Google Place Search Emphasizes Local SEO - Mediapost.com

Google began rolling out Place Search to combine local and organic listings on Google.com when searchers look for information around location. It aggregates results based on places, so searchers can compare information, but there are a few things SEO experts will want to play close attention to when optimizing Web sites for local search.

When Google's search engine believes the searcher wants information about a location, it returns local businesses high in the search engine results page. The new results in Place Search supports longer descriptions and reviews. Scroll down the page and the map follows along in the browser window.

Google Place Search will lead to more SEO work for companies that focus on small business optimization. Andrew Shotland, founder of Local SEO Guide, says the tool favors small businesses in Google's search results. "It intensifies the competition for local rankings," he says. "Previously, if you couldn't rank in Google's Seven Pack, the local set of results when they detect a relevant local query, you could always rank in the Web results shown around the map. If you weren't good at maps SEO you would be at Web SEO and get by."

The new change allows map listings to dominate the page and pushes non-local organic listings down or off the page. Businesses that ranked well in organic search results and had a map listing will now see the two merge. That merge will reduce the number of Web results on the page by one, explains Shotland. He also says that means Web sites that don't have a physical location in the city get pushed off the page.

Sites that have customer reviews have an exaggerated prominence in the search results, Shotland says.

David Harry, community manager at the SEO Training Dojo, says the ability to rank high in the search engine results pages for local search will require SEO professionals to consider domain extensions like .com .ca .co.uk; and information on the site that might appear on the contact page and in the footer. He says it is make sure it's accurate for each location if the business has more than one. He suggests updating local directories and make sure the business is listed on Web sites such as local directories and Google Maps.

For the better part of a year, Google has been asking local companies from restaurants to lawyer offices to "claim their business" listing by adding information about their Web site, telephone number and local address. IT generates a listing for the location in Google Maps, allowing searchers to find the business, get information and leave a review.

The tool will compete for space with listings on Yelp, Citysearch and other local directories. And now with Marissa Mayer behind the helm supporting local as the vice president of geographic and local services at Google, we will likely see much more innovation focused on local in the near future.

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Facebook Keeps Privacy Features Comin' - Mediapost.com

In its latest effort to ease privacy concerns, Facebook on Tuesday unveiled additional security features, including the ability to request a one-time password for use on public computers. "The feature ... allows you to text 'otp' to 32665 from a mobile phone associated with your account to get a password to use on a public computer, such as at a library or Internet café," reports the Los Angeles Times.

"The measure helps protect people from keylogging programs or malware." Another new feature lets users see all the active sessions on their account, as well as log out remotely. The top social network also plans to routinely ask users to update their account information, such as their phone number and the security question that helps prove one's identity. Kudos to Facebook for continuing to pursue a more secure environment for users, but that last endeavor sounds more like a ploy to keep members' personal information up to date -- important to advertisers willing to pay a premium for reliable demographic data.

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Can Verizon IPhone Stop Android Onslaught? - Mediapost.com

Fresh data underscoring Android's remarkable growth seems to come in almost every day now. The latest research, from comScore, shows that the Google mobile platform's share of the mobile market leapt from 13% to 19.6% in the three months ending in August, compared to the prior three-month period.

Android gained ground on all of its major competitors as BlackBerry-maker RIM's market share slipped four percentage points to 37.6%, Apple dipped slightly to 24.2%, and Microsoft dropped from 13.2% to 10.8%. Palm is down to 4.6%.

The comScore figures come a day after Nielsen reported that Android is the most popular mobile operating system among people who have bought smartphones in the last six months. Nearly a third of recent buyers are getting Android-based phones compared to about 25% each for the iPhone and BlackBerry.

Similar to comScore, Nielsen estimated Android's overall market share at 19%, but had a somewhat larger estimate of Apple's share, at 28%, while attributing 31% to BlackBerry. Either way it's more good news for Google and more unwelcome news for RIM, as its leading share of the U.S. smartphone market continues to slide. Apple also has a battle on its hands maintaining its second-place share against the Android surge.

But the company may get a new weapon in its arsenal against Google in the smartphone wars, with a new report saying Apple will begin mass producing a new iPhone model by year's end that would allow Verizon Wireless to start selling the device in early 2011. The Wall Street Journal article, citing people briefed by Apple, said the new model would be similar to the iPhone 4 but compatible with Verizon's CDMA wireless network technology.

Of course, stories and speculation about a Verizon iPhone have become a regular feature of the frothy mobile news landscape. And recent statements by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg expressing frustration with Apple for not teaming with the carrier seemed to cast doubt on an imminent iPhone from Verizon.

But there's been a steady stream of reports suggesting Apple is building a CDMA-capable iPhone, which would point directly toward striking a deal with Verizon to carry its flagship device. There's little question a partnership with the country's largest wireless operator could help both companies expand their customer bases.

And with Apple executives reading every other day about Android's explosive growth, the company has to feel more pressure to partner with other carriers besides AT&T. It's seen firsthand how Google has profited from making Android available on phones from multiple manufacturers and operators. Apple may stick with making its own phones, but it can certainly open up the iPhone to more carriers.

One trend benefiting all smartphone players is growing mobile content use, according to a new comScore report. More than a third (34.5%) of cell phone subscribers now browse the Web, 32.3% use downloaded apps, 23% play games, and 22.5% access social networking sites or blogs. Text messaging remains the most pervasive activity, with two-thirds of cell users thumbing mobile keypads.

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