Google Plus Local Updates: Snap, Crackle, Pop!
About a month ago Google changed Google Places Pages to Google+ Local and the product went snap, crackle, pop! I was not at all surprised that things got broken because that’s the nature of rolling out large scale tech products.
Mike Blumenthal works closely with Google and the Google+ Local acting as a sort of brand advocate and great source of information regarding everything that is going on with Google+ Local. On his blog he has some updates regarding some of the issues everyone is facing with Google+ Local. When I say everyone I know I can speak for the agencies like LocalVox who are navigating and mapping these uncharted waters on behalf of our clients and the helpless local business who call us asking what they can do to fix their Google+ Local Page.
Mike says, “Clearly, Google is struggling with handling the problems created by the move to Google+Local and the self inflicted problems caused by the “We Currently Do Not Support” take downs. For those of you that were improperly taken down the comments above hold out some hope but nothing very soon. For those of you that have been merged or have the wrong reviews, you will have to wait until Google catches up.“
My two main concerns are also what is really the most frustrating thing about this entire Google+ Local migration.
1. How Bad Some of The Errors Are
The errors are catastrophic. It’s like letting Douche Bag Bison, sniff bath salts, chug Four Lokos and then run free in your local business.
This Video is Mr.Douche Bag Bison in action. That’s how bad the Google+ Local Page errors are.
Think I’m exaggerating? What would you do if your Google+ Local page had your competitions website, phone number and pictures on it and you could not do anything about it? This means all the clients who come to your page get sent directly to the competitions website and all your calls go to them. This is just one of the ridiculous stories we deal with and hear from prospective clients calling for help because their Google+ Local page is broken.
2.How long it takes to fix reported issues.
This is by far the most frustrating thing because errors happen, but when you submit a change it feels like nothing will ever be fixed because all changes are reviewed by a person. They are literally 3 months behind based on one of the changes I’ve been tracking. That means 3 months of a local business owner suffering because their information is wrong, when it was submitted correctly.
Google For Business Community Manager Jade W says in the forum,” Requesting data changes through these channels is not automatic — they are all reviewed — so don’t expect to see an immediate fix.“
Broken Google Plus Local Pages: What to Do Now
Granted Google+ Local is a free service but they are monetizing it via Google Adwords Express, so the product should be expected to work. Other wise how can you expect me to spend money to promote a broken Google+ Local page. We can’t not use Google+ Local pages because they are now very important for ranking in local search so we can only sit and wait patiently until things get fixed.
To all our clients and anyone else having issues with Google+ Local don’t be afraid. We know how to navigate troubled waters and are on top of the situation. So if you feel like you are drowning in a pool and doggy paddling around in frustration cause you can’t get out. Don’t worry we jumped into the same pool, and will find the other side and pull you safely out.
Here is a visual representation of how that would look.
