Google

I Want to See an Eye-Tracking & Click-Thru Heat Map for This

Filed in Google, Local Search by Matt McGee on June 18, 2013 • 3 Comments

That’s the example Google used today in announcing the formal rollout of its local carousel search results. I’m not opted in to this yet, but when I look at the screenshot there … I don’t have a clue where to focus. I’m dying to know how the average searcher looks at it, aren’t you?

A Tour of the New Google Maps [15 Screenshots]

Filed in Google, Local Search by Matt McGee on May 19, 2013 • 7 Comments

Google announced an overhaul to Google Maps at last week’s Google I/O conference and, judging from what I saw on screen during the keynote, it looked very spiffy. It also looked like a pretty substantial change from the existing Google Maps, so I’ve been anxious to find time to sit down and give it a […]

Google Finally Starts to Kill Zagat Scores

Filed in Google, Local Search by Matt McGee on May 17, 2013 • 0 Comments

I wish you could’ve seen my face on Wednesday during the keynote at Google I/O. My eyes lit up big and bold and I’m sure my mouth opened wide while I wondered, “Did I just really see and hear them kill Zagat scores?” Indeed, I did. Google even announced it on their blog, too. This, […]

Google Starts Upgrading Local Business Dashboard

Filed in Google, Local Search by Matt McGee on April 3, 2013 • 2 Comments

Just a quick note for anyone who may have missed it: Google has started upgrading the Google Places dashboard with some stronger ties to the new Google+ Local experience. I did a fairly brief overview of what’s new on Search Engine Land. And there are some other articles I recommend: Google’s Joel Headley gives a […]

Google Was Definitely Violating Its Own Review Policy

Filed in Google, Local Search by Matt McGee on January 15, 2013 • 0 Comments

Via Mike Blumenthal comes word that Google has again/further clarified its stance on incentivizing reviews with this response in the Help forums: … it is against our reviews guidelines to trade money for reviews … That’s in response to a question about a Minnesota plumber that asks customers to leave reviews online, then chooses one […]

Local Businesses Look Great on the New Google Maps for iOS

Filed in Google, Local Search by Matt McGee on December 14, 2012 • 4 Comments

In the short time I’ve played with the new Google Maps app for iOS, I’ve become really happy with how the local business listings look. Have you seen them? Agree/Disagree? I like the interface, the look and feel and the way the information is organized. Some screenshots below, but first a quick comparison to Apple […]