Google Brings Back Right-Click-For-Directions To Google Maps
Google Maps users can once again right-click anywhere on the new Maps to get quick directions to or from the spot that they’re clicking. They can also use the “What’s Here” option to quickly get the lat-long coordinates for any spot on the map. These are two of many features…
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German Design Firm Claims Willful Patent Infringement Over Google Earth
A German design firm is claiming that Google and Google Earth have infringed its patent (USRE44550 E1) and is seeking triple damages under the notion that the infringement was intentional or willful. The firm, ART+COM (“ACI”), makes the following claims: The development history of…
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10 Local Marketing Myths Hamstringing Your Business
As an internet marketer, I frequently encounter local business owners (and large chain store companies with many local outlets) that haven’t had time to really understand online marketing. Many of them have latched onto some myth that’s completely false — and which can keep their…
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Google Says (Some) Missing Features Will Be Added To New Google Maps
Google took its new Maps site out of beta this week, but many users noticed that some of their favorite features from Classic Maps were missing. Not to worry, Google says. It’s aware of that and plans to bring at least some of those missing over to the new Maps site in the near future….
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Google Places Quality Guidelines Updated
Google quietly announced within the Google Help forums that they have made a clarification update to their Place quality guidelines to help business owners know what they can name their business within Google Local and what they can not. In short, Goog…
New Google Maps Comes Out Of Preview Today
Roughly last May at Google’s “I/O” developer conference the company introduced an updated version of its desktop Maps experience. Since that time it has been in “preview,” allowing users to go back and forth between the “classic” and new versions. Today…
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Why Duplicate Business Listings Are Like The Walking Dead
In the Local SEO biz, we spend a lot of time fixing duplicate business listings. Duplicate records of your business appearing throughout the Local Search ecosystem can cause a variety of issues like messing with your Google Local rankings, causing you …
Yelp Supersizes Its Local Profiles, Makes Them Less Busy
Yelp has redesigned parts of its web UI to make them more visual and to surface more information. In particular business profile pages have been changed to emphasize images, featured user reviews and key pieces of local content, all of which are now mo…
Products, Prices & Proximity Are Most Important Info On Local Business Websites
Historically, website design and optimization have been uncomfortable bedfellows. The structural and content requirements of SEO were seen to restrict the fluidity of design and user interaction, while a narrow focus on website style often meant that t…
Yahoo Turns To Yelp To Beef Up Local Search
According to a report appearing today in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Yahoo will be incorporating local content and listings from Yelp into its main search results. As the article points out, Yelp has a similar deal with Microsoft-Bing and, of course…
YP Wants To Compete Directly With Google And Yelp In Local
When one looks across the local digital landscape there are many companies and apps but few consumer “brands.” In specific verticals, like travel or automotive, there are companies such as TripAdvisor or Cars.com. But “horizontally” on a national level there are very few top-of-mind, major players….
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Google Requiring Some Business To Reverify Their Listings Or Be Removed From Google Maps
Some business owners are receiving emails from Google requiring them to reverify their listings within three-weeks or their listings will be removed from Google Maps and Google+ Local. The emails contain the subject, “Action Required: You have 3 weeks to save your Google Places…
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Yelp Reports $233 Million In Revenue For 2013, Up 69 Percent From 2012
Yelp released its 4Q 2013 financial results today, reporting end of year net revenue at $233 million, representing 69 percent year-over-year growth from 2012. While delivering the earnings report call, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said, “It was a phenomenal year for Yelp.” Yelp’s…
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Telenav Thinks Scout Can Take On Google Maps
Last week Telenav acquired Skobbler for roughly $24 million in cash and stock. Skobbler is based in Berlin, Germany and is to OpenStreetMap (OSM) what Red Hat is to Linux according to Ryan Peterson of Telenav. For those not aware, OSM is the Wikipedia of digital mapping. It relies on a global force…
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Microsoft’s $15 Million Check-in: Will Redmond Buy Foursquare?
Microsoft has invested $15 million in Foursquare and said it will license the former’s location data according to news released yesterday. Foursquare aspires to be “the location layer for the internet.” With real-time feedback about local data accuracy, based on user movements and…
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5 Tips To Kill The Competition In Local Search
If your business has a local presence — anywhere — you must take advantage of Google+ Local. Creating and optimizing Google+ Local profiles is a critical marketing practice for local small businesses, multi-location enterprises, national franchises and companies with a single physical…
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6 Local Tips For Small Business SEO Success
We all know that a key component of any small business’ marketing strategy is to effectively position its brand in search engine results. But is it possible to dominate search results with content you control — or at least content you’ve influenced? The answer is yes. There are…
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Google Places International Adds Over 1,000 New Categories For Business Listings
Google’s Business community manager, Jade Wang, announced in a Google discussion forum thread that they have vastly increased the number of business categories available to businesses outside of the United States. Jade said they now have added “over 1,000 new categories in the new…
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Yahoo Adds Local Business Snapshots Next To Search Results
You’re gonna say to yourself, “That looks a lot like Google’s local search results.” I’m talking about the latest interface change that Yahoo has announced: the display of local business information alongside search results. The local business info includes basic…
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MapQuest Transfers Local Listings Management To Yext
Last October MapQuest started outsourcing local business listings management to Yext. The “claim your MapQuest listings” page is hosted by Yext (I believe) with a co-branded look and feel. Yesterday MapQuest notified business users that its local business center and basic local listings…
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