Google Places Optimization and Local SEO Blog

Continuing to allow competitors to report a business as PERMANENTLY CLOSED without proof or verification is criminal negligence in my opinion. However Google does read our blogs and did make one change we suggested that will help this and other problems. If Google changes the core data on your Place page or marks your business as closed, at least now they inform the business…

Find out what Google LIKES and GIVE IT to her! So let’s dissect a VERY interesting search result to find out WHY Google likes this listing enough to give it a HUGE ONE BOX for a competitive search term. And while we’re at it let’s try to figure out why this local Dentist got all these EXPANDED local sitelinks too, shall we? I DOUBT THIS LISTING WILL BE LIVE FOR VERY LONG. So let’s reverse engineer it while we can.

New Places features. Bugs, fixes and more. Yelp reviews TOTALLY gone now. New Places short URLS. Plus I just took a Dentist from #16 to #2 OVERNIGHT with some specific on-site optimization techniques I discovered. I’ve also discovered new ways to overcome the slow description update and missing review problems. Additionally I discovered some awesome FREE software that does MAJOR DEEP Places/Local SEO ranking analysis.

If you have missing Google Places descriptions or info that is not updating or think you are in the Google Places new listing sandbox and wonder how long you’ll be there – you’ll want to read on. I just got an answer from Googler Joel Headley over at Google+ about the missing descriptions problem. He also confirms the current length of the Google Places update cycle. REALLY LONG. Wanted to share the info, since I doubt many people will see Joels comments hidden in my +stream.

Need to vent about Google Places? Head to Mike Blumentha’s G+ post and vent away or vent here. Google will read this, so if you have problems you want to bring to light, head over and add your 2 cents! I added a copy of my fave Google Places pet peeves below.

What other company can tell customers, sorry we had a HICCUP and in 6 – 10 weeks your business may recover? SERIOUSLY! Who can get away with that? Free service or no, Google Places needs to get it’s act together! Important information about Places update cycles, critical theories about the GP sandbox, bugs, pending review and more below

Blowing you brains out on backlinks and not seeing Google Love speaks to that sentiment. Building a honest and truthful and complete Places Page speaks to that. Having a straight forward and informative website – without trickery – speaks to that. Neglecting the end user that Google is trying to serve will bite you on the backside!

What do you do when Google loses an entire city in the local search results? How do you optimize for City + Keyword when G results show businesses from the other side of the US instead? PITY THE POOR LOCAL ADWORDS ADVERTISERS getting all those bogus clicks from consumers 7 states away.