HOW does Google Map assort the list of B&B's by zip code?

[Morticia]

Any ideas? I'm primed to drop off the list of ten map results should Google 'find' another B&B. (And that's not a good thing.) Curious if there are any guesses on how the B&B order is chosen?

 

[Proud Texan]

It has nothing to do with your zip code. However, there are a number of factors you need to have in place for Google and other search engines to spider your site and rank it accordingly.
META TAGS: A piece of text in the source code of a web page in order to provide information to a search engine about the contents of the page. These include, but are not limited to, DESCRIPTION and KEYWORDS.
Quality Links: Your page must linked from quality websites in order for your ranking to be improved. Listings on BBONLINE, Bed & Breakfast.com and Discover Our Town or state organizations would be considered quality links.
WEB PAGE COMPOSITION: Some web crawlers, including Google, look at the substance of a web page to determine relavancy to a search query. For example, if you were located near Knotts Berry Farm, your page should include the terms Bed and Breakfast, Near and Knotts Berry Farm.
In fact I think SWIRT has these basic guidelines posted.

 

[Morticia]

It has nothing to do with your zip code. However, there are a number of factors you need to have in place for Google and other search engines to spider your site and rank it accordingly.
META TAGS: A piece of text in the source code of a web page in order to provide information to a search engine about the contents of the page. These include, but are not limited to, DESCRIPTION and KEYWORDS.
Quality Links: Your page must linked from quality websites in order for your ranking to be improved. Listings on BBONLINE, Bed & Breakfast.com and Discover Our Town or state organizations would be considered quality links.
WEB PAGE COMPOSITION: Some web crawlers, including Google, look at the substance of a web page to determine relavancy to a search query. For example, if you were located near Knotts Berry Farm, your page should include the terms Bed and Breakfast, Near and Knotts Berry Farm.
In fact I think SWIRT has these basic guidelines posted..

If you type 'bed and breakfast' into Google it comes back with a query asking if you are looking for a B&B? If yes, enter the zip code. Then you get the map by zip code of the B&B's.
I guess I'm kind of surprised by the B&B's that came up at the top of the map list. Some of them listed twice. I will amend my question to include the word 'map' as that was all I was looking at, the map.

 

[swirt]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

 

[swirt]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list.

 

[Morticia]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

.

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

This is why I wondered. Maybe Google has 'moved my pin' again. Because I'm closer to the town center than most of the places listed ahead of me, have more reviews, better reviews, am on Google business, but I know I'm missing out on the last 3, altho the inn in slot 2 has really none of those things going for it.

 

[swirt]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

.

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

This is why I wondered. Maybe Google has 'moved my pin' again. Because I'm closer to the town center than most of the places listed ahead of me, have more reviews, better reviews, am on Google business, but I know I'm missing out on the last 3, altho the inn in slot 2 has really none of those things going for it.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.

 

[Morticia]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

.

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

This is why I wondered. Maybe Google has 'moved my pin' again. Because I'm closer to the town center than most of the places listed ahead of me, have more reviews, better reviews, am on Google business, but I know I'm missing out on the last 3, altho the inn in slot 2 has really none of those things going for it.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.

Hah! A search on Google not using 'B&B' doesn't show me at all until after all the hotels and other B&B's with 'inn' in their names. Google just doesn't like me right now. I irked them somehow. Or I'm doing something wrong. I think I'm going to rewrite my home page. How many times should I use the search terms in the text for best results?

 

[Suzie Q]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C

 

[swirt]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

.

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

This is why I wondered. Maybe Google has 'moved my pin' again. Because I'm closer to the town center than most of the places listed ahead of me, have more reviews, better reviews, am on Google business, but I know I'm missing out on the last 3, altho the inn in slot 2 has really none of those things going for it.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.

Hah! A search on Google not using 'B&B' doesn't show me at all until after all the hotels and other B&B's with 'inn' in their names. Google just doesn't like me right now. I irked them somehow. Or I'm doing something wrong. I think I'm going to rewrite my home page. How many times should I use the search terms in the text for best results?
.

Avoid being hasty. How long has your site been dropping? IS it dropping just in the local results or is it also dropping in the organic results? A rush to tear down and rebuild is not the best move.

 

[swirt]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C
.

I'm not seeing the bizarre results you are describing. I see two map listings for the same place and that's it, and the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense. Were you talking about just a map search, those seem a bit more spread out but nothing from San Francisco.

 

[Morticia]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

.

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

This is why I wondered. Maybe Google has 'moved my pin' again. Because I'm closer to the town center than most of the places listed ahead of me, have more reviews, better reviews, am on Google business, but I know I'm missing out on the last 3, altho the inn in slot 2 has really none of those things going for it.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.

Hah! A search on Google not using 'B&B' doesn't show me at all until after all the hotels and other B&B's with 'inn' in their names. Google just doesn't like me right now. I irked them somehow. Or I'm doing something wrong. I think I'm going to rewrite my home page. How many times should I use the search terms in the text for best results?
.

Avoid being hasty. How long has your site been dropping? IS it dropping just in the local results or is it also dropping in the organic results? A rush to tear down and rebuild is not the best move.
.

Avoid being hasty. How long has your site been dropping? IS it dropping just in the local results or is it also dropping in the organic results? A rush to tear down and rebuild is not the best move.

I'm ok in the organic results, it's the map, which a lot of people use that has me concerned. The place with 2 listings has been like that for a year or more. Say in the past 6 months I have gone from being 6 to 10 on the map. What's concerning me is the places that are pushing me down. And the places that are landing on top. It makes no sense.

 

[Penelope]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C
.

I'm not seeing the bizarre results you are describing. I see two map listings for the same place and that's it, and the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense. Were you talking about just a map search, those seem a bit more spread out but nothing from San Francisco.
.

the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense.

This isn't the first time I've read this term "organic" on this forum in this manner. What does it mean?

 

[EmptyNest]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C
.

I'm not seeing the bizarre results you are describing. I see two map listings for the same place and that's it, and the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense. Were you talking about just a map search, those seem a bit more spread out but nothing from San Francisco.
.

the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense.

This isn't the first time I've read this term "organic" on this forum in this manner. What does it mean?
.

Organic listing means the "natural" search listings that come up AFTER THE PAID ONES. meaning what one "normally searches under and pulls up the sites.

 

[swirt]

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

.

The list comes from Google Maps It will likely match the same list you get if you type in [your-city state bed and breakfast].
So the same items apply that apply for determining order on a map/local search apply for this zip code style search.

• Proximity to town "center"
• review quantity
• review rating
• if your site has been verified through google local business
• quantity of sites that corroborate your business (showing same address and phone number
• number of incoming links
• search terms in the title

This is why I wondered. Maybe Google has 'moved my pin' again. Because I'm closer to the town center than most of the places listed ahead of me, have more reviews, better reviews, am on Google business, but I know I'm missing out on the last 3, altho the inn in slot 2 has really none of those things going for it.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.
.

My guess (if this is a recent change) is that Google has adjusted the algo to place a little bit more emphasis on the search term in the phrase. Though before dashing off to add "bed and breakfast" to the end of your business name in your local/business listing in Google, I'd wait and watch a bit...it may just be a weird bit of turbulence that will correct itself.

Hah! A search on Google not using 'B&B' doesn't show me at all until after all the hotels and other B&B's with 'inn' in their names. Google just doesn't like me right now. I irked them somehow. Or I'm doing something wrong. I think I'm going to rewrite my home page. How many times should I use the search terms in the text for best results?
.

Avoid being hasty. How long has your site been dropping? IS it dropping just in the local results or is it also dropping in the organic results? A rush to tear down and rebuild is not the best move.
.

Avoid being hasty. How long has your site been dropping? IS it dropping just in the local results or is it also dropping in the organic results? A rush to tear down and rebuild is not the best move.

I'm ok in the organic results, it's the map, which a lot of people use that has me concerned. The place with 2 listings has been like that for a year or more. Say in the past 6 months I have gone from being 6 to 10 on the map. What's concerning me is the places that are pushing me down. And the places that are landing on top. It makes no sense.
.

Local listings are powerful, but if your organic listings are good, then you don't want to put those at risk by re-writing everything just for the sake of the Local Listings (which rely less on onpage content than organic listings do). Keep in mind that the local listings only show up in a search for city state b&b or city state bed and breakfast Your home page as it is should be showing up for a lot more than that. Google is continually tinkering with Local/Map adding ne things adding new data sources.... I wouldn't change your home page to accommodate something that may not be an issue on the next go round of tinkering.
What I might do is login to you local account and make sure you are classified as a B&B and I would add the words "Bed and Breakfast" to the end of your business name.

 

[Suzie Q]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C
.

I'm not seeing the bizarre results you are describing. I see two map listings for the same place and that's it, and the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense. Were you talking about just a map search, those seem a bit more spread out but nothing from San Francisco.
.

The Atwood House is actually in Lincoln, about 50 miles away, and the Halcyon Hotel is in San Francisco. Yes, these would come after the two from the one in Omaha and the other listing which states Papillion, which is inaccurate as well. I don't know how these incorrect cities get attached to the listings.

 

[swirt]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C
.

I'm not seeing the bizarre results you are describing. I see two map listings for the same place and that's it, and the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense. Were you talking about just a map search, those seem a bit more spread out but nothing from San Francisco.
.

The Atwood House is actually in Lincoln, about 50 miles away, and the Halcyon Hotel is in San Francisco. Yes, these would come after the two from the one in Omaha and the other listing which states Papillion, which is inaccurate as well. I don't know how these incorrect cities get attached to the listings.
.

A lot of these mistakes come from inaccurate information that Google has crawled. Often the source is one of those copy and paste directory startups that lists the inn wrong but nobody catches it.
In the case of the listing for Atwood House, notice under the listing it says "Unverified listing" that means the business has never verified it and the info is suspect. If you click on the link just next to it that says "More info" the window will open with more data and in that window just beneath where it says "Get directions" you will see a small link that says "Edit" click that link and then the options will change and one of them will be "Remove Place" click that link and be sure in the comments box you indicate that it is in the wrong location to show up for a search for omaha bed and breakfast and the address is wrong. Include a link to the property's website and give them the actual address. Then be sure to say thank you.
Do similar with the one duplicate listing for the inn that is not in papillion. And again for the Halcyon.
Always be nice, and always provide as much proof/accurate information as possible. The incorrect listings will eventually go away. (don't hold breath, it is not always a fast process)

 

[Suzie Q]

Some of them listed twice.

If you can, go in and try to notify google of the duplicate listing. There can be only 10 in the list, so if one place is taking up two slots, getting one of them removed increases your chances of staying in the list..

Google Search: "Bed and Breakfast Omaha"
Swirt, a few of the listings for Omaha are irrelevant. One has a foreign country access number, one is located in San Francisco, and so on. Some cities are not accurate. I'm not sure how to contact Google. I have contacted the bnb in San Francisco and it still remains on "the list."
Our main concern is to be listed if not the uppermost of the above mentioned Google page, we'd like to be listed at least somewhere on that first, initial page.
Thanks!
C
.

I'm not seeing the bizarre results you are describing. I see two map listings for the same place and that's it, and the first 10 organic listings seem to make sense. Were you talking about just a map search, those seem a bit more spread out but nothing from San Francisco.
.

The Atwood House is actually in Lincoln, about 50 miles away, and the Halcyon Hotel is in San Francisco. Yes, these would come after the two from the one in Omaha and the other listing which states Papillion, which is inaccurate as well. I don't know how these incorrect cities get attached to the listings.
.

A lot of these mistakes come from inaccurate information that Google has crawled. Often the source is one of those copy and paste directory startups that lists the inn wrong but nobody catches it.
In the case of the listing for Atwood House, notice under the listing it says "Unverified listing" that means the business has never verified it and the info is suspect. If you click on the link just next to it that says "More info" the window will open with more data and in that window just beneath where it says "Get directions" you will see a small link that says "Edit" click that link and then the options will change and one of them will be "Remove Place" click that link and be sure in the comments box you indicate that it is in the wrong location to show up for a search for omaha bed and breakfast and the address is wrong. Include a link to the property's website and give them the actual address. Then be sure to say thank you.
Do similar with the one duplicate listing for the inn that is not in papillion. And again for the Halcyon.
Always be nice, and always provide as much proof/accurate information as possible. The incorrect listings will eventually go away. (don't hold breath, it is not always a fast process)
.

Thank you!
C