Goog-411 another reason why it helps to have good placement

[user 26]

google again.
i have a love/hate thing with them.
i called when i first got the email about goog411 and again now ... am still in the wrong location. post cards and calls to them, emails etc. get me nowhere. the info is only as good as the person who says 'yes, it's correct'.

 

[egoodell]

Here's what I have looked at more closely. In looking at the results for my area as well as some results for some of my clients, it seems that the results being returned by goog411 are similar to those returned by Google maps but not withing the normal listings. They match what is returned by going to maps.google.com then using the find businesses tab. Incidentally, if you say "bee and bee" it uses "b&b" for the search as opposed to "b and b" or "bnb".
Riki I am not sure if this explains what is happening with your listing or not as I haven't called for your area or wine tours.
Mooseberry, my guess (other than the language issue which I think you covered by using a zipcode) might be related to your business actually having two listings Duplicate listings can create a bit of a hicup or two. Just to make sure you are seeing the same results I am. I see one listing for you at A and another listing for you at C. The A listing has 3 reviews attached to it and the C listing does not. You want to keep the one with the reviews attached, and delete the other one. The other problem I see is that the A listing has a PObox for the address. This causes a problem because the PO boxes usually have no way to have a correct map location. If you have a physical address, even if that is not how you get your mail, you should use that in your google business listing and on your website. Here is a bit of an article I wrote on the topic of B&Bs with PO Boxes..

Thanks for your help, Swirt. I somehow have multiple listings from ignorance,so will go in and take out the duplicates. Maybe they are punishing me for having more than one?
Riki

 

[swirt]

Here's what I have looked at more closely. In looking at the results for my area as well as some results for some of my clients, it seems that the results being returned by goog411 are similar to those returned by Google maps but not withing the normal listings. They match what is returned by going to maps.google.com then using the find businesses tab. Incidentally, if you say "bee and bee" it uses "b&b" for the search as opposed to "b and b" or "bnb".
Riki I am not sure if this explains what is happening with your listing or not as I haven't called for your area or wine tours.
Mooseberry, my guess (other than the language issue which I think you covered by using a zipcode) might be related to your business actually having two listings Duplicate listings can create a bit of a hicup or two. Just to make sure you are seeing the same results I am. I see one listing for you at A and another listing for you at C. The A listing has 3 reviews attached to it and the C listing does not. You want to keep the one with the reviews attached, and delete the other one. The other problem I see is that the A listing has a PObox for the address. This causes a problem because the PO boxes usually have no way to have a correct map location. If you have a physical address, even if that is not how you get your mail, you should use that in your google business listing and on your website. Here is a bit of an article I wrote on the topic of B&Bs with PO Boxes..

Thanks for your help, Swirt. I somehow have multiple listings from ignorance,so will go in and take out the duplicates. Maybe they are punishing me for having more than one?
Riki
.

I don't think it is punishment, I'd say it is more like confusion. If you have multiple info under the same name, Google would have a hard time choosing which is the right one to give out, so it makes sense that one approach would be to withhold the data to keep from giving "bad" info by phone.

 

[swirt]

google again.
i have a love/hate thing with them.
i called when i first got the email about goog411 and again now ... am still in the wrong location. post cards and calls to them, emails etc. get me nowhere. the info is only as good as the person who says 'yes, it's correct'..

That is bizarre that it keeps overwriting with bad info after you correct it. It seems as though whoever is doing the actual gps mapping for your area is messing up. If you search for other businesses (like the place next door or across the street) does it place them in the right spot?

 

[Morticia]

Here's what I have looked at more closely. In looking at the results for my area as well as some results for some of my clients, it seems that the results being returned by goog411 are similar to those returned by Google maps but not withing the normal listings. They match what is returned by going to maps.google.com then using the find businesses tab. Incidentally, if you say "bee and bee" it uses "b&b" for the search as opposed to "b and b" or "bnb".
Riki I am not sure if this explains what is happening with your listing or not as I haven't called for your area or wine tours.
Mooseberry, my guess (other than the language issue which I think you covered by using a zipcode) might be related to your business actually having two listings Duplicate listings can create a bit of a hicup or two. Just to make sure you are seeing the same results I am. I see one listing for you at A and another listing for you at C. The A listing has 3 reviews attached to it and the C listing does not. You want to keep the one with the reviews attached, and delete the other one. The other problem I see is that the A listing has a PObox for the address. This causes a problem because the PO boxes usually have no way to have a correct map location. If you have a physical address, even if that is not how you get your mail, you should use that in your google business listing and on your website. Here is a bit of an article I wrote on the topic of B&Bs with PO Boxes..

Thanks for your help, Swirt. I somehow have multiple listings from ignorance,so will go in and take out the duplicates. Maybe they are punishing me for having more than one?
Riki
.

Thanks for your help, Swirt. I somehow have multiple listings from ignorance,so will go in and take out the duplicates. Maybe they are punishing me for having more than one?
Riki

I used to have 2 locations on the Google map. Why I had the second one I don't know. Possibly because somewhere long the way my address was corrupted on some directory. Possibly because someone else wrote a Google listing for my business. It took a LONG time to get it straightened out. There are directions on Google for how to do this.

 

[egoodell]

Okay, I think that Google is tweaking the 411 to get it right. Either that, of if you are not on the listing go into the Google Maps and put some photos in.
I went in to figure out how to delete my duplicate listings, and they are not there. I went into "edit" and updated the number to my cell phone, added pictures, and had them call me to verify.
Now I called the 411 and asked for wine tours and they listed me as number 1!!!
I need to call the B&B listing now and see if I'm on it.
**whew* I was really worried about getting left off!
Riki

 

[egoodell]

Well I'm still not listed on the Bed and Breakfast list. They are only listing 8 of them, and one without an address. I'll have to figure this one out somehow. But at least my wine tours are listed. I think we get more bookings from the tours anyway, and it does say Wine tours and B&B.
Riki

 

[swirt]

Okay, I think that Google is tweaking the 411 to get it right. Either that, of if you are not on the listing go into the Google Maps and put some photos in.
I went in to figure out how to delete my duplicate listings, and they are not there. I went into "edit" and updated the number to my cell phone, added pictures, and had them call me to verify.
Now I called the 411 and asked for wine tours and they listed me as number 1!!!
I need to call the B&B listing now and see if I'm on it.
**whew* I was really worried about getting left off!
Riki.

That's interesting. Makes me wonder whether it was the simple act of updating, or specifically the photos. My guess would be the updating as some of the listings I've seen have no photos and they are getting returned by 411.
I also wonder if it could be related to your phone number. If originally you had the same phone number for both businesses that might have lead to some confusion. Switching one of them to your cell may have solved the issue.

 

[swirt]

Well I'm still not listed on the Bed and Breakfast list. They are only listing 8 of them, and one without an address. I'll have to figure this one out somehow. But at least my wine tours are listed. I think we get more bookings from the tours anyway, and it does say Wine tours and B&B.
Riki.

Looking into your site you may be running into issues as a result of your site being about two different businesses. It is going to have a harder time with conflicting information if some sites list you as a wine tour and some list you as a B&B. Here are a couple of other thoughts. Your site has no physical address on it that I can find. This makes it difficult for google bot to collect corroborating evidence. It's also one of those things that builds trust in human visitors too. I know a few B&B's have local restrictions about not showing where they are, but if that is not the case for you, I suggest getting your address and phone number on the footer on every single page.
You probably allready know this, but just in case, you have a lot of stray code showing through as text on your pages (mainly tripadvisor code). That's not good for bots or humans.

 

[egoodell]

Okay, I think that Google is tweaking the 411 to get it right. Either that, of if you are not on the listing go into the Google Maps and put some photos in.
I went in to figure out how to delete my duplicate listings, and they are not there. I went into "edit" and updated the number to my cell phone, added pictures, and had them call me to verify.
Now I called the 411 and asked for wine tours and they listed me as number 1!!!
I need to call the B&B listing now and see if I'm on it.
**whew* I was really worried about getting left off!
Riki.

That's interesting. Makes me wonder whether it was the simple act of updating, or specifically the photos. My guess would be the updating as some of the listings I've seen have no photos and they are getting returned by 411.
I also wonder if it could be related to your phone number. If originally you had the same phone number for both businesses that might have lead to some confusion. Switching one of them to your cell may have solved the issue.
.

aha, then I need to switch the B&B number to home again, maybe, and leave the tour company on the cell. I see that on their maps listing I'm number 9 on the B&B list, and they are only giving the first 8 on the 411 number when I call.
Riki

 

[egoodell]

Well I'm still not listed on the Bed and Breakfast list. They are only listing 8 of them, and one without an address. I'll have to figure this one out somehow. But at least my wine tours are listed. I think we get more bookings from the tours anyway, and it does say Wine tours and B&B.
Riki.

Looking into your site you may be running into issues as a result of your site being about two different businesses. It is going to have a harder time with conflicting information if some sites list you as a wine tour and some list you as a B&B. Here are a couple of other thoughts. Your site has no physical address on it that I can find. This makes it difficult for google bot to collect corroborating evidence. It's also one of those things that builds trust in human visitors too. I know a few B&B's have local restrictions about not showing where they are, but if that is not the case for you, I suggest getting your address and phone number on the footer on every single page.
You probably allready know this, but just in case, you have a lot of stray code showing through as text on your pages (mainly tripadvisor code). That's not good for bots or humans.
.

Many thanks, I'll get right on it. I'm working on a new site so that we'll have the B&B on a separate site from the wine tours, so had better get on it I guess.
Yes, since I'm a beginner I can't figure out where to put the links that I needed to put in there. I will have to get someone to clean up my website. Or just take a class and see if they'll use my site to point out everything not to do..
Riki

 

[swirt]

Well I'm still not listed on the Bed and Breakfast list. They are only listing 8 of them, and one without an address. I'll have to figure this one out somehow. But at least my wine tours are listed. I think we get more bookings from the tours anyway, and it does say Wine tours and B&B.
Riki.

Looking into your site you may be running into issues as a result of your site being about two different businesses. It is going to have a harder time with conflicting information if some sites list you as a wine tour and some list you as a B&B. Here are a couple of other thoughts. Your site has no physical address on it that I can find. This makes it difficult for google bot to collect corroborating evidence. It's also one of those things that builds trust in human visitors too. I know a few B&B's have local restrictions about not showing where they are, but if that is not the case for you, I suggest getting your address and phone number on the footer on every single page.
You probably allready know this, but just in case, you have a lot of stray code showing through as text on your pages (mainly tripadvisor code). That's not good for bots or humans.
.

Many thanks, I'll get right on it. I'm working on a new site so that we'll have the B&B on a separate site from the wine tours, so had better get on it I guess.
Yes, since I'm a beginner I can't figure out where to put the links that I needed to put in there. I will have to get someone to clean up my website. Or just take a class and see if they'll use my site to point out everything not to do..
Riki
.

Usually if you ask here, you'll get a pretty thorough review. The only drawback is that it will be public.

 

[egoodell]

Well I'm still not listed on the Bed and Breakfast list. They are only listing 8 of them, and one without an address. I'll have to figure this one out somehow. But at least my wine tours are listed. I think we get more bookings from the tours anyway, and it does say Wine tours and B&B.
Riki.

Looking into your site you may be running into issues as a result of your site being about two different businesses. It is going to have a harder time with conflicting information if some sites list you as a wine tour and some list you as a B&B. Here are a couple of other thoughts. Your site has no physical address on it that I can find. This makes it difficult for google bot to collect corroborating evidence. It's also one of those things that builds trust in human visitors too. I know a few B&B's have local restrictions about not showing where they are, but if that is not the case for you, I suggest getting your address and phone number on the footer on every single page.
You probably allready know this, but just in case, you have a lot of stray code showing through as text on your pages (mainly tripadvisor code). That's not good for bots or humans.
.

Many thanks, I'll get right on it. I'm working on a new site so that we'll have the B&B on a separate site from the wine tours, so had better get on it I guess.
Yes, since I'm a beginner I can't figure out where to put the links that I needed to put in there. I will have to get someone to clean up my website. Or just take a class and see if they'll use my site to point out everything not to do..
Riki
.

Usually if you ask here, you'll get a pretty thorough review. The only drawback is that it will be public.

.

I'm getting ready to launch a new tour site from a template that El offered me that I've changed beyond recognition. I'm not advanced enough to be able to understand a review yet!!!!!
Riki

 

[swirt]

Interesting note on GOOG-411. I was just at Staples picking up a new phone for a guestroom and saw that GE now has a phone with GOOG-411 built in. It has a dedicated button labeled "Goog-411" and if you press it, it dials it.

 

[YellowSocks]

I just went on Google maps to see what I could see...
When I do a Google search for "bed and breakfast ashland, ohio" I come up as the B choice. But if I go on Google maps (which has my home address as my starting point) then I come up as the A choice. So, clearly, your current location affects the business listings order in Maps, and I assume therefore in Goog-411 as well.
=)
Kk.

 

[swirt]

I just went on Google maps to see what I could see...
When I do a Google search for "bed and breakfast ashland, ohio" I come up as the B choice. But if I go on Google maps (which has my home address as my starting point) then I come up as the A choice. So, clearly, your current location affects the business listings order in Maps, and I assume therefore in Goog-411 as well.
=)
Kk..

Not sure I would jump to say, "clearly, your current location affects the business listings order in Maps". It may, but there is typically variation between what you see doing the two searches you describe. I see you as B in both, but that may be coincidence. It may be sorting them based on what you have as your "home" location or it may pull it from your ip address.... or it may be nothing. It definitely bares watching.
If you log out of your google account, and then repeat the searches, does the order change?

 

[YellowSocks]

I wasn't logged in... but it did have my starting point in Maps as my home address.
=)
Kk.

 

[markhall186]

I recently heard of Justdial, a 24x7 operator assisted toll free service. I tried 1800-500-0000 to try the service and was amazed when a human voice answered my query within 60 seconds. Justdial really delivered what they promised.

 

[Flower]

Swirt
I tried the 800 number & it does not seem to work in Canada. The recording with human voice being used for tones, tells you that "the number you have dialed is not in service" then more human voice tones "dout dout dout" then a busy signal.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Swirt
I tried the 800 number & it does not seem to work in Canada. The recording with human voice being used for tones, tells you that "the number you have dialed is not in service" then more human voice tones "dout dout dout" then a busy signal..

Swirt
I tried the 800 number & it does not seem to work in Canada. The recording with human voice being used for tones, tells you that "the number you have dialed is not in service" then more human voice tones "dout dout dout" then a busy signal.

What 800# did you dial?