Clickable Categories On G+ Local Page

[Colan Nielsen]

I've noticed on a couple G+ Local pages there is a clickable category, highlighted blue. Clicking it takes me to the G+ Local search page and shows related businesses with that category.



Goes to:

https://plus.google.com/local/Georgina, ON/s/Plant Nursery?rfmt=s&hl=en&gl=ca&partnerid=gplp0

Anyone else seeing this?

 

[Scott Rawlins]

Doesn't work for me in IE or FF.

 

[a11c]

Google Local Category links?

Hi All,

I noticed the listed categories on local listings, while signed in, have a link on them. When the link is clicked, that opens a list of other businesses with the same category in that geography. The list is similar to the new maps "go to list of top results" but also contains review snippets.

I'm not sure if this is new or not but I wasn't able to find anything on the subject.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Re: Google Local Category links?

Hey Alex,

We must have been posting at the same time...

http://localsearchforum.catalystema...a/9593-clickable-categories-g-local-page.html


Great minds....

 

[Scott Rawlins]

It does work me for me now. Didn't realize that you need to be logged in.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Great birddogging, both of you. Thanks for catching and sharing.

I merged threads in chron order, so we have everything in one place and don't have a split convo on this.

Can't wait to dig in and explore. Feel like there is more and this is all part of some slowly rolling out grand plan, that Google is just giving us piece by piece.

Feel like soon we'll be saying: "WOW! So remember this little update and that little change and this other new feature - THIS is where she was heading!"

 

[a11c]

I agree Linda, all these little changes lately are adding up to something big

 

[Linda Buquet]

Re: Google Local Category links?

When the link is clicked, that opens a list of other businesses with the same category in that geography. The list is similar to the new maps "go to list of top results" but also contains review snippets.

Just had time to look at this.

The link that goes to the list of businesses is not the same view you get for new maps "go to list of top results".

The link goes to regular Google+ Local Search results with KW city at top of page.

So clicking Dentist on this listing: https://plus.google.com/109828730326910431465/about?gl=us&hl=en

Takes you to G+ Local search results here: https://plus.google.com/local/Atlanta, GA/s/Dentist?gl=us&hl=en

Clicking Top Results from New Maps takes you here. Different ranking order + different display.

OH weird. In checking the links I just noticed that bottom link to Top Results list...
The ranking order in FF for me is totally different than the ranking order in Chrome.

So bottom line is you have no idea how a user will search, where they will land, what browser they may be using therefore have NO WAY to predict what result they will see. So need to double check rankings a few different places and just try to get your client on top everywhere???

(Sure glad I don't work on client rankings for a living any more! These changes make my head spin.)

 

[billbean]

Glad to know it's getting easier. #sarcasm

 

[Phil Rozek]

Good catch, gentlemen.

I, too, see the link when I'm signed out of Google, but it's only clickable when I'm signed in. Clicking it simply performs a search in plus.google.com for the category you clicked on - which I think is what Linda referred to.

What's weird is last night I was looking at a listing that had been marked as closed/moved, and that hyperlinked category said "Helpline." It confused the hell out of me, because I was looking at the listing for a counseling service in the UK, and didn't realize that "helpline" has a different meaning there from what it means here in the States. I thought that the link was a way to get Google's phone support on the phone about the closed/moved listing!