What's with Google maps appearing at the top of organic search?

[v9designbuild]

Now you'll need to bear in mind that I'm operating out of Thailand where search can often get screwed, but over the past week or so results for all of my main keywords and that of my partner's real estate company return a Google map. For "property bangkok" (taking my own results out of the equation for a moment), it returns "Local business results for property near Bangkok Thailand" in the #1 position.

From the list of "property" companies, item B on Google's map shows MBK, which as their title shows is a "Center of Fashion Mall & Shopping Plaza in Bangkok Thailand: MBK Center". This is a shopping mall and has zero to do with real estate or property in Bangkok.

Can anyone shed any light what on earth Google thinks it's playing at by introducing this practice?

 

[djbaxter]

This isn't new, at least not in North America. It's how Google displays local results for the search query. The map locates the listing by number on a local map.

You can see the same thing working for one of my sites here: psychologists ottawa - Google Search

 

[v9designbuild]

Organic search gone west?

Hi Minstrel,

But this method is ridiculous. The #1 (or Option A) on the map for my industry is a 5-page PR0 website with 250 backlinks and three clients in their portfolio. Why would anyone use this? And why don't they simply leave it on the maps?

 

[gavin.williams]

I'm referencing organic results. Businesses/sites with listings in google maps are getting a #1 ranking for a search query with the business name or major term and the town or city in which it is located. the #1 serp is accompanied by a small map from google maps and references back to the google maps description and entry and to the site itself.

 

[djbaxter]

Hi Minstrel,

But this method is ridiculous. The #1 (or Option A) on the map for my industry is a 5-page PR0 website with 250 backlinks and three clients in their portfolio. Why would anyone use this? And why don't they simply leave it on the maps?

You'll have to ask Google why they do it the way they do it.

However, PageRank has little to do with ranking (it's a minor factor among more than 200 factors now) and Google doesn't care about how many clients one has in one's portfolio.

Also, the procedure for getting listed in Google local results is different from the process of obtaining high rankings in normal search. They don't follow the same rules at all.

 

[v9designbuild]

Irrelevance in organic search due to introduction of maps

To Gavin: The point I am trying to make is that although the "#1 ranking for a search query with the business name or major term and the town or city in which it is located" is that when you look for a property in Bangkok Google returns two fashion malls - ergo irrelevant to the search query.

To Minstrel: I know that neither PageRank nor the number of clients a web design company has in its portfolio is irrelevant to Google, but it illustrates how irrelevant this company is to the search query. As for asking Google why...

 

[djbaxter]

As I said,

the procedure for getting listed in Google local results is different from the process of obtaining high rankings in normal search. They don't follow the same rules at all.

Whether the company is or is not relevant to the average searcher, obviously Google has deemed it to be relevant to the local searcher. Just make certain that you are listed in local search as well as your competitors.

This is speculative but you might want to have a look at Local Search Ranking Factors | Google & Yahoo Local SEO Best Practices

 

[v9designbuild]

I am indeed listed but it's the data that is all over the place. A shopping mall in Bangkok should not be displayed in the listings of real estate. Secondly, the results should be in Google Maps, not organic search.

Dear Minstrel,

If I may, I would like to draw your attention to what's happening here on the ground and why I think it's a very bad idea for Google maps to appear at the head of organic search.

I've just had a discussion with my partner. He is a real estate agent in Bangkok. There are a many top search terms that everyone in the business competes on (e.g. bangkok property, condo for rent bangkok, condo for sale bangkok).

I don't know if the results from where you are based will be identical but I see two companies who have registered with Google maps for the search terms shown above, sometimes using varying addresses.

My partner is at the top, or near the top at least, for all the search terms mentioned in organic search. His competitor is not. However, by deftly registering their website on Google maps, they now appear in the #1 position, even though in organic search they are, for example on "condo for sale bangkok", #10 in organic search.

This process has therefore leapfrogged them to the top of Google search. And now they have done this, so has my partner, so they both vie for the top position through manipulation of the maps (it seems to be a first in, first out structuring of the results).

I also assume that as the other real estate actors begin to notice what is happening, all will soon register their sites with Google maps in order to gain placement. And the quicker they do it (if my assumption is correct) the higher they will come.

It must be said that if this situation is allowed to continue to spiral out of control, search will be farcical. If this is the way SEO is leading us, albeit on selected search terms, by merely registering search terms with Google maps, it is a sorry day for the industry.

 

[djbaxter]

This is no different from the paid advertising that appears in Google search results. It's not a matter of "registering search terms with Google maps". To add a listing to Google local, you provide an address, telephone number, and web site URL, all of which must be verified, and Google then adds your listing to Google Local for search terms which are applicable to your web site.

In other words, if it's a term that would display your listing in regular search, then your result will appear in Google Local for that term.

In any case, Google has decided in its infinite wisdom to provide local results in this fashion. This is for the benefit of searchers, not webmasters. It seems futile to argue about whether or not they should be doing it. That's a little like trying to argue that Canada should have less snow.

 

[ajcones]

However, PageRank has little to do with ranking

Yes. I agree on you about this. Pagerank has little to do in your ranking. More people are still confused about this and misenterpret that pr has big impact in ranking.

 

[v9designbuild]

Google Maps blackhatters

Let's just tie this one up. First, the companies that are doing this are using different addresses to circumvent the system and Google does not check that this company does not have six to ten offices, all with different search terms, next door to one another.

All I'm arguing is that these companies have easily outsmarted Google on this one and appear for every single good real estate search term for Bangkok because of the wretched maps, even if they are not entirely covered with snow.

 

[djbaxter]

That's what the Google report emails are for. Provide evidence to Google of deception and those sites will be removed.

 

[v9designbuild]

Google report on spamming maps

Dobbing them in wouldn't be very charitable of me. After all, it's not my industry. I gave this merely as an example of what's happening here on organic search.

 

[djbaxter]

It's not about being charitable. It's about cleaning up search results when you see obvious spamming and gaming.

Your competitors wouldn't hesitate for a second to do it to you if they could.

 

[v9designbuild]

Spamming and gaming

For my own site, I have one entry in Google maps on my main search term and that's where it will stay. As for third parties, I don't like the idea of being a maverick Google cop that cleans these issues up on sites that belong to certain people I know in Bangkok. It's a lawless enough place as it is and could be dangerous to health.

 

[djbaxter]

Apparently, you're not alone in your complaints:

Why do spammers post on the Help Forum asking for assistance? - Maps Help

Microsoft’s listing in Google Maps Hijacked (oops by me) Understanding Google Maps & Local Search

 

[v9designbuild]

Understanding Google Maps & Local Search?

Now that gave me a good chuckle. Microsoft's Escort Services was indeed a brave although temporary claim and then No1 Microsoft Way as the address a classic. But it was the final irony in his investigation by hijacking Google itself that made me laugh the most. Could this wake the sleeping giant up a tad?

Splendid. Thank you for that. While it may not change things it certainly cheered me up.

 

[djbaxter]

Glad to hear it, v9. As I frequently tell my children, I exist only to amuse...

 

[v9designbuild]

Exist to amuse?

I'm not quite sure about that but it's a very good start to the week.

 

[djbaxter]

Here's another article that may interest you:

SEOmoz | Google Local - Out of Date, Riddled with Spam But Absolutely Worth It​