Google Places page not showing up in Google and Google+ Local search
-
Hi,
Case Resolved
Enam
-
Hi MIriam,
Thank you for your excellent reference and great info!
According to your link at http://searchengineland.com/be-wary-of-call-tracking-numbers-in-local-search-26895, we suspect that our call tracking may not be done correctly because it uses a new anchor number instead of our business number on our website.
I have also created a new Google+ Local page following Mark's suggestion, and will see how it goes.
Really appreciate the helpful feedbacks from SEOmoz, we just joined the community a few days ago and it seems very useful!
Enam
-
Hi Enam,
You've received some great and thoughtful responses on this. I'll add just a bit more.
- Call tracking numbers are taboo in the local sphere. Do not use them. See:
http://searchengineland.com/be-wary-of-call-tracking-numbers-in-local-search-26895
www.davidmihm.com/blog/smbiz/more-call-tracking-local-search/
Whether this is causing your problem or not, it may very well be causing other problems or will cause them in future. I recommend you not use call tracking.
- The auto industry is being especially scrutinized by Google right now due to the overwhelming amount of spam. In fact, according to Mike Blumenthal, Google authorized him to state that most car dealership reviews are spam:
http://blumenthals.com/blog/2012/07/30/google-local-and-review-issues/
Now, whether the presence of spam reviews in the auto industry is also leading to penalties of listings, I have not heard, but I have certainly heard, in the past, of listings being docked for having spammy reviews.
-
Missing pages and weak rankings are often the result of duplicate listings. In the past, it was very easy to figure this out, because a phone number lookup in Google Maps would show you duplicates. However, a couple of weeks ago, it was noticed that this type of search was no long revealing duplicates, so you cannot, at the moment, discover hidden duplicates that could be affecting the whole profile. This is really a pain and I hope Google will fix it. They have been made aware of the problem.
-
You've asked a great question here about your scenario, and people have given good thought to this, but if you want a response from the horse's mouth, I would recommend that you post this same question in the Google and your Business Forum. Why? Because there is always a chance that what you are experiencing is a bug, in which case, only Google can remedy it.
-
Hi, Thank you so much for all your feedbacks! SEOSHARK, I still have no solid evidence that the phone tracking codes are causing us the issue....may I ask, when you have phone tracking codes on your website, do they give you an anchor phone number and show dynamic phone numbers on your websites from time to time whenever the website is refreshed? And you have a different phone number on your Google Place? Rob Rance, many thanks for your points, what is a 'NAP'? Mark Apsey, thank you so much for your suggestion, I can certainly try that approach. But given the current stage, we're quite confuse of which URL to use in creating another Google+ local listing. Can you tell us the link that you use to create another Google+ local listing? Also, when you're asked by Google if it is a duplicate listing, do you have to answer 'Yes' in order to continue to re-claiming the original listing? When you said 'the original listing', did you mean the original Google+ Page that you created? Or your Google Places? Enam
-
Enam-
This is happening with alot of businesses throughout the US. Here is what we have been doing to solve the problem....
We are creating another Google+ local listing. We start the process from scratch and ask for the verification code to be sent. We have found on several occasions that with the new listing process, we are able to quickly get the listing up and working correctly. We then go in and eliminate the original listing and page. There have been times where Google asks us during the process, if it is a duplicate listing and then at that point we work through the process of re-claiming the original listing and making SEO adjustments to content. This has been effective.
I would also agree with Rob in that fact that a local phone number will help your cause.
Good luck. Hope this helps..
Mark
-
I have read in forums and elsewhere that car dealers are getting pinged by Google in the same way they dealt with Locksmiths. This is due to the abuse of reviews by spiffing sales people to get reviews.
Of course SEOSHARK is right its crazy right now until they get the plus dashboard in place etc. Google always phases things in step by step and then it becomes clear what they are doing.
I would also be concerned about messing with phone numbers - a consistent NAP is critical across all listings and lack of a local number is usually a negative
-
Dear Enam,
There are MANY issues going " CRAZY" with the +/Places Migration. I read in a forum last night that is a couple months old where the Google gate keeper said to NOT make adjustments.....
However have found a way today that I think may solve the problem, however, understand that most of what you are going through is GOOGLES GLITCH.... NOT YOUR SITE..
As far as the code you added to your website, I suggest otherwise.....
I have tracking numbers on more than 300 websites, and is MUCH MUCH cleaner that several lines of code for Google to have to crawl through looking for information about YOUR Site....
Feel free to give me a call or write, glad to help
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Hello everyone! I have one question regarding local business listing
My Website is on 2nd position of the SERP but it is not visible on the first 3 list of Google Map. Although My website has 4.8 stars on the result page. https://moz.com/blog/one-dead-simple-tactic-for-better-rankings-in-google-local: I got an idea from this post, but the solution that author has given is very time consuming one. could anybody help me, "how to be visible on the Google Map first 3 results? and also please share your ideas on How to rank for images and videos.
Image & Video Optimization | | Tabassum0 -
Local listing services that will do phone verification of ownership
can you please tell me some local listing directory services that will do phone verification instead of sending out the post card?
Image & Video Optimization | | netlover0 -
Updating Over 100 Local Listings - Cleaning Local Profile and Upload Questions
Hello. I'm currently updating over 100 places in Google Local Listings They have approximately 300 listings already in the account, with approx. 100 of them already verified. The amount of 'True' locations is around 130. In order to provide maximum, appropriate NAP data, I need to update the 100 as well. So, my question is in multiple parts - 1. How do I override and update the current locations in bulk? It doesn't appear that there's a way. Every time I upload a datafeed, it gets a new listing. 2. Because of all the listings in various states of verification, (Over 200), is there an easy way just to clear them out that's NOT manual? 3. Is there a way to export all CURRENT locations? The datafeed download only contains items which are trying to be updated..there doesn't appear to be a way to export all current data. Thanks for any help you can provide about a project of this size is appreciated.
Image & Video Optimization | | WebTalent0 -
Thoughts on Google's New NAP Dispaly on Google+ Local
Hi, Do you think ACTION needs to happen based on Google's new NAP formatting change? They are changing Suite or STE to #. So for example 265 Racine Dr #100 Wilmington, NC 28403 Even if you enter in Suite they change it to pound. I am wondering the thoughts of the community of the following: 1. Do you think Google knows that STE, Suite, and # are all the same 2. Do you feel that we need to change ALL online local business listings and our website to match this change. 3. Here is the letter from Google on the matter FROM GOOGLE: Thanks for informing us about your address appearing differently on your local Google+ page than it does on your dashboard. After looking further, we've determined that 240 Stockton St #300 San Francisco, CA 94108 is an appropriate way for your listing to be displayed. Note that the address on your page might be different from what you've input into your dashboard. Our processes might alter user-input addresses to make them more standardized and easier for users to access. Thanks for understanding. Best, Nathan
Image & Video Optimization | | WebBizIdeas
The Google Team0 -
Can this make one's local listing vanish from Google local search?
Hi All, Does anyone know if selecting "Yes, this business serves customers at their locations" under "service areas and location settings" in Google Places can cause a business's listing to disappear from Google local search? My interior designer client has a bricks-and-mortar location, was ranking at about #20 for "interior designer" in Portland, and now has dropped from local search. I had "No, all customers come to the business location" selected previously. In the past week, before the vanishing, I made these changes: 1. changed the service area to "Yes, this business serves customers at their locations", 2. removed "Portland" from the description in Google Places, and 3. submitted maybe two dozen directory listings to high DA sites (using Whitespark as the tool for determining where to post). Thanks everyone! Zack
Image & Video Optimization | | HammerandHand0 -
301 Redirect affects Google Places Listing?
Hi, A client of ours has a Google Places Listing but over the last few days we noticed that two duplicate listings have appeared with exactly the same information as the original listing. Only difference is the domain names. I did some investigation and my client says that a company cold called them recently and sold them two domain names www.bandbinbanbury.co.uk andwww.accommodationinbanbury.co.uk and it seems these two are redirecting to the main site which sits on www.hanwellhouse.com My question is can this cause that the redirected listing now appear instead of the original google places listing? Any help will be appreciated
Image & Video Optimization | | InTouchMarketing560 -
Google Images
Hi, I'm setting up a Barcelona guide as a hobby: barcelonacitybreak.com. Naturally I take care to use good alt-tags, checking Google images I see one of the photos I took listed as number one: "hibernian bookstore barcelona". There is no doubt that this is the photo I took myself, but when I place the mouse over the photo the origin is listed as:http://www.auladirectiva.com/. What is even more worrying though is that when I press the image I automatically download this: "Antispy 2011" from http://protectionxpscannermaster.com! Evidently some kind of "anti-virus" program. How is this possible?
Image & Video Optimization | | vibelingo0 -
Links from Google Books
Hi Interested in your views on this and any references to research on the subject Using Google Books recently I have discovered multiple citations of a web site I produced years ago in a whole load of publication. Really quite touching to find these 10 years afterwards I imagine that this must have a positive effect on search engine listings for this site. The site has really good listings still. Has any research or any announcement been made by Google about this. Pushing this a bit further ; An advertising hoarding has a web site address http:// ... would Google StreetView pick this up and could it be used as a signal too ? Neil PS No I don't sell adversing hoardings 😉
Image & Video Optimization | | NeilInFrance0