Google is Encouraging Us to Build the Local Web
Posted on March 29th, 2010
Some recent changes to the Local Search algo has led me to believe Google is trying to encourage us to enrichen the local web. Do that well and they will reward you with better rankings in Google Maps and that coveted 7 pack.
What is the local web? Any location based information that can be added to a map. Geo-tagged photos, videos and webcams, geo-tagged Wikipedia articles, Google My Maps, and KML mapping files are the additional layers of location based information that Google wants to see users creating so as to build a richer local experience online.
User reviews were one of the first, and heaviest, spammed factors of local business listings in an attempt to improve rankings in the 7 pack. They are far too easy to fake and game so it seems Google may have turned the dial down on that part of the algorithm. In turn they seem to have turned up the dial on the user content factors (my maps, kml files, geo-tagged images), to the point that My Maps are now beginning to get aggressively spammed in some industries.
How to Build a Rich Local Web Around Your Business?
Build some My Maps and KML files of your business location, as well create Maps of other businesses in your immediate area. Maybe there is a great coffee shop on the corner – map it. Or a couple great restaurants within a couple blocks of your location – map them. Your accountant might be located a few blocks away, or your favorite laundromat, book store, auto repair guy, sports field, whatever. Combining these locations into your maps may make your maps more authoritative, as well as make your user account more authoritative so that your My Maps have a little more weight behind them than just one single stand alone map in your account. While you’re at it leave some reviews at those places, again to build your authority.
Take photographs and videos of stuff in and around your location. Add those images to Fickr and-or Panaramio and include geo-tags of the location. Add videos to Youtube and include geo-location information. Get creative so that these things might be useful or entertaining for users, not simply there for that fact of trying to satisfy Google with more junk that might help you rank. Instead of leaving a user scratching their heads on why the heck this photo or video is even there, make it useful in some way to build trust and show value.
This appears to be the direction Google is headed with maps and local search. By turning up the dials on that part of the local ranking algorithm it seems Google is encouraging, perhaps incentivising, the creation of more rich local content.
This is great advice. I would love to see more rich media content on the businesses search results, as well as the ones that I publish.
It would be great to see Google also expand the support for microformats to help product and service search results express more relevance.
We have seen a lot of spamming in 2010 in this area of google local however the benefit is there for the end users when there are videos/photos about a local business. And it is also harder for spammers to ‘game’ than the reviews were. So, hopefully this will remain a way to add value within the system and won’t be overly exploited. I will discuss this further this week at my blog http://localseo.org.
@Jonathan, I disagree on the ease of gaming it. Uploading geo-tagged images to Flickr is super easy. Making My Maps and KML files is super duper easy too, and they can be pumped out in bulk.
Stever,
It is certainly not hard…but harder than spamming user reviews. Citations can be spammed using mturk to get 50 for $5.00. That is never an approach I advocate or support as I think natural and legit is the way to go…but others may choose a different path.
Steve,
I just tossed up a quick post about this conversation:
http://localseo.org/my-maps-kml-files-flickr-google-local-spam/
Hey Steve,
Yes it’s cool and worthwhile. In the grand scheme we all have limited time and efforts must focus more towards what works too.
Have you seen any actual ranking benefit from building this rich local web?
@Mark Bossert
Yes, these things are influencing rankings. Quite a bit in fact.
But I do have reservations on how “rich” this actually makes the local web in terms of the user experience. There is a post coming about that soon enough.
I found your blog when looking for Local search tips. I have many sites each providing a different service for my business and I cover all parts of the UK.
I am trying to find out the best way to get each page dedicated to an area ranked well for that area?
What would you say is the best way as most of the things I read about Local Search is geared towards people who are statically in that area, not for people based in say London like I am but providing services to every part of the UK?