The document provides tips for solving common problems with Google Places listings, including dealing with the Google+ Local merge, issues with multi-location businesses, service area businesses, missing or filtered reviews, bad "at a glance" terms, and more. It recommends using the Google Places troubleshooter as the most reliable way to get support, being patient as listings are updated, and understanding how Google approaches business data and maps.
Presented at last weeks Travel Portland event, geared towards local travel and tourism businesses, like hotels, restaurants, car services, etc. Good basic info with an invaluable and downloadable "business worksheet" that I created myself.
LSA Bootcamp Portland: SEO Fundamentals for Business OwnersLocalogy
This presentation was given to an audience of local businesses at the LSA Bootcamp, a one day digital marketing intensive in Portland 11/1/15. For more about the event and for a look at future events visit www.LSABootcamp.com.
Well Google's done it again.
A new algorithm change - what does that mean?
Google changes how it presents content in its search results regularly, to improve the quality of its results and to penalize sites that are trying to game the system.
We had another once : CODE NAME : HUMMINGBIRD
Mixwest 2014 Local SEO Strategies & SecretsErin Sparks
A comprehensive presentation about Local SEO, the localized search engine marketing tactics that lead to easy consumer wins. Learn what you need to do and what you need to avoid in grooming your web site for best results on Google. Find out techniques to gain great consumer reviews, and why it is so important. Presenting a full list of steps to fully connect with attendees local business profiles, and what are best techniques to groom the listings.
Marketing methods have changed entirely in the last five years. Consumers and businesses alike increasingly rely on the Internet as their primary source of information. Without a strong and responsive web presence, you have no way to attract new customers.
Site Strategics understands the art and science of properly structuring your web, mobile and social media programs. The metrics of search engine optimization (SEO) are increasingly complex and our experts rule the tools that provide the research required to satisfy stringent new search engine requirements. Google certified owner Erin Sparks keeps up with the continually changing digital landscape and offers valuable insights on his weekly radio podcast, Edge of the Web.
What You Need to Know about Google My Business & Possum in 2016Joy Hawkins
Wondering what happened to local business results on September 1? Google's Possum update on September 1, 2016 was the biggest update we have seen in local in years. See how big of a change we saw and what other features GMB is working on these days.
My key insights from traffic & Conversion Summit for Agency GrowthSeven Figure Agency
My key insights from the Traffic & Conversion Summit as it relates to running, growing & scaling your digital marketing agency.
You can watch the full training video that went along with these slides at https://www.sevenfigureagency.com/my-key-insights-from-the-traffic-conversion-summit-for-agency-growth/
What You're Going To Learn:
- Key Insights from the T&C as it relates to growing, scaling, & managing an agency
- The latest trends in Digital Marketing that you need to be aware of
- Best practices for serving your clients & getting them GREAT results online
If you'd like more tips, ideas & strategies for growing & scaling your Digital Marketing Agency go to http://www.sevenfigureagency.com
Presented at last weeks Travel Portland event, geared towards local travel and tourism businesses, like hotels, restaurants, car services, etc. Good basic info with an invaluable and downloadable "business worksheet" that I created myself.
LSA Bootcamp Portland: SEO Fundamentals for Business OwnersLocalogy
This presentation was given to an audience of local businesses at the LSA Bootcamp, a one day digital marketing intensive in Portland 11/1/15. For more about the event and for a look at future events visit www.LSABootcamp.com.
Well Google's done it again.
A new algorithm change - what does that mean?
Google changes how it presents content in its search results regularly, to improve the quality of its results and to penalize sites that are trying to game the system.
We had another once : CODE NAME : HUMMINGBIRD
Mixwest 2014 Local SEO Strategies & SecretsErin Sparks
A comprehensive presentation about Local SEO, the localized search engine marketing tactics that lead to easy consumer wins. Learn what you need to do and what you need to avoid in grooming your web site for best results on Google. Find out techniques to gain great consumer reviews, and why it is so important. Presenting a full list of steps to fully connect with attendees local business profiles, and what are best techniques to groom the listings.
Marketing methods have changed entirely in the last five years. Consumers and businesses alike increasingly rely on the Internet as their primary source of information. Without a strong and responsive web presence, you have no way to attract new customers.
Site Strategics understands the art and science of properly structuring your web, mobile and social media programs. The metrics of search engine optimization (SEO) are increasingly complex and our experts rule the tools that provide the research required to satisfy stringent new search engine requirements. Google certified owner Erin Sparks keeps up with the continually changing digital landscape and offers valuable insights on his weekly radio podcast, Edge of the Web.
What You Need to Know about Google My Business & Possum in 2016Joy Hawkins
Wondering what happened to local business results on September 1? Google's Possum update on September 1, 2016 was the biggest update we have seen in local in years. See how big of a change we saw and what other features GMB is working on these days.
My key insights from traffic & Conversion Summit for Agency GrowthSeven Figure Agency
My key insights from the Traffic & Conversion Summit as it relates to running, growing & scaling your digital marketing agency.
You can watch the full training video that went along with these slides at https://www.sevenfigureagency.com/my-key-insights-from-the-traffic-conversion-summit-for-agency-growth/
What You're Going To Learn:
- Key Insights from the T&C as it relates to growing, scaling, & managing an agency
- The latest trends in Digital Marketing that you need to be aware of
- Best practices for serving your clients & getting them GREAT results online
If you'd like more tips, ideas & strategies for growing & scaling your Digital Marketing Agency go to http://www.sevenfigureagency.com
Show 62 | 3 Reasons Web Sites Fail | Edge of the Web RadioErin Sparks
Consider this: There are about 700 million websites. But to most of us, only a tiny fraction of those sites exist because we jump from bookmark to bookmark, scanning our favorite homepages and refreshing our feeds. Marketers everywhere are asking, "Why do so many websites fall short?"
We're giving you the Three Deadly Reasons Most Websites Fail
Show 63 | Websites Are Dead | Edge of the Web RadioErin Sparks
Consider this: There are about 700 million websites. But to most of us, only a tiny fraction of those sites exist because we jump from bookmark to bookmark, scanning our favorite homepages and refreshing our feeds. Marketers everywhere are asking, "Why do so many websites fall short?"
We're giving you the Three Deadly Reasons Most Websites Fail
Local SEO - Raleigh SEO meetup group March 2016Bob Misita
Online Marketing and Brand presence - The big picture. Organic and Paid search elements broken down into their presence, search, conversion and loyalty components.
How to get your Plumbing or HVAC Company ranked on page one for the most important keywords in your area.
Would you like to ensure that your website & content strategy is set up to win online?
How about finally getting your website to rank on page one for the most important keywords in your area?
On this training, we're going to cover how to set up your website, build authority, and get ranked for the most important keywords in your service area and much, MUCH more!
On this NEW webinar, I'm going to cover how to set up your website, build authority, and get ranked for the most important keywords in your service area.
You can use these techniques to set up your website and content strategy to win online, get your SEO strategy right, and even get ranked for the right keywords to get your phones ringing!
I'll even show you how to get ranked in your surrounding cities and suburbs!
In fact, here's just a sample of what we will cover on this breakthrough webinar:
How to get ranked for your most profitable plumbing & HVAC keywords. Hint: You need to think beyond just "plumber"
How to build authority so that the pages on your website rank
How to build relevant links that will move the needle in the Google search listings
Why having duplicate content on your city pages could be killing your rankings
How to communicate your "true service area" to Google automatically
What are the most important online directory listings you should be listed in?
How to get rid of bad links that could be holding your company back
What are the most important plumbing & HVAC keywords that I should be targeting?
Can I still use fake addresses or UPS addresses on Google Maps to rank
What are the most important online review sites?
... And much more!
http://www.plumberseo.net
Download our Internet Marketing & SEO Guide at http://www.plumberseo.net/free or call us at 866-610-4647.
Subscribe to our channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/PlumberSEO
Review Tactics for Local Rankings - SearchFest 2013Darren Shaw
My talk from SearchFest 2013 in Portland. Mostly focused on reviews, and I announce two new and free seo tools that Whitespark recently developed. Here's the outline:
Tracking Offline Conversions
Google+ Local Reviews
1. Why I’m Focusing on Reviews
2. Review Acquisition Tactics
3. Business to Business Reviews
4. Finding Top Reviewers
5. Review Filtering Factors
6. Review Tips
Yelp
1. Why It’s Awesome
2. How To Improve Your Yelp Rankings
Have you wondered why your nice shopping cart site's pages aren't ranking.
It probably took some time to build the entire site - and you're scratching your head about why the search engines aren't ranking you pages at all.
We know why : It's about the content of those page - and we're going to tell you how to fix it.
Listen to the Podcast or hear us at 3pm EST on 95.9FM and 950am.
Show 68 PERQ INTERVIEW w/ Scott Hill & Andy MedleyErin Sparks
We have a couple of guests in house. Gentlemen from PERQ – a company headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. This company does something simple – they help businesses attract consumers through incentives, with you use of cutting edge technology. Simple as that – and guess what – that’s what you need. We’ll speak with them today about the successes they have had.
ALSO : We have 12 tips to improve conversion rates over the festive period
Andrew Marks & Gary Weis from SBIM presents A Guide to Google My Business (and using GMB for Reputation Management) at the Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism Skills Summit on 10th August 2018.
NetCentered Marketing: Leveraging Your Website for ResultsCirrus ABS
Element Three and Cirrus ABS join forces to show businesses how to leverage the investment you have made in your website and how to integrate your offline marketing efforts with your website. Integrated are specific action items for how you can enhance the effectiveness of your website.
Show 62 | 3 Reasons Web Sites Fail | Edge of the Web RadioErin Sparks
Consider this: There are about 700 million websites. But to most of us, only a tiny fraction of those sites exist because we jump from bookmark to bookmark, scanning our favorite homepages and refreshing our feeds. Marketers everywhere are asking, "Why do so many websites fall short?"
We're giving you the Three Deadly Reasons Most Websites Fail
Show 63 | Websites Are Dead | Edge of the Web RadioErin Sparks
Consider this: There are about 700 million websites. But to most of us, only a tiny fraction of those sites exist because we jump from bookmark to bookmark, scanning our favorite homepages and refreshing our feeds. Marketers everywhere are asking, "Why do so many websites fall short?"
We're giving you the Three Deadly Reasons Most Websites Fail
Local SEO - Raleigh SEO meetup group March 2016Bob Misita
Online Marketing and Brand presence - The big picture. Organic and Paid search elements broken down into their presence, search, conversion and loyalty components.
How to get your Plumbing or HVAC Company ranked on page one for the most important keywords in your area.
Would you like to ensure that your website & content strategy is set up to win online?
How about finally getting your website to rank on page one for the most important keywords in your area?
On this training, we're going to cover how to set up your website, build authority, and get ranked for the most important keywords in your service area and much, MUCH more!
On this NEW webinar, I'm going to cover how to set up your website, build authority, and get ranked for the most important keywords in your service area.
You can use these techniques to set up your website and content strategy to win online, get your SEO strategy right, and even get ranked for the right keywords to get your phones ringing!
I'll even show you how to get ranked in your surrounding cities and suburbs!
In fact, here's just a sample of what we will cover on this breakthrough webinar:
How to get ranked for your most profitable plumbing & HVAC keywords. Hint: You need to think beyond just "plumber"
How to build authority so that the pages on your website rank
How to build relevant links that will move the needle in the Google search listings
Why having duplicate content on your city pages could be killing your rankings
How to communicate your "true service area" to Google automatically
What are the most important online directory listings you should be listed in?
How to get rid of bad links that could be holding your company back
What are the most important plumbing & HVAC keywords that I should be targeting?
Can I still use fake addresses or UPS addresses on Google Maps to rank
What are the most important online review sites?
... And much more!
http://www.plumberseo.net
Download our Internet Marketing & SEO Guide at http://www.plumberseo.net/free or call us at 866-610-4647.
Subscribe to our channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/PlumberSEO
Review Tactics for Local Rankings - SearchFest 2013Darren Shaw
My talk from SearchFest 2013 in Portland. Mostly focused on reviews, and I announce two new and free seo tools that Whitespark recently developed. Here's the outline:
Tracking Offline Conversions
Google+ Local Reviews
1. Why I’m Focusing on Reviews
2. Review Acquisition Tactics
3. Business to Business Reviews
4. Finding Top Reviewers
5. Review Filtering Factors
6. Review Tips
Yelp
1. Why It’s Awesome
2. How To Improve Your Yelp Rankings
Have you wondered why your nice shopping cart site's pages aren't ranking.
It probably took some time to build the entire site - and you're scratching your head about why the search engines aren't ranking you pages at all.
We know why : It's about the content of those page - and we're going to tell you how to fix it.
Listen to the Podcast or hear us at 3pm EST on 95.9FM and 950am.
Show 68 PERQ INTERVIEW w/ Scott Hill & Andy MedleyErin Sparks
We have a couple of guests in house. Gentlemen from PERQ – a company headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. This company does something simple – they help businesses attract consumers through incentives, with you use of cutting edge technology. Simple as that – and guess what – that’s what you need. We’ll speak with them today about the successes they have had.
ALSO : We have 12 tips to improve conversion rates over the festive period
Andrew Marks & Gary Weis from SBIM presents A Guide to Google My Business (and using GMB for Reputation Management) at the Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism Skills Summit on 10th August 2018.
NetCentered Marketing: Leveraging Your Website for ResultsCirrus ABS
Element Three and Cirrus ABS join forces to show businesses how to leverage the investment you have made in your website and how to integrate your offline marketing efforts with your website. Integrated are specific action items for how you can enhance the effectiveness of your website.
Square One Web Solutions mission is to provide a user-friendly atmosphere to each individual working at the company and provide best of service to clients.
Improve your SEO and search listings in Google using the tool "Google My Business". We explain what you can edit, how to change your display listing and which other tools to integrate for better local search results.
Online Dental Marketing - 2015 Dallas Dental Society Presentationaoreship
2015 Dallas Dental Society Presentation discussion of what effects dental practices online. How to improve Google rankings and online reputation management. Topics apply to many industries as well as dental.
Originally presented at the International Window Coverings Expo 2022 in Fort Lauderdale FL. Optimizing Your Google Business Profile for Window Treatment companies
Increase Your Local Business Revenue by 300% with Google Local SearchBryan O'Neil
Google Local Search is a free tool by Google that helps businesses rank A LOT higher overnight, but it isn't well known or very popular. This guide walks you through how to set up your business on Google Local Search and gain Local SEO Rankings. Setting up takes mere minutes and Google doesn't charge you for it.
8 Keys to Ranking Well in Google Search ResultsBrad Smith
Want to rank well in Google search results? Here are 8 steps that staffing and recruiting firms (and all businesses) can take to rank well in search results and generate more leads.
16 Tips for Ranking Better with Google My Business - SMX Advanced Local Searc...Joy Hawkins
Trying to figure out why you don't rank well in the local pack on Google? Here are my tips on how to diagnose your ranking issues and get the most from Google My Business (GMB).
From ITC Agent Conference 2016...
Looking to grow your business online locally? Having a strong local online presence is key to success. In this breakout we will move past the basics and get into the specific details on what you can do to enhance your local online presence.
SEO for Local Tourism Businesses in Northern IrelandSearch Scientist
Barry from Search Scientist delivered a talk on how local tourism businesses can use effective SEO strategies to stand out in organic search listings at a DigitalDNA Tourism Workshop in Enniskillen on 4th March 2016. The workshops were delivered by DigitalDNA in partnership with Tourism NI and were aimed at “inspiring and empowering Northern Ireland tourism and hospitality based businesses to embrace digital technologies to grow both locally and internationally”.
Content Marketing in a Digital World Presentation at the 2018 CEANY ConferenceIT Consultant
David Stevens and Goher Murtaza's presentation at the 2018 CEANY Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. The session outlines the collaboration between David Stevens' Web Services Team, Dr. Goher Murtaza's Continuing Education team, and the technical integration with the online registration system, CampusCE. The main theme of the session describes the team's Agile Scrum approach to incremental enhancements, and the planning and executing of the content marketing components, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, CRM, Affiliate Marketing, and more.
Back to the Future with Local Search - Mozcon 2015 - Mary BowlingIgnitor Digital
Were you at Mozcon 2015? Did you miss it but want all the info? Check out Mary Bowling's slides from her talk on Local Search from the MozCon Conference! Get actionable tips and advice to improve your local search presence!
#mozcon #localsearch
LocalUp 2015-Getting Keyword Research and On-page Optimization RightIgnitor Digital
See Mary Bowling's presentation from LocalUp 2015 in Seattle here. Learn how to build a strong foundation for creating and optimizing websites for local businesses.
Mary Bowling - Maps and Metros - Solving Data Consistency Issues - SMX Advanc...Ignitor Digital
Learn how to solve Data Consistency issues across your local search engine listings with this fact and tip filled presentation from IgnitorDigital.com's Mary Bowling - Presented at SMX Advanced Seattle - June 12, 2013
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Ramesh Iyer
In today's fast-changing business world, Companies that adapt and embrace new ideas often need help to keep up with the competition. However, fostering a culture of innovation takes much work. It takes vision, leadership and willingness to take risks in the right proportion. Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder of Builder.ai, has perfected the art of this balance, creating a company culture where creativity and growth are nurtured at each stage.
Assuring Contact Center Experiences for Your Customers With ThousandEyes
Solving Common Problems in Google Places - Pubcon New Orleans 2013
1. Solving Common Problems
in
Google Places
aka Maps, Local, Local Business Center,
Plus for Local
Mary Bowling
www.MaryBowling.com
@MaryBowling
MaryBBowling@gmail.com
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
www.LocalU.orgwww.LocalU.org
2. Google+Local Semi-Merge
• Review system changed to Zagat
• Review AND reviewer filters implemented
• Ramped up enforcement of business listing
quality guidelines
• Businesses forcing Google+Local merge must
re-verify
• Human review required for much more stuff
• Google Mapmaker is now has a role in review
and approval of Places listings
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
3. Sometimes, It’s Not You!
Transition of Places listings onto Google+ is an
immense undertaking
– Still very much in flux
– The new system is not yet ready for
• Multi-location businesses
• Service area businesses with hidden addresses
• Photos from listing owners
• Who knows what else? Errors and glitches are common
– Early adopters may not have done things right
• Lack of guidance from Google contributed to this
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
4. Google’s Advice on Places/Plus
– http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-
topic/business/nqzouJ3KkU8
– http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/busines
– “Verified owner in the Google Places for Business:
continue to manage your information from the Google
Places for Business dashboard and please wait for further
instructions. We are working on a smooth upgrade process
for everyone.”
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
If you have to force the merge, read this
(complicated) advice from Google:
5. Don’t do anything with
Google Places/Google+
WAIT FOR GOOGLE!*
(* “you will thank me”)
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
Googler’s Advice
6. Most of the “new stuff” is not available to
most of us, yet…
Read this before you do anything!
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!catego
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
Current Google Advice*
*April 22, 2012
7. Think Like Google About Local
• Google’s trying to model the real world with
it’s business listings
– It knows it doesn’t always do a great job
• Googlers are not local business people
– They have different perceptions of what the real
world is like for small businesses
• Google has realized that not all business
listing issues can be handled via an algorithm
– Much more Local support has been added
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
8. Google and Business Listings
• Google owns the listing–not the business
– Google decides what to put in the listing
• Input from the verified owner is just one set
of data that goes into the cluster of
information Google has about a business
• Google can trust multiple sources of differing
data more than it trusts what the verified
owner provides
– It’s critical to have consistent data across the web!
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
9. Google’s Quality Guidelines
• Guidelines are intended to be somewhat
vague
• Not all guidelines are published
• Published guidelines change, but info often
not pushed out effectively or quickly enough
to prevent problems
• Google has out-of-date (but often undated)
information on its own pages
– You can’t always tell what’s newest advice/rules
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
10. Google Maps and Google Places
• Places is NOT a business directory-it is part
of a map that shows what exists in the
physical world
• Places is just one set of data (about
businesses) that gets layered onto Maps
• Places data and Maps data don’t always
synch up well
– Conventions and guidelines can differ
• Examples: address formatting, categories
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
11. Google Maps and Google Places
Required before a business listing goes live:
– Verification
– Review
– Approval
• Places requires verification
– Many more PIN mailers and fewer phone calls than before
• Maps requires review and approval
– Different levels of reviews and reviewers
– Some disapprovals are automatic
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
12. What About Those Phone Calls?
• Caller ID says if call is really from Google
• These callers are charged ONLY with:
– Verifying if the NAP in your listing is correct
• Often, they don’t need much info to be able to say
“yes” or “no” on data accuracy
– Example: phone is answered using a different business name
– Verifying whether you meet with people at your
business location or not
• If not, you should have hidden address in listing
– Incorrect answers result in quick suspension of
listing(s)
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
13. Service Area Businesses
Service Area Businesses* (SABs) never quite fit
into Google’s concept of businesses being
physical places on Maps
– Google continually struggles to equitably
accommodate them
– Spammers and scammers everywhere in this
space!
• Makes it tough for legitimate businesses and for Google
Optimized!Optimized!
www.MaryBowling.comwww.MaryBowling.com
*The business goes to the customer’s location instead of
the customer coming to the business’ location
14. Service Area Businesses
SABs that do not meet w/customers at their
locations are doubly handicapped
• these businesses are required to hide their
addresses in their listings or be suspended
• Google+ cannot yet accommodate these
businesses
– If a “social local Google+ page” has been created
for one of these SABs, it should be deleted
– http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/business/M
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15. “Poking” a Listing
• Why?
– Indicates you are actively managing the listing and
your content may be the freshest
– Sometimes fixes problems. Wait a few days to see if
it works
• How?
– Log into Places listing dashboard
– Click on Edit button for the listing
– Don’t make any changes-just click on submit to
ping Google
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16. Places Support Options
Report a
Problem
directly from a
Google+ page
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17. Places Support Options
Edit a listing
directly from a
Google+ page
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•Be signed into your
account.
•Different options
depending on whether
you’ve merged Places
and Plus or not
18. Places Support Options
Places troubleshooter:
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/business
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Quickest, most reliable way to get help!
20. Yes, Google Phone Support!
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21. Google and Your Business Forum
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/business
•http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-
topic/business/need-advice/_TsTH0PIqdo
•http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!
categories/business/technical-issue
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2 categories:
22. Google and Your Business Forum
Googlers Jade W
Top contributors (TC):
Sticky posts at the top of pages
Announcement icons
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/business
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-
topic/business/need-advice/_TsTH0PIqdo
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23. Sign Up To Receive Notices!
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http://support.google.com/places/bin/request.py?
contact_type=verification_address_collection&
24. Be a Google Map Maker
Map Maker is a map-making community where
anyone can contribute edits to maps
•You can make edits and approve or disapprove other
people’s edits
• The more you contribute, the more clout you get as a
power user
• And your edits move up in the queue for faster approval
• If you have a lot of edits that do not get approved, your
powers diminish
http://www.google.com/mapmaker
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25. Google Map Maker Tips
http://support.google.com/mapmaker/?hl=en
Learn to use Map Maker correctly-mistakes are punished
https://sites.google.com/site/mapyourworldcommunity/discuss
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26. Google Map Maker Tips
• Begin earning trust with accurate edits of
places you know very well
• Don’t just edit business listings
• Increase chances of approval by providing
notes and URLs to webpages that support
your edits
• Team up with others to review and approve
each others edits
– Agencies may benefit from a Map Maker power-
user account it controls
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27. Google Map Maker Tips
• Be aware that there are:
– automated edit review bots
– some types of business always require review by
a Googler, some by a super reviewer at Google
– tough RERs – Regional Expert Reviewers
• Do not try to add a service area business via
Map Maker unless street view confirms its
existence – add it in Places or Plus, instead
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28. Google Map Maker Tips
Post to the Map Maker help forum for help with
reviews/approvals
Look for posts by Google employees
And official Maps guides
https://sites.google.com/site/mapyourworldcommunity/
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29. Google Map Maker Tips
• The Map Maker interface is hard to
master
• It’s much easier to use Map Maker via
Report a problem and Edit on Google+
page, if you can
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30. Problem: No Control of Listing
Messages:
–“We currently do not support the location”
–“Pending review” (for more than 2 weeks)
–“The information provided isn't eligible for verification”
–“Account suspended”
Probable causes:
–Guideline violations (most often the cause!)
–Google glitches
–Back ups at Google
Contact Google support via troubleshooter
Be prepared to recreate & re-verify problem listings
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32. Problem: Listings Merge
• Use the troubleshooter to report merges
• Expect the fix to take 3-4 weeks
• Be patient – messing with other stuff in the
meantime could slow down the fix
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33. Problem: Moving Locations
Google prefers:
–Mark old location closed and then create and verify
a new listing for the new location
–While signed into account, use troubleshooter tool
to tell Google support that you have moved
•Give old info and new info
•Give URLs for both listings
–Message on old listing has improved
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34. Problem: Moving Locations
To try to change the address, instead:
– Change NAP on website first
– Change primary data providers ASAP
– Do not claim listing & change address at the same
time
– Do not change anything else until new address is
live
– You will likely get 2 listings
• report them as duplicates via troubleshooter tool
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35. Problem: Reviews Missing
• Flagged as spammy for good cause
– Links placed in reviews flag them as spam
– Length of review may trigger filter
– Words in review may trigger filter
• Legitimate reviews caught in spam filter
– Viewed as necessary collateral damage
• Spam filter has been eased
• Reviewers may need more account trust
– New accounts
– New to reviewing at Google
• Location review was posted from:
– Multiple reviews from one IP address
• Includes review stations at business location
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36. Problem: Reviews Missing
Technical problems:
– Reviews are attached to a duplicate listing
• Reviews left on “wrong” listing
• Business owner cannot respond to reviews
• Business has moved and reviews have not attached
to new listing
– Reviewer has not made their reviews public
– Some review features not live in all browsers
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37. Problem: No Rating Stars
To get gold stars in the SERPs, you’ll need
to:
•Pay via AdWords Express
•Try to get them organically via review mark-up
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38. Problem: Bad at a glance terms
Coming from reviews, descriptions, categories
and other information about business out on
the web
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– No one, not even
Googlers, can change
what shows up here
– Check 3rd party sites
– to find it , search for
“phrase”+”business name”
– Try to correct it at the
source(s)
39. Recap
• Things continually change – keep up!
• Understand how Google views business listings and Maps
• Know how to use the help forums
• Know who to listen to in the help forums
• Learn to use Mapmaker effectively
• You can Poke listings, first and try the edit feature on
Plus page, BUT troubleshooter support seems to be the
quickest and most reliable way to get problems
resolved
• Try to be patient
• Be prepared to start over with a new listing and/or
Google+ page
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There have always been problems to resolve with Google local listings. With the advent of Google+ Local, there are new problems and new solutions. Some of the solutions are for what we hope are temporary problems that will soon be resolved In the meantime we’ll talk about common problems currently being experienced and solutions to them
I say semi-merge because much of the merging has not yet taken place. We are still in a transitional phase.
It’s not unusual to think you did something wrong, but right now, that is not necessarily the case, although it can be. So many errors and glitches that it’s hard to know what is and what isn’t beyond your control.
“ you will thank me”
“ you will thank me”
The way Google thinks about Local is not the same way that small business owners or marketers think about it.
Example: phone is answered using a different business name A “no” quickly gets listing suspended
1 st thing to try, but is not as effective as it used to be. Sometimes fixes problems. Wait a few days to see if it works
This is what Google wants us to do: 1 st report a problem or edit, wait and if it doesn’t work, use the troubleshooter forms. Notice how this Report a problem link, takes you to Map Maker to Suggest changes
With a Google Places/Google+ merge, you have an Edit button and go to Mapmaker editing interface Without a merge, you have a Manage button and still edit in Places dashboard
This is like the complaints box. It’s full of confused people, whiners and people looking for loopholes, but you can glean good info if you use it correctly. Be very picky about who you listen to in the help forum - the Googlers and Top Contributors Search feature works well, so ask your questions there and look for answers in the threads in the results
Be very picky about who you listen to in the help forum - the Googlers and Top Contributors Search feature works well, so ask your questions there and look for answers in the threads in the results
Something I just discovered recently!
Get to know Mapmaker
Learn to use Map Maker. Start here. The interface is not very intuitive, but don’t just jump in and mess around.
I hear they are planning to add an icon to flag the listings that need super review so you can decide whether you want to edit them or not
It’s easier to do most of this via the edit interface You can try adding call tracking numbers here if you have to
Google doesn’t care if there are duplicates in the same account or in different accounts or accounts you don’t control It wants duplicates to go away And it’s using us to discover and eliminate them
Once bad info is flagged it should stop showing up in the listing
By “bad” I mean incorrect or not applicable to your business, not bad sentiment