Google Places showing Canadian results in an US query? Why is that?

[RadinaDisheva]

Hi,

I noticed today that while performing a Google Places search for the query "Scrap Car Removals Dearborn MI" I saw this on the bottom of some SERPs "Business listings distributed by YellowPages.ca?", which I thought was very unusual.

I found an article by David Mihm describing how individual listings in Canada (maps.google.ca) display the same message, but that was back in 2009 and the query doesn't suggest Canadian results anyway. However, there is a Canadian business on the 4th position.

Does anyone know what happened there, is this a bug or did I miss something?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hmmm, guess I don't know my geography very well. Just checked the map and I didn't realize Canada was so close to Detroit.

But the YP.ca sign in the SERPs is due to that one listing. If you check it, it's right on the listing: https://plus.google.com/109811056923292833358/about?gl=us&hl=en

No idea why it ranks so high for https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&...ap+Car+Removals+Dearborn+MI&start=50&tbm=plcs

Also curious why you are doing Places search? Don't think consumers use that much.

But regular Google search is even weirder.

C's map marker is in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Nigeria.

I think it's just a junk search and Google should 'scrap' it. Pun intended.

 

[Chris McCreery]

Hmmm, guess I don't know my geography very well. Just checked the map and I didn't realize Canada was so close to Detroit.

What?????


Chris McCreery

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

C's map marker is in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Nigeria.

Hubba - look at the centroid on that one!

 

[RadinaDisheva]

Also curious why you are doing Places search? Don't think consumers use that much.

I find the not-so-new Google Maps quite annoying and since the results match, I prefer to use the cleaner Places interface for some tasks.

I realize that Detroit is too close to Canada and probably a single Canadian result isn't such a big deal, but I saw a number of queries for locations near the border with more than 80% Canadian results. I'm not sure these results are relevant to a user in the US, but maybe they are, who knows.. And if you are a US business, how do you compete with this kind of "local" competition?

Here's the Places SERP for Refrigeration Service Lyon Mountain NY. I guess there aren't enough relevant results to be shown from the US.

 

[jvaquino]

Here's the Places SERP for Refrigeration Service Lyon Mountain NY. I guess there aren't enough relevant results to be shown from the US.

I also tried searching the keyword.

First I run a proxy server and select NY IP. I want to know if I will get a little different results and still there is lots of Canada business on the results.

I think only few US businesses is targeting that keyword and since it's a little closer to the border, Google give more credits to those Canada biz that optimizing on that keyword.

I dunno if I am correct, just a newbie thought.