What you MUST know about SEO in 2012-2013.

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by tonygreek

Did you recently merge, or attempt to merge your pages? The only issues I am currently seeing are those related to merging and duplicate accounts.

I did but only after not getting some reviews posted. I thought I saw in webmaster tools / forums that others were having issues with reviews showing up.

[Cedar Lawn Care]

Really good information. Thank you for sharing with us. It's nice to be able to get tips from people, knowing they won't be directly competing with you. My market is about 30k people so it's nice in many ways.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by Cedar Lawn Care

Really good information. Thank you for sharing with us. It's nice to be able to get tips from people, knowing they won't be directly competing with you. My market is about 30k people so it's nice in many ways.

When I was down in Medford, much smaller than Portland, the fewer other websites did make a difference.

Whether in small towns or big cities, the biggest change I've seen that would be the most relevant issue, is the number of websites increasing.

There are so many more in the big city areas, that what something thinks one should know about SEO in 2012 or 2013 almost pales in comparision.

Actually, come like 2015 to 2018, I would strongly question whether advanced SEO even matters at all. It may almost boil-down to just good site design at that point. I think that advertising may near completely replace SEO by 2020. And that most top rankings are due to either very specialized niches with next to no competing sites, or that some sites have become so popular over time that the inbound links on the internet are monumental.

...

[BLC7]

FYI: Google places & Organic listings are NOT being merged into 1 listing. This info is outdated.

If you're in a market of <50k, you should be able to completely dominate entire pages of google search results with video, places, and website content regardless of how "stiff" your competition is. Chances are there will be very little competition, and with all the lawn guys trying to learn this themselves, the first person to learn & implement in your area will own the area.

It's really that simple.

And I see some folks who think google places will have a "fractional" impact on your leads. I put more stock in google places than in SEO or PPC for this reason:

Anyone searching for a service via smart phone, the first listing that pops up is MAPS. Not only are they at the top of the page before a customer gets to the organic search or ppc ads, there is a "call" button that all they have to do is click and it will connect them straight to your phone.

There's no other marketing media that has that kind of power.

[tonygreek]

Originally Posted by BLC7

FYI: Google places & Organic listings are NOT being merged into 1 listing. This info is outdated.

Please share your link to the death of blended results. Curious to read the updated info you have. Thanks.

[BLC7]

Originally Posted by tonygreek

Please share your link to the death of blended results. Curious to read the updated info you have. Thanks.

Define 'blended' results. To you, does "blended results" mean that the website will also be included in the places listing? Or does it mean, Google will take your page 1 organic listing and your page 1 places listing and merge it into a single listing as opposed to two: 1 places listing and 1 organic listing?

[tonygreek]

BLC7, just noticed that was your first post. Welcome to Lawnsite.

If you blanket statement correct someone's information, outdated or not, it would be helpful to those in the membership if you would support the information. "FYI: Google places & Organic listings are NOT being merged into 1 listing. This info is outdated." is one of those where it would be nice to read where you're coming from. Thanks.

[BLC7]

Originally Posted by tonygreek

BLC7, just noticed that was your first post. Welcome to Lawnsite.

If you blanket statement correct someone's information, outdated or not, it would be helpful to those in the membership if you would support the information. "FYI: Google places & Organic listings are NOT being merged into 1 listing. This info is outdated." is one of those where it would be nice to read where you're coming from. Thanks.

Yep, thanks. I did realize it was my first post after the fact. I've been lurking for the past week, and didn't realize I hadn't posted yet.

If you can give me your definition of "blended" listings, I'll respond.

I'd like to retract that google "DOESN'T" blend places with organic under the definition that the places listing, in some cases, do merge with organic, but not all of them; and it cannot be stated as a universal fact as presented by OP. I jumped the gun in stating this as I've been reading this particular forum for the past few days.

I don't have a report or any expert guru claiming the death of blended/merged listings, but I do have real life examples of listings NOT being merged if the definition of blending/merged is:

Google takes your organic listing and blends/merges with places listing to give you one 1st page listing instead of two.

Let me know if this is the definition you understand to be true, and I'll follow up with proof it's not always the case as more times than not listings will not be merged.

The fact is the 'blending' began rolling out early 2012, and for some reason Google never followed through completely, or is extremely selective in the markets and/or criteria they actively target.

At any rate, I understand you've been here since 2004, and have built a reputation. I'm not here to step on anyone's toes or get into a pissing match with another "seo guy", because frankly, I don't have anything to prove or to sell anyone. However, the merged/blended listings are not widespread as the "experts" want their followers to believe.

[tonygreek]

Originally Posted by BLC7

Yep, thanks. I did realize it was my first post after the fact. I've been lurking for the past week, and didn't realize I hadn't posted yet.

Good deal. Always glad to see new people in the web forum.

I'd like to retract that google "DOESN'T" blend places with organic under the definition that the places listing

Correct. This was my point as the first sentence emphatically said otherwise, while obviously, that is not the case. I assumed you maybe had a misinterpretation of something you read, which is why I asked for a source. I now understand that you were speaking in absolutes.

(When I was trying to understand where you might be coming from, I thought maybe you had somehow played the "telephone game" and formed a hybrid of the news that Google+ and Places pages are merging but now Google says not to merge them for service area businesses that don't have a customer-receiving address, and to delete the + page.)

in some cases, do merge with organic, but not all of them; and it cannot be stated as a universal fact as presented by OP. I jumped the gun in stating this as I've been reading this particular forum for the past few days.

Completely agree. In fact, I think you can comfortably go beyond "some", which, I would guess, you recognize as well. I missed that line of interpretation by the OP, although I only skimmed the original post as Mihm's article has been linked here at least twice.

I don't have a report or any expert guru claiming the death of blended/merged listings, but I do have real life examples of listings NOT being merged if the definition of blending/merged is:

Google takes your organic listing and blends/merges with places listing to give you one 1st page listing instead of two. Let me know if this is the definition you understand to be true, and I'll follow up with proof it's not always the case as more times than not listings will not be merged.

I see this on a day to day basis. And, yes, that's the definition. No need to submit proof, as I also know this to be true. My point was regarding your original comment. If you were to write it as a blog post, I think it would make a great link-bait title (not at all meant as a pejorative), albeit with an asterisk at the end, like "FYI: Google places & Organic listings are NOT being merged into 1 listing*." and then a sub-header of *...in all cases.

The fact is the 'blending' began rolling out early 2012, and for some reason Google never followed through completely, or is extremely selective in the markets and/or criteria they actively target.

Blended results go back to 2010, but I get where your overall point is coming from. You're dead-on with your notion that it's, without a doubt, market and criteria-related. Although, to me, it's not a matter of following through completely, but is Google's attempt to continually display the "best" results. If that means they feel the need to display maximum Local results, then you'll see the 7 Pack. If it's not, then you might seen no Local, or a 3/4-Pack hybrid.

I find it more likely search volume related than anything else. In some loose, casual comparisons, I see it reflecting the Adwords traffic estimator and keyword suggestions. If you search [service, city], you might see the blended results. If you search [different way of saying service, city], you can see them turn on/off completely, or a hybrid of a 3 pack and backfill from pure organic or universal. "Lawn Care Service" and "Lawn Mowing Service" is one where I see this occur, although it's easily substituted with others. Sometimes, it's a simple matter of not showing Blended for shadier areas or known industries of abuse. If I search "web design columbus oh", there are zero Blended resutls. If I change it to "interior design columbus oh", the 7-Pack shows up. It's pretty obvious why this occurs. Like everything else, it's a matter of Google's whims, dial tweaks, and protective measures.

At any rate, I understand you've been here since 2004, and have built a reputation. I'm not here to step on anyone's toes or get into a pissing match with another "seo guy", because frankly, I don't have anything to prove or to sell anyone.

Count me as one who doesn't think join date means anything other than I haven't been banned. lol I love great discussions that go a layer deeper, and almost always those are going to find their origins steeped in miscommunication, misinterpretation, or an emerging idea. Only time you'll ever see me trot out the "I've been here longer than you" chest-puffing is when I reference my post on the death of meta keywords long, long ago, and even then it's only for amusement purposes.

However, the merged/blended listings are not widespread as the "experts" want their followers to believe.

I guess it comes down to what you define an "expert" as. In SEO, I'd give that label to no more than 10%, with the other 90 being, frustratingly, hustlers. It would be nice if the 10% was more prevalent but, quite sadly, that's not the case. Honestly, I can't recall ever seeing any legitimate expert say that all results are blended, or even alluding that there's any overwhelming majority.

Cheers and thanks for the great discussion points. Hopefully, people will test the different ways that they do or don't trigger local results for their keywords and start to see how everything is works together.

[BLC7]

Originally Posted by tonygreek

Good deal. Always glad to see new people in the web forum.


Correct. This was my point as the first sentence emphatically said otherwise, while obviously, that is not the case. I assumed you maybe had a misinterpretation of something you read, which is why I asked for a source. I now understand that you were speaking in absolutes.

(When I was trying to understand where you might be coming from, I thought maybe you had somehow played the "telephone game" and formed a hybrid of the news that Google+ and Places pages are merging but now Google says not to merge them for service area businesses that don't have a customer-receiving address, and to delete the + page.)


Completely agree. In fact, I think you can comfortably go beyond "some", which, I would guess, you recognize as well. I missed that line of interpretation by the OP, although I only skimmed the original post as Mihm's article has been linked here at least twice.


I see this on a day to day basis. And, yes, that's the definition. No need to submit proof, as I also know this to be true. My point was regarding your original comment. If you were to write it as a blog post, I think it would make a great link-bait title (not at all meant as a pejorative), albeit with an asterisk at the end, like "FYI: Google places & Organic listings are NOT being merged into 1 listing*." and then a sub-header of *...in all cases.


Blended results go back to 2010, but I get where your overall point is coming from. You're dead-on with your notion that it's, without a doubt, market and criteria-related. Although, to me, it's not a matter of following through completely, but is Google's attempt to continually display the "best" results. If that means they feel the need to display maximum Local results, then you'll see the 7 Pack. If it's not, then you might seen no Local, or a 3/4-Pack hybrid.

I find it more likely search volume related than anything else. In some loose, casual comparisons, I see it reflecting the Adwords traffic estimator and keyword suggestions. If you search [service, city], you might see the blended results. If you search [different way of saying service, city], you can see them turn on/off completely, or a hybrid of a 3 pack and backfill from pure organic or universal. "Lawn Care Service" and "Lawn Mowing Service" is one where I see this occur, although it's easily substituted with others. Sometimes, it's a simple matter of not showing Blended for shadier areas or known industries of abuse. If I search "web design columbus oh", there are zero Blended resutls. If I change it to "interior design columbus oh", the 7-Pack shows up. It's pretty obvious why this occurs. Like everything else, it's a matter of Google's whims, dial tweaks, and protective measures.


Count me as one who doesn't think join date means anything other than I haven't been banned. lol I love great discussions that go a layer deeper, and almost always those are going to find their origins steeped in miscommunication, misinterpretation, or an emerging idea. Only time you'll ever see me trot out the "I've been here longer than you" chest-puffing is when I reference my post on the death of meta keywords long, long ago, and even then it's only for amusement purposes.


I guess it comes down to what you define an "expert" as. In SEO, I'd give that label to no more than 10%, with the other 90 being, frustratingly, hustlers. It would be nice if the 10% was more prevalent but, quite sadly, that's not the case. Honestly, I can't recall ever seeing any legitimate expert say that all results are blended, or even alluding that there's any overwhelming majority.

Cheers and thanks for the great discussion points. Hopefully, people will test the different ways that they do or don't trigger local results for their keywords and start to see how everything is works together.

Good deal. Yeah, I've been lurking the past week or so

I'm just an seo guy that's planning to cut grass this spring, so I'm working on seo for my site and thought I'd look around to see what sort of response folks were getting from their websites/ppc/places, etc... or to see if many folks were even using it at all as my entire strategy revolves around places/seo/ppc to get the first handful of customers.

At any rate, after thumbing through the forum, this subforum in particular, it seemed to me that some of the seo advice was a bit advanced (and in some cases unnecessarily advanced) for users here when some of the lawn guys were still in the beginning stages of the learning process, (ie. asking for the definition of a backlink)

In all honesty, it sort of made me chuckle, but it also concerned me a bit as some seemed to just add to the confusion, because strategies will differ depending on the size of the market and the competition.

You're probably much like me in that you have or still do compete in SEO on a global scale, so what may seem like a lot of competition to some lawn folks is really just small potatoes only truly requiring the simplest concepts to gain great placement in google, and just a few strokes of the keyboard to gain maps listings.

You know, so I kinda took offense to some of the advice found throughout this subforum.