worry about the rest. I am always looking for anybody who wants someone to take care of that part for them. If you are interested, pm me

 

[KBC-12]

Businesses that had previously enjoyed a prominent position on the old Google Map without a website, which was possible before, will now find it almost impossible to maintain a listing without a well developed and locally optimized website.

I thought it was the opposite of that. I understood it as the business no longer needed to have a website to be listed on page 1 on Google.
Which would make sense going along with their caffeine update and trying to lessen the affect that all the auto link building tools has on SEO.

All it means is that now we have to do organic and local seo as a combo for most traditional businesses. For me, I have found it pretty nice. We do all the local and have partners do all the organic. It has allowed us to focus on being the best at local and not worry about the rest. I am always looking for anybody who wants someone to take care of that part for them. If you are interested, pm me

This kinda falls into my question above. So you think the traditional SEO is still necessary? Still necessary because they are in beta with places/maps OR it will remain necessary for quite some time?

So the company you outsource to is still doing traditional SEO to your clients website? I'm looking at starting a business for city optimizing for G places, ect.. and I was under the impression I wouldnt have to worry much about organic SEO.
How much could I expect to pay to outsource that? Keeping in mind I will be doing the G place, yahoo/ bing, ect..

 

[Axelz]

So, how do you post reviews and what are some of the most influential business directories that clients should be listed in?

wigui, I can answer one of your questions. To find out influential business directories that matter when trying to rank in the 7 pack on places, just look at the directories the first results are listed on. As you go through each listing you'll see repeat directories, which more than likely are the most influential. So then you'll go and make listing for the business you're optimizing on all those directories, and make sure you fill out as many of the fields possible.

If someone could chime in about the reviews, that would be great. I know there's ways to encourage customers to go online and review, or give out "review slips" to customers in person and ask them to fill it out, then turn those into online reviews.

But what about using proxies, making different accounts on the directories and positive reviewing the listing yourself? Anything to watch out for there? Besides covering all your tracks and spacing out the reviews?

 

[robertodelgato]

I dont like it at all. Im still a SEO newb and was going to try my hand at the online/offline hybrid method discussed here. From what I gather that won't work seeing how the method calls for advertising for local businesses and I don't have a physical address.

Feels like I just got slapped in the face...HARD

Just wait till mobile search kicks in on Google. You'll think that was a love tap.

 

[Tamra]

Getting PMs regarding my previous post about AP's material. I know that it's somewhere in the Download section, but I have no clue where it is, so I uploaded the WSO. I have his first product that was released on another forum. Will upload that soon

http://www.multiupload.com/SX8YFE2F5U

Virus Scan

http://www.virustotal.com/file-scan/report.html?id=ea33ce0c9e6881a699ba46a4ebfe25410a276b2ca1ec331daa839c907fac3bd1-1293089591

File name:
SX8YFE2F5U
Submission date:
2010-12-23 07:33:11 (UTC)
Current status:
queued queued analysing finished

Result:
0/ 42 (0.0%)

HTH

 

[Tamra]

So sorry for duplicate post. The forum is acting really funny.

 

[ageofz]

Do you have the password for the pdf?

Edit: nvm its in the transcript, the pw is goldmine