Well there have been a bunch of busy bees in the Google local search hive. Local has been under the knife a few times. From reset data, to cool visual effects. These are today’s changes in Google’s local blended results.
The New Gray Google Map Marker
Less intrusive, less eye catching, more interactive.
Rolling over the this gray marker will change it blue for pay per click (PPC) ads on the right, or red for organic listings on the left. Scrolling over markers in the google map section highlights the respective listing markers in the PPC and organic section. You will also get a nice snippet for the local organic listings. No snippets for PPC. It’s also interesting to note that the listings have moved the once red-pins-now-gray-pin to the right of the blended results. Google also removed the triangle pointer they once displayed for the top listing.
Google, Local Marketing
Google, Google Maps, Houston, Houston Pest Control, Local search (Internet), Pay per click, pest control, pest control guy, Phoenix Pest Control, Search engine optimization
UPDATE: Good discussion going on over on Google Plus about this: https://plus.google.com/115671137696411026556/posts/SKAvdpzTzu9
Maybe I am late to this, but I just noticed a new thing with Google Places. Has anyone seen this before today? I have not seen anyone talking about it or making mention of it yet. Anyway, after you click on the website it has a box pop up that asks you: “Is abcwebsite.com the correct website for this business?” Looks like they are trying to finally improve the way they link the websites to the Google places pages.
Also, perhaps this will be good to weed out spammer companies like putting weird landing page websites as the place page buiness website instead of the actual page. (Why do that anyway, seems dumb)
Google
Google, Google Places, spam
Let me give you a little perspective. Lets go back to the real reason Yelp has been mad at Google for all these years. It comes down to something very simple: Google has been ripping off Yelp reviews. When people are browsing Google and do a local search, then go into a Places page, (I have been told by Yelp) Yelp sees virtually NO traffic once that visitor is in that Places page (so there is absolutely NO BENEFIT). The browser was seeing everything they needed with Google displaying those Yelp reviews right out in the open. You see? All that hard work of Yelp being ripped off with no benefit of traffic or people going to their site … reading the review is “from Yelp” while on Google is not the same as the user actually going to Yelp and reading the review. If you think of all I am saying as a business owner, it makes sense. This all changes today.
Google, Yelp
Google Places, yelp
Introducing the new Google Adwords button.
How will Google Adwords +1 Button change Internet Marketing? Does it affect PPC? Will it help or hurt CRO? Can it really increase CTR? What’s the Math?
In a recent email from Google Adwords was the following notification:
In the coming weeks, your search results and ads on Google will include a +1 button, which users can click to recommend your ads. You don’t need to make any changes to your account in order to take advantage of them. The final landing page URL of your ads can also appear on the Google profile of any user who +1’s your ad.
That time has arrived.
Google, Industry News, PPC
+1, AdWords, Clickthrough rate, Google, Google +1, Google Plus 1, NoIndex, Organic search, Pay per click, pest control guy, Quality Score
Google Offers Quick Facts:
How is it Promoted?
• Email to Subscribers
• Google shopper app.
• Google network
Businesses can Limit the offer:
• Limit how many offers sold
• Limit Redeemable by date
• Limit on Areas Serviced*
• Limit Uses Per Customer
*important for pest control guys
Offer runs for a 24 hour window.
http://google.com/offers
The primary way they will promote the offer is via emails to subscribers. Email, according to social media studies, is still the most used social media vehicle. (*CMB Consumer Pulse 2010 ) If the local business makes the offer juicy enough then the business can anticipate that coupon lovers will forward the deal out to their friends and family. This method is ideal for local businesses as the consumers are spreading it by digital word of mouth and are pre-qualifying the target audience for the local business.
Google, Industry News
360 images, Google Offers, local advertising, Local Businesses, pest control guy, places page
YouTube Video Preview in Google Search
Google update: Youtube gets video previews in Google’s Universal Search.
Google recently added the website previews. Now Google is adding video previews. Not all video results are getting this preview. Those that do get previews include Youtube videos, 5min.com and Discovery videos. But sites like MetaCafe.com, videojug.com, and break.com, while still being found in the video section, are not getting the 4 framed previews.
Video Previews and Click Through Rates
The four framed previews actually show 5 second clips of the video. For the Superbowl commercial of the StarWars kid you can get a quick jest of the short commercial. But for the short 30 second video of Rene Higuita and the Scorpion kick (AWESOME VIDEO) you might get most of the clip, but sports move so fast that you may want to click through and see the whole thing. Ultimately the video preview might be enough to satisfy or enough of a taste to leave you wanting more. And careful, these videos do have sound enabled. Sound could be bad, as it is often a discouragement on websites. You can turn it off by clicking on the speaker, which I did as to not annoy my office.
Google, Industry News
Google Updates, pest control guy, Video Optimization, Youtube
Google Adwords will be removing position preference. The feature has already been disabled. But for those that would be grandfathered in, they are removing this option entirely come May 2011. This announcement came via a message within the Adwords.
Announcement:
Retiring the position preference setting
In early May, we’ll be removing the option to set position preferences.
Learn more about what this means for your campaigns.
Position preference gave advertisers the ability to tell Google where they wanted their ad to appear in Google’s search ads on a given page.
We call it a preference because we can’t guarantee you’ll always get the position (or rank) you ask for. Here is an example of how you could set your position preference:
- Higher than a given position (such as above 7)
- Lower than a given position (such as below 4)
- Within a range of positions (such as from 2-8)
Google, Industry News, PPC, Sales and Marketing
Google, pest control guy, PPC
I saw this question posted yesterday by Jay Thompson on a post he’s trying to get removed from Google:
“I don’t know how long it will take Google to de-index the post, but it should get de-indexed at some point (and if an SEO wizard is reading this, tell me what, if anything, else I can do to get it de-indexed). Below is a screen shot of my WordPress backend showing the post is set to noindex/nofollow.”
It is in reference to this page: http://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com/a-follow-up-to-my-lones-group-v-rothamel-article/
Since I know a thing or two about SEO, I thought I would help this guy out, and answer his question. I have used the nofollow command in the robots.txt to remove as well as going into my Google webmaster account (removal request tool) and removed pages that way (a site got hacked and I had to request a ton of pages get moved – so trust me, I know it works)
Google
Google, SEO
Google Boost is now Adwords Express
Local search marketing may be in it’s infancy for Google, but this baby is booming. In two short years they have grown through a 10-pack, to a 7-pack, to a mixed local and organic result. They have further added a revenue stream with Google Sponsored tags (Yellow tags) and most recently they added Google Boost. Google boost has been active for about 6 months now, so time for a review of the latest GEO/Local adverting package from Google. To Boost but not to boast.
What is Google Boost?
Google boost is a new pay per click (PPC) advertising push from Google that is being promoted through Google Places. This ad is unique in it’s style from other PPC ads because it features a blue pin drop and is only offered to local businesses that have a local physical office.
Google, Industry News, Local Marketing
Geo Marketing, Google Boost Review, google local, Local Marketing, pest control guy, What is Google Boost
Up Close With Google AdWords Quality Score – Google’s quality score remains a mystery to many marketers, plus Google keeps changing when and how it is used. This session takes a fresh look at the current state of quality score, how it is implemented and tips on using it to your advantage
Moderator: Matt Van Wagner, President, Find Me Faster
Q&A Moderator: James Zolman, CEO, semvironment
Speakers:
Addie Conner, Director of Search Marketing, Course Advisor Inc.
Craig Danuloff, President, ClickEquations Inc.
Nicholas Fox, Business Product Management Director, AdWords, Google Inc.
NOTES:
Addie Conner, Director of Search Marketing, Course Advisor Inc.
Topic: Fact vs. Myth with Google Quality Score
- There is a different CPC forumula if you are the only advertiser on the page? Fact.
- Quality score is lost once you make changes? Myth, QS is changed, but not lost.
Google, PPC, SMX
SMX, SMX West
