Places Listing in Search Results

[SeattleJoe]

Hi everyone,

We have a company that hired us to set-up their Google Places listing for their 2nd location. The listing for the 1st location is very strong. Lots of reviews, Zagat rating, Knowledge graph, etc.

In the search results the Google Places listing for the 1st location has merged with the website listing. You can see the link to the main site w/ a small grey google places listing directly below it.

The client would like BOTH Google places listing to show up in the search results.  They both show up on the map listing but not in the search results.

Each location has its own listing in Google Places. We have also created different pages on the website for each location.

Is there a way to get the search results to display places listings? I have noticed a few other business have done it by naming each of their multiple locations something slightly different. Then the search results seem to realize there are multiple locations and display the places listing in the search results.

Anyone run into this? Any ideas?

Thanks!!

[MiriamEllis]

My pleasure, Joe!

[SeattleJoe]

Thanks again for all your help!

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Jason,

I like to have both locations on the contact page, and list them separately on the respective landing pages. Regarding citation building, you can use the unique landing URLs in creating the Google+ Local pages. For other citations, you could try the same, where allowed, but some sources might only let you link to the top level domain. A mix of both should be fine.

You're very welcome and I'm so glad to be of help!

[SeattleJoe]

Thanks again for the info! Both locations are in the same city. They are a few miles apart. I have never had much of an issue ranking business in Google Place before but I have not done much with multi-location.

Do you think it makes a difference if both locations are on the same contact page or is it better for each location to have their own page on the website?

Also, I should just build citations back to the main index page correct? Not to the contact page(s).

Thanks again!

Jason

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for providing this additional detail. Yes, that is quite possible for the multiple locations to show up, as in your examples #1 and #3. On your example #2, all I'm actually seeing is sitelinks under the organic listing rather than actual local listings, so that is a bit different, but on your other two examples, yes, for a branded search, that's a common display.

You will note that in those two examples of the brew pub and doughnut shop, the results are all within the same city. Are both of your client's locations near one another? The reason I ask this is, say I do a search for a huge franchise like Jack in the Box. There are 2 of these in my town, and Google shows me both locations in their local results for a branded search...but, they do not show me the thousands of locations this franchise likely has in my state. So, the results for the branded search are being localized automatically to me. So, I do want to confirm that your client's 2 restaurants are near one another so that they can receive that Jack-in-the-Box-type treatment in the SERPs (the same display as in your examples #1 and #3).

My guess is that you will come to see this same display for your client when:

1. The listing is more established (1.5 months isn't very long in Local)

2. Your citations for the second locale have had time to go into full effect (some can take many weeks to become active).

*This is of course under the proviso that the new listing is violation free (adheres to all these guidelines: http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=107528) and that you've done a good job with the Local SEO on the website and on the landing page for the new location, with good markup, and good, non-duplicate content. If you feel confident about this and the 2 locations are near one another and you give it some more time, I would expect Google to start showing your client's two locations eventually. Remember, too, that refreshes don't happen every day in terms of changes in what is being displayed in the Local results, so that will take some time, too. A few good links to the new landing page on the website wouldn't hurt, and be sure the internal linking structure of the site is clear and strong and I think you have every chance of the client achieving this display eventually. What I would not do is make the client any promises as to when this will happen. You can let him know you're doing everything you can to make the data available, but that it's up to Google to pick it up and use it.

Hope this helps, and yes, I do hourly consulting for many different businesses. I'd be pleased to hear from you, Jason, and you can contact me via solaswebdesign.net.

Good luck!

[MiriamEllis]

Andy, so nice of you to say! Thank you.

[SeattleJoe]

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. It is the latter. Same thing that is happening in your example.  I am doing a search for the actual business name. The problem is the client wants both of his locations to show up when someone searches of the business name. He would like the main site to show up then the map listings below.

Here are some examples:

http://www.google.com/#q=lucky+labrador&hl=en&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS525US525&biw=1440&bih=695&fp=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&cad=b

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS525US525&sclient=psy-ab&q=stumptown+coffee&oq=stump+town&gs_l=serp.1.0.0i10l4.59092.61164.0.62754.10.10.0.0.0.0.230.1483.3j3j4.10.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.5.psy-ab.c7FLLfIqVMA&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=95c9c19312d4e19&biw=1440&bih=695

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS525US525&sclient=psy-ab&q=voodoo+donuts&oq=voodoo+&gs_l=serp.1.0.0l4.18726.20917.2.22084.10.7.0.3.3.1.273.596.5j0j1.6.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.5.psy-ab.VkZYup4syyE&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=95c9c19312d4e19&biw=1440&bih=695

The new listing is about 1.5 months old now. We have been consistently building citations since then.

Both Google Maps listings have the same name and the same website in the account. The adresses, phone numbers, faxes, etc. are different though. It's the same restaurant just 2 locations.

Any ideas you have would be great!

Also, I have a few other tricky Google Places accounts I am working on. Do you do any type of phone consulting? Might just need 15mins of your time.

[AndyKuiper]

I'll leave this with Miriam... she's one of the best Local experts around Jason

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Jason,

You write:

"In the search results the Google Places listing for the 1st location has merged with the website listing."

Is there a way you can link to an example of what you're talking about...if not of your client's site, then of some other business that has the same type of display. Your use of the word 'merged' is making me unsure of whether you are talking about a merged Google+ Business and Google+ Local page, or if you are simply describing that the non-merged Google+ Local page is showing up as part of your client's listing.

Here is an example of the latter for a branded search (containing the business name):

https://www.google.com/search?q=king+hwa+san+francisco&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=0xv&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=king+wah+san+francisco&oq=king+wah+san+francisco&gs_l=serp.3..0.17412.17789.1.18067.3.3.0.0.0.0.93.257.3.3.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.5.serp.BSffYWg0XOA&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.cGE&fp=1cc4a42c76cdcbc&biw=1366&bih=625

Is this what you're talking about or are you talking about an actual merge of the Google+ Business and Google+ Local page for a brick and mortar business model?

Also, I'd like to ask what types of searches you are performing. Are they business name searches or are they like: "chinese restaurant san francisco" that are bringing up the original location and the display you're seeing, and what kinds of searches are you doing for the new location that are failing to bring up any listing of the business.

Also, how long ago did you create the new Google Places/Google+ Local listings and how long ago did you begin building citations for this new location? Both take time to go into effect.

*I definitely do not recommend using anything but the actual business name in listing your business. For example, should you choose to add a city name to the business title fields on your Google Places/Google+ Local pages for these businesses, that would be considered spam and could lead to penalties.

The more information you can provide, the better.

[SeattleJoe]

Yes. Both locations have their own phone number, fax number, and location.

Right now both Google Places listings link back to the main page. We did create individual pages for each location though. Each page has separate info, map, etc.

Thanks for the reply!

[AndyKuiper]

Does each location have a separate phone number?