Comments on: Google’s Favorite Places Discriminates Against Some Local Businesses http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/ Because not everyone can throw thousands of dollars at the 'How do we market ourselves online?' question... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:57:14 +0000 hourly 1 By: Matt McGee http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/#comment-195316 Matt McGee Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:42:20 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=2557#comment-195316 Thomas - curious to know if the Favorite Place decal you got has helped business at all? Do people care? Do they notice? How have you used it for marketing, if at all? Thomas – curious to know if the Favorite Place decal you got has helped business at all? Do people care? Do they notice? How have you used it for marketing, if at all?

]]> By: Thos003 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/#comment-195309 Thos003 Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:05:27 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=2557#comment-195309 Was researching why they switched from google business center to google places. Perhaps you are correct in saying they are putting too much emphasis on the piece of dirt the business stands on rather than the business itself. I do have to debunk one of your myths in that I work for a pest control company that received a "Google Favorite Place" decal. http://blogpestcontrol.com/tag/austin-favorite-place/ So there is hope for service companies to get them. But it makes it a lot easier to get a favorite place if you have 10,000 plus customers in your market. We get most of our web traffic from searches by name, "Bulwark". But I have still be extremely bothered by google ignoring the fact that we are a service company that goes to the customer's homes. So in areas where our physical address isn't in the major metro we won't show up for the metro search. Seriously google! Let's take Charlotte NC for example. About 10,000 customers. Over 100 reviews on google maps, and we don't show up for Charlotte Pest Control because our address is in Mathews? At least Yahoo shows results for locations not within the city proper but within the metro area. They did add a "Service Area" section for business listings, but for what? A little tag on your profile that outlines your area. http://pestcontrolseo.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/google-maps-offers-service-area-tournament-begin/ And yet I still use google... Not sure what is worse, the abuse or me going back to them. -Thomas I'm just a Pest Control Guy Was researching why they switched from google business center to google places. Perhaps you are correct in saying they are putting too much emphasis on the piece of dirt the business stands on rather than the business itself. I do have to debunk one of your myths in that I work for a pest control company that received a “Google Favorite Place” decal. http://blogpestcontrol.com/tag/austin-favorite-place/ So there is hope for service companies to get them. But it makes it a lot easier to get a favorite place if you have 10,000 plus customers in your market. We get most of our web traffic from searches by name, “Bulwark”.

But I have still be extremely bothered by google ignoring the fact that we are a service company that goes to the customer’s homes. So in areas where our physical address isn’t in the major metro we won’t show up for the metro search. Seriously google! Let’s take Charlotte NC for example. About 10,000 customers. Over 100 reviews on google maps, and we don’t show up for Charlotte Pest Control because our address is in Mathews?

At least Yahoo shows results for locations not within the city proper but within the metro area.

They did add a “Service Area” section for business listings, but for what? A little tag on your profile that outlines your area. http://pestcontrolseo.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/google-maps-offers-service-area-tournament-begin/

And yet I still use google… Not sure what is worse, the abuse or me going back to them.

-Thomas
I’m just a Pest Control Guy

]]> By: Don http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/#comment-182910 Don Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:38:02 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=2557#comment-182910 Although it is hardly fair... it is hard to see it as discrimination... I am sure it will improve like most Google functions. Although it is hardly fair… it is hard to see it as discrimination… I am sure it will improve like most Google functions.

]]> By: Chris Ruoff http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/#comment-179841 Chris Ruoff Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:15:06 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=2557#comment-179841 One of my customers, an Attorney in Austin, TX, received the package from Google favorite places. It came with a letter and the plastic display sticker... In the letter it said that between July 1 and September 30 Google users found your business online 853 times! We like the recognition. One of my customers, an Attorney in Austin, TX, received the package from Google favorite places.

It came with a letter and the plastic display sticker…

In the letter it said that between July 1 and September 30 Google users found your business online 853 times!

We like the recognition.

]]> By: John Preher http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/#comment-179158 John Preher Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:47:58 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=2557#comment-179158 Thanks Matt, I was really shocked actually, but thought it was pretty cool to get one. Thanks Matt, I was really shocked actually, but thought it was pretty cool to get one.

]]> By: Matt McGee http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/googles-favorite-places-discriminates-against-some-local-businesses/2557/#comment-179036 Matt McGee Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:43:49 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=2557#comment-179036 That's great to hear, John -- congrats, too. I've heard stories of a couple other service-based businesses getting the decals, too, despite limited need for users to click for directions, etc. Leads me to believe there's more to the grading/scoring than what Google has shared. That’s great to hear, John — congrats, too. I’ve heard stories of a couple other service-based businesses getting the decals, too, despite limited need for users to click for directions, etc. Leads me to believe there’s more to the grading/scoring than what Google has shared.

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