Goggle Maps problem

[Onthebrightside]

Does anyone understand how google maps works in regard to searches please. I created a website for our family business, Esssex Metal Roofing (no guesses where we are located ), in October last year. One of the products we offer is 'Zinc Roofing' and to start with when we put that into search engines our little company always showed up on the map (that automatically comes up in the search offers) and in the list of companies. However, of late we seem to come and go off the map and in the list of companies offered. Is it something we are doing - or not doing.

It is frustrating us somewhat so any offers of info are greatly appreciated.

 

[Ashley_Price]

Have you listed your business on Google My Business?

Once you are listed, and verified, then your details get put on Google Maps.

If you hadn't done this and used to get shown, I can only assume Google changed the criteria and now shows only those who have actually added their businesses.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Many thanks for the help. Yep, we already did the Google My Business, created a Google website as well and put ourselves on the map, got the code to confirm it any everything about November last year. In addition I have been ont he google webmaster and had it crawl the site and set up a Google Analytics account which is showing a positive interest in the site. But despite all of this we keep coming and going on Goggle maps, particularly for our main business which is Zinc Roofing.

 

[Ashley_Price]

What did Google say about it, when you contacted them?

 

[Onthebrightside]

We come up on the map if we search ourselves - no problem - but we don't come up for Zinc Roofing every time. We were at the top of the map search for quite a few weeks and listed at page for and now have slowly slide down past page 20 and off of the map entirely.

I just wonder if anyone had experienced this or knew how Google Maps worked.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Actually I didn't contact Google - I didn't realy think you could - do you just phone them?

 

[Onthebrightside]

Sorry to sound so thick about it.

 

[Ashley_Price]

If you look at the Menu on the left-hand side, at the bottom, there is the "Support" option, which brings up a pop up window, allowing you to search for your problem. There is also a link to the help forums, and finally there is a link for contacting them.

See here for an example:

 

[Onthebrightside]

Star! Thank you so much. I will try this once I am on the desktop and see if I can get through to them. Much appreciated.

 

[UKSBD]

Google returns results based on your history and where you are searching from

You can trick Google in to thinking you are somewhere else using this - https://www.uksbd.co.uk/local/

If you put Metal Roofing and search from Halstead you will get completely different results than what people searching from other locations get.

You may often see your listing, but others just a few miles away may see completely different things to what you see.

 

[fisicx]

We come up on the map if we search ourselves - no problem - but we don't come up for Zinc Roofing every time. We were at the top of the map search for quite a few weeks and listed at page for and now have slowly slide down past page 20 and off of the map entirely.

I suspect it's because Google no longer thinks you are worthy of ranking well for Zinc Roofing.

The map listing is very specific. It returns local results that exactly match the search query. If you Google My Business listing isn't clear that you are a local supplier of zinc roofing then you won't appear on the map.

And as has already been mentioned, Google remembers your searches so will display results matching your search history.

 

[justinaldridge]

I just took a quick look and as I'm not based where you are I can only try and replicate the results by looking for "zinc roofing essex" or "zinc roofing halstead".

For both I see your listing come up (ish) so it is recognised for zinc roofing searches.

Can I ask you to see how the results differ for you when you search on your desktop and on your phone? The location targeting on your phone is more accurate. Do you appear when searching for "zinc roofing" on your phone?

When I search with "essex" in the search phrase I see that you are quite far away from other businesses. That can also be a factor.

However, you need to tidy the GMB listing first before anything else.

The address on the listing is incomplete compared to what's on the website. You need to match the two. It's missing the street number.

You have put that you are open 24 hours which is not true and your competitors have proper times selected. Update your times to be actual business times.

Your business description in the listing looks like spam:

"'All Metal Roofing Services, free quotes, estimates and advice Zinc roofing Copper roofing Stainless Steel roofing TCS roofing Leadwork Lead Roofing Lindab PLX roofing GreenCoat PLX roofing Zinc Roof Copper Roof Stainless Steel Roof TCS Roof Lindab Roof GreenCoat Roof PLX Roof Lead Roof Cladding Essex Suffolk Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire mail:mailto:[email protected] Tel.07427026090'

This is not a quality description of your business. Rewrite it as a helpful, friendly and useful description of your business and the services that you offer. Imagine telling your best friend what you do....write it like that.

I suspect because as the listing is incomplete, it's looks a little spammy and the opening hours are not true, that it may have lost trust and so it's not appearing perhaps as much as it should do.

I would start by improving your business listing as that may just increase the trust in your listing and get you appearing more often in searches again.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Thanks for the info everyone. I have contacted Google Maps as suggested and they have more or less said the same with the only addition being we should respond to reviews. I am going to do exactly what you have said and make sure that our info on there is a little tighter.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Thank you everyone for your time, it is much appreciated.

 

[justinaldridge]

It would be great if you can update this thread in a week's time or so to let us know how it's going.

Best of luck!

 

[UKSBD]

Correct the URL as well

Also check your redirects are set up correct.

 

[Onthebrightside]

It would be great if you can update this thread in a week's time or so to let us know how it's going.

Best of luck!

I will certainly do that.

 

[Onthebrightside]

What did Google say about it, when you contacted them?

For clarity when I respond later here they phoned me and said that the business was set up correctly, we are posting pictures which is good, our information looks fine and it just takes time. Other than that they suggested we respond to google reviews when people make them. When I responded that we had been at the top of the google maps search for 'zinc roofing' previously (like a week or so ago)- they more of less said google creates its own search mechanisms and beholden to none (not quite those words but that seemed to be the essence of the matter).

 

[Onthebrightside]

Correct the URL as well

Also check your redirects are set up correct.

Thank you, have added our business

 

[Onthebrightside]

The desktop and the phone view were the same from here and it seems to be that most people have confirmed what we see, i.e. that we are there (ish). So I have taken on board everyone's suggestions, tidied up the 'descriptions' so that they are less spammy, changed the opening hours to within business parameters, listed us on the free business listing here, responded to reviews and now we just have to wait a week and see if that makes a difference. Will respond back

 

[UKSBD]

Your URL is still wrong

It points to the http:// version of your site without the www which sometimes redirects and sometimes throws a 403 error.

You're also pointing to that version from the Google .sites site.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Your URL is still wrong

It points to the http:// version of your site without the www which sometimes redirects and sometimes throws a 403 error.

You're also pointing to that version from the Google .sites site.

Thank you for your help. I have changed it on the Goggle business site now. Much appreciated.

 

[Jamie Monumental]

Make full use of the category section in google business

 

[Onthebrightside]

Reporting back as promised.

So, we did all of the above (thank you to all who assisted) and we also:

1. Got the old Google Account in the old company name, (which had been around for about 12 years in a different area) changed it to this address and changed its name to EMR Zinc Roofing (since we saw that companies with the name Zinc actually in them were doing well - although it has to be said that some are doing well without the name Zinc in them, nevertheless...) and added that to the new account.

2. Continued to post every few days on the google page, facebook, pintrest and Twitter. The Pintrest seemed to have a quite immediate effect on the images when you google the name.

Happy to say we have steadily been creeping up the pages and today are about half way up page 2.

For my part I think that all the changes suggested, the republishing of the website each time, the linking to the Business Forum account, the change of the old page and addition on the new name with Zinc in it all played their part, clearly the longevity of the old account probably also played a part. I don't think there is any one thing that is instantly going to put you to the higher pages, it is a combination of all. Since there is a company called another name that created website called ZincRoofing.com and they rank nowhere on the pages, so name alone won't do it.

Thank you to everyone for your help, it was very much appreciated and worked fantastically for us.

Regards,
Trish

 

[Onthebrightside]

So, eventually, after about 3 months the website slid back down the pages and posting something everyday on google my business only pulled it up to page 15. We have checked our competitiors and none of them are either taking out ads or running a blog. We had to conclude in the end that the 123-reg website may not be helping the issue and therefore we decided to look for a site we could create in wordpress and recommended here was HostingUK.