There are spammy listings, double listings, faked or false address listings, listings of businesses that have names that fit the search but are not actually in that business category; all in all while there are times that the Local Map listing is really helpful, there are times when it is dreadful. Just like searching back in 1999!

What makes it doubly frustrating is that the Google Map Local results can produce so much business for a firm that makes the investment in time and effort to get a good profile on the LBC.

However, I know for a fact that there are businesses that are showing in the 7 pack that have not claimed their listing so they are there from the data that Google has scraped from other sources; what blows my mind is that these firms are getting calls and inquiries and they have no idea what the cause is.

The spammy listings are a big problem and it’s only going to get far worse unless Google gets their local search algorithm improved. Less than 10% of businesses have claimed their listing. What happens when the word spreads (and it is – fast!) about how great a source of business leads being on the map is? I can foresee millions of firms claiming their listing, seeing who is at the top and seeing how they got there and deciding to “improve” their listing with a little spam too. It’s already happened with Locksmiths.

While I’ve written about how there is a “window of opportunity” for local firms to claim their listing and get optimizing; Google also faces that same window of opportunity. Get the quality issues sorted or risk having the value of Local search severely diluted.

There are 3 major issues. First is in the algo itself where it is rewarding people for spamming by putting them on the map. Bad!

Second is the array of simply broken listing anomolies – listings that refuse to verify, double listings that will not delete, strange results showing only one or three businesses, and many more. The LBC “help” forum is full of weird occurrences and there is a bizarre lack of response from Google. Jeff Howard at SearchEngineGuide has an article 6 common Google Maps Problems

Third is the Google LBC “help” forum which is next to useless. There’s no database of FAQ’s, and worse there’s no guidance or response to speak of from Google compared to the level of angst and issues being reported.

They’ve invested a lot in creating a very useful tool that, when it works delivers great useability for local searchers and is a fantastic tool for local firms to get leads. I think that value and ROI delivery is why it sucks so much when local search breaks.

Ken Gaebler at Walker Sands PR in Chicago just wrote about this and has some insightful investigation about why Local Business Search gets an F Grade. Worth a read!

63% of Searches are Local

A recent study reported that 80% of all business is started with an online search. Whatever the number is, I think we can agree that the majority of business starts with an online search.

As people get used to and more experienced in searching online, the world is tilting to emphasize local search. People have learned to use their city name (and/or postal code) to narrow down their search results when they are looking for a business product or service. Nielsen/NetRatings recently reported that 51% of searches are done this way. Earlier research has shown local search is up to 63% of all searches.

For small business owners, that means one thing. If they can find your business with a search, you are way ahead of the competition.

If they can’t find you online, you are missing a lot of business!

Do you have a website? Is it rich in information and more than just an “online brochure?” Have you revealed a little about yourself and your team on the site… how you do business, what your location is like, drop dead easy directions to find you, what you carry, what your business values are, etc?

Did your web developer talk to you about keywords (the words that people type into a search engine to find your business) and how to use them on your site?

Is your site updated regularly? What is regularly you asks? Once a week, once a day… whatever you can manage! Quality content is the first key. Say something that your customers want to know!

Updating regularly is the second key. The third key is that the more you update, the more traffic you get.