Can anyone tell me What’s wrong with Google Places?
Google places has many glitches (bugs) since Marissa Mayer left the department to be the Yahoo CEO. I see it in different ways with many clients.
These are the problems that customers call us every day for:
- “This place has closed or relocated” for a real business location
- Postcard sent in the end of the verification process, never reach the business
- Phone call verification made successfully but the status “Need Action, Enter your PIN” is resumed
- Lost position on Google Places – From something to nothing, Google top position poof gone overnight
- Google Places show on first page fake business locations. You know your arena – You know they built to trick Google.
How do we solve the Google Places listing problem?
[box_info]Step one. Get it right! Slightly difference like Unit #, or Avenue instead of Ave (yep!) can cause “No Evil” Google to be mad on you. I’m using GetListed.org to help me finishing this task.[/box_info]
[box_tip]Don’t be cheap and use the free listings on the top local directories like Manta, Superpages, MerchantCircle, Yelp, Angi, etc. (full list is available to SEOmoz members at http://www.seomoz.org/directories/local ). Pay the premium listings fee if you’re serious about getting top results with Google Places.[/box_tip]
[box_info]In some case you can ask Google to review your location. In this case, please Follow These Instructions: (use this guided screen >>)
- Start with “I’m {name, role} at {business}”. Write that we tried getting a postcard twice and never got it. We are company.. established.. employees..
- Write that we verified it over the phone and it failed
- Write the exact address, phone and Google email account (same as Google places account)
- Describe the buildings around the location and any landmark (the… tower is just across our location) around. This is critical!
- Fill the form with as much information you can provide
- Attached a photo of the location. After you place it on your server, use http://goo.gl/ (click on this link after login to Google account) to get a short link to the photo
- Attach the home page of your website to prove location is listed there: http://goo.gl/
- Ask politely to validate this location on Google maps.
- Close with: Feel free to contact me at… Your full signature
[/box_info]
