Exploit Google Local Business Results

I run a local business, and get almost all of my work through Google search. Lets say that my industry is plumbing, in Houston. I work very hard to get the top ranking for "Houston Plumber".

I recently checked my top traffic getting keyword, "Houston Plumber", and saw that Google had listed ONE SINGLE local business listing for this term, instead of the usual group of ten listings. The reason? A company had named its Google business listing "Houston Plumber". It got the only spot, the #1 slot, with no SEO work, after my years of toil!

I couldn't have that, so I also created a Google Local business listing, and named it "Houston Plumber". Now, with two such names in the local business directory, both show up in the regular list of ten results. Phew, my competitor no longer has a solo claim to the top spot.

So now I know that I should create multiple Google local business listings with my exact target keywords.

Quiestion - Does anyone have a clue how Google decide to list the local business listings? Sometimes they are there, sometimes not, sometimes a single business, sometimes ten, sometimes on top of the results, sometimes 2-3 spaces down, etc. And on top of that, how do they rank the order in the business listings (I've thus far discovered that keywords in the business name, moreso than category selected, is relevant) I'm guessing no one here knows, and my guess is that they vary so much, while Google gathers user data and tries to decide on the best format.

i have been testing this too, i have noticed the google 99% of the time will display business results when there is a location and service in the search term.

i would guess they get this information from google maps or someplace, and secondly this needs to be coupled with some kind of service provider.

im sure that with their skills that have ammased every concievable term related to services/trades/business ect and their algo must be spot on because i have not been able to get a term up that didnt have both a service and geographical location in the search term.

its probably not a good idea to try and game google this way, soon enough they will realise this and when they compare the business listing name to that of the registerd business name you will get stiffed

Go to your Google account, then Local Business Center, and then you can create as many local business listings as you want, with seemingly no restrictions.

I don't quite get why Google allow this, and thus far there's no validation process. I think it used to be that that data were collected from print directories and such, or that they'd mail you a postcard that you subsequently mailed back (thus proving your address), but now you can create as many listings as you want. The listings don't even require unique phone numbers. I'm curious as to how this will shake out.

http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en-ch&answer=83313

Worth a read, if you hadn't already...

I figured you were supposed to upload one local business unless you had bases in multiple locations.

The verification process is very easy - Google gives you a PIN and calls the number you've listed, and you verify the PIN. So you do have to possess a phone number, but here's the problem that I don't get: you can use the same phone number repeatedly, fake an address, and just add a bunch of listings with different keywords to dominate the local business results. Not good, and I think Google should go back to the old address verification procedure, or certainly only allow one phone number.

When i added my UK business to the google local business results they sent a letter to my business address to confirm if my business address is true... this was around 1 or 2 years ago... Didn't anyone else have to do the same?

Once you change from a single listing, that's been verified, to a multiple listing, that isn't....



I don't like the idea of that. Nor does it make much sense. But then neither does allowing multiple entries for a single company.

My best friend is a tradesman, he's number 1 for almost every related organic search in our county plus he uses adsense.

It frustrates me when I see businesses participating in what I feel is abusing the local results.

Hmmm one to ponder over.

Yes, of course it is frustrating, as is any successful black hat behavior. And it then becomes a case of beat 'em or join 'em. And unfortunately, oftentimes the only way to beat them is to join them. It's up to Google to do it right, so that it can't be exploited. There are still clearly kinks to work out, and a delicate balance between making a good user experience for those who want to use the tools ethically and preventing exploiters from doing so.

In the case of the current Google Local Business results, it leans too far toward easy exploitability. I can, right now, create five, ten, a dozen local listings for any market, all with the top keywords and very good immediate rankings, with minimal effort and no reprecussions. I haven't, and don't want to, but one of my competitors did, and yes, I'm tempted.

I feel you buddy

Well i have been trying to join them... I run a towing company in San Diego and there has been a company out here who has exploited every city with 3 or 4 listings.. Using addresses of apartment complexes and names that are not licensed.. They have knocked all the local businesses out of the top ten.. I have spent hours or shall i say weeks and cant get our businesses back where they belong.. Any suggestions??? hmmmm

Yeah this is a frustrating one, I can think of one very prominent travel company that has done that here in Australia.

I just keep telling myself it is only a matter of time for them and those like them...

Additionally I like to think you can beat them without joining them as the local/maps listings can be out ranked with a strong organic result.

I decided to add some Google Local Business Center listings.

My competitor has spammed every possible keyword combination with fake addresses, probably about 20-30 entries.

Okay, so I added three different listings with target keywords, used the phone PIN verification, so far so good, then I tried to add a fourth listing.

Suddenly, I was not able to use phone verification. The only available option was the postcard mailing address verification.

Is there a limit to the number of times that one can use a certain phone number? Why do you suppose I no longer have the option to verify by phone?

shot to number one from page five in local business results! No need for multiple spamming...just one edit. Let's see how long this lasts.

Well at least it makes up for the new website upgrade blunder and dropping 25 pages in organic results.

Anyone know what it is you have to do to get no.1 in Google Local? As far as I can tell the listings don't seem to make logical sense at all.

I am also in San Diego and have had really good luck with getting into the local search results. Still can't figure out why a certain business seems to get the #1 spot. We have multiple phone numbers so when one stops working for uploading locations, we switch to another.

I would really love to talk to Tommytow but I just joined this forum and it won't let me PM him. Anyone know how to do this?