Google Local Business Cards with Posts In Search Results - Testing 1 2 3

[Linda Buquet]

Image from the Verge, example discovered by Mike Blumenthal. (Both links below.)​

Local Business Cards - Is the name Search Engine Land is using for this exciting new self-promotional option Google is testing, although we still don't have an official name from Google.

Due to broken hand (and more) I can't type too much or even Dragon much. (See latest update.)
But this is pretty interesting news and it broke on Friday and I know a lot of people miss stuff that hits toward the weekend so I wanted to round up all the posts for you. It kills to copy and paste links, so that's probably all I can do. Won't be able to add much. But I hope you guys will comment and get a discussion going around this.

I think Mike started it so will begin there.

<a href="http://blumenthals.com/blog/2016/03/04/googles-newest-social-sharing-environment-google-posts/">Google’s Newest Social Sharing Environment For Business? Google Posts</a>

<a href="http://searchengineland.com/googles-candidate-cards-being-tested-for-businesses-243960">Google's Candidate Cards Being Tested For Businesses?</a>

<a href="http://searchengineland.com/google-experimenting-with-local-business-cards-in-search-results-243985">Google Experimenting With Local Business Cards In Search Results</a>

<a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/4/11164046/google-posts-search-results-self-promotion-advertising">Google is letting celebrities and businesses post directly to search results | The Verge</a>


I said I wasn't going to comment but here I go. Seems so odd with all the confusion around Google Places and Google+ that they may be coming out with a new publishing platform separate from everything else. But I guess if it gets your content right in the SERPs it's a good thing.

What do you think?

 

[mborgelt]

Just when we thought Google Plus posts were dead. Thanks for the update get well soon!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks Michael,

Mike makes it sound like it's not Google+ though, it's some new publishing platform.

Haha forgot to mention, Max Minzer noted in the SEL example...

One of the companies that Google chose for this test project is violating Google guidelines and has a KW stuffed title.

"A Healthy Choice Massage and Day Spa - Licensed Massage Therapy"

 

[James Watt]

Interesting. Given the debacle that was the candidate cards I have a hard time believing this test will stick around, since it seems directly opposed to Google's usual goal of having an ungamable way to put content up top that users are most interested in. I could see this ending up more as a paid option, though that's a huge amount of space in the SERPs to dedicate to paid advertising. Either way, thanks for the update! Definitely something to keep an eye on.

 

[Priya Chandra]

This appears to be solely US based at the moment - understandably since it is based on the Presidential candidate cards concept - but I'll be watching developments with interest.

As James said, it does seem to be directly opposed to Google's usual explicit division of Church and State (ads and organic) which makes ongoing usage quite interesting.

 

[Dave]

Well, per Mike's post this is in early stage testing. In any case my quick observation was that Mike's search term was about engagement rings.

The results included ads and some organic results...but the "business card" for Andrews was really irrelevant to the search term...it showed a variety of uploads from Andrews including things that had nothing to do with engagement rings but everything to do with Andrews.

Not a good result in this example, imho.

If the search term had been for Andrews Jewelry by name, the card could be more relevant.

But if I'm searching for a particular product...engagement rings....and I want local providers (Buffalo) I want to see about providers and probably or possibly examples of engagement rings...not examples of everything Andrews is doing!!!!!!!!!

Fail in my book.

Its giving me a migraine. If google is going down this path....there will be much much much to work out....and while they are doing this a lot of smb's are going to lose a lot of valuable and important screen real estate....to these "business cards".

Dang...one more step to make money for Google...one more step to make search....less of search and more about paying to play.

 

[Priya Chandra]

Barry Schwartz over at Search Engine Land has just written about the latest iteration in these 'Google Posts' - cricket cards.

Google Posts now expands to cricket player cards in search results

The Google India blog announced these cricket post cards are now available when you search for cricket player names, personalities and commentators directly in the search results.

Above is just a snippet, so head over to read the rest.

This article is interesting in that it shows a move away from business / politics into the world of sports and just in time for the Indian Twenty20 season (which I don't think is a co-incidence somehow).

And it now looks like those results are coming through when searching from Australia, whether it is the previously spotted business cards or these new cricket cards.

<meta property="og:type" content="article"><meta property="og:title" content=""><meta property="og:description" content="">
<meta property="og:image" content="">

 

[advicelocal]

Linda, just realized you had created another thread around this after we did one on the Advice Local - Local Search Solutions forum earlier today. One of our team members is predicting "Google Posts" will replace Google+ soon enough. What do you think?

Image from the Verge, example discovered by Mike Blumenthal. (Both links below.)​

Local Business Cards - Is the name Search Engine Land is using for this exciting new self-promotional option Google is testing, although we still don't have an official name from Google.

Due to broken hand (and more) I can't type too much or even Dragon much. (See latest update.)
But this is pretty interesting news and it broke on Friday and I know a lot of people miss stuff that hits toward the weekend so I wanted to round up all the posts for you. It kills to copy and paste links, so that's probably all I can do. Won't be able to add much. But I hope you guys will comment and get a discussion going around this.

I think Mike started it so will begin there.

Google?s Newest Social Sharing Environment For Business? Google Posts

Google's Candidate Cards Being Tested For Businesses?

Google Experimenting With Local Business Cards In Search Results

Google is letting celebrities and businesses post directly to search results | The Verge


I said I wasn't going to comment but here I go. Seems so odd with all the confusion around Google Places and Google+ that they may be coming out with a new publishing platform separate from everything else. But I guess if it gets your content right in the SERPs it's a good thing.

What do you think?