Is Google going to fix Local Search results favoring PPC clients and Diectories?

[Cam]

I am curious to know if anyone has any insight into this situation where the Local Search results are now being Dominated by PPC Customers and High Dollar Directories?

I mean seriously where do local businesses stand with this when the whole front page of Google is dominated by PPC Ad customers who are even receiving higher organic rankings now (when they shouldn't be) and companies like Facebook, Craigslist, Thumbtack, Angies List and even "Yahoo Search Results" and even showing and all of the local businesses are now shoved to PAGE #2 regardless of how good their SEO is.

I mean really what the hell is up with this? Is this a problem that has manifested from Hummingbird and Google is currently trying to straighten it out, or is this the way that it's going to be where Google is Skewing the search results to favor high Dollar customers and screw everyone else?


For example, I was ranked #1 on the Front page of local search for "Computer Repair Wilmington, NC and even the term 'Computer Repair' Laptop Repair, Virus Removal Wilmington, NC and withing the top 3 listings for just about everything related to computer repair search queries that you can think of and my rankings have all been demoted and replaced with crap and people that do not deserve to be in that ranking position at all considering the guy hasn't touched his website in 3 YEARS but because he does PPC now his Organic Rankings are where my rankings were.

This current state of affairs that has been pushed on us by GOOGLE is highly unfair and very unethical!

What does everyone have to say about this?

 

[Linda Buquet]

I see you on page 1 #6 for Computer Repair Services Wilmington NC, which is what your home page is optimized for and same for Computer Repair Wilmington NC. You are the 2nd local business.

As far as the SERPs in general. Doing Adwords does not in any way help organic. Maybe the other guy did something to move up OR you made changes that moved you down. (Changing to a new site, new business name, new phone # as we discussed in the previous thread - essentially is like starting over from scratch, so I think that's likely part of why you dropped.)

As far as competition and fairness - although I don't think the current SERPs are as fair to small businesses now that more directories are ranking.

However due to government mandates, lawsuits, anti-competition claims by the big companies & directories I think Google was forced to show more of them. If they cut them out, then the big guns with lots of money and clout cry anti-competition and the government gets involved again.

Not defending or saying it's right, just saying the reality is... if there are more directories, the SMBs complain it's not fair, if there are more SMBs and less directories, then the Yelp and other directories complain it's not fair.

So the bottom line is, there is only one page one and right now usually only 10 spots that Google has to divide up to try to keep everyone happy.

None of us has any control or say in how she divides the pie. All you have control over is your own site/Place page and all you can do is continue to try to do the things that will improve relevance in the eyes of the algo.

 

[Cam]

I see you on page 1 #6 for Computer Repair Services Wilmington NC, which is what your home page is optimized for and same for Computer Repair Wilmington NC. You are the 2nd local business.

My local business rankings were earned from 4 months of extensive S.E.O "After" I re-branded the company name. It was not until shortly after the google hummingbird update did my ranking get demoted.

As far as the SERPs in general. Doing Adwords does not in any way help organic. Maybe the other guy did something to move up OR you made changes that moved you down. (Changing to a new site, new business name, new phone # as we discussed in the previous thread - essentially is like starting over from scratch, so I think that's likely part of why you dropped.)

Yes, that is the way that it supposed to be but, in this case it is not and I know that for a fact.

I know Brian the owner of The Computer Warriors and seriously, he has not altered that website to any degree in the past 3 years because I am diligent and consistent with analyzing data and watching what the competition is doing or not doing.

Before Hummingbird, the Computer Warriors were #6 and #7 for all variations of computer repair related search queries and my rankings were where they were supposed to be on the top of the page.

I actually just spoke with Brian the other day asking him about PPC and his own words to me was I don't do S.E.O I just spend money on PPC and as he continued to say, I have no idea how I am beating you in the search rankings considering that I haven't done anything.

However, after Hummingbird our rankings are opposite and now he is ranking for 2 pages instead of one which should be considered duplicate content.

So, how can one perceive this in light of the factual information that I have just presented?

Google is Skewing the rankings to favor directories and PPC clients. In short, the people spending money own the front page.

To be honest, I am the only local company that has survived by staying on the front page everyone else fell off of the grid and onto the second page waste land.

That is a bias whichever way you slice it and unethical because the majority of those directory listings are NOT proving whats best for the searcher.

For example: Craigslist has the widest diversity of Fly By Night hacks and unethical people that I have ever seen and this is universal across the entire Craigslist Eco System in the whole country. Now grant it, there are legitimate businesses that post on Craigslist but you know as well as I do that the majority of people on there are not anyone that you or I would even consider recommending.

This is helping people how when they are missing out on doing business with local educated professionals that provide personalized service and deliver quality workmanship?

I don't know about anyone else but it chaps my ass that I have 2 degrees and over $340,000.00 invested in my formal education and CRAIGSLIST of all places is being presented as the better source to go for computer repair services.

WOW...now that is a Joke and and a serious insult to any highly skilled and educated professional!