On a related note, Google has begun a big push for "Google Tags" -- something to make your Local Business Results stand out from the rest of the free listings.
Today I received several promotional emails from Google for sites I manage.
Worse, google is using scare tactics to urge businesses to cough up $25/mo to make their "tag" stand out- below are the first few lines of the email.
Dear [Name of Company],
We recently noticed that one of your competitors has already taken advantage of new Google Tags advertising.
Now, you can make [Name of Company] stand out on Google as well with 30 days FREE of new Google Tags advertising.
The funny thing for that site is that it's a very narrow and specialized niche and there isn't another advertiser or "local" business within 500 miles of this company.
My impression: Google is willing to lie to make an advertising sale. And, when everyone pays the $25/mo, nothing will stand out.
