Comments on: Know Thy Enemy: Black Hat Google Places https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/ Just another WordPress site Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:04:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Adam Steele https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-1157 Adam Steele Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:59:17 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-1157 Well, I can certainly see the advantage of going the latter route. Two locations...twice the visibility : ) Depends on what kind of business you do I suppose. I would give my client the choice. If you make decide to make the change, be sure to be as thorough as possible when adjusting your supporting data or I can promise you, it will come back to haunt you, and not only in rank. Good luck, and please let me know if I can be of additional assistance. Adam Well, I can certainly see the advantage of going the latter route. Two locations…twice the visibility : ) Depends on what kind of business you do I suppose. I would give my client the choice.

If you make decide to make the change, be sure to be as thorough as possible when adjusting your supporting data or I can promise you, it will come back to haunt you, and not only in rank.

Good luck, and please let me know if I can be of additional assistance.

Adam

]]> By: bob mc alister https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-1145 bob mc alister Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:08:52 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-1145 also, the link to the black hat google isnt working for me. thanks ! also, the link to the black hat google isnt working for me. thanks !

]]> By: bob mc alister https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-1144 bob mc alister Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:01:17 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-1144 would like to ask your advice. I have my website address currrently connected to my OLD physical address..which is still vacant. I did complete an address forwarding for the USPS, but havent changed the address on my google places for fear of losing my places page. anyone have any experience withthis problem...should I just add another location address in addition to the old one. ? thanks for any help ! would like to ask your advice. I have my website address currrently connected to my OLD physical address..which is still vacant. I did complete an address forwarding for the USPS, but havent changed the address on my google places for fear of losing my places page. anyone have any experience withthis problem…should I just add another location address in addition to the old one. ? thanks for any help !

]]> By: NewYorkGuy https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-934 NewYorkGuy Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:07:26 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-934 The last ones are from Dec 18 (11 days ago now) and they haven't been removed. I haven't reported this to Google either though. I haven't seen any major changes in my rankings for good or bad. The last ones are from Dec 18 (11 days ago now) and they haven’t been removed. I haven’t reported this to Google either though.

I haven’t seen any major changes in my rankings for good or bad.

]]> By: Adam Steele https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-933 Adam Steele Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:51:42 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-933 Interesting! It was my understanding that one could only leave a reviews WITH a Google account. We've all heard of review sabotage, that is, leaving negative reviews on competitors listings... These reviews are most obviously spammy, and I would imagine given the poor content, they probably didn't take the time to cover their bases (proxies etc). As such, I would be surprised if these didn't get filtered out eventually. How long have these been live? I will ask around and see if anyone else has seen anything like this. Thanks! Interesting! It was my understanding that one could only leave a reviews WITH a Google account.

We’ve all heard of review sabotage, that is, leaving negative reviews on competitors listings…

These reviews are most obviously spammy, and I would imagine given the poor content, they probably didn’t take the time to cover their bases (proxies etc). As such, I would be surprised if these didn’t get filtered out eventually. How long have these been live?

I will ask around and see if anyone else has seen anything like this.

Thanks!

]]> By: NewYorkGuy https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-930 NewYorkGuy Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:38:11 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-930 I've recently come across another possible black hat tactic and I can't find any info about it online or figure out how they did it. A competitor has been posting MASS 5-star reviews on my business listing with very little text. For example, the reviews go something like this: 1) Google 2) 48291183372 3) weird. 4) girls 5) OK yes I do know 6) Haha About 40 reviews like that were posted in one day. No reviewers have clickable usernames. I wonder...did they actually have to sign up 40 Google accounts to post these? Why would they do this? It hasn't seemed to hurt my Google rankings... Have any idea what this is about? I’ve recently come across another possible black hat tactic and I can’t find any info about it online or figure out how they did it.

A competitor has been posting MASS 5-star reviews on my business listing with very little text.

For example, the reviews go something like this:
1) Google
2) 48291183372
3) weird.
4) girls
5) OK yes I do know
6) Haha

About 40 reviews like that were posted in one day.

No reviewers have clickable usernames.

I wonder…did they actually have to sign up 40 Google accounts to post these?

Why would they do this?

It hasn’t seemed to hurt my Google rankings…

Have any idea what this is about?

]]> By: Adam Steele https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-834 Adam Steele Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:03:07 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-834 Thanks for your comment. Re phone numbers - ya, there are lots of places to get them. One thing to note though is some of these providers recycle their numbers, and the number they give you could already exist in GP. Be sure to check this before using it. I believe Matthew Hunt mentioned that to me today. If you are looking for a good provider, check out http://www.callwarrior.com - this is admittedly a start up of my own, but is something I have used for my local gig since the beginning of time. Works great! Yah, I hear ya - there are a lot of hurdles around picking up a virtual address or mailbox. Biggest things in my opinion are: Close to centroid, 100% unique address and cost. Good luck! Thanks for your comment.

Re phone numbers – ya, there are lots of places to get them. One thing to note though is some of these providers recycle their numbers, and the number they give you could already exist in GP. Be sure to check this before using it. I believe Matthew Hunt mentioned that to me today. If you are looking for a good provider, check out http://www.callwarrior.com – this is admittedly a start up of my own, but is something I have used for my local gig since the beginning of time. Works great!

Yah, I hear ya – there are a lot of hurdles around picking up a virtual address or mailbox. Biggest things in my opinion are: Close to centroid, 100% unique address and cost.

Good luck!

]]> By: anonymous https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-832 anonymous Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:38:36 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-832 I've found that the phone number thing can be a real problem too... you need a unique one to complete the full "NAP" circle. I've found that services like Hosted Numbers can work great for this because you're just creating a forwarding number to a main customer service line but it looks like a local business to Google. These local signals are really important. One really cool thing is that sometimes you can verify the address with a phone pin which makes life a lot easier. I've personally struggled to get PO boxes and virtual mail addresses to stick in Places. If anyone has any ideas on how to get an address in a market where you don't have a physical location, please let me know. I'm working with a large national company, but their services are mostly local and their customers are searching with local phrases that usually pull up a places listing... super frustrating to not be able to capture that local traffic. I’ve found that the phone number thing can be a real problem too… you need a unique one to complete the full “NAP” circle. I’ve found that services like Hosted Numbers can work great for this because you’re just creating a forwarding number to a main customer service line but it looks like a local business to Google. These local signals are really important. One really cool thing is that sometimes you can verify the address with a phone pin which makes life a lot easier.

I’ve personally struggled to get PO boxes and virtual mail addresses to stick in Places.

If anyone has any ideas on how to get an address in a market where you don’t have a physical location, please let me know. I’m working with a large national company, but their services are mostly local and their customers are searching with local phrases that usually pull up a places listing… super frustrating to not be able to capture that local traffic.

]]> By: Akshay Patil https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-808 Akshay Patil Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:13:32 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-808 Nice Post :) This will actually help me in getting started on SEO for Google Places. Nice Post :)
This will actually help me in getting started on SEO for Google Places.

]]> By: Adam Steele https://nightlitemedia.com/2011/10/black-hat-google-places/#comment-803 Adam Steele Sun, 23 Oct 2011 06:27:44 +0000 https://nightlitemedia.com/?p=1936#comment-803 Haha - Well, I won't say I am completely innocent of taking advantage of this pre post card. I think most people in the niche had a pretty good run. Nevertheless, they're are much more civilized and legit methods, as you carefully laid out in your post. Haha – Well, I won’t say I am completely innocent of taking advantage of this pre post card. I think most people in the niche had a pretty good run. Nevertheless, they’re are much more civilized and legit methods, as you carefully laid out in your post.

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