Category: Google Places

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So You Want the Blue Balloon Next to Your Google Maps Listing – How to Get It

Do you want that blue balloon found next to certain listings in Google Maps? Most listings have the red balloon, but you want the blue one as it really stands out. Here’s how to get it.

First, the blue balloon denotes a sponsored Google Maps listing. It means that this business is using Google AdWords Express to promote their website and Google Places page. If you are already using AdWords you may not want to proceed with these instructions, but say you don’t care about click performance, you just really want that blue balloon!

Allison at Google AdWords has explained to me how you can get the blue balloon. First, you will need to create a Google Places page that uses the SAME login as you use at Google AdWords for your regular pay per click account. Within your new Google Places account you will see a link to AdWords Express or you can login directly to AdWords Express at http://www.google.com/adwords/express/. Once you have your Places page set up, just enter your credit card information and website information.

AdWords Express will not allow you to manage your pay per click account as you typically do in the AdWords control panel. It is a streamlined and fully automated ad serving program. You cannot set keywords, bids, or targeting, or for that matter even create ad text. AdWords Express will set up generic keywords (in many cases just your business name), set your ad targeting to a 15 mile radius (you will not be able to change this), but it will allow you to select a monthly click spend range.

The next time you login to your regular Google AdWords account, you will then see a new ad campaign appear. The campaign name will consist of a string of letters and numbers and is grayed out. What you see is a read only copy of your Google Places AdWords Express advertising program. You cannot make changes in AdWords, just read what is there. To make any changes or to stop activity you will need to login to AdWords Express or your Google Places account.

Then voilà! You now have a blue balloon next to your paid ad that will show Google Maps and in some Google organic listings.

Do I recommend this course of action, meaning advertising on the super simplified and automated AdWords Express platform? Only if you are a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to AdWords, and only if your monthly budget is under $500 for clicks for a 30 day period. If you are a power advertiser and already have a well set up AdWords account and pay a professional manager, I do not recommend following this course of action just to get the blue balloon. As long as you have location extensions set up in your AdWords account, your AdWords ads are already showing in Google Maps – just not with the blue balloon.

From what I have seen in viewing these accounts once set up, the keywords are very, very general and the type that you would typically pause in a well-managed AdWords account as low performance high dollar click cost keywords. I personally don’t feel the cash drain and poorly targeted activity is worth it just to get a blue balloon.

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Doctors and Online Reviews

I read with interest an article in the Washing on Post on Sunday about how Doctors are combating online reviews by requiring patients to sign that they will not review the doctor or their services online in exchange for keeping the patient’s email address private from third party marketing use.

I found the article troubling, as I have used online reviews to select a doctor before and routinely review a physician online before scheduling an appointment. Of issue was what almost appeared to me to be blackmail – “don’t share your experience or we’ll sell your email to spammers”. Worse yet, was the closing paragraph where one physician reviewed stated that he/she routinely goes online and writes glowing fake reviews about themselves.

The importance of legitimate online reviews for both physician review and even for Google Places simply cannot be downplayed. As reviews become more important for online businesses and localized search results become more predominant in search results on Bing.com and Google.com I am expecting the search engines to roll out this year an authorization tie in to one of your social profiles to afford legitimacy. In fact, I feel that in light of this article clear identification and legitimacy of online reviews is overdue.

As to businesses and the physician in this case requiring a patient to sign away review rights for services to be provided, is simply draconian and worthy of boycott.

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What Can You Expect With Google Places

Claiming your Google Places page for you business is a very good idea, but what can you expect after you claim your page?

Just because you claim your Google Places page does not mean that your Places page will automatically appear in local search and Google Maps results immediately. It is important to know that Google sometimes has as long as a four week delay before your Places page appears regularly in the search results.

I have found that it takes time for your Google Places page to appear, once set up your page will not be shown automatically the first day you update your account. Sometimes you may wait as long as four weeks before your page appears regularly.

Here are my recommendations for Google Places:

  1. Claim your page.
  2. Add 10 photos and your comments, consider adding a special coupon promotion.
  3. Link to your Google Places page on your blog and in your email signature.
  4. Regularly ask satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google Places page.
  5. Schedule an update of your page every 30 days. Update your comments and your photos.
  6. Be patient, but be proactive.
  7. If you feel that you are not getting the exposure you want, consider using Google AdWords Express tied to your Google Places page for faster visibility.
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Google Places Has Dropped My Listing – What Do I Do?

I cannot begin to tell you the stories that I have heard about Google dropping Google Places pages and how this has impacted businesses; strangling their local placement and impacting sales from business owners who call us for help. The common thread in all of these stories has been that the business in question has tried to manipulate Google Places results and as a consequence Google has dropped their page or pages – disastrously impacting their business.

First, it is very important to remember that Google Places is a free service. Your Google Places page is created using Google’s free tools. You use the program by adhering to Google’s rules. There is no complaining to Google, no customer service line, and no recourse when you get caught scamming the system.

Frequently this is what I see a business doing that gets it dropped from the Place index:

  • Created multiple pages using addresses that may be rental properties locations, friends’ home addresses, and even corner gas station addresses.
  • Tried to set up a Places page using a fictitious address or old address they have used before.
  • Tried to scam the verification system.

How can you fix a situation where your Places Page has been dropped from the Google index?

  1. If you don’t have a legitimate office location in the area you will never be able to get and verify your Places page. There is no work around, no manipulating that can be done to force Google to set up, verify, and show your Places page.
  2. If you have been dropped due to trying to manipulate placement your only recourse is to delete all Places pages you have created and then set up a Places page again with the correct information.

Often I hear a business owner say, “I don’t want to delete my Places page as I will lose my reviews!” If Google has dropped you from the Places index your page isn’t showing anyway. Understand that reviews are tied to your business name not a Google Places page. Google knows your address not from what you tell it in Google Places set up, but rather from spidering pages about your business from around the Web. There is no fooling Google into thinking that you have a new location when you do not.

Even with a clean set up there is simply no guarantee that Google will show your Google Places page in their index. Remember, this is a free service with the rules and penalties set up and governed by Google on THEIR platform. If you don’t play the game their way, they have every right to exclude your content from their index.