Places listings vs other ORGANIC listings
-
Not sure how to search for exactly the answer I'm looking for, because frankly my question (at least to me) is hard to describe. I will try my best, though!
So I have a client who has an audiology business. They are located in Denver, CO. For search, we have them listed in the PLACES portion of the local search results (with the map, phone, address, etc). We saw this as a pretty big win, because its a fairly competitive market.
HOWEVER, the client feels like those listings aren't as clicked on, or aren't as prominent as say, a regular organic listing that would have a page title, and description.
I am assuming that isn't correct, that if I could only have 1 listing I'd want the PLACES one, but it occurred to me that this assumption isn't really based on any data I have personally read.
So my question is two-fold.
1a. Is my assumption about being in PLACES accurate, that that listing is more desirable (even if I could pick which one to get, which i don't think is realistic)
and
1b. Has anyone seen or have data that backs up my assertion one way or another.
Would love your thoughts!
William Smith
-
You're welcome! Hope that study will help you and your client decide what strategy best to use...
-
That study is exactly what i needed. Thanks so much Danny!
-
I think the best strategy would to achieve visibility in both Places listing and traditional organic. One without the other would simply be 50% less effective, atleast based on how Google is currently dispalying search results. Perhaps in the future there will be significantly more weight given to traditional organic results, or maybe places aill dominate...or some other form of search result placements will emerge. I think to have an all inclusive approach at this point would be a safe approach. Good luck with everything!
-
Hi there,
I've heard about some stories and case studies stating that organic listings seem to be disappearing and is being replaced by local listings. There are some articles about that online:
Is Google plus local replacing organic results?
Are your organic listings being replaced with local listings?
In your client's case, maybe the local listing has not been optimized yet.
You can link your Google + local page to the site as "publisher". This tells Google that the site is the publisher of the profile's content. Relevant contents on the site is also very important as they help strengthen the site's brand. Gathering customer reviews about the business is also very helpful.
Besides, according to SEOMoz's Eye-Tracking Google SERPs, local listings are more likely to be clicked in the search results.
Hope this helps!
Cheers!
-
Hello William,
I believe Google Places listings help a ton. Sometimes they show up at the top before any website and I think everyone agrees the info shown in the listing is very convenient and the map does draw some attention.
A client of mine boosted her sales thanks to the Google Places listing. She had better results with Places than with Adwords. It was very interesting, and I think this case isn't uncommon.
With Analytics you can track the source of your traffic and you can get Google Places to show you how many traffic you are getting from that listing. Perhaps with the data you receive from analytics, tho its a bit inaccurate sometimes, might help you and your boss to make better decisions.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Adding Photos vs Page Speed
I need to add more photos to our site, since I believe it'd be a better user experience, but I don't want our page speed to slow down. Is there an optimal size or quality photo parameters that work best for this? If so, is there a site or service someone would recommend over photobucket to get them? Thanks, Ruben
Image & Video Optimization | | KempRugeLawGroup0 -
Business listings - scope and time commitment
Hi guys It is my understanding that for a successful local search campaign, you need accurate listings in, Axiom, Localeze and Infogroup (as well as Google, Bing and Yahoo of course). My company has 70 locations. Does anyone have any idea what the time commitment would be of this? And is it free to add these listings to these three places (went to their sites but still confused). Trying to determine if this is within my team's bandwidth and/or whether it's better to go through a reasonably-priced, trusted local listings service. Thanks!
Image & Video Optimization | | SSFCU0 -
Google Places Images
Hi, i recently added a image to google places listing uploaded via the google places dashboard. It was uploaded about 3-4 weeks ago. The image is exactly 1024x1024 in size. I'm not sure whether google is not displaying it because its too big, or because it takes a while for google to start showing images for places listing. I was reading it can take up to 6 weeks. I don't want to have to wait 6 weeks, then find out the reason why the picture wasn't uploaded was because it was too big. Any suggestions on how i can find out which one is the case? Thanks, Matt
Image & Video Optimization | | Mattcarter080 -
Should I be submitting to Google Places AND Google + Local?
I hear there is a merging between Google Places and Google + but I still see a sign up page for Google Places is live? Could anyone tell me if I should be submitting to both Google + Local and Places please?
Image & Video Optimization | | Clicksjim1 -
Is it Possible to submit multiple sites on google places with single phone number? If you then please tell me how?
Is it Possible to submit multiple sites on Google places with single phone number? If you then please tell me how? Because i have multiple site but i have one phone number and i want to add all of my sites in google places. But i don't know how it is possible. Please help me to sort it out this problem. Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | KLLC0 -
Google Places and Multiple Locations
Hi, I have a client with 3 different physical locations but only 1 phone number for his business. Does anyone know if Google Places will penalize me for duplicate listings due to having the same phone number or will I be ok if I have a different physical addresses per listing? Thanks, -Carlos
Image & Video Optimization | | caneja0 -
Is a listing in this directory really worth $365/year??
Recently i noticed one of our competitors is getting a citation out of a directory called Refer Links. I contacted them to find out their pricing, and to be listed in that directory it is $365/year. I noticed that all the links to the websites are cloaked with php redirects and rel=nofollows' so i doubt it would do much for our page rank, so strictly from a citation standpoint, is this worth it? Here is our competitors listing: http://www.referlinks.com/listing/all-canadian-self-storage-inc--mobile-self-storage.html
Image & Video Optimization | | adriandg1 -
Google Places Name Change - Duplicate Listings.
Need input on a Google Places change to avoid duplicate listing/phone number issue for a name change. Here is a summary: Company A has a Places listing and ranks week for key local terms. Company A has become a franchise and has a completely new name but same address. A New Franchise listing was created. It has same location but a different telephone (tracking) number. Both listings generally appear in Google Places but Company A (older listing) come up first. For branding purposes I would ideally like to eliminate (or edit) Company A listing and optimize new Franchise listing. We will need to eliminate the tracking phone number and add the old “Company A” phone number to the new Franchise listing. What is the best procedure to delete the Company A listing? I have access to both listings. Do I: -Strip Company A listing of most info…wait and then delete? Do I delete from my account or delete in total? -Just change the name of the “old” Company name to the new franchise name and delete the new franchise listing? An if so, in what order? -or do I just delete the old listing right away and edit the new franchise listing right away? -When do I add the old (and real phone number) to the new franchise listing? This same scenario has played out in other locations with disastrous results. Appears that Google looks at them as duplicate listings if the old Company name is still active and demotes both listings. Trying to avoid that problem that has been created by other companies. -Would adding Google Boost to the surviving listing help? Any input appreciated.
Image & Video Optimization | | AgileInt0