Happy Holidays! - Interesting Reading Material

6 replies
Hi Offline Warriors,

I hope your holidays are going well! I was doing my nightly reading and came across the following article:

Google Building Their Own Groupon Killer? | Search Engine Journal

This brief article touches on how Google is hiring reps across the States in order to get biz owner's signed up for their local stuff: Tags, etc.

This is interesting because MANY of those SEO-mills that our clients have had terrible experiences with in the past, well they have been contacting businesses over the past few years stating that they are actually calling on behalf of Google in an attempt to build instant credibility/authority, close the deal, etc.....

So now here the real Google comes along and MANY biz owners are simply not responding to them/ignoring them.....due to every SEO company and their mother claiming they're "with Google" the past few years. Kind of funny actually

It appears Google may be cooking up their own LOCAL DEALS site in conjunction with their new "HotPot" thing. Personally, I'd like to see all of the insanity that we call "Local/Places" cleaned up and fully-structured, fleshed-out etc before they start releasing all of this new local stuff. It is kind of hard to build upon on an unstable, unreliable, easily-abused foundation in my opinion.

What do you guys think about all of this stuff?

- Jim
#happy #holidays #interesting #material #reading
  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    It's all coming home to roost.

    I sit quietly with a smugness that keeps me warm on a cold December night.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3073301].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jsherloc
      Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

      It's all coming home to roost.

      I sit quietly with a smugness that keeps me warm on a cold December night.
      LOL I am picturing a Dr. Evil smile and a pinky up by the mouth. I agree that Google knows they are missing out on a lot of local money and will be making serious moves in the coming year(s), but short of eliminating the "SEO" aspect to local SERPs completely,...I feel like MOST of our prospects (the busy always-advertising ones) on here will still need us to navigate through the online hoops.

      I find this interesting because one of the two Places algo's in play right now relies HEAVILY on a businesses website's SEO. (where they merged the 7 pack/organic results). Reading stuff like the article above makes me think they won't be sticking with that algo, or at least tweaking it so that actual onpage/offpage website SEO has less to do with ranking.

      If they are able to take SEO out of the game (I don't think it is possible at this point), they will put a lot of us out of business absolutely.

      "After filling in your Places info, just enter in your credit card info and let us know how much you want to advertise on Google Local/HotPot/FancyPants for the month January". If they shifted the local serps to this type of closed-off structure AWAY from the regular organic playground....well then we'd be in serious trouble. All "Local SEO" folks would be.

      There will always be online marketing services to offer, but for the majority of us, I would imagine that ongoing SEO payments in competitive local industries makes up the majority of our revenue. Take that out of the picture and well.....

      But, like I said, I don't see how they could really "close" the local thing off from all the other related search algo's....

      - Jim
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3073385].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
        Originally Posted by jsherloc View Post

        ... If they are able to take SEO out of the game (I don't think it is possible at this point), they will put a lot of us out of business absolutely....
        I think it's quite possible that Google could significantly change the way their local business structure operates. They understand where the bulk of advertising dollars are spent, and they are desperate to get into that pool.

        But there's another factor. Market shift.

        Mobile is going to continue to erode the way the web is currently used, which also has a dramatic effect on local marketing.

        ALL cycles will come to an end or change, including the way we currently use the web and search.

        This is why I have relentlessly preached against being a one trick pony.

        Some have downright hated my message of becoming a broader consultancy, and even openly castigated me for it with accusations of condescension, et al.

        But how many marketing consultants participating on this forum have been in business since the early 90s?

        I have been forced to adapt my own strategies and evolve.

        That's something that a few of the SEO-only folks absolutely hate.

        Guess what?

        The inevitable is coming whether you agree or not.

        Business is about change.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3074209].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dexx
    Sounds like Google didn't take their $5 billion dollar (+ bonuses) rejection from Groupon very well...

    If you can't buy them...burn them!

    ~Dexx
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3073347].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jsherloc
    I agree that business is about change and evolving, but I'm curious to hear about "how soon?" a major shift away from the core basics of their search engine would even begin to take place in your guy's opinions?

    Personally, I don't even see mobile becoming fully mainstream for at least another 5 years or so here in the states. As evidenced by the consistent posts on here, businesses are still paying a couple hundred bucks at the very least just to get a web presence. I'd imagine this "catch-up" trend will continue over the next few years, with mobile becoming more intertwined and USEFUL for businesses in even the not-so-populated, less-affluent areas. I still have my doubts about mobile being a BIG thing in primarily rural-areas, lower-income areas though, but I guess it is similar to the need/impact of Local SEO in these less-populated small towns....

    I agree that major changes and refinements are coming for "local", especially with the further integration of mobile, but I don't agree that Google would abandon some form of a local ranking algorithm completely within the next decade. As long as online exposure comes down to fully-understanding the basics and evolving advancements of what their search engine spiders want, business owners will need someone to guide them. They(google) are attempting to simplify the exposure process absolutely, but they are doing it by blending it/adding on top of their pre-existing organic algorithms.

    - Jim
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3076427].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Hey if I had a functioning crystal ball, I'd be giving Warren Buffett a run in the market. Mine quit a long time ago, so I sort of play the "hedge your bet" game on everything with a B plan... and a C plan...

    I think we both agree that Google is trying to figure out local marketing, and they will eventually, by hook or crook, get it right. That could spell new opportunities for marketing consultants or it could nail the coffin lid shut - and it could happen over a longer haul or literally overnight.

    I think mobile is already mainstream with the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial becoming a household word. We're clearly through the early adoption phase and have hit Main Street. The outlying areas are on the backside of the curve.

    Yes, there can still be a lot of money made on the down slope of the bell curve, but as marketing and business opportunities go, you want to be on the upswing for longevity and margin.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3077754].message }}

Trending Topics