Google Places Service Area Dissected
May 11th, 2010 | Author: Justin
Since Google added the ability for businesses to add a service area option to the map on their Place Page, there have been many questions about whether or not they are more effective than the traditional options. Along with this, many (all) people are also wondering how this update may translate into additional visibility for the Place Pages of their businesses.
Unfortunately I don’t have the time or data to make any claims – but there are a few observations worth noting. The below images offer a breakdown of the multiple service area options available to users:
Option 1 – No service area chosen
If a service area is not chosen, there is no change to the display of the map, as shown below.
Option 2 – Service area chosen, choosing to show business address on map listing
If the service area option is chosen, and a user chooses to continue showing their business address, the only difference to the map is a circle relative to the”Distance from one location” options chosen.
Option 3 – Service area chosen, choosing to hide business address on maps listing
If the service area option is chosen, and a user chooses to hide their address on a map listing, the only difference to the display for “unhidden” addresses is the difference of the placemark shape changing from the traditional teardrop to a circle.
Option 4 – Service area chosen, list of areas served provided
If the service area option is chosen and the user opts for choosing cities to service rather than the default radius option, the service area now becomes highlighted by a geometric shape created out of “connecting the dots” on the perimeter.
These new views prompt a few questions from me:
- Am I shooting myself in the foot by hiding my address? Google certainly recognizes this and displays it differently on maps… what kind of impact will this have?
- What is the benefit of choosing “serviceable cities” vs. setting a radius in miles?
- How far should my serviceability radius span if I don’t need to be there physically?
EDIT: See my post a few hours later regarding some limitations of the service area feature: Google Local Service Area Limitations
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Another concern I have – what impact will the telephone number have? Where I live and service clients there are 4 different area codes within a 50 mile radius (all within a service area for a plumber for example). Even if Google ranked well – a savvy client – or one that doesn’t want to pay long distance will still call someone else with a “local number.” Although I feel this is a step in the right direction – there are additional issues that need to be considered. Telephone companies, and the yellow pages handled this issue with MEL lines. I wonder what solution Google will come up with – because customers still care about locale in an internet world.
I wonder what others are doing to address this issue…
Excellent post, and very easy to follow advice. Thanks for this.
Yeah, I’ve noticed that when I includes my service are in my Google Places listing (I use 25 miles) that my listing for Mobile Website Builder remained in the 10 spot. BTW, your step-by-step guidelines are quite accurate and pretty handy too!
Useful post for local businesses which have service centres across a radius or in certain cities. I am sure this is of value to the visitors looking for local business that provide service in their location.
Is your experience that putting your locations into service areas rather than actual business locations results in lower Google Place rankings for them?
I have a business that pretty much falls inbetween the two categories, and am wondering which is the best route to go, rankings wise?
many thanks indeed for sharing this post.
Yes, I have found that the service radius option does tend to result in weaker results than if you actually disclose the business address.