Tripadvisor block reviews from Google Places

[Whitey]

Now here is an interesting development – Google is no longer able to stream in reviews from TripAdvisor to Places pages after the user review giant blocked it.
TripAdvisor confirmed the move today in an email, stating that while it continues to evaluate recent changes to Google Places it believes the user does not benefit with the “experience of selecting the right hotel. [tnooz.com...]

[SEOMike]

Smart move. I'm sure TA was seeing a drop in traffic when their reviews were made more noticeable in G Places. I wouldn't allow Google to freely syndicate my content either. TA has worked for YEARS to become the trusted source of travel reviews and to offset that cost they need advertiser money. No traffic = No advertiser money.

[Rugles]

I can definately see this costing TA traffic. In fact I am likely guilty of just quickly looking at the TA information that Google displays and not going to the site.

By the way, I love TA. I check it before I book any hotels and post the odd review my own self.

[docbird]

Good if google can respond by booting down serps the pages that claim to have reviews and info on places, yet in fact have no info on them at all.
I heard lately of hotels disliking Tripadvisor etc, as tends to be people who've had problems who post.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Perhaps Google should start asking before they take content wholesale, ya think? That or start producing some of their own...

[MrFewkes]

"That or start producing some of their own"

Even better - why dont google just go away and never come back.

[Whitey]

TripAdvisor, whose top source of traffic is Google, acknowledged that its traffic from Google dropped by more than 10%, on a seasonally adjusted basis, since mid-October - just before Google announced the latest change to the way its search engine shows information about local businesses. [hotelmarketing.com...]
10% ?

[wheel]

I don't know anything about the travel sector or tripadvisor - but doesn't a phone call from them to MS seem like a good idea now? ie., lets do what Google's trying to do, but you pay us some money for it?

[graeme_p]

@kickaxe: they were taking snippets (like they do in th SERPS) and ratings.

Tripadvisor's problem is that Google is now showing reviews from other sources, so Tripadvisor will probably get even less traffic from Google. Who will this hurt more

@docbird, users like Tripadvisor for exactly the same reason hotels do not like it!

[londrum]

Tripadvisor's problem is that Google is now showing reviews from other sources, so Tripadvisor will probably get even less traffic from Google. Who will this hurt more

that is the exact same argument that google used for Google News, when Murdoch started complaining. they said his real problem was that they were showing snippets from other newspapers, draining away his readers.
i dont buy it, its just google PR.

if people were deserting tripadvisor because they were finding better sites through the place pages, then they would have a point. but they are not. im guessing that they are deserting tripadvisor for the place pages themselves. the place page is supposed to be the ultimate destination -- that is why google have introduced it. they want to earn a load of extra ad dollars from the place pages, not send the users to all these other sites where they earn nothing.

why should tripadvisor feed the very thing that is draining away its readers? tripadvisor is coming up with all the tasty ingredients, and then google comes along and takes it, and bakes their own cake. any cook who finds themselves in that situation would cry foul.

[pp46]

Even better - why dont google just go away and never come back.

I'LL GO WITH THAT

[cloudtap]

TripAdvisor has to have seen huge dips in traffic, but they are sticking to their userbase and convictions and I think it will REALLY work out. TripAdvisor is all about travel advisement. I'd stick with their current strategy if I were them because it really helps them in the long run.

Thank god some companies don't think so short-sighted