WARNING: Google+ Local Category KW Spam & Conflicting Guidelines

[Flash]

I'm one of thousands of mappers. I'm just telling you how it's approached on that side, as per instructions from many different Google employees and from watching the edits they themselves do. Places may say different things; but that is the rules to get listed on Places. Once you are on the map, you are subject to it's guidelines. I would say the majority of category cleaning/trimming I have seen has come from Map employees, not volunteers.

Also remember that almost all the listings are unclaimed, so when a mapper cleans up 10 spammy listings in a row, when he gets to the 11th that is claimed, he's just going to continue with the same editing he did on the first 10. He also will have no idea it is claimed.

But in general, I would say that if a mapper sees a couple of categories that could be trimmed off, and nothing else is wrong with it, he likely would skip editing it.

The problem is, the average POI has multiple things wrong with it. That includes claimed ones. And so the mapper is going to go into edit mode to fix the other things, and as long as he is there he'll fix the categories too.

If he doesn't, then the reviewer probably will.

If he doesn't, then the backline follow-up team that looks at the edits 1 - 2 weeks later will.

What it summarizes down to is that you should not be surprised if your categories get edited. I would tend to plan my listing so it does not rely on them. Organic is a huge factor in rankings now, get the categories, products and services ranking over there. I've seen many listings rank in the top three for something that isn't even mentioned in their listing; that is what you should aim for so that the information in places you control.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Just noticed a thread at Mike's where Andrew said:

Custom categories haven?t been allowed for a while now... Were you referring to the Map Maker help article Select a category - Map Maker Help "Select a category"? There is no reference to custom categories and requires selecting a category from the ones already in the system.

Mike replied:
This page (Other Categories) says: ?Select from available categories in the drop-down menu, or create a custom Category by typing it into the field.?

Linda replied:
Also this link says add custom cats. Select a category - Map Maker Help
?If the category that you wish to select is missing, you can choose the closest available category and later add more customized Other Categories.?

So once again, conflicting info from Google even though it's coming from the same division: Map Maker

 

[Andrew Forster]

errrrgh!!! so is it recommended to go into every clients account now that has custom categories and fill them in with default categories? what if we can't get to 5 and have a less than 100% fill profile...?

 

[Linda Buquet]

errrrgh!!! so is it recommended to go into every clients account now that has custom categories and fill them in with default categories? what if we can't get to 5 and have a less than 100% fill profile...?

No I'm not recommending changing all cats to default cats - not yet anyway. I have always advised however cleaning up cats if they are spammy or repetitive.

This thread in part is just explaining that MM guidelines are different and stricter and if they get eyes on a listing they may edit back your cats if they think they look spammy or repetitive.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Just noticed a thread at Mike's where Andrew said:

Custom categories haven?t been allowed for a while now... Were you referring to the Map Maker help article Select a category - Map Maker Help "Select a category"? There is no reference to custom categories and requires selecting a category from the ones already in the system.

Mike replied:
This page (Other Categories) says: ?Select from available categories in the drop-down menu, or create a custom Category by typing it into the field.?

Linda replied:
Also this link says add custom cats. Select a category - Map Maker Help
?If the category that you wish to select is missing, you can choose the closest available category and later add more customized Other Categories.?

So once again, conflicting info from Google even though it's coming from the same division: Map Maker

MORE INFO AND CLARIFICATION FROM FLASH - posted at that same thread at Mike's.

The way that Google staff has explained the allowance of custom categories is for when a category is completely missing (nothing is close), then you can use it. It?s not to be used to replace an existing category or repeat something already implied. That is why you are supposed to use the most specific category available, as that usually implies most of the functions of the business. It is explained better at Attributes - Map Maker Help, which is where staff will send you when explaining it rather than the last link.

To continue Andrew?s example using the information from that page (and staff explanations), if you?ve used Pizza Restaurant then you are not to use Restaurant even though it is a category; the guidelines state to use the most specific and no others. The next part can then be a bit confusing, as until recently Mexican Restaurant was not a category but it now is one, I?ll pass them feedback that this needs updating; but what they then explain is that custom categories is for when there is only a general category or perhaps none at all. Since Mexican Restaurant did not used to exist, you would put Restaurant as it is the most specific one available, and then you could add the custom category of Mexican Restaurant due to it being missing.

But to then add Mayan Restaurant, an even more specific category, means that you shouldn?t be putting Mexican Restaurant as it was not as specific as possible. Similarly, putting Tortilla Restaurant, Mol Restaurant, Burrito Restaurant, etc. is considered category spam; it is supposed to be the most specific and no more. That last bit is better explained in the Reviewers Guidelines, which is not public.

The ability to add more categories is supposed to be for when the categories you have do not imply something. So adding Takeout Restaurant and Live Music Venue would be allowed, as neither is implied by Mexican Restaurant.

Unfortunately, a lot of this is explained to us, and then they point to this part of the guidelines, and suddenly you get it; but just reading the guidelines doesn?t make it all obvious. We continue to suggest improvements whenever we can.

 

[Keenan Glass]

For ranking purposes, I don't necessarily think that MM categories and Place categories are considered the same.

If MM editors trim out the additional non-relevant categories, that's one thing. As long as the category is still listed in Places, the listing can and will rank.