Enter The Net

Last week, I reported that a number of folks were only seeing the post card verification option and no phone verification when entering new businesses in the Google Places Dashboard.

In the forums Google noted:

Hi all,

I understand there have been some recent questions about verification methods. If a business is new to Google, certain verification methods may be unavailable depending on the information provided for the business.

Whenever Google wants to maximize their trust level in a listing they will request post card verification as it offers them the highest confidence that the listing is real.

The phone verification option is only available now when Google has strong confidence about the listing data. It appears that Google has “upped the ante” in this regard particularly in relation to new business listings.

—- Above content from Blumenthals.

This means that people who create new local listings may have to wait 2-4 weeks for a postcard to arrive from Google with the verification code.  I will be keeping track of which businesses fall into the category of “not having a lot of Google confidence” and thus requiring this. I suspect that – since Google uses a lot of data from other directory sites like Dex, Superpages and Angie’s List – that the more listed you are, the more likely Google will allow a phone verification.

Leave comments below…

People often ask about the difference between Organic and Sponsored Results.

When you do a search on Google, or just about any other search engine, you usually get at least two types of results – Organic and Sponsored. In some cases you may also have Local Results.

Sponsored results appear at the top and right of search results. If your website appears in sponsored results, you are paying a fee every time someone clicks through to your site. Sponsored results can get your site listed at or near the top of search engine results very quickly, but they go away as soon as you stop paying for them and can grow to be very expensive. Visitors consider sponsored results to be less trustworthy than organic search results so even when people click-thru to your site, only 1 in 100 will take action beyond that.

Organic or natural search engine results appear below and to the left of sponsored results. Organic listings are free on a click-for-click basis, but a website must first be optimized to improve its search engine rankings. Costs for that vary, but as a rough guideline, assume optimization will probably cost as much as it did to build the site in the first place. Organic optimization takes 6 to 12 months before its full impact can be measured, but it produces longer lasting, less expensive, and more profitable results.

Below is a chart that illustrates the different placement of Organic and Sponsored Results.

Organic vs Paid Search Listings

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The process of getting your listing (or Ad) on the Sponsored Results is called Pay Per Click Advertising. Google’s pay per click program is called Google Adwords.

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The process of getting your site listed on the Organic Results is called Search Engine Optimization. You can hire us to do this or take a workshop to learn how to do it yourself.

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Below is a chart that illustrates the differences between Organic and Sponsored Results. It includes characteristics of Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click Advertising, too.

What is most effective? Much has been written about this and all agree that Organic Results are more effective than Sponsored Results. The problem is that Organic Results are not guaranteed and they may take months to achieve. Therefore, many effective websites employ both techniques and constantly monitor and maintain them.

The most successful companies view search engine results as dynamic advertising campaigns.

A study conducted by Penn State  reinforces the need for companies to include organic or natural search engine optimization into their online marketing programs. Over 80% of the test searches conducted, respondents went to the “organic” search results.

“Consumers have a bias against the links that businesses pay search engines to rovide,” said Jim Jansen, assistant professor in the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). “By themselves, sponsored links appear not to be a viable business model and should be only one part of an online advertising campaign.”

Source: AllBusiness.com

Google offers a wide variety of free services and one of the best paid advertising systems in the world. Some of the free services inlcude:

• iGoogle – a customizable dashboard for your information “feeds.”
• Google Calendar – one of the most powerful online calendar systems – and it’s free.
• Google Local Business Center – Mappable, localized results, usually at the top of the search engine results [click HERE to learn more about the Google Local Business Center.]
• Google Analytics – the best free, online web stats system available.
• Google Webmaster Tools – Analysis tools and advice for website owners.
• Plus many more!

Google’s advertising system, Adwords, is not free, of course, but it is powerful and potentially effective for many.

The key to all of these services is your Google Account.

Many people who utilize these services experience a phenomenon I will call “Google Account Creep.” This is the experience of creating too many Google Accounts because you either forgot – or did not realize – that they can all be managed under one account. In fact, the ability to keep all of these services under one account has been proven (by me) to reduce headaches and generally lead to happier computer times.

Google Sign In Box

HOW TO CREATE GOOGLE ACCOUNTS:

There are two ways to create a Google Account. If you want to create an account based on any email address:

• Go to www.google.com and click on the link in the upper right that says “Sign In.”
• You can then click on the link that says “Create and account now.”
• After you fill out all of the information, Google will send a verification link to your email address.
• NOTE: Google recently added a verification step for ALL Google Accounts. They now require that you verify a code they will TEXT to your cell phone number. Google claims to be doing this to cut down on people making multiple, frivolous accounts. Google’s advice if you do not have a cell phone? “Borrow a friend’s.”

If you create a Gmail Account (Google’s free, web-based email system,) you have automatically created a Google Account.

You may use your gmail account to activate and manage any of Google’s services.

Happy Googling. Please send me any questions or comments you may have via the comment section below…

Many people ask me how they can get listed in the Google’s “local results.” There is a lot of information on this page, including a very good 40-minute webinar video provided by Google. You do not need to gather all this information at once. Just take what you need! However, if you are wanting to get your business listed on Google Places, and this is all very new to you, then spending an hour to learn and do it well could be worth it!

These are the Google Places listings that come paired with a map and are often listed first on the organic results.

Google Local Results Listings

These results come from free listings in Google Places. That’s right: free.

So, to get listed here, all you have to is complete your business profile with Google. After that, your results may show up when someone conducts a search that seems “local” to Google. For example, a Google search for “restaurants Mountain View California” triggers the local results, whereas “Britney Spears lyrics” does not.

I have noticed that a search for very general terms, such as “dentists” will still generate local results – and the local results will be based on the IP address of my computer. For example, I live in NE Portland Oregon, so a search for “dentists” generates local results based on downtown Portland.

RESULTS

I have been studying the actual results within the Google local listings in the hopes of understanding why some get placed higher than others. It is difficult to discern the formula. However, I have noticed three trends:

• More complete profiles appear to perform better than others. Make sure you fill out all of the information and write good descriptions of your business.
• Profiles with more reviews appear to perform better. Clients can write reviews on your profile – if they have a Google Account. Ask your favorite clients to complete a review for you.
• Profiles for websites that are also doing well on organic results appear to perform better in the local results.

The above are just trends I have informally noticed. Of course, the results also depend on your actual address in relation to the search. A restaurant in Newark, New Jersey should not expect to perform for “restaurants New York City.”

NEW STUFF:

Google recently added a very cool feature for local business center profiles – the ability to look at stats about how people are using your profile. These include how many times your listing was seen, how many people clicked on your profile for more info, how many clicked to your site and even how many used the “get directions” feature to come to your storefront. You can even find out from where they originated the directions. Check out the video below:

SO, HOW DO I CREATE MY PROFILE?

It’s pretty easy. Just go to http://www.google.com/places/and click on the Get Started button under Get Your Business Found on Google.

You need a Google Account.

[Click HERE to learn more about Google Accounts.]

Fill out the information.

At the end of the process, Google will give you some options for verifying that you are the real owner of the profile:

1. You can have them call the number you list in the profile. They give you a code over the phone, which you must enter to activate the profile.
2. Or, they will send a letter with the code to the address listed in the profile. The phone call is the quickest route. [NOTE: as of January 2011, Google now only allows for phone verification for certain businesses. For more info, read HERE.]

THE WAIT

Google alerts you that your business profile may not appear for 4-6 weeks. This is true.

Good luck with your Google Local Result!  Let me know if you have any questions or comments via the comments section below.

More Info About Google Places:

How much does it cost?

Adding your listing to Google Places is free, and Google doesn’t accept payment to include particular listings or sites in our search results. However, we do offer locally-targeted advertising through Google AdWords Express.
What if I don’t have a store or office?

Every business listing must have a mailing address. If you work from home or you are a mobile business you can specify a “service area” in the sign up process and choose to hide your physical address.
More about Service Areas:

Can I add multiple locations?

There should be only one listing per physical location. Even if you cover multiple towns, you should instead use the description of your business or categories to explain the different services for your business.

More About Why Google Places Is Important:

40+ Minute Full Tutorial On How To Use Google Places (from Google.)