Google Places' Latest Guidelines

Google Places has seen some 'interesting' changes lately, as you'll see from previous posts. So here, for your information and straight from the horse's mouth, are Google's latest guidelines (read 'rules') for Google Places:

Your Google Places Account
Ownership: Only business owners or authorized representatives may verify their business listings on Google Places.

Account Email Address: Use a shared business email account, if multiple users will be updating your business listing. If possible, use an email account under your business domain. For example, if your business website is www.google.com, a matching email address would be you@google.com.

Your Business Listing
Business Name: Represent your business exactly as it appears in the offline world.

Do not include marketing taglines in your business name.
Do not include phone numbers or URLs in the business name field, unless they are part of your business name.
Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of your business in the business name field.

Business Location: Use a precise, accurate address to describe your business location.

Do not create listings at locations where the business does not physically exist. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations. Listings submitted with P.O. Box addresses will be removed.
Use the precise address for the business in place of broad city names or cross-streets.
Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multiple accounts.
Businesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to a single location, should not create a listing for every city they service. Businesses that operate in a service area should create one listing for the central office or location and designate service areas. Learn how to add service areas to your listing.
Businesses with multiple specializations, such as law firms and doctors, should not create multiple listings to cover all of their specialties. You may create one listing per practitioner, and one listing for the office.
Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain your business’s physical location (e.g. URLs, keywords).

Website & Phone: Provide a phone number that connects to your individual business location as directly as possible, and provide one website that represents your individual business location.

Use a local phone number instead of a call center number whenever possible.
Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or “refer” users to landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business.

Categories: Provide at least one category from the suggestions provided in the form as you type. Aim for categories that are specific, but brief.

Categories should say what your business is (e.g. Hospital), not on what it does (e.g. Vaccinations) or things it sells (e.g. Sony products or printer paper). This information can be added in your description or as custom attributes.
Categories should not contain location-based information (for example, Dog Walker Los Angeles is not permitted).
Only one category is permitted per entry field. Do not “stuff” entry fields with multiple categories.

Custom Attributes & Description: Use the description and custom attribute fields to include additional information about your listing. Learn more about acceptable custom attributes.

Other Items of Note
Ineligible Business Models: Only businesses that make in-person contact with customers qualify for a Google Places listing.
Businesses that are under construction or that have not yet opened to the public are not eligible for a listing on Google Places.
Rental properties, such as vacation homes or vacant apartments, are not eligible for a listing on Google Places. Create a listing for the central office that processes the rentals, rather than the individual rental properties. If you'd like, you can then add your real estate properties to Google Maps so that they are available on our Real Estate layer.

Disclaimer: Google reserves the right to suspend access to Google Places or other Google Services to individuals or businesses that violate these guidelines, and may work with law enforcement in the event that the violation is unlawful.

So there you have it. The guidelines aren't actually that complex or difficult to comply with, but we are getting reports of people adjusting their listings to meet the new guidelines and being penalised as a result - listings are being demoted or are disappearing altogether.

I suggest you stick rigidly to the new guidelines for any new listings you create (and use a new account for each listing). Meanwhile, you might want to watch and wait as we are with any existing listings - I'll let you know how that works out!

Roy

PS. There's more about Google Places Anomalies on our Marketing Manual Blog

A Little Wrinkle in Local Search

If you've ever wondered why some searches you make on Google give you local results and a map, while others don't, I'm afraid I can't really tell you, except that Google is forever trying to guess whether you want to see local results or not.

However, there are two things you can do to increase the chances of seeing a map and local business Places results. Both of them involve telling Google where you are.

Firstly, you can include your location in the search 'string', by typing in 'solicitor Bury St Edmunds' for example.

Secondly, you can tell Google your location so it assumes you want to see local results whenever you search for a service. You can occasionally do this when you do get a map, by selecting the 'change location' button if it appears.

But you can also do it another way: when you make a series of searches for services without specifying your location (this seems typically to be 5 or 6 searches), Google will eventually ask you your location in a small box at the top of the organic search results. When you type your location in here you can also ask Google (on that browser) to remember this for future searches.

From then on, you should get local search results, with a map, whenever Google detects your search is for a 'local' service (dentist, solicitor, car repairs, and so on).

It's yet another wrinkle in Google's quest to give us all what it deems to be the best possible results whenever we search its massive database.

Google isn't perfect - not by a long way - but it is very, very clever!

Roy

Another Google Change

The latest change from Google is definitely an improvement for online marketing professionals like Cinnamon Edge, even as it might seem like a slight backward step.

That's because the latest version of Google's Keyword Tool is more user-friendly and more accurate than the hotch-potch of versions they've had us put up with in recent months.

By removing search data relating to their content network and 'second tier' search engines like Ask.com and AOL, Google now gives more conservative search estimates that are more likely to reflect the results we can achieve in the real world.

And by making the interface more user-friendly - like it used to be - they've suddenly made it the best place to start your keyword research - just like the good old days.

Well done Google, we say.

Roy

PS. We're still keeping a very close eye on Google's Local Search changes and a picture is starting to emerge.

What's interesting is where Google is getting the text snippets they use in the search results. Very often in the past this was the home page description.

Now when you look at the example below it appears they're using the first few lines of text from the home page (A) OR the first few lines from an interior page (B) OR they're not including any text at all (C).

There are more changes to come as things settle down, we can all be sure of that!

Googles Changing the Roogles

The SEO and local marketing world is buzzing today as the latest sweeping changes from Google are rolled out around the world.

No longer will you be able to have a top position in Google Places and no website. No longer will you be able to claim top spot with organic search and not bother with Google Local Business Center.

From now on, you'll need both. Experts and pundits, and SEO professionals around the world are watching as the new set up is tested, trialled and tweaked by Google. The idea is to combine local search results in such a way that your Places (or Maps) listing is merged with your main website listing when people search for a local service. Possibly.

But it's all so up in the air still, that no one, except perhaps Google, actually knows how it will all look when it settles down again next week. Google themselves may not have decided, if the multiple screenshots and test results I've seen are anything to go by - they're still testing.

Personalised results have been coming for some time, too, so it may be that we'll never again see a 'typical' Google results page. Maybe we'll all see something different every time we search from now on.

It's exciting for SEO professionals, and probably quite baffling for bystanders, but the important thing is, we're on to it.

If you want the very latest optimisation strategies to make your online marketing as effective as it can be (and that's very effective indeed) we know exactly the people to go to - us.

Contact Cinnamon Edge for the latest help with SEO, local search and search engine marketing. Ask us about our training workshops, too. We'll be putting on a special Google Changes one very soon.

Roy

Contact us by email roy@cinnamonedge.co.uk or phone 01284 753912

Save £75 - and Your Business

Are you making these two mistakes in your business?

If you're not making good use of the Internet to promote your business and at the same time wondering how you're going to survive the recession ... I've got great news!

Because you CAN make use of the Internet and online marketing to help your business thrive, with or without a website.

Now, you could be one of many people featuring on a directory site. You could place classified ads on Gumtree or Graigs List, along with everyone else.

But you don't need local directories or classified ads. In fact, you don't have to share your webspace with anyone when you use Google or Yahoo's local listings service. And you can often get onto page one of those listings quite quickly, with YOUR business literally placed 'on the map'.

Meanwhile, if you have a website, you'll link your local listing to that, and you'll want to get the best possible position in the search engines for it as well so you can maximise your 'web presence' and really start to dominate the search engine results.

Add a blog and you could even have three listings!

Here's the good news. If you want my help 'optimising' your website to get a better placing in the search engine results, I can do that for you. And I'll add your local listing to Google and Yahoo for you absolutely free of charge as well. Normally, I charge £75 for local listings.

Prices to optimise your website for you start at just a few hundred pounds. Take me up on that and you save £75 on the local listings. I can even help you set up and maintain your blog.

Or, if you prefer, you can just pay me £75 to do your local listings for you.

Email me, Roy@CinnamonEdge.co.uk and tell me which of those you'd like done for you!

Roy

Find out more about online marketing at www.Cinnamon Edge.co.uk