Google originally acknowledged that clicks do help “Google My Business” rankings earlier this month then seemed to reverse itself on the subject. The about-face from Google was observed by Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable. The reversal on Google’s part leaves those working to promote their brands through Google My Business to wonder which is the case.
On Dec. 2, 2015 Schwartz wrote about what he said was the first admission by Google that clicks affect the Google My Business ranking. At the time, Schwartz reported that a company representative, Rahul J, had posted the following list of factors affecting visibility on Google My Business.
They included:
- Relevance: How relevant is your business category/listing to the search phrase used by the user?
- Prominence: Traffic to your business listing. How established is the business online.
- Distance: How close the business is location from where the search is being made.
- Search history: In the past how many times has the listing been clicked on by users searching with the keyword.
But on Dec. 3, Schwartz was reporting Google had changed its tune. By then, Schwartz reported the last point in Raul J’s list had been amended to read:
“Search history: The number of times it has been useful historically on the basis of relevance, prominence and distance.”
Google My Business was originally introduced as a single location where small business owners and their teams could go to update their presence across the Google network including in Google Maps, Google Plus and search.
Schwartz admitted some confusion about the meaning of the reversal, writing:
“To be 100 percent honest, I did email Google about this, I did not hear back, but I know it is on their radar. I am not sure why they changed the language here, which is very concerning for me. If they left it, okay, no big deal but for them to change the language is very concerning.”
The question becomes whether the number of clicks your Google My Business account receives has an impact on your company’s overall visibility or not.
Either way, it’s reasonable to believe that paying attention to the other factors above will help your company’s visibility on Google My Business. You can learn more about how to use Google My Business here.
Image: Google
It is always the same thing. One moment something works and another moment, it doesn’t work altogether. That’s just how it is.