Google+ Local Update Some Tips and Important News
So much has happened since the big update from Google Places to Google+ Local – it’s been like a whirlwind. So have not been able to keep up with my forum updates or share all the news as it hits. So this post is just going to be a big mashup of important info – some tips from me, some bugs and problems, some forum posts as well as posts from others.
HOW TO DETECT VERIFIED LISTINGS on New Google+ Local pages – I’m getting this question a lot so thought I’d share something I discovered. As you likely know the new style Place pages no longer show verification status. Simply click the manage this page button. IF the listing is VERIFIED it will go to the page that just has the phone # look up field. If the listing is UNVERIFIED it will take you to the type of page that shows a map and gives you 3 options to either: Add, Edit, or Suspend Listing.
MISSING LISTING? DO NOT SUPPORT? SERVICE AREA BUSINESS?
Still major problems for service area businesses. You may be part of a take down or tech prob (depending on how you choose to interpret it). I’m not really saying much more except IF you lost your listing or have a client that did, read this support email very carefully. This is the email that follows the email that said your listing MAY have been affected by a technical issue. Support Email re Missing Listings. Read carefully, proceed carefully if you find yourself in this situation. That’s all I’m sayin!
MISSING GOOGLE REVIEW STARS KILLS CLICK THROUGH & CONVERSION?
Check this forum post out.
Google+ is destroying my business
“Everything about Google+ seems to be fine if not better than Google Places except for the removal of the stars. Ever since they removed the star ratings, my actions or clicks went from 30 – 60 or more a day to 0 – 5. I am still on the first page of Google for relevant search terms and in most cases I am also the first listing, I am also receiving the same amount of impressions as before, but the absence of the stars has caused an obvious hit on my Google Business Listing effectiveness. Injunction with that, I have seen a drastic decline in business. Is there not a way to compromise and use the Zagat reviews as well as the stars?”
Well you can have your stars if you use Adwords Express. I also had a previous client contact me 2 days ago. (Dentist) Saying he needs to start using AW Express immediately because he needs his stars back. Seems like Adwords Express sales will go up due to the Zagat move. 
Mike has a good post and discussion at his blog: Google: We Can Show Stars if We Want to!
IMAGE UPLOAD BUG OR DELAYS – Not totally sure which yet. Escalated to Google and got a partial answer but asked Jade to look into it some more. Keep an eye on this thread for updates: Photos not appearing in Google+ Local listing. 6/14 Jade posted: “Yeah — images are slow to update right now. If you’ve uploaded them recently (trying to narrow this timeframe down), they won’t be live now and probably not for a few weeks.”
WEEKLY FORUM UPDATE FROM GOOGLE – Jade the new Community Manager just uploaded the latest Google and Your Business Forum Wrapup – June 15, 2012 She mentions the image edit delays. Click to see a few more tips and updates and watch the video.
NEW RANKING FACTORS ARE OUT – In case you missed it – David Mihm’s Local Search Ranking Factors 2012 was published this week. TONS of detailed info about exactly what the pros think it takes to rank in local.
GOOGLE+ BUSINESS PAGES FORUM CLOSING – To further prove the integration of Google Places and Google+, the Google+ Business pages forum is closing and everything is being consolidated into the forum I work at “Google Places for Business”. The G+ community manager and Top Contributors are all moving over as well. This is exciting for a few reasons. Just posted this news.
read more here.
ARE YOU VANESSA MATERIAL??? Google has a job ad out for a replacement for Vanessa Schneider AKA Wonder Woman. Them’s BIG shoes to fill! Need lots of Places experience, now G+ experience too, plus community building and outreach experience. Some have asked, what about Jade? Don’t worry, she’s still around, the team is just growing! Which is awesome and shows increased commitment to LOCAL! 1+ Google!
An Updated Step By Step Guide for the SMB to the Google + Local Page Transition – Mike offers some great tips and lots of good discussion follows.
Local University Advanced – Insights from Leading Local SEO Pros – In case you missed it, some extremely important insights from Joel Headley of Google and some great tips from other local pros.
Site audit: How can a local limousine service get found in dozens of cities? How can it stand out in the crowd? – Great case study and tips from Kathy Long.
WORK WITH DRs, DENTISTS, CHIROPRACTORS or ATTORNEYS??? Stay tuned… working on a big story that could affect the way you handle client listings. Hope to publish Monday or Tuesday.
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#1 Sam@Bird Deterrent Film wrote on June 15, 2012 :
Thanks for all the updates and information. I seem to have transitioned ok from Place to Google +. Does it matter if you had a strong Google + page before the transition happened? I have a pretty strong Google + page and I think thats the reason i did not lose much in terms of rankings or stars.
#2 Matt Marko wrote on June 15, 2012 :
Linda – just wanted to say thanks for sharing the tip on how to detect verified listings on the new G+ pages!
#3 Bill wrote on June 15, 2012 :
Linda,
Yesterday, plus Local was showing the three edit options when you clicked on the manage button. Today, it takes you to a login in page for Google Places.
#4 Linda Buquet wrote on June 15, 2012 :
@Bill, not for me. Maybe we are talking different things. I’m talking if you DON’T own the listing and aren’t logged in. You see a listing and are trying to figure out if it’s verified or not.
You may be talking about if it’s YOUR page and you are logged in??? Is that right?
#5 Linda Buquet wrote on June 15, 2012 :
@Matt, you are very welcome. Glad you found that tip helpful.
#6 Bill @ Security Window Film wrote on June 18, 2012 :
My google places page wasn’t affected by these changes much. So going forward, does it matter if you have more +1 to that page? Does it count as stars/reviews?
#7 Dino wrote on June 18, 2012 :
Linda, as always, thanks for all the good info. After several years working in local, I’m really just worn out by the whole thing. As you know, I’ve been a big Google local fan for a long time and consider myself one of the good guys when it comes to optimization – always encouraging others that they can win without trying to game the system. But lately, getting hammered by the same platform that I’ve been promoting has just gotten too frustrating. Fighting with black hat competitors, scammers and spammers has been challenging enough without having to fight Google bugs and indifference as well.
The email response business owners are getting for a listing that has disappeared is just weak. If they haven’t done anything wrong and their listing is in compliance, then Google’s best reply is, “Whoops, sorry. We know it’s a technical problem on our end and we can’t figure out why we screwed up your business profile so you’re just going to have to delete everything and start all over.” Years of reviews down the drain. That excuse has got to be the biggest dodge of responsibility I’ve yet seen from them. What a letdown.
As for you, thanks for being a voice of clarity and compassion amid the disorder.
Dino recently posted..Yelp Gets a Negative Review
#8 Linda Buquet wrote on June 18, 2012 :
Hi Dino, for the REAL scoop on that fiasco read Mike’s blog from today and then my comment I’m repeating here out of frustration and being tired of holding this in!
==================================================
Mike’s Blog: Google’s Worst Customer Service Response EVER
MY REPLY:
As one who has been trying to help a TON of users with this issue I am aghast at how it was handled. Have been trying so hard this whole time to hold my tongue, but now that it’s out in the open I am glad.
Poor customer service, yes. More importantly IMO underhanded.
“your listing MAY have been dropped due to a technical issue…” Leading people to believe it was a bug when it was really just a massive take down is not responsible OR honest. A lot of listings were taken down that already hid their address a couple weeks before. Some decent businesses that may have been innocent I think were taken down too.
Here are just a couple of the posts, each with many users affected. https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/business/2eX8jjIJVwg/discussion and https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/business/u7UymcN_e1c/discussion and there are LOTS more!
This whole home office thing was done horribly wrong from the beginning! If you are going to invest in having the team from India call people to check for compliance, why not just tell them – “hey new rule, you need to hide your address” instead of whacking the listing without warning?
Granted some of those businesses were spammy, but you can’t do a massive algo driven sweep like this without throwing some babies out with the bathwater.
Just sad!
#9 Dino wrote on June 18, 2012 :
Thanks, just read it. I was really encouraged at the beginning of the year as it appeared Google Places was really trying to make an attempt to clean things up. The addition of Vanessa was very encouraging.
But now, it seems they are slipping back into their old ways. Did they find that providing help to SMBs was just not profitable to them? Are they learning that the more frustrated business owners are the more they turn to paid products?
It seems every time there is a set back like this, Google is blamed for attempting to manipulate us into using Adwords. I have usually rejected this assertion, but now, I’m not so sure.
I think you are right, it is poor customer service and even underhanded. They have thrown their technical issues into our lap, making it our problem and not theirs. It’s lazy and negligent.
Dino recently posted..Yelp Gets a Negative Review
#10 Linda Buquet wrote on June 18, 2012 :
Head hurts – heart hurts!
#11 cindy wrote on June 19, 2012 :
An Attorney client had his home address show up on his new Google + Local. We never submitted his home address (didn’t even know it) and when I went in to edit it, it’s correct. The satellite map also shows his office building, not his home.
I reported it as incorrect yesterday. Still wrong today but when I tried to report the problem again, it knew I had already reported it as incorrect. How long do you think it will take to correct.
The attorney is very angry.
#12 Linda Buquet wrote on June 19, 2012 :
In a case like that where it’s a pretty critical address problem and potential safety/privacy issue. I’m not sure I would wait for report a problem as it can be pretty slow at times. I’d also suggest doing a user edit right on the listing. Be sure you are logged OUT of his account. Then edit the live listing. This will go to the maps team instead of the Places team and I don’t think they are quite as backed up. I’ve had maps edits like that get approved in 2 days.
The other option is if you post the link and all the info on the Places forum and then email me a heads up with the link to be sure I see it, I’ll see if I can get a MapMaker RER to work on it for you.
FYI I’ve had that happen with Dentists. Come to find out before they had their office finished they joined a Dental assoc or started getting set up with insurance companies and used their home address temporarily. Google found the data 2 years later and created a listing at the home address. Search like this “home address in quotes” space “office phone in quotes”. You need to find where Google is getting the bad data and try to correct it, or the problem can keep coming back to haunt you.
#13 pauldave91 wrote on June 29, 2012 :
Mine is still correct and has no been affected..