Breakdown of the GMB Help Guide

July 25, 2016April 1, 2016 by Brian

Updated: July 20th, 2016

GMB Help

Yesterday, Cori Shirk found the Google My Business goldmine. A few weeks back, I remember hearing Google was going to be adding more information and guides to their Google My Business help section. I was skeptical on how much “information” they would be providing. Turns out, it’s a good deal of information, 7 sections in total.

Here’s a breakdown of each of the sections:

Report incorrect Street View imagery
View business info live
Cant Find business info
Info displayed on G+ pages
Place Labels on G Maps
Info in Knowledge Panel
Improve Local Ranking

Lets roll through a few of the more interesting sections:

2015 Year in Review

January 17, 2016 by Brian

It’s been a bit since I last posted – nearly 3 months in fact. Been wicked busy and my brain has been focused on learning the ins and outs of my new gig. This post won’t be anything ground breaking but should be fun.

I figured I should write a 2015 wrap up post since there was a good amount happening last year, not only in Local SEO, but to me as well. Let’s just jump right in with some of the bigger happenings.

Time to Move On

October 27, 2015October 23, 2015 by Brian

In May of 2014, I traded my entrepreneurial boots for the comfort of corporate loafers. There were a few reasons I decided to go the corporate route and was excited to do so. A new experience, financial stability, opportunity and change were some of the reasons I chose to leave small business for the corporate life. It took some time but I realized that currently, Corporate America is not where I am supposed to be. That may sound harsh, though it is not intended to be so. Presently, my calling is in small business though my mind is open to whatever the future brings.

In saying that, my last day at Allstate will be Friday the 30th.

Are Big Brands Being Forced Out of the Local Stack?

July 25, 2016October 14, 2015 by Brian

Updated July 25th, 2016

It has been over 2 months since Google reduced the Local results from 7 down to 3. Since the change, I’ve been attempting to analyze various items in the Pack – picture sizes, who is ranking, why they are ranking and what factors are keeping the businesses in the Local Stack. I’ve written several posts on how terrible the results are and what a poor experience the Local Stack has been so far. I think Google is doing some things to better the user experience but it still has a ways to go.

I have been noticing more and more small business, “mom and pop” shops, located in the Local Stack since the change and decided to test my theory that big Brands are being pushed out of the Local results.

Local 3 Pack Gets Phone Numbers and Addresses Back

September 24, 2015 by Brian

A Win for Local SEO

As being reported everywhere now, phone numbers and addresses returned to the Local 3 Pack today.

Local Stack Pack Pushes Organic Down the Page

August 25, 2015August 24, 2015 by Brian

I’ve been doing additional testing on the “new” Local Stack Pack and the Local Finder. Here are some additional observations from my testing:

Organic Listings are no longer listed above the Local Stack [tweetthis]Organic Listings are no longer listed above the Local Stack via @brianbarwig[/tweetthis]
GMB Primary Categories are now showing in the Stack and Local Finder [tweetthis]GMB Primary Categories are now showing in the Stack and Local Finder via @brianbarwig[/tweetthis]
Zooming in on the Local Finder causes a reduction in listings shown [tweetthis]Zooming in on the Local Finder causes a reduction in listings shown via @brianbarwig[/tweetthis]

Let’s go deeper.

Local Finder now with Organic Listings

October 11, 2015August 19, 2015 by Brian

Local Finder with Organic Listings

I wanted to do some testing on the new Organic links showing in the Local Finder which just began rolling out the past few days. These listings are seemingly rolling out live for the whole country after some began seeing them this weekend and even more reported them today. Where is G pulling the information in the Local Finder Organic section? Below are screenshots of test results.

Google goes to Local 3 Pack

January 16, 2020August 7, 2015 by Brian

As reported by Mike Blumenthal earlier this week, Google Local has shifted from the 7 Pack to a 3 pack. The shift was first reported as a possible test in various markets, is now rolled out to even more markets and should be nationwide soon.

The shift from a Local 7 Pack to a Local 3 Pack is a horrible user experience for several reasons. Instead of seeing 5 or 7 local results, there are now only 3. Those three local results:

Do not have a website
Do not have a phone number
Do not have a Google+ page visible
Take 3 clicks to find a meaningful result