Google Adds One Click Verify For My Business Listings Through Search Console
In April 2014 Google began allowing webmasters to verify their Google My Business listings through the Google Search Console linkage. So if you had a verified web site in the Search Console…
Google Trusted Verifier Program For In Person Business Verification
Google added a new help page describing a new program called “Trusted Verifier.” It seems a Trusted Verifier is a volunteer vetted by Google as someone they trust to validate and verify, in person, if a business really exists…
Google Adds Letter Pointers To Local Pack Results
Google has added letters, i.e. A, B & C to the local pack in the Google search results. This way you can quickly identify on the map…
Google Local Pack Goes Missing For A Few Hours
First we have Google testing moving down the local pack and yesterday, for a few hours, the local pack went missing completely.
I saw complaints across Twitter, Google Business Help & Google+…
Now Google Maps For Android Has My Maps
Google quietly announced on Google+ and in the Google Maps Help forum that the new version of Google Maps for Android now supports bringing over your custom My Maps into your app…
Google Moves The Map & Local Pack Below The Fold
It seems like Google has moved the Google Map and local pack results below the fold when searching for local intent queries in the Google Search.
Linda Buquet posted about it yesterday on her Local Search Forum asking if this was just a test because s…
Google Maps Business Phone Support Hours Reduced
Many local experts took notice that Google has drastically cut back on the hours they offer phone support to businesses for managing their Google My Business (formerly Google Places) local listing in Google Maps…
Google Maps New Report Problem Feature Adding Moved Locations
Google has quietly pushed out an update to how you send edits in for businesses found in Google Maps.
Now when you click on a business within Google Maps there is a toggle at the top right to send in modifications to communicate if the place was close…
Google Local Results Now Showing Mall Names For Store Addresses In Malls
If you search for local keywords and some of the stores that come up happen to be in a local mall, Google now will show the mall name in the address section of the listings in the web search results…
Google Local Results Now Showing Mall Names For Store Addresses In Malls
If you search for local keywords and some of the stores that come up happen to be in a local mall, Google now will show the mall name in the address section of the listings in the web search results…
Google My Business Listing Fraud Through Craigslist
A couple months ago we reported on the topic of Google business verification fraud through the old fashion US postal service.
It is a common thing that scammers do to gain trusted listings in Google Maps through the Google My Business center…
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Google Upgrades Google My Business Photos Section
Google announced a significant update to how they enable business owners to manage the photos of their business within their Google+ Business Profiles.
Google said:
Starting today…
Google Now Outsourcing Local Packs to India
We have been seeing a lot of mismatched locations in the local packs lately but this one takes the cake, er curry…: (Click to enlarge) You know you can’t beat Nayana Eye Care in Pradesh. They’re “recognized by the Food Corporation of India” and have “world-class sterility.”
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Google City Experts Now Known As Local Guides
Google’s Aygul Zagidullina announced on Google+ that they have rebranded, renamed, the Google City Experts as Google Local Guides…
Google Maps Reviews Has A 4,000 Character Limit
Did you know that there is a max character limit of 4,000 characters when leaving a review on a business or organization within the Google Maps local pages…
Google Maps Virtual Office Spam Gets Uncovered
Linda Buquet posted in her Local Search Forums based on a Google Maps Maker Help thread that uncovered a law firm abusing the Google Maps business/local database by setting up virtual offices through UPS boxes and/or Regus offices…
Is MapMaker’s Bad Data Grounds for Divorce?
We have been playing around with Google’s MapMaker product a lot lately. While this won’t come as a shock to the seasoned local search professionals out there let me tell you, it’s a buggy product. Just the other day I had it return auto-suggest results in what I think was Dutch. While UI glitches are […]
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When It Comes to Google MapMaker, Don’t Take No for an Answer
Do you find your edits in Google MapMaker often get denied? Ever since Maptivists shed some light on the exploits that were possible using MapMaker, it has been harder and harder to get legitimate changes made. Most of the time I see MapMaker edits get rejected, regardless of their validity. A good example was when I […]
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Don’t Trust Results in Google MapMaker
An auto dealer client’s GMB page was showing up in Google with a different domain (the car maker’s – Ford.com) attached to it only for certain queries. I started looking through all of the usual data suspects to see if the errant domain was connected to any of the dealer’s business listings and came up […]
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Is Google Maps Cleaning Up Abbreviated Street Addresses?
Yesterday an interesting thread popped up in the Local Search Forum asking if Google has decided to automatically expand the abbreviated addresses listed in Google Maps.
I checked several queries and all of them showed me unabbreviated street address…