Knowledge Panel instead of Map Pack [inexplicable]

[Tim Kahlert]

Hi!

I've just come across this situation. It´s a business in Madrid, Spain, called "Pugil Store".

When I search for "Top Sastreria Madrid" (which means "Top tailor Madrid") their Knowledge Panel shows up (no map pack) on search and there is only 1 competitor on Maps. (seen in the attached image)

When I search for "Top Sastreria en Madrid" the map pack shows up and Maps´ rankings show as usual with them ranking #2.

The same happens for "Top Tailor New York". Only the Knowledge Panel of "Beyond Bespoke Tailors NYC" is triggered. (they're not the only tailors in NY and aren't very close located to the center either)

It´s clear that Google shows listings that are located close to the center of the area searched for. In this case, Madrid. And that´s correct, the business is close to the center but not the closest.

Does anyone know why this happens? They've tried to sell it as a "Youtube Video with NAP" strategy but I'm not convinced.

Ideas are much appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Rich Owings]

I'm seeing a map pack when I do those searches.

 

[Tim Kahlert]

I'm seeing a map pack when I do those searches.

Really? I've tested "Top Sastreria Madrid" on 4 devices, via Brightlocal´s local rank checker, on Google Spain - It´s always their GMB profile that shows up.

 

[Rich Owings]

 

[Yan Gilbert]

I see what you are seeing Tim. KP one box.

Why is the one box showing up instead of the three pack... it's most likely because they are better optimized than their competitors. Check the home page titles/content of the other listings and you will most likely see some glaring SEO holes.

 

[Tim Kahlert]

I see what you are seeing Tim. KP one box.

Why is the one box showing up instead of the three pack... it's most likely because they are better optimized than their competitors. Check the home page titles/content of the other listings and you will most likely see some glaring SEO holes.

Thank you, Yan!

Yes, their website has probably more authority than their competitors'.

If it only was that easy.
The phrase "top sastreria Madrid" triggers a KP. If I add the word "en" (in) to the phrase ("top sastreria en Madrid"), the listing jumps to #5.

"Top" is a synonym for "best" in Spanish. I've also tested "best tailor Madrid" (in Spanish) which throws the listing to #12. I'm assuming a connection between the word "top" on their website (appears 3 times on blog posts) and the very short distance to the center of Madrid. So Google.es might not perceive "top" as an adjective but something else.

 

[Stefan Somborac]

Tim,

Like @Yan Gilbert, I see what you see.

This is probably a case where 10 different SEOs will offer 11 different opinions. Here's mine:

I wouldn't look at the distance to the centre of Madrid. I think this is not a matter of prominence or distance but one of relevance. That is, Google sees the business as being so highly relevant to the phrase "top sastreria Madrid" that it wins a one box. (i.e. no map pack)

Doing a site search for the phrase ("top sastreria Madrid" site:www.pugil.es) reveals that the phrase doesn't actually appear on the website.

So where does it exist then? Check backlink anchor text. I wouldn't be surprised to find that "top sastreria Madrid" is commonly used anchor text. (Third-party review sites might be worth examining too.)

And why a different result for "top sastreria en Madrid"? I believe Google sees "top sastreria Madrid" as a single keyword but interprets "top sastreria en Madrid" as a query for "top sastreria" (the "what") and "en Madrid" (the "where".)

 

[Tim Kahlert]

Tim,

Like @Yan Gilbert, I see what you see.

This is probably a case where 10 different SEOs will offer 11 different opinions. Here's mine:

I wouldn't look at the distance to the centre of Madrid. I think this is not a matter of prominence or distance but one of relevance. That is, Google sees the business as being so highly relevant to the phrase "top sastreria Madrid" that it wins a one box. (i.e. no map pack)

Doing a site search for the phrase ("top sastreria Madrid" site:www.pugil.es) reveals that the phrase doesn't actually appear on the website.

So where does it exist then? Check backlink anchor text. I wouldn't be surprised to find that "top sastreria Madrid" is commonly used anchor text. (Third-party review sites might be worth examining too.)

And why a different result for "top sastreria en Madrid"? I believe Google sees "top sastreria Madrid" as a single keyword but interprets "top sastreria en Madrid" as a query for "top sastreria" (the "what") and "en Madrid" (the "where".)

Thank you, Stefan!

I've just checked the anchor texts and there is not a single link containing the word "top". No noticeable use of certain anchors either. I'm quite lost with this one.

The reason why I'm considering the center of the city as one of the top factors here is because Google evaluates local search rankings primarily based on (among others) the center of a city (determined by Google) for keywords and phrases that include geographical terms.

And I agree with you, Google seems to perceive the "en" version as a phrase and more descriptive. But that doesn't really explain their great rankings.

Thanks again!