Places page ruining my google ranking?

[Captain Spaulding]

Hi,

I used to be top of the google ranks for "Chichester Laptop Repair" with my normal page + description and high up for other similar searches.

Now instead my google places page has taken the place of my normal page in the rankings. It still links to my main site but I don't get a description.

I'm getting a lot less hit on my site now and less calls from google searches.

Here is an example

You can see the 2nd and 3rd place results get their description. I lose mine now the places page is showing. Anyone else come up against this problem, I'm thinking of deleting my places page maybe.

 

[anglian]

You are lucky, I have about 10 places before the real results are shown.
I rank top of the searches for my keywords, but am only 7th in places
The only way to get above the places seems to be to use adwords, which is probable what google want,

 

[Parkwaytech]

I hate to tell you this, but you aren't on the first page when I search for that term. You are at the bottom of the second page of results with a direct link to your laptop repair page. I think you show up at the top because you are signed into your Google account, and it shows any results you are affiliated with first.

Same thing happened to me. I was all excited about my ranking, then checked it on another PC and couldn't find my site. Turns out you have to be signed out of your Google account to get accurate results. Gotta love Google.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

I hate to tell you this, but you aren't on the first page when I search for that term. You are at the bottom of the second page of results with a direct link to your laptop repair page. I think you show up at the top because you are signed into your Google account, and it shows any results you are affiliated with first.

Same thing happened to me. I was all excited about my ranking, then checked it on another PC and couldn't find my site. Turns out you have to be signed out of your Google account to get accurate results. Gotta love Google.

I think it's because you are coming from the US (google.com?), I checked on a proxy and using various machine outside my network and the results are the same.

 

[Parkwaytech]

Perhaps then. I just know the behavior you are getting is the exact same I get for my US site. And I get all UK businesses listed when I search.

 

[Parkwaytech]

Nevermind. I searched from google.co.uk and get the same result you are. Gotta love how Google places puts their results at the top for their services.

 

[PCX]

Take advantage of that Google places. It here to stay, some times it will be there on the first page, other times it wont be. But when it is up, you need to have a good amount of positive reviews. I cannot count the number of times that customers skipped everyone else on the page because of my reviews.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Take advantage of that Google places. It here to stay, some times it will be there on the first page, other times it wont be. But when it is up, you need to have a good amount of positive reviews. I cannot count the number of times that customers skipped everyone else on the page because of my reviews.

OK seems I'll have to live with no description, do you ask customers once work is complete to leave reviews or just rely on them doing it themselves?

 

[PCX]

OK seems I'll have to live with no description, do you ask customers once work is complete to leave reviews or just rely on them doing it themselves?

Most definitely ask. Many of them have done it by themselves, but you should not rely on it.

 

[PaulRome]

Google did just tweak their search algo.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Google did just tweak their search algo.

Ah OK my page rank stayed at 2.

 

[I FIX PC'S]

Hi guys,
I'm having the same problem, my google local listing comes up for search term 'pc repair Ipswich'and not the normal google listing for this search term that I was getting.
If you search 'laptop repair Ipswich'or 'computer repair Ipswich ' I come up normally top in the search results!
What's going on???
I'm in panic mode at moment
My web is www.ifixpc.co.uk
Cheers
Andy

 

[callthatgirl]

Bluefish is #1 on my page and Andy you're like 3 down on page 1.

 

[I FIX PC'S]

Hi call that girl,
Thanks for that.
I'm 3rd for Pc repair Ipswich? Who's at 1 and 2??
Cheers
Andy

 

[anglian]

Hi Andy

For 'computer repair Ipswich' I get you 1st in places but nowhere on the first 3 pages of search results

For 'laptop repair ipswich' 1st place (after ads) and 1st in places

For 'PC repair ipswich' 1st in places but nowhere on the first 3 pages of search results

 

[Cambridge PC Support]

Just build a new website on a different domain and point your Google Places to that.

That's what I did, so now I have Adwords, Places and Organic all showing me on the first page

 

[I FIX PC'S]

No wonder things have gone quiet!

 

[commodore64]

It is unfortunate that if you have a #1 Google listing that your listing will show up like that with no description. Our listing is doing the same thing. I did try to close our place listing so that are complete organic listing with descriptions would show up, and it worked. However.... Do NOT do it!! After the places listing disconnected from our organic listing, Google created new places listings for us from importing data from online directories. All this does is put you back to square one, except you get a generic Google places listing and all your reviews and input is gone. After this happened, we reenabled our places listing, but now we have duplicates that Google hasn't been able to fix in over two months. Now I have a Google listing showing up with my organic listing but only two of my reviews, then I have a second Google places listing that is not showing up in search that has the rest of my reviews, Hopefully Google will fix it soon, but I learned my lesson to not close that listing again.

 

[PCX]

As I have already said before, take advantage of Google places. It's not your enemy. It can be even better than organic searches if you have great reviews, especially if your more highly reviewed than your competition.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Just build a new website on a different domain and point your Google Places to that.

That's what I did, so now I have Adwords, Places and Organic all showing me on the first page

I like the sound of that, I already changed the places page to be a different page on my existing domain. Places has not updated yet but I wonder when it does if it will have the same result?