Place Pages Raise SEO, Reputation and Click Concerns
Greetings! I’m Mark Micheau, manager of research and translation services at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Today, I have a very insightful article to share with you; one that takes the reader into the world of search engine placement. I invite you now to read on.
Have a great day.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Place Pages Raise SEO, Reputation and Click Concerns
Google has people riled up with its latest local search effort Google Place Pages. Place Pages are a Google Maps feature launched last week, which serve the purpose of providing everything you want to know about a place (a city or a business) in one spot. For example, if you search for a specific restaurant, you should get web pages, directions, reviews, images, street view imagery, business hours, etc. Google lets businesses submit specific categories they want to include.
There is concern from some that Google is trying to eliminate the need for users to leave Google and even visit a small business’ web site. WebProNews reader Doug Stewart, who wonders if this is an “assault against the small business website,” commented, “Google wants people to spend more time on Google. Yahoo wants people to spend more time on Yahoo. Facebook wants people to spend more time on Facebook. Several of these large online “media” [companies] are doing everything in their power to keep the eyeballs on their website (unless you pay them for an outbound link).”
Do you think Google’s Place Pages are good or bad for business? Tell us what you think.
Google has always claimed to do everything with the user’s experience in mind. Unfortunately for SEOs and webmasters, however, it also could mean that people have less reason to go to their sites.
To me, this would really depend on the information that the searcher is hoping to acquire. It’s going to be about finding the right balance of useful information and providing an incentive to still go to your site (if that is your goal). The Place Pages would certainly bring a new element to the online reputation management table. You’re going to want to keep an eye on what’s showing up on your Place Page, and address the situation accordingly. They can include user-generated content.
Another concern that has been voiced about Place Pages, is that Google could start ranking them in natural search results – outside of Google Maps. In fact, Erick Schonfeld points out that this is already occurring for at least the Burdick Chocolate Cafe (the example Google used when it announced the feature).
This could theoretically reduce clicks to actual sites, but again, this would just emphasize the need to manage your reputation on your Place Page. Your site is likely to be easily located from the Place Page anyway.
Blogger Eric Fredline says Google’s Place Pages are “designed for optimization,” but that something is missing. “For one, Google would need local merchant’s to define some sort of ‘conversion event’. This is conceptually as easy as defining a new ‘block type’ that will appear on the landing page and be optimized,” he says. “For example, a restaurant might view a phone call or an Open Table registration as a conversion event. If it’s a phone call, I imagine the merchant could be encouraged to use Google Voice to provide a closed loop analysis of the conversion event.”
“Perhaps more likely than having individual merchants doing this (at least in all cases) would be a small army of SEO and SEM experts doing it on the businesses’ behalf but within a closed looped system managed by Google,” he adds. “Google could potentially create a whole new eco-system.”
Another interesting factor of Google’s Place Pages is the fact that they have sponsored results on them. This could raise more concerns, such as competing ads showing up on a business’ place page. In Google’s chocolate Cafe example, the Page is showing ads for chocolate companies like Godiva and Ghirardelli.
There are a lot of questions about the Pages, and answers will likely come in due time. In fact, Google Place Pages will be discussed in more than one panel at next week’s Search Marketing Expo, which WebProNews will be attending. We should have more information on it then.
Google says that while not all businesses have a place page yet, they will soon. Businesses can update their info through Google’s Local Business Center.
What is your take on the role of Google’s Place Pages? Share your thoughts.
Was this article interesting?
Comment Now… Subscribe to our Newsfeed
About the Author:
Chris Crum has been a part of the WebProNews team and the iEntry Network of B2B Publications since 2003. Twitter: @CCrum237
09.29.09
If you would like to learn more about us and the services we offer, then please visit
www.sterlingcreations.caIf you would like to keep abreast of some of the most important happenings affecting your lives today, then please visit
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm. There you will get the latest news roundups on such topics as:
Stress, anxiety, and depression. News for retirees, seniors, and aging baby boomers. Security tips for home computer users. Home business opportunities, Internet business opportunities, small business opportunities, business opportunities in Asia. You will also learn how to obtain tremendous personal and financial satisfaction by selling your knowledge and experience.
]]>
Related
About Donna Jodhan
Donna Jodhan is an award winning blind author, advocate, sight loss coach, blogger, podcast commentator, and accessibility specialist.
