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google maps citations - how long to show up?

by todd40fla
6 replies
i have set up a google maps listing for a friend of mine. it is a new company so i created the listing from scratch.

filled in all of the info added 10 pics and 3 videos so far. had people add some reviews etc....

have listed them in several directories including many of those considered essential for google maps.....yellowpages.com superyellowpages...kudzu...yelp etc...etc.

it has been a week and none of the directories is showing up in the listings as a citation yet and the listing itself does not appear to be showing up anywhere for any of the keywords i inserted.

the one thing i have not done yet is to list the site i am promoting in the social bookmarking sites. i am new to this and while i am sure it isn't all that hard i just haven't figured that part out yet.

wondering if anyone with experience with the google maps or local business listings might have some insight into when the citations might begin appearing and how long it can take for the listing page to begin appearing under search results.

and how much the social bookmarking plays a role in this.

thanks
todd
#citations #google #long #maps #show
  • Profile picture of the author senatl
    I've done about 5 Google Map citations and all of them with establishing first time contact with Google Maps (not Google Maps picking them up via a website, which you can do by the way) it took about 3 weeks. Google also mailed a postcard for verification.
    Not sure if they still do that though.

    But 3-4 weeks have been the norm for me.
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    • Profile picture of the author todd40fla
      thanks for your respose senati.

      i did a phone verification so hopefully that should speed things up a little bit.

      also i did not mention in my original post.....i made certain that all directory submissions were EXACTLY the same as the google maps listing. no variations at all. from what i have heard even the slightest variation can cause a directory submission to NOT get picked up by google.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nic Lynn
    certifications can take up to 8 weeks. most will happen sooner. if it hasn't even been a week yet, you are in ggod shape.

    btw, you are doing allt he right things. kudos.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradSimon
    While the citations may take a while to show-up, once you verified your map listing you should start to see results in the map especially for a search for your location and one of the categories you listed. However, there are a lot of variables such as the size of the city you are located in, the number of competing businesses, and how close you are located to the center of the city.

    In Google LBC you can list up to 5 categories and it is best to use all 5. These categories are similar to the old yellow page book sub-headings. If you did not list 5 categories edit the listing and type in the most appropriate heading for your store and then click "Add another category". Repeat the process until you have a total of 5 different categories related to your store.

    Perform a search for each of your 5 categories and study the 7 listings that appear. How many reviews do they have (this is becoming the most important, but DON'T fake it. Real customer reviews only!), how many citations, how complete are their listings (hours of operation, payment options, brands carried, etc.) are they located closer to the center of the city (more important for larger cities). This will give you a better idea of what is needed to get listed in the 7-pack.

    Another thing you can do is build links to the Profile Page and embed the Google map on various website. Social Bookmarking sites can help, but don't stop there. Embed the Map on the company's website. Make blog posts about the business and embed the map and/or place a link to the Profile Page. Make web2.0 pages such as Squidoo, HubPages, WetPaint, etc. and embed the map and/or place a link to the Profile Page. Then Bookmark all the blog post and pages you create (promote the promoters). Do this gradually over time.

    You are off to a great start, but don't stop now hoping the listing will eventually show up. Be proactive and continue to build the credibility of the listing.

    Brad
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  • Profile picture of the author ellasmommy
    For me its been 4 months and they still aren't showing up. When I google my address an phone number I have plenty of citations. Why google doesn't find them and list them is a big question for me still!

    Hopefully someone on this forum knows the answer to it!
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Carlin
      Originally Posted by ellasmommy View Post

      For me its been 4 months and they still aren't showing up. When I google my address an phone number I have plenty of citations. Why google doesn't find them and list them is a big question for me still!

      Hopefully someone on this forum knows the answer to it!
      Yeah, tell me about it. I've spent hours putting up dozens of citations for 2 different businesses. I ping the pages every 3 days ad make sure the data matches exactly.

      4 weeks later, nothing at all. Not a single citation on either listing. Also, I should add these are not new business listings they have been up for more than a year before I started working on them.
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