Google Place Result taking over Organic Search Result
-
Hey there,
One of our client contacted as stating that their Google ranking dropped. It was originally listed No.2 on the organic search result, but now it shows up only as Google Place instead, and the ranking is lower than before.
Apparently it happens in Japan quite often nowadays, does it happen in your country too? Especially on Google.com? Is it becoming a trend?
-
We've had the same problem with several of our clients. However, if you use rel=author then your Google+ profile will actually increase the position of the main site in the SERPs.
Instructions for setting up rel=author are here: http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2539557
-
There is no question that Google Places (which I believe is now formally called "Google+ Local" pages) are being pushed hard by Google, so I expect to see the trend continue to see these pages rise higher and higher in the rankings. However, could you be more specific about which terms your referring to? I'm assuming that you are referring to "branded" or "name queries" that are now triggering a Google Places page instead of the original organic listing. In that case, my recommendation would be that they make sure they have 'claimed' their Google Places (Google+ Local) page, and, once claimed, optimize that result for conversions as best as possible. You can supplement a Google+ Local page in lots of ways by adding information, links, photos, etc., so it hopefully isn't a huge problem if these pages become more and more prominent, which I personally expect to happen.
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
-
Seeing different Google 3-Pack results on Android mobile browsers vs. IOS mobile browsers. Why is this?
I am researching new SEO recommendations in lieu of Google's controversial "3-Pack" update. I am noticing very different results in the Google 3-Pack on a android mobile browser when I do a local search query versus a query in apple mobile browser. For example if I do a Google search for "Seattle Sporting Goods" I am able to see direction links and full address numbers for businesses in the 3-Pack. However the same query on a Android phone provides only "teaser" street name results, no direction links but still shows business reviews. Is it possible that the 3-Pack update is still in flux? Shouldn't the Google 3-Pack show uniform results across all different mobile browsers? This could impact my SEO recommendations.
Image & Video Optimization | | RosemaryB0 -
Merging Google+ with Google Local
Greetings Mozzers, I'm having a tough time merging my Google+ page with my Google Local page and wanted to see if anyone could give me some additional information/advice for progressing on this. Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/112342618763108384372/about?hl=en Google Local: https://plus.google.com/104995472630988321277/about?gl=us&hl=en Both of them have been verified and "managed" via postcards, however the Local one never seems to get "managed". I look forward to hearing back on any guidance/advice. Much appreciated,
Image & Video Optimization | | MonsterWeb28
Ryan0 -
Google+ Local Listing - No Physical Address
Hi everyone, I have a client who won't be renewing his lease for where he conducts his business. Instead he will be working from home. That being said, he does not wish to have his personal address details showing within his local listing. Is there any other way to still show for Google Local without a personal or business address? Is a PO box possible, other there any other alternatives? Thanks in advance. Leo
Image & Video Optimization | | nimbleo0 -
Updating address in Google Places
My client has moved address to a location in the same city. Will updating his Google Places page lead to a drop in rankings? If so, what is the best way to resolve it?
Image & Video Optimization | | neooptic0 -
Google categories for local limousine service
I manage the Google places page for a SAB (local limousine company). The question is, should I add "taxi" and "airport shuttle service" as categories? I have listed only "limousine" and "car service' for now and I want to play it safe although those 2 are related to limo service. Sometimes people refer to limo service as "taxi service" or they are inquiring about prices for shuttle service to the airport and they end up booking the service quite often. Does Google look to our website to find these words in the content? Google Analytics show lots of people are finding us through those two keywords as well although you cannot find the word “taxi" on our website. The interesting thing is that when searching for "taxi + my zip code" the company shows up 4th on maps results and when searching for "shuttle service + my zip code”, the company shows up 2nd on local results and also 2nd in organic results. Is this enough to make me add these 2 categories? Second question is about the area served, does it make a difference (in rankings) if I choose “Distance from one location"over"List of areas served"? What happens is the red pin would be in a different location. If I choose "Distance from one location" the pin would be right in the center of the city (which I think it shouldn't matter anymore that much since the proximity to the centroid is not a ranking factor anymore). If “list of area” served is selected, (the city name will be chosen) then the pin would be about 5 miles West of the city center. Any thoughts will be appreciated. Thank you!
Image & Video Optimization | | echo10 -
Google Shopping in SERPS - What % of clicks do they get?
Howdy, Looking for any data we can get on the % of click through the shopping results are getting in Google SERPs. There are tons of variables: how many products & which position the shopping feeds and images are shown in but any hard data would be helpful. The background is that we have a client who ranks #1 in Google for a shopping related term and their organic traffic is down in 2011 for this main keyword which has ranked #1 all year since the shopping feeds are continually showing above or below the 1st Google position vs sporadic or no display in years prior. I.e. They aren't happy the traffic is down & we are looking for some data we can provide them with beyond, "Google shopping is now eating part of your organic traffic for that term". Many thanks in advance!!
Image & Video Optimization | | WebpageFX0 -
No option to claim listing in Google Places: country-wide issue
Hi, All! We were trying to advise a client about local SEO, and we ran into the issue of - their Google Places pages (yes, they have several, that's a separate issue) are "unclaimable." Meaning - up at the top of the page there is neither a "Edit this page - Business Owner?" heading or a "Edit this listing - Owner-verified listing" heading. When you try to claim it independently using the phone number (all pages have the same phone number, but different addresses), Google gives you "No address found for this phone number" and the option to now add a new page, which is not quite what we're looking for. This is an Israeli location, and this appears to be an issue with a few other random Israeli pages I checked (I saw pages with neither heading option). But a number of the Israeli pages have "Owner-verified listing." How did they get it? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! Regards, Aviva
Image & Video Optimization | | debi_zyx0 -
How to Track Traffic from Google Places Pages
Hi, Is there anything I need to do in Google Analytics to setup tracking for traffic coming to a site via it's Google Places page? I can see some traffic from maps.google.com in the Traffic Sources > Referring Sites report, but it does not appear to marry up to the data reported in the Google Places dashboard. Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | WCR0