Allpages is the key to ranking in Google Maps. I haven’t tested this or anything but it seem logical. Allpages is the only Internet Yellow Pages I’ve found that does not allow business owners to add their listing to the directory. The only way to get in is with a business line through the local phone company. The data is provided from the phone company to Acxiom to Allpages; where Google picks it up.
When you think about it this is brilliant on the part of Google. It allows them to have the telephone company’s operators hand edit Google Maps.
Sure anyone can go in and add their own business through the Local Business Center but ranking begins with Allpages. It seems to me that Google will only begin giving credit for Links once it sees this listing. To test this I checked out a few sites from the SEO Industry.
I started with a search in Google Maps for SEO in State College PA. I’m a big fan of Aaron Wall’s SeoBook.com so I decided to see how this PR 6 site ranked in Maps. Only 2 SEO’s in State College so it came right up; but after clicking on the more info link something interesting… no links pointing to the site. So, I checked to see if SEOBOOK.com had a listing in Allpages and I wasn’t able to find one. So, it may indeed be that one does need to be in Allpages before links begin to count. And that starts with adding a business line from your local telephone company. I was able to find other SEO sites with plenty of links pointing at their listing, and they did indeed have a business listing.
Oh, how things have changed… there was a time when you needed a business line to be in the yellow pages… now that is no longer true but you need one to rank in Google. That’s funny.
I also suspect the age of the listing is a factor. I took a peek in some categories that weren’t that competitive and found the listings that made the top 3 were consistently in my copy of the Yellow Pages from 1999. I wonder if this will lead to folks trying to buy old numbers the way they buy old domains.
But the listing and it’s age will only take you so far in competitive categories where adding links is the name of the game again.
Top 3 Spots in Google Maps
A good way to search for links is to do a search in G Maps for your category without adding a location. Here’s one for Pizza:
Now if I own a pizzeria I have 522 web pages to research for link opportunities and a bunch of ideas for sites that I can try to send my customers to for reviews.
As you play around with this for different categories you begin to get an idea for just how strong the name algorithm is when the category is not typed in exactly. For instance, I did a search for Landscape Architects and found a company in Connecticut with only one web page pointing to it and yet it ranked second in the nation.
A series of coincidences led to this result that are quite revealing. Clearly it is the name of this company that brought them up so high on this list. So, did this company really name themselves ‘Landscape Architects’? No, they didn’t, the company is listed in Allpages as: Lent Wesley E Asla. So why does Google list it differently.
As near as I can tell there are 2 reasons; the first is ‘Asla’ is not his last name it is a designation, it stands for the American Society for Landscape Architects and there are a bazillion links pointing to it on the internet, so Google discounted this name and looked elsewhere. In this case it found another site, partypop.com, with a listing for “Landscape Architects’ that included this company’s address and phone number. So Google used this name and Mr Lent picked up the top spot in Google Maps for his most important keyphrase.
Another interesting example is Attorny in Manhattan. No doubt a common mispelling for this uber competitive phrase. I wonder if these attorneys have any idea why they are getting so many new clients from Google when they don’t even have websites.
Essentially, Google Maps is providing a list of Attorneys whose listings were handled by telephone operators who did not know how to spell attorney. And if my theory is correct, they are in chronological order.
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Very interesting read! I also recently made a discovery about Google’s Local Business Center in that if you are able to find a non-suggested category like “private eye” in the case of a Private Investigator you can get your map placed where one didn’t exist before
I recently did this for a client (onesmartpi.com) and the Google search includes:
http://www.google.com/search?q=private+eye+near+san+diego%2C+ca
Sometimes Google Maps can get you a big jump over organic listings.
I am trying to learn how to put people on the FRONT page top ten local listings for google and I load up the listings with pictures, videos, categories, but I dont know how to put webpages on there how do you do it?
hi, i have had my business listed in the top rankings of google maps throgh another company, but some how my competertors keep hacking me out, is there a way you can keep us there without us ever moving and for my competertors to not be able to remove me some how?
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Hi
Great article ……
Are you suggesting that Google Maps searches out businesses who they find on the internet and makes the maps themselves from the listings? The only way to appear on google maps that I know of is to go to local business center and actually add your business, in which case YOU are the one putting your business name down. Am I understanding you right that a telephone operator listing a business line under an incorrect spelling, and thus having it listed in allpages under an incorrect spelling is responsible for this? And that google crawls Allpages and puts a map up of businesses it finds?? I’m lost now. This article threw me. I’m just learning this stuff. I know that can’t be right. Please someone clarify. Thanks
Also, yeah I’m a noob but can someone clarify something else? On those screenshots of the google maps results, underneath where it says “Overview”, “Review” and “Webpages” and actually tells how many webpages link to the site, my google maps results do not show that information. How do I get that? I want it. Also, are those websites linking to the business’s WEBSITE or to the Google Maps AD???? If so, how do they link to the Google Maps ad when it’s not really a url it’s only a file on a website. Thanks
I am giving my all out to get placed om top of google places.I have the web any one have a sure fire method?
I have been trying to figure this out for 3 months now and i am getting nowhere
Me too! can’t find any definative info on getting sites higher?!
Also, keep in mind guys that the regular (non-maps or non-business listing) index is refreshed only every ~4 months or so. Don’t expect to climb higher until 4 months since the last position change.
This is assuming that the 4 month refresh applies to business/maps listings.
I was on google maps a year ago, but dropped off and cannot understand how to get back in top position. Can u help me? I would pay someone to do this. I get way more business from it and I just want to know why my competitors are alwys in top three positions. Help… Pleeease…
You’ll find Google Maps on the Internet to them, we find the company you own these lists from the map? Only in this way to my local business, of course, know that trying to replace you and Google Maps to show when people are in place under the name of a company engaged in the business. I have a list of spelling mistakes in the business, know your lines right, so it is misspelled in every page the bottom of this responsibility? Instead, Google has crawled all the pages, she found the exchange companies to establish the map? I am now I’m lost. The article put me off. I studied this stuff. I do not know if this is correct. It was clear. Thank you
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Google is always making a way in which they can expand their services for the comfort of it’s users. They are now leading in providing relevant information to users.
But Google doesn’t stop there because they’re still up for more.
Google is now creating the Google maps to widen it’s services. This Google maps will help users to locate a certain business establishment in a map. On the other hand, they are allowing businesses to be listed for free. So, this is a free advertising opportunity for the businesses while widening it’s services.
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Google maps are strange things. It is not always related to your google organic results.
That’s very interesting. I always suspected that Google was using a third party to verify it’s data.
Hi Im feel like im banging my head against a wall im at position f on google maps, I would really like to get in the top 3 I know thats a place everyone wants to be do business reviews help to boost position on the map listings a little nudge in the right direction would be greatly apreciated.www.ealh.co.uk
Same thing with my website http://www.youmyworld.co.uk Sometimes I found it on first page at the top, but sometimes it shows on google maps at the bottom. Where is the logic? Same keywords used.