Google has recently made a significant change to its "places" review layout.  Google is no longer displaying a mix of reviews from Google Maps users and reviews from other 3^rd party online directories.  Now, they are grouping all reviews from 3^rd party online directories in a section called “Reviews from around the web” with just one review listed on each directory and a link to visit the directory to view more reviews about that particular business.  Just below that, visitors can see reviews left specifically on Google Maps.  This is a very significant change, which can affect both the consumer visiting the place page and the business owner who owns that page.

For consumers, it’s helpful because they are now showing the overall rating and number of reviews coming from, for example, Yelp, which was not included previously.  Continue reading “Google Places has a new design layout. What does this mean for SMB Owners?” »