Are Category Names Allowed for Local Results?
-
I was under the impression naming your business something like "Miami Plumber Joe Smith" was a violation of google's guidelines...but I see these pop up all the time. Unlike backlinks from thin content sites or whatever, this seems like a pretty easy fix for google to change if they wanted to.
Am I missing something or has google just not dropped the hammer yet?
- Ruben
P.S. All those businesses I've seen, have no reviews and poor citation scores. i can only assume, they rank in the maps because of the keyword in the name.
-
Thanks for the extra insight, Linda. Much obliged!
-
Hi Ruben,
Keyword stuffed names are a major violation but one that Google often does not penalize.
Check out "Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney". 2 fake names occupy the C and D spots.
Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer (Site used is AVVO.com)
Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney (Site used is Lawyer.com)
Both listings are really for Brenner Law. Same location and phone #.
Tons of us have blogged about it and reported to Google numerous times. Even reported to Matt Cutts a few times. The listings violate the guidelines PLUS 2 should not be showing in the pack like that for the same business anyway.
This is due to the bad Pigeon algo that was released 7/24. Pigeon is rewarding lots of spam. However KW stuffed names have been a problem for a long time. Just worse since Pigeon.
-
Hi Ruben,
Yes, a business named Bob's Stuff that titles itself Tampa Florida Boats, Sails & Marina Equipment on their Google+ Local page is definitely spamming Google. Such a title would not be covered by Google's descriptor feature by any stretch of the imagination. What you are referencing, I am as certain I can be that Google would consider spam.
-
Thanks, Miriam, I had read something about that. However, in my example, it's beyond just the one word descriptor.
The exact example is "Tampa Personal Injury Attorney" google plus page, and the business is "Capaz Law Firm." I feel like that is beyond what google's descriptors should allow, but I'll do a little more research...perhaps I missed something.
Best,
Ruben
-
None of these people legitimately named themselves that. The google plus page didn't match the business name...at all. But, still, it's good of you to point out, just to make sure.
-
Hi Ruben,
For many years, it was Google's firm policy that only your legal/dba business name was allowable. So, if you were Green Tree Floral, then that was what you needed to put in the business name field. You could not put Green Tree Floral Miami in the title or you risked being penalized/taken down.
In recent times, however, Google has made a rather remarkable policy change that, frankly, I still don't really trust. They are allowing the use of business name descriptors in some cases. Check out the last bullet point under the Business Name section in the guidelines:
https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en
You'll see what's allowed and what isn't.
*But, as I've said, I feel slightly unsure of this descriptor offer as it represents a complete 180 for Google. Kinda weird:)
-
I think you may be referring to something very specific. There shouldn't be a problem is someone legitimately names their business something local.
Make sure to be consistent with the NAP (Name Address Phone number) and the local results should reflect accurately.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What the best way is to find keywords for my local website
I'm wondering if there are any high keywords I might be missing out on and so I'm wondering what the best way to find keywords for my local niche and also if there's a way to find out who is currently performing best for those local keywords? Thanks
Local Listings | | michaelmouse2 -
Getting your business name on a Google Map?
How do you get your business name to appear on Google Maps? See attachment. What's the process to get this to happen? I have a Google Local listing, but that doesn't seem to be enough. ZzFnwBj
Local Listings | | Gavin.Atkinson0 -
Phone number inconsistencies - local search
Hi, Can you help me with something that is probably straightforward? A website which displays a different phone number to visitors to the one in the source code is using this for tracking purposes I assume? Since the phone number in the source code matches with the local citations I am assuming that there is no harm here in terms of local ranking? Thanks
Local Listings | | AL123al0 -
My Google business show up on map but does not show up on list and local search on Google.com
Hello all, how are you doing ? My Google business show up on map but does not show up on list and local search on Google.com main keyword: nail salon in Sevierville tn nail salon in Sevierville pedicure in Sevierville nail salon in pigeo forge my website : www.sassy-nails.com http://plus.google.com/+Sassy-nails please help me that
Local Listings | | sassynailservice0 -
Combining Law websites to boost local results?
So we currently have 2 separate websites for the 2 areas of law we practice, Criminal Defense and Family. Currently our Criminal Defense website is the one affiliated with our google+ page and so it ranks well in local results, where as our Family website does not rank at all locally. Would it be best for our Family practice if we merged it with our Criminal site? We all work out of the same office and share address and phone number, so I don't believe we can associate the Family website with a google+ page, but I am wondering if each site would show up in Local results for their individual keywords if the criminal site and law site were both subdomains of a main Firm website.
Local Listings | | MyOwnSEO1 -
Local Search - Multiple Locations, do i link the home page or the inner page?
Hello, For a business with multiple locations that has a web url built for each location such as: Website.com/miami Website.com/los-angeles For local search (Google+, Yelp, etc), is it best to link the local search pages to the specific page of that location? Or is the homepage sufficient enough? I ask that because it is ALREADY touch getting NATURAL links to a location page, so would local search do me good by linking to the exact page of the location?
Local Listings | | Shawn1241 -
PO Box for a Local Client
I have a local client who is adamant about not publishing their address anywhere online. They are a local (regional) company, and work out of their home. I advised that PO boxes do not fill within "accurate guidelines" for Google Places (and moving forward any citation building is going to be tough). Any way to get around this besides buying a generic mailbox that isn't a PO Box? They feel putting their home address anywhere leaves them vulnerable to people showing up at their home, and considering the industry they are in, it is possible this could lead to negative confrontations and I understand their concern. Any ideas for me?
Local Listings | | cschwartzel0 -
Google Plus Business (How to replicate categories from Places)- Advanced
I'm very familiar with local promotion. However, I work in some fairly competitive local markets and in most cases only a few dominant keywords are necessary for the client to perform well. With new clients who aren't grandfathered into the old places interface, I cannot setup custom categories. This is known to everyone, but what I would REALLY appreciate is if someone could explain how I can at least to some degree replicate that targeting? To put it in perspective, for the standard categories (through Google Plus Business) my client rank very well; thus you can assume the client's local strength is solid; but when it comes to the few specific terms I need, I can't see to replicate the effect. Please help... anyone! 🙂
Local Listings | | mgordon0