Google has recently updated its Place pages by removing third party online reviews. There are a variety of reasons for this, but one significant reason is likely due to an ongoing anti trust suit filed against Google. One of the issues was that Google places used reviews from Yelp, Tripadvisor, and other review sites which helped Google provide more value for the places product. But the bigger issue was when Google then started showing Google Places higher up in the rankings over these same sites they were pulling content from. In addition, the recent explosion in review generation on google directly is a contributing factor (“we don’t need your stinkin’ reviews!”). Not anymore anyway.    

   Continue reading “Online Review Management in the new world: 3rd party reviews disappear from Google Places” »

“It’s a bird”! “No, it’s a plane”! “No, it’s another Social Media site”! “What are we going to do with this”?! This may be what local businesses are saying about Google + when they heard about the new social media site. Google + is a modernized Facebook. It takes staying connected to an all new technological level. Between the group video chats, huddles, and the automatic picture uploads, Google+ could take social media to the next generation.

Continue reading “Google +, just another social media site for SMBs to monitor online reviews?” »

It’s the question everyone seems to be asking: how does Google choose the reviews that are displayed prominently on Google Places and Google Maps? For example, when searching for “San Diego Restaurants” on Google Places, each Place on page 1 is displayed with a single review as a summary of the business:

Continue reading “How Does Google Places Select SERP Reviews?” »

Google’s New Review Filter shows a need for monitoring online reviews.  The new Google Places page is generating quite the buzz across the net as it has created new opportunities for businesses to reach local markets.  Consequently, analyzing how Google Places compiles, filters, and displays customer reviews is a crucial step to managing a business’s online reputation and developing a strong online presence on local search.

So what do Google Places’ latest changes mean for online reputation management?

Continue reading “Missing Reviews from Google Places?” »

If you hadn’t heard about or noticed Google’s most recent changes to their organic search results page, then you’re likely just starting to learn about Local Search Optimization.  Here at chatmeter, we wanted to write specifically about the potential effects it has on SMB owners.  The most predominate change that has come with the new design has an enormous impact on local searches.  When Google believes the user is looking for services provided at the local level, they are now displaying a lot more local business results at the top along with their Place page information (address, reviews, etc) displacing many of the directory results (such as Superpages, MerchantCircle, Yellowpages.com, etc).   The previous “7-pack” has been abandoned.   Sometimes organic results and place page results are intermingled and other times, as you see in this graphic, nearly the whole first page is place page results pushing the organic website results to the bottom of the page. Old Layout                                                          New Layout Above is an example of the comparison between Google’s old and new layout formation.  As you can see, the Local results are now taking up most of the initial page, which allows consumers a quicker approach to finding what they are searching for. The information presented shows the  address, phone number, customer reviews and 1 click access to the Google Place Page

Continue reading “Google SERP’s New Design and the Effects it has SMB Owners and Local Search Marketing” »