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As 2009 came to a close, Google managed to get SEOs riled up for one last controversial topic. For some time, SEOs and web designers have been noticing that Google has not been showing local listings in search results for queries related to their businesses – even location-specific ones.
Should SEOs and designers be worried about local listings? Comment here.
As Matt McGee mentions in a Search Engine Land piece, even a query like "candy" without any geographical indicator will bring up a seven-pack of local results, but a query for "seo" or "web design" or even something as specific as "web design vancouver" will bring up no local listings whatsoever (although the organic results still heavily favor local businesses in location-specific queries).
Needless to say, some SEOs and designers are taking this as something of a slap in the face, justified or not. Search engine optimization and web design are both services after all, and just about every other type of service you can think of will yield local listings in a Google search.
While this phenomenon was originally thought to be a bug, Barry Schwartz of RustyBrick fame points to a Google Maps Help thread where a Googler going by Joel H. tells a different story:
Today, we’re intentionally showing less local results for web design / SEO queries. For example, [web design sacramento] doesn’t display local listings today. We believe this is an accurate representation of user intent. In some cases, we do show local listings, however (as NSNA/php-er noted) [web design in bellingham]. I’m sure some of you feel we should be displaying local results for queries like [Web Design Vancouver]. I understand that concern, but based on our understanding of our users, we feel this is the right decision for now.
I’ll give the usual disclaimer that we’re constantly working on improving the user experience and results will vary over time. So, this could change in the future, but I wanted to be explicit about what we’re doing today.
So if you use the word "in" in your query, you are more likely to get the local results. Some still have a hard time finding the logic in this move.
"I’m all for their interest in balancing for user intent – it’s their business, their product – but I’m missing the logic here," comments Bill Sebald.
"I find this disturbing," says Scott Clark. "If I have a physical location in a given area, offer a service to customers in that area that is close to their query, then onebox listings should appear as they do for other creative-class industries."
Not all SEOs have such a problem with what Google is doing though. "I want to be found by people everywhere, not just in the small city I happen to live in at the moment," a content writer comments.
"But you would think that if people typed in a city name or other location, they are actually looking for local results and the maps could be useful," they add. "Although if you have optimized your website for your location, you should get found anyway. And I do all my work online, people don’t need to visit me or even know where I am located so in that sense the maps aren’t always useful or necessary."
People are saying that in some countries, they are still seeing local results for the type of query in question. It is possible that Google has just not rolled out the changes everywhere yet. The quoted content writer suggests that Google just doesn’t know the user-intent of all of its countries’ people as well as it does for the countries where the changes exist.
What do you make of Google showing less local results for SEOs and web designers? Will it hurt local businesses? Share your thoughts.
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As a designer and SEO with customers around the world, my opinion is bias, but Google’s move from local results for web design and SEO is smart– it best reflects user intent. Google’s dogmatic insistence on delivering the best results per user intent will keep them on top.
Well A Av Lots To Say About This. But Yes A Feel Av Been Ditched For A Younger Model. But Wat Can A Say BUSINESSES Free Ride Is Over. You Have To Work For Your Meal Now.
The Internet Was And Has Been A Wash With Crap For Years But I Have Noticed Things Are Being Cleaned Up
Think You Have To Take Part In The Internet Now Its Alive More So Now Than Ever. Was Once A Stagnent Pool Of. But Yes If I’am Looking For A Local Business A Dont Want To Find A Porn Star. Now Whats Wrong With That! Even Tho My Page Rank As Gone Down – A Dont Crab – You Just Pass The Buck. But Yes Business Need To Pic Domains Relative To There Business – Drive People – Not Spam Or You Get Never Found Marked Down. Use Maps, Google, Latatude, Mobile, Twitter Qr Code’s On Flyer’s Car Bus Milk Float – If That Rocks Your Boat.
Domains Will Go Up In Value – Un Toched Websites Will Just Float Away
Anyway You Can Read Loads More Good Googleeee Stuf On My Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Airtaxzee
Has been going on for over a year for a client of mine. Small business in small cityas healthcare practitioner. Has to buy sponsored ads to be found in her own city. Could someone explain what the user intent is when searching for an industry specific local practitioner?
Google has been so up and down with the local results that it is killing me. Back in November they moved to cover service areas for service companies… but they changed that back to city limits… or specific results to IP address.
If they are really about providing the best results then top quality pest control companies should be at the top doing things the white hat, or google outlined way… instead we are ousted by shady tactics of other less then stellar services. Funny thing is that we bought into their intent to put the best results on the top…
Best results for Google are the results they earn money on.
As a small local business owner I find that Google can be a right royal pain at times.
their results can be very intermittant and quite baffling.
I think it is fairly obvious that Google is doing this because some web designers and SEO firms include cities in their website copy that are actually out of their immediate vicinity just to nab the business. Problem is, most are willing to drive to meetings with clients that are 2 hours away (I know I am) and may not be misrepresenting themselves.
What they should have is an additional verification page that asks you to certify that you will do business in a certain area before they will list you. Mind you, these two industries are being picked on and shouldn’t have to go through any special process.
I don’t see this as a problem. I don’t exactly avoid local SEO clients. However, despite scoring No.1 for the term local search rarely generates any business. I’m happy to say most of clients come from much further afield.
Cleaning up the net is good, but yeh, SEO / web designing both have some correlations, depnding on what you’re doing.
Both SEO and web design are not location specific verticals. People from the USA hire people in Europe and Asia very often. In this case location is irrelevant, what people are searching for is the best company for their needs which is really any company which speaks their language.
I see, so you are saying that if you provide a service that can doesn’t need to be provide locally, then Google should not provide location specific results.
How does this reconcile for local results being provided for “call center”, “answering service”, “software”, and other verticals much less location specific?
I don’t understand Google Local anymore… I have a customer with a local restaurant that we registered and verified with Google Local Business – however – when we search for the name of the business and the location – Sal’s Italian Bistro Airdrie – it comes up on the first page of results – but NOT in the local results – I don’t understand this – the vast majority of the 15,000 hits that come up under this local search are not even located in this city (we have about 50 restaurants here) and the vast majority are not even verifired – we went to the trouble (and the customer paid the extra expense) to open a google account and verify with local business…. I don’t get it !!
Hang on, if it wasn’t for web designers/developers Google wouldn’t have much to base their business on! Seems pretty unfair to me.
I think Google has realized what’s happening in SEO/Web Design industry. Although I would think that if someone is typing geographic limiter like city name, they want to find someone local but it would be interesting to see if Google has received complaints from users on this.
Personally this wouldn’t affect me since I’ve very minimal local clients. What is interesting is local results are showing up if you type in “in” city name, which is probably most novice users would do.
Bottom line is if you want Local Traffic Optimize your site with Local SEO and use Google Adwords
-Janak
I have personally talked with Google about this very subject. Its a very difficult line to walk. There are certain products that users want to find local outlets for. Its a very tricky algorithm to write. I believe Google is getting very smart about this but has a ways to go. Many of the SEO recommendations we make have geographic preferences to them because I believe in the end Google will find these types of practices very relevant. Having said that I believe Google is working on giving Internet Marketing Company’s more credit. For example, they are beta testing a product for Google Adwords Professionals.
Localization of search may perhaps be the next big thing in search marketing. At least that is my prediction. Bob Lundin.
Have you noticed Bob, that there is no way in the beta search for Google Adwords Professionals to search for a “local” firm? At least Google is being consistent.
The logic escapes me. A substantial amount of our business comes from people who want to sit down face to face and not deal with someone on the other side of the country. True many clients come from the other side of the country, even the other side of the world.
There may be more spamming of the index in our industries than many others, but Google should clean up the spam, not “throw out the baby with the bath water”.
At least you can search for “escort service” and find local results. Google clearly doesn’t have a problem with that.
I have seen Google go back and forward on my keyword of “promotional products”.
When just using two words, they return those sites with the best seo (back links & authority).
When using the same two words with a regional qualifier City/State and/or Zip they still don’t return google local results (organic is slanted to local websites) who have a local qualifier in their Titles and/or h1. NOT UNTIL I type the word “in” does it actually return results from Google Local.
Logic tells me that if someone types in a local qualifier without the word “in” they are looking for a local supplier. If they slant the results for Local companies, why wouldn’t they use the full Google Local Listings?
The thing that really bugs me is that the websites that spend the big bucks on SEO create page names that have all of the largest cities in the urls: ie: promotionalproducts.com/atlanta.html but they don’t have a location there. They of course do this for every City where it makes sense.
I would consider this Black hat, yet Google seems to reward this.
I’m confused.
If I want to search for local services I will enter the area such as a city or county and would expect local services relevant to the search query would have prominent positions within the organic results. If Google are saying that their so called ‘users’ are not doing this, then clearly they haven’t a clue about their users.
It is a well know fact here in the UK that any optimisation done on a site, should ultimately and initially be targeted at geographical locations, such as a city or county etc. or if you want to target business/customers in other areas they should be optimised for national results also.
Then again Google say a lot of things and do the opposite. I believe they put out more disinformation than actual information. I ‘ve been designing websites before Google ever existed and they have never honoured their guidelines at anytime I can remember.
One thing I do dismise, when it comes to SEO’s and that is targeting a geographical location, where clearly they are nowhere near that area. To me, thats being deceiving and could possibly give a business a bad name. Afterall if you lie about the area you are based in, what else are you lying about?
I acually think this is fair for Seo’s I mean, if your any good you will be a the top Organically anyway Right?
I know my company is!
I do however think its unfair for webdesigners as most of them know nothing about Seo, thats where most of my work comes from!
This sure is a HOT TOPIC at the beginning of this NEW YEAR as I have been wondering for the last few years about results for our Restaurant which is one of the finest in Town but when we ask Google and for that matter, any other Search Engine, most of the time our restaurant seems to prompt a lot of “canons”, “vieux” but almost never Aux Vieux Canons and even under Restaurant Aux Vieux Canons, the results are to say the least ”astonishing”.
I am subscribed to Google alerts and the alerts VERY RARELY show Aux Vieux Canons as beeing the Only restaurant in the whole wide world that bears the name Aux Vieux Canons but the search engine keeps on spitting out results that are totally irrelevant.
If, as suggested, they concentrated on ”areas” results this would kind of totally eliminate us from showing up, say in the USA or any other country or Continent which is far from what we want.
Locally, when we ask for Aux Vieux Canons, we ALWAYS come out FIRST which indicates the reliability of Google but when you are located in other parts of the world and request the same Aux Vieux Canons, God knows what will show up and … the Engine Designers … lol …
Thank You for the opportunity you have given us to express our vision on the Evolution of Search Engines towards SEOs and the Designers of WebSites from all over the world.
Gilles Lavigueur
Quebec City, Canada
Chris, I think i am missing something here. I did a search for “car dealer in goshen,ny” and did get a Local Business Listing result
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS274&q=car+dealer+in+goshen%2Cny
Can you clue me in more on this topic.
Brad
If you want to search for butcher, baker, candlestick maker, probably you want someone local as these are generally considered local trades carried out by local tradesmen. If you search for an SEO or web design comany, you’re probably already aware these are not limited to their immediate locailties by definition of their trades, particularly so with SEO, and you might reasonably want to see it demonstrated who the best company is that’s available nationally. You might just as well be hiring them if they’re available as some local company, so why wouldn’t Google give national results? It makes sense to me.
BB
In that case, you might “reasonably” leave the name of your town OUT of your query!
Apparently, Google is quite certain that THEY know what people want to see, better than the people themselves.
Here is why I think this actually makes sense… IF you are any good at SEO, your organic link should already be coming up in these search queries. Why in the world would a client want an SEO company that can’t get their own site to show up for their local area? I know I wouldn’t.
as a marketing firm that offers SEO, especially as a relatively new marketing company, we have started marketing locally instead of nationally. It seems to me that this decision by Google gives an unfair advantage to larger marketing companies that have a national presence and spend the dollars and time to invest on a national level.
I’ve been very impressed that Google has always allowed a certain amount of democracy in organic listings. Too bad they are not extending it to the SEO marketplace.
This is nothing new. In fact I have seen this scenario with the automotive field for quite some time. It makes no sense what so ever. There is no consistency to this methodology. If people are going to go to a search engine to find something, Google needs to apply some kind of consistency so people know what to expect. instead it feels like we might as well click on that ‘Feeling Lucky’ button! Is Google starting to get to big?
I agree with the first comment. If you are an SEO company, you should already show up for these search queries. I witnessed a lot of local SEO company
I noticed the reduction in local listings for SEO and web design a couple of weeks ago when I launched my new site. It does not surprise me at all really. Out of all the listings that used to be displayed in the results for the search phrase “web design my town”, only one of the listings was a “real” local company. The rest of the web design listings claimed to be local, but in fact were not even close to being local at all. Two of the listings were lead capture sites for a company from India. That being said, I think getting rid of the listings was a smart move for Google.
The only thing that bothers me is that google is a monopole .
LOL!!
A great big black hole vortex sucking us all in…
Hey at least they were “transparent” about it and let us know why they felt globalizing the seo and web design business was a good idea…
Let’s hope it has more to do with… Well… what does singling out people have to do with it?
Now I’m really lost…….. isn’t it obvious the intent of every user who includes the name of a city in their search means they’re seeking a Local company? Come on now….. duh…. that’ why they included the “city” name in the first place. They are seeking a local company. You know the kind where you actually get to sit down and meet with.
Google seems to be grossly underestimating and misreading their users. Again, why would a user be including name of a city in their search if they weren’t looking for a local company? Any user knows that they get national or world wide results if they don’t specify a city/state/country.
Are users now just supposed to be psycics or learn by trial and error to now include “in” their search query?
Doing this, Google has just given a very few of the big players that can organically make first page search results 95% of the worldwide business. Sounds like some type of “pay-off” to me.
Congtratulations to the less than 1% of all SEO’s and Web Designers that will now be able to make first page search results…….Google is giving you Millions…..
Sadly, tough luck to all the other 99% of SEO’s and Web Designers.
I’d always assumed if your page was SEO’d the right way, the content would be picked up by Google and your “local” page could easily be found anywhere you search on the web, whether it’s intended for local readers (regionally?) or a global audience. I may just be missing the boat on this though.
maybe google has the power to whatever it desires and we can just watch
Why would Google take out local results for SEOs and web designers. Yes, many of the firms in the industry are doing business outside of their respective cities, but I have found that a lot of clients like being able to actually sit down with a designer rather than try to get their idea across via email or phone.
If someone types “web design Chicago” they are obviously looking for a designer in the town with a physical location they can visit.
What irks me even more is that the web design firm I work for just got a Google Favorite Place letter. Why would they bother sending that to us if they are just going to remove local results anyway?
While I disagree with what they’re doing, as well as the Googler “Joel H” statement.
Unfortunately, I feel this is hardly the beginning of change for 2010. I think much of this comes from the very poor “seo” work done by many people and companies that try to sku the rankings by linking to tons of fake blogs etc.
With software programs designed to do just that, and in bulk, its just a matter of time before many site really start to see problems with their ranking.