Google Local Business Center has New Info

[swirt]

It's been a few weeks since I last logged into The Google Local section for my listing so I don't know when this changed. The data only goes back to May 1 so it was relatively recently) Now when you login there is tracking data showing how many impressions there were for your business listing and what actions were taken (clicks for directions... clicks to website...clicks to more info)
It also shows the top Search queries that brought up your listing as well as the top regions for requests for directions.
Very interesting. If you haven't seen it, login and to your google local account and take a look. If you have not created/verified a Google local business listing for yourself...do it. TODAY.

 

[Proud Texan]

Isn't this the same data we get from Google Analytics?

 

[swirt]

Isn't this the same data we get from Google Analytics?.

No. Google Analytics tracks YOUR site. This new data is tracking your local business listing activity within Google Local which is not on your site.
There should be some agreement between what the local tracking says for the number of clickthroughs to your website and what analytics says, but all the other info would be completely unknown to analytics.

 

[aieechihuahua]

I didn't know about this. Thanks
I checked google analytics and this
/index.html?tracker=googlelocal showed 150 "page views"

the states for nearly the same dates in my google local account was 324 "clicks to my website".
What is the difference?

 

[swirt]

I didn't know about this. Thanks
I checked google analytics and this
/index.html?tracker=googlelocal showed 150 "page views"

the states for nearly the same dates in my google local account was 324 "clicks to my website".
What is the difference?.

Good question...I'm not sure. I'll have to compare a group of sites and see if I can spot a pattern. My guess would be that one includes data for when google local listings appear in a regular search (the 10 or so map listings that appear if you search for [city state bed and breakfast] and the lower count is specific to click throughs from only within google local.
I'll do a bit of research and see what else I can turn up. (won't happen tonight though...too late for research)

 

[Morticia]

I hadn't seen this before, pretty interesting. Do you know anything about the photo upload? It took 8 photos that I uploaded but there were broken links for 6 of them even tho the message was 'photo accepted'.

 

[swirt]

I hadn't seen this before, pretty interesting. Do you know anything about the photo upload? It took 8 photos that I uploaded but there were broken links for 6 of them even tho the message was 'photo accepted'..

It may take a little time for the photos to populate. I'd give them an hour and if they still show up as broken, give it another try.

 

[Morticia]

I hadn't seen this before, pretty interesting. Do you know anything about the photo upload? It took 8 photos that I uploaded but there were broken links for 6 of them even tho the message was 'photo accepted'..

It may take a little time for the photos to populate. I'd give them an hour and if they still show up as broken, give it another try.
.

It may take a little time for the photos to populate. I'd give them an hour and if they still show up as broken, give it another try.

I deleted them. I'll go back in a couple of days to see if all the other changes got added and then I'll try adding them back in. I don't want anyone to find this listing and see 'image not found' on all the extra pix. I don't know what I did but the listing went from being 83% complete to 72% complete.
But the data is interesting anyway. I like the search term list. And it is VERY different from the search term list that GA gives me.

 

[swirt]

I didn't know about this. Thanks
I checked google analytics and this
/index.html?tracker=googlelocal showed 150 "page views"

the states for nearly the same dates in my google local account was 324 "clicks to my website".
What is the difference?.

So I did some digging for several sites....interesting results. In some cases I can't break out in Analytics that the source was googlelocal ( I think this may be a difference between using the legacy code and the newer code from Analytics, but I am not certain of that just yet). However on sites that I can break it out that way, I see a similar discrepancy that you describe.
My theory is pretty much what I surmised last night. Analytics shows fewer clicks as being from googlelocal than the stats reported in the local business center becasue sometimes the local results are actually within the organic listings. When that is the case, Analytics records it as an organic click through because that is the page it came from (your analytics has no other way of distingushing it), but the local business center still records it as a "local" clickthrough.

 

[Hangfive]

I also ran across this a couple of days ago...If I had visited the forum I would have seen it sooner.
Any idea if naming photo's to be uploaded with keywords will help your ranking?

 

[swirt]

I also ran across this a couple of days ago...If I had visited the forum I would have seen it sooner.
Any idea if naming photo's to be uploaded with keywords will help your ranking?.

Any idea if naming photo's to be uploaded with keywords will help your ranking?

GREAT question!
I would be inclined to think no, not to help you with ranking position (#4 as opposed to #5). but it may help rank for other terms that you wouldn't ordinarly show up for. Examples "spectacular view, city, state" or "romantic stay city state"
Originally local was meant to show specific business types by location [bed and breakfast city state] but with more people using it, there is a greater attempted use of it for less specific searches like [romantic stay city state] And noticing that side use, google has made the search parameters more helpful. You'll notice if you search for something on google maps like [romantic stay city state] that most often the results are pulled based on that pharse or part of it appearing in a review that google has collected. So broadening terms assigned to images within local could also help broaden the types of searches, even if it may not help you show up higher for [bed and breakfast city state]
Now of course hedging a bet is also a good idea, so if you upload 5 pictures and name one of them [bed and breakfast city state] there is certianly no harm I just wouldn't name them all that...go for diversity of phrases that would appeal specifically to map users.

 

[gillumhouse]

I logged in and went to Local Business Center and although it displays my info on the right - including all the photos I spent all morning resizing and loading - it says in the Dashboard tab - There is no data for your request. What does that mean? I did get verified - several times in fact!

 

[swirt]

I logged in and went to Local Business Center and although it displays my info on the right - including all the photos I spent all morning resizing and loading - it says in the Dashboard tab - There is no data for your request. What does that mean? I did get verified - several times in fact!.

Hmmm good question....I'll see what I can find out. There is sometimes a delay of up to a month or so (although I thought they had improved that timing) from when you verify to when a site shows in the listings. If yours is verified but just not showing in the listings yet, there may be no data. I'll see what I can find.

 

[swirt]

Just saw this promotional video for Google Local Business Center. The promo uses a restarant as an example, but there are some interesting ideas presented.

 

[lonnie]

Thanks for the advice! Indeed, submitting a business to the local directory listings increases the chances for business and website promotion. The local business directory is definitely a way to go.