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(update -- now rolling out) Google Places carousels appearing in some organic local results

by warrenonline
13 replies
For those of you who rank and rent organic local sites, what do you think of the new Places carousel that might be rolling out? You can see an example here -- http://blumenthals.com/blog/wp-conte...5/carousel.jpg and another one here -- http://blog.acorn-is.com/wp-content/...ces-gone-3.jpg.

It seems to be in limited testing now; it appears for some searches one day and then goes back to the usual blended organic/Places layout the next. Also, it seems to mainly be in testing for restaurant and hotel SERPs right now, but I read in another forum that someone even saw it on a results page for guitar teachers.

So it looks like Google is interested in replacing the somewhat non-descript blended Places results with this much more noticeable and dominant Places layout above the organic results for all local searches. In the one screenshot there, you can even see the top organic result now comes third after this carousel thing and the top Adwords pack and looks a bit forlorn there.

What do you think this carousel will do to clickthrough rates for organically ranked local sites?

Edit: now officially rolling out in the States -- see last post
#appearing #carousels #google #local #organic #places #results
  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    I like the design. From a consumer stand point I look forward to this.
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    Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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    • Profile picture of the author TheBigBee
      Originally Posted by waterprism View Post

      For those of you who rank and rent organic local sites, what do you think of the new Places carousel that might be rolling out? You can see an example here -- http://blumenthals.com/blog/wp-conte...5/carousel.jpg and another one here -- http://blog.acorn-is.com/wp-content/...ces-gone-3.jpg.

      It seems to be in limited testing now; it appears for some searches one day and then goes back to the usual blended organic/Places layout the next. Also, it seems to mainly be in testing for restaurant and hotel SERPs right now, but I read in another forum that someone even saw it on a results page for guitar teachers.

      So it looks like Google is interested in replacing the somewhat non-descript blended Places results with this much more noticeable and dominant Places layout above the organic results for all local searches. In the one screenshot there, you can even see the top organic result now comes third after this carousel thing and the top Adwords pack and looks a bit forlorn there.

      What do you think this carousel will do to clickthrough rates for organically ranked local sites?
      Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

      I like the design. From a consumer stand point I look forward to this.

      Look for it to ship by mid July for sure.

      Google doesn't make moves to "delight users" like Apple. Google makes moves to exploit data like statisticians. That being said, this carousel play is strictly designed to increase CTR.

      The way ads appear in Google have not changed in almost forever. CTR is suffering because of it.

      How do you get people to click on stuff. You turn text into photos and videos.

      Google will HAVE TO monetize places because Places + normal organic account for 80% of all clicks.

      This new carousel is an ideal way to monetize more clicks because now folks are clicking on nice, bright, shiny photos. Google now says: "Mr. Merchant each time someone clicks on your shiny bright photo, we will charge you $X."

      People like photos. Photos are addictive. (Instagram + Facebook anyone?)... So people click more... More photos...

      So... Google earns more... more revenue per search query...

      Simple.
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  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    Looks like the spot you will want would be #2-4, bet #1 would have a much lower CTR. Interesting.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Bratcher
    Looks like a better way to browse places listings. We'll see how it ends up affecting marketing.

    Keeping the organic, un-blended listing is strange and would be a problem if they do this outside of testing. It would create a lot of redundancy with the places listing in the carousel and the website on top of the organic listings. This would lower the value of the ads.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cashflowlife
      I like it quite a bit actually. It definitely attracts the eye as a consumer, makes search more graphical, allows more places listings to be visible immediately on the page load, and on top of that let's organically ranked listings actually have back some of the vacated screen real estate from the prior places listing.

      I would wonder though what the CTR difference is from a #1-#3 places listing the old way versus the new, will it improve or will people be more likely to click the organic listings below it they are more accustomed to, at least initially.

      Looks very good to me, certainly better for some types of businesses than most, restaurants being an excellent example.

      -Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author mojo1
    The pictures do add a nice pop on the search page. Perhaps this a sign Google's Trusted Photograhper program is beginning to make good traction on the local business scene.
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  • Profile picture of the author digichik
    I wonder if this is part of the reason why the 'places' link has disappeared from the Google menu? To get pages of local listings, you now have to click on the 'maps' link.
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    • Profile picture of the author mak25
      Originally Posted by digichik View Post

      I wonder if this is part of the reason why the 'places' link has disappeared from the Google menu? To get pages of local listings, you now have to click on the 'maps' link.
      I noticed the same thing about a week or so ago.

      I found it curious that the big G would quit the places pages.

      Also, in about the same time period, I did notice on a mobile search,
      they had those carousel listings. It's not there now though.

      Personally, I like it. My clients have pictures that I uploaded, so it looks like pictures
      are going to very important. Especially for CTR.
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  • Profile picture of the author warrenonline
    This is starting to roll out properly now. If you're in the US, type Mexican Restaurants 'city' (example, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans seem to bring it up). Or try golf courses 'city'. Or cinemas 'city'. Seems to be mainly entertainment-type stuff right now. If you're not in the US and want to see what this is looking like, type the above search and then append &gl=us at the end of the browser URL.

    So what do you guys think? This going to be a killer for non-Places (or whatever they're calling it this week) organic local rankings?
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  • Profile picture of the author mrmatt
    Wow!

    What's interesting is that when you click on one of the links it does a search for that restaurant and brings back the search results for that specific restuarant.

    I don't know if it will kill it. I think it will slow it down. It will depend on whether they do this for all businesses or if it will be just for entertainment based businesses. It makes doing research on a business significantly easier for the consumer.

    The photos are hard to resist.

    One thing I believe stongly about this is that rep management industry will grow significanlty.

    Also just going through a handful of searches one of the things I am noticing is that there tends to be several directories above the actual local sites. So creating local niche directories might be another area that will grow as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author warrenonline
    Coming up for guitar lessons 'city' too. If there's no picture related to the Places or G+ account or whatever, then a map segment shows up.
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    • Profile picture of the author BC27
      Had to bring this thread up again as it just affected me. Rolled out for me the day I met with my client and went to show him his #1 organic website ranking, above the local listings, for a city his biz does not reside in...great timing!

      My client does own just about every other local ranking for the city the biz does reside in, but this other market was 6 times larger.

      From a consumer standpoint I like it a lot. I can definitely see it being rolled out in more industries.

      From an SEO standpoint I'm mixed:
      1) As TheBigBee pointed out, I have a hard time believing it will stay as is, since it currently ranks above the paid ads...which I assume Google will not keep for the long-term, just for testing viability. They are not about to let their paid ad income drop to do right by local biz are they? So I believe it will stay in some form, possibly below the ads? who knows.

      2) This could mean the end of the days of ranking a website organically above the local results when a biz does not reside in that city. It gets pushed way too far down.

      3) The carousel shows more listings, 9 picture listings by my count, which makes it more of a level playing field, meaning the #1 rank on local is probably no longer good enough, might even be worse, as some have pointed out.

      4) It provides a few more spots/opportunities of getting a biz that resides outside the local area ranked on the local carousel.

      5) Pictures are now worth 2000 words? It's not hard to see what stands out in the thumbnails.

      6) As mrmatt pointed out, rep management will be even more important as it shows the reviews outright on the thumbnail. This actually gave me an instant upsell during my meeting as it was clear as day it was needed. Social Proof.

      One thing I would like to hear more feedback on besides what others are seeing, is from PPC type folks. I don't deal with it much. Would, as TheBigBee stated, Google really monetize the local listings?

      I have a hard time believing that. I know they of course always want to increase revenue, but that just seems like taking from one pot and putting it into another, with none, to very little increase. Just shifting moving from one place to another.

      I think it would actually hurt them in the long run, as they would be forcing small biz that don't want to do PPC, to do it, creating resentment, and possibly being the beginning of the end of their dominance.

      I would assume rather than following suit as usual, Bing/Yahoo and others would see it as an opportunity to capture more market share by marketing and really pushing the fact that they don't charge for local listings.

      Thoughts?
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      • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
        I think this change is awesome from local businesses and even more so for those of use providing online review and reputation management services.

        Have you clicked any of the images? They bring you to a branded result for the company and so far the branded results are showing almost all the major directory listings the company has with the star ratings. WOOT!

        Originally Posted by BC27 View Post

        Had to bring this thread up again as it just affected me. Rolled out for me the day I met with my client and went to show him his #1 organic website ranking, above the local listings, for a city his biz does not reside in...great timing!

        My client does own just about every other local ranking for the city the biz does reside in, but this other market was 6 times larger.

        From a consumer standpoint I like it a lot. I can definitely see it being rolled out in more industries.

        From an SEO standpoint I'm mixed:
        1) As TheBigBee pointed out, I have a hard time believing it will stay as is, since it currently ranks above the paid ads...which I assume Google will not keep for the long-term, just for testing viability. They are not about to let their paid ad income drop to do right by local biz are they? So I believe it will stay in some form, possibly below the ads? who knows.

        2) This could mean the end of the days of ranking a website organically above the local results when a biz does not reside in that city. It gets pushed way too far down.

        3) The carousel shows more listings, 9 picture listings by my count, which makes it more of a level playing field, meaning the #1 rank on local is probably no longer good enough, might even be worse, as some have pointed out.

        4) It provides a few more spots/opportunities of getting a biz that resides outside the local area ranked on the local carousel.

        5) Pictures are now worth 2000 words? It's not hard to see what stands out in the thumbnails.

        6) As mrmatt pointed out, rep management will be even more important as it shows the reviews outright on the thumbnail. This actually gave me an instant upsell during my meeting as it was clear as day it was needed. Social Proof.

        One thing I would like to hear more feedback on besides what others are seeing, is from PPC type folks. I don't deal with it much. Would, as TheBigBee stated, Google really monetize the local listings?

        I have a hard time believing that. I know they of course always want to increase revenue, but that just seems like taking from one pot and putting it into another, with none, to very little increase. Just shifting moving from one place to another.

        I think it would actually hurt them in the long run, as they would be forcing small biz that don't want to do PPC, to do it, creating resentment, and possibly being the beginning of the end of their dominance.

        I would assume rather than following suit as usual, Bing/Yahoo and others would see it as an opportunity to capture more market share by marketing and really pushing the fact that they don't charge for local listings.

        Thoughts?
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