Google Maps - Major updating problems

[SEOPTI]

I've been reading the Google Maps Help Group for business owner, each day tons of people complain about 3-4 months old listings which have still not been updated.

They seem to have some major technical problems. Business owners are almost freakin out there. Listings verified back in July and August have still not been updated.

[edited by: SEOPTI at 1:31 am (utc) on Nov. 2, 2007]

[earlpearl]

yes. it is still evolving. It is weak. If you need to update something you need to be very specific with regard to the site, the problems, address information etc.

Understanding Google Maps and Yahoo Local is a terrific blog(not mine) that covers many of these issues.

[SEOPTI]

A business owner even posted that they are F. useless because they don't update their local listings. This posting has been up for more than 24 hours.

I would have removed this kind of posting if it were my froum.
Seems like they don't check their own forums quite often, at least the local forum has been abandoned.

[Lorel]

I don't know about Yahoo Local but Google Local says it takes 4 weeks for the update to show up--although it took about 6 weeks in my case.

[earlpearl]

Do you guys have specific issues that need to be updated? There have been some ways to get things updated more quickly. I've done some of them and advised others.

Its not a guarantee, but some things have been updated more quickly.

Its a system in need of lots of fixes, no doubt though.

[Webwork]

There have been some ways to get things updated more quickly. I've done some of them . .

Having read the above I next expected to see you list the ways.

[earlpearl]

1. If you have a website or business with problems in the Google maps sections and you have been contacting the customer service people there, (google jen and whomever) you need to be specific.

Give them the business name, url, address, phone number, and any specific information. Then give them the necessary changes. Once they know the specifics they are pretty good at making changes fairly quickly.

2. If there is something outrageous that is not getting a response bring it up to some of the people in SEO that get reviewed by google, such as Barry Schwartz at seoroundtable, Danny Sullivan at searchengineland etc.

Its been amazing to see some outlandish things fixed quickly once they got publicity.

[Webwork]

:) Thanks for the insights/guidance EP.

[earlpearl]

I really like the blog post 'Understanding Google Maps and Yahoo Local" by mike blumenthal at blumenthals.com/blog.

I suspect Chris Silver has good insights into G maps, tho I haven't frankly read his stuff recently. I'm working w/mike to test some of the characteristics of G maps rankings and we are using bill slawski's writings on the G maps patents (sorry I don't have the reference but it can be found at seobythesea.

I'm very eager to hear from anyone else who seems to have great insights.

I think that g maps only has significant inpact if and when it appears as a onebox insert in local searches in organic search...but when it does show up it has in those onebox inserts it has a dramatic effect, dominating the Google search page.

Dave