Google Places Optimization and Local SEO Blog

Red Hat = Smart, Bright, Bold Optimization. Red hat is thinking outside the box, discovering and utilizing advanced techniques that help make a listing stand out and give conversion rates a boost. Heres the Place page for a Dentist I recently took from #16 to #2 on Google for all his main keywords. He has a 100 hidden 3rd party reviews that do not show on Google. Heres how I made his reviews stand out ABOVE the fold.

Today an InfoWorld story about Google Places broke that I was interviewed for and quoted in. But the story also references the NYTimes article that I spearheaded last week about the problem of viable businesses being easily marked CLOSED. Todays story focuses more on the lack of Google Places support.

I’m working on some unique tip-filled posts but in the meantime wanted to share some great posts with some good tips from others. When I curate my Google Places news channel @Scoop.it some mornings I find little of interest. But the past few days there has been a ton of really good info so wanted to spread the word.

Google appears to be crowdsourcing website verification on Place pages now. Hope a competitor can’t nuke your website as easily as they can mark your business as permanently closed. I tested it out on the Place page below, because it’s breaking the rules. SEE SCREEN SHOT. Didn’t know what would happen when I clicked no and didn’t want to cause a problem for someone playing by the rules. Check out that stuffed category section. Surprised Google even allows you to cram

The New York Times interviewed me a couple weeks ago about a Google Places problem I’ve blogged about that is negatively impacting small businesses. Tuesday Google posted a reply to say they are actively working on a solution

This super lightweight app can help you quickly analyze Google Places competitive results. So if you are talking to a potential new client who is stuck on page 3, you can get a quick snapshot of what it takes to rank in that market. Shows G reviews and 3rd party separately. Plus great for prospecting. Can also download results and citation sources to CSV for further analysis. See screen shot.