Is city name really a no-no in Google+ Local description field?
-
I know that adding one's city name in the business name and category tags for Google+ Local is a no-no. And Google says so in its quality guidelines. But what about in the business description? I don't see that in Google's guidelines. Can anyone clarify?
-
My pleasure, Zack. Happy Holidays!
-
Hi Miriam,
Thank you for the quick reply - as always, a very helpful answer.
Best,
Zack
-
Hi Zachary,
Good question! You are quite right...Google has never publicly outlawed usage of geo terms in the business description field. Advice against this comes from Local SEOs who have seen this practice ding listings. In conversation, I've heard top Local SEOs I know say it can ding a listing anywhere from 4 to 20 positions in the local serps. It's a hidden, not-publicly-acknowledged penalty. So, definitely don't do this. I think the best use of the business description is as an elevator pitch. For example, if a business has won awards locally (Voted best local clinic by Community Magazine), that's a great USP. Figure out what the USP is and put that in the description, exclusive of geo terms.
Will you see live exceptions to this in the SERPs? Yes. Google doesn't catch everything. But you know Google...if they do catch you, punishment is swift and awful.
Thanks for asking your question. So many people are unaware of this hidden penalty.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
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
-
Does google index html5 tracks (captions) for videos?
If we add the <track> tag next to a html5 video, with a Web Video Text Tracks Format (WebVTT) file for video subtitles / captions will google visit that and index it?
Image & Video Optimization | | ismgadmin0 -
Mismatch on the City and Zip Code as strategy?
I have never seen this before, but I recently took over a client that for all intents and purposes is considered to be in Metro A. They're just south of the border and everyone (customers, etc.) consider them in Metro A. The problem is their physical address puts them in Small Town B. For whatever reason, this client has decided that they are going to put their address as follows: Street
Image & Video Optimization | | EEE3
Metro A, Zip Code Small Town B They've mismatched the city and zip code in attempts to have a stronger showing in Metro A organically. I've never seen this strategy before, my gut tells me bad, bad, bad. So I'm looking for a better strategy, advice, etc.0 -
Google+ Local ranking for company with no website
Hi,
Image & Video Optimization | | Ant71
Im about to start helping a small business who has a facebook account but no website. Has anyone got any experience of getting a business ranking locally without a website? Just wandering if NAP details from a facebook / Google+ account helps with local citation building? Or whether a basic website is required? Antony0 -
Schema for a local business with multiple locations
Hello I am trying to add schema to a website that has several locations. Is the best way to do this is by tagging the home page of the website as the business main location and then create a page for each location and then mark them up accordingly? Thank you for your help.
Image & Video Optimization | | edwardfrebow0 -
Google Maps/Places in Organic SERP
This question is regarding having a Google Places snippet consisting of your business location and opening hours appearing in Google SERP when the business name is searched for. One of our competitors who has a location within their name e.g. 'Widgets of Oxford' have a Google Places snippet appear on the RHS of the search results (where Google Ads usually go) when searched for. We are trying to replicate this for our business but cannot seem to find any information relating to doing this apart from that this only appears for them as they have a location in their name. This is because we see a similar snippet when we search for our business name in the format "OurBusinessName in OurLocation). Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Image & Video Optimization | | jannkuzel0 -
Is a listing in this directory really worth $365/year??
Recently i noticed one of our competitors is getting a citation out of a directory called Refer Links. I contacted them to find out their pricing, and to be listed in that directory it is $365/year. I noticed that all the links to the websites are cloaked with php redirects and rel=nofollows' so i doubt it would do much for our page rank, so strictly from a citation standpoint, is this worth it? Here is our competitors listing: http://www.referlinks.com/listing/all-canadian-self-storage-inc--mobile-self-storage.html
Image & Video Optimization | | adriandg1 -
Local Seo Help!
Hi everyone, Google Places is going to be the death of me. I have asked a few questions on this topic before but nothing seems to work. Here are some of my problems/concerns: It keeps deleting my description!? Have you seen this before? The "more about this place" section has not been updated since I claimed the listing over 3 months ago. The website it lists at the top of that section is our old website address which no longer works. The site was through a site builder and the company will not forward the domain to the new site. Are there any companies or services that can help build a great profile and help increase my rankings? I am starting to think this is over my head. Do I delete the page and start over? Any advice? Please! Company Website: http://www.petmedicalcenter.com Google Places: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1523&bih=863&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=pet+medical+center+of+las+vegas&fb=1&gl=us&hq=pet+medical+center+of&hnear=0x80beb782a4f57dd1:0x3accd5e6d5b379a3,Las+Vegas,+NV&cid=13431404354265657899&ei=EQolTpqREdSlsQKMlPXXCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQ4gkwAA FYI: I have added a lot of links between when I signed up for SEOmoz and the linkscape has not be updated in over a month an a half. I really appreciate your help! -Brant
Image & Video Optimization | | PMC-3120870 -
Street name or Highway number- which is best ?
In Google places my address shows up in two different ways. I want to establish a consistent way of listing my business, but how do I determine what's best at this point? My listings now show up as the street name: "122 Maple Street" and in other listings as the Route number: "122 Route 44 " The locals all know this street as Maple Street, but we are a tourist business and tourists probably know the Rt. # better. Is there a systematic way I can determine which is going to be the best way to list this? I have the same question about variations like using Rt. or St. versus Route or Street. Thanks Tio
Image & Video Optimization | | stephenfishman0