| Is Your Local Map Listing Here Today and Gone | | | | Google that they have just completed a world |
| Tomorrow | | | | wide rollout of an upgrade proclaiming that are |
| Could This be why? The new Google Local | | | | Google searches are local now. Google has realized |
| Search! | | | | that people are frequently looking for a variety of |
| The Fickle Nature of Local Google Search Results | | | | things in their neighborhood. So Google has tried |
| Business Owners in the know realize how | | | | to make this easier. |
| important Local Google Search is. For some, the | | | | As mentioned, sophisticated Internet searchers |
| difference of being in the top ten search results | | | | would enter the city and what they were looking |
| and not could be worth thousands of dollars | | | | for and this would launch the local search results. |
| every day. As a result they watch their search | | | | However, many more people just entered the |
| result rankings very closely. And here lately, the | | | | generic term of what they are looking for; barber, |
| search order rankings have been bouncing all over | | | | Sushi restaurant, bike shop, etc. Before the |
| the place causing some business owners to | | | | Google upgrade this would not launch a local |
| scream sabotage and declaring that their | | | | search but would just return websites about the |
| competition is corrupting their business listing. | | | | subject matter of the search words. But now the |
| Maybe, but probably not. | | | | same generic search returns local search results |
| For the new business owner who is unfamiliar | | | | and this is where it gets interesting and results |
| with this process more and more people are | | | | get fickle. |
| doing local searches for their every day needs; | | | | Google tries to guess where you are by your IP |
| restaurants, dentists, locksmiths, wedding DJ's, | | | | address. If they get wrong, in the upper right |
| etc. Up until now this could be done in one of two | | | | corner of the Local Business Results there is a |
| ways. The most common way is to navigate to | | | | Change Location link and you can change the |
| Google (google.com) and simply enter what you | | | | location to where you actually are. The interesting |
| are looking for into the search box and click the | | | | thing is since this upgrade and I'm not saying |
| search button. An alternative would be to click the | | | | there is a connection the prior way of searching |
| Maps tab (maps.google.com) and search from that | | | | local results has been erratic and overall local |
| page. Both searches have their advantage. | | | | results haven't been consistent. |
| For this discussion we will be looking at the Local | | | | As an example if I search Pittsburgh for a |
| search since this is the one that most people use | | | | wedding DJ using city and category I do not get |
| and also the one that has just been impacted by | | | | the same results if I set the location and just do |
| Google's world wide rollout of an upgrade that | | | | a generic search. |
| they say makes all searches local. | | | | Without the location set, on some occasions when |
| Up until now, when the average person conducted | | | | I searched Pittsburgh wedding DJ and I did not |
| a local search they would go to Google and enter | | | | get any results. With the location set I did get |
| their city and a generic description of what they | | | | results for Pittsburgh wedding DJ but they were |
| are searching for, as an example or "Santa Monica | | | | not the same as when I just entered DJ. For this |
| Dentist" or "Dentist Santa Monica". The inclusion of | | | | search and many other searches there were a |
| a city triggers a local search and what many | | | | completely different set of results if I entered DJ |
| people call a "Ten Pack" appears. This a Google | | | | or DJ's. It also has been noted that in some local |
| Map with the top ten search results listed. This is | | | | searches that only the plural brings up a local |
| the coveted position of the business who realize | | | | search pack. And some words that should launch |
| how important the Google Search is. These are | | | | a local search don't unless the search phrase is |
| the businesses that get the bulk of the phone | | | | accompanied with a location. |
| calls. And for some businesses these are the | | | | Bottom line, there is a new wrinkle when |
| listings that have been changing as regularly as a | | | | optimizing a business Google map listing to get it |
| newspaper's headlines. | | | | to appear in the top ten search results. Still the |
| Now I don't know if there is a connection here | | | | same basic rules win out. If you have a fully |
| but it is an interesting coincidence. Although it has | | | | optimized Google Map listing it should appear in the |
| been talked about for some time now, on April | | | | top ten search results no matter search approach |
| 6th there was official acknowledgment from | | | | is used. |