Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Allan Simmons on November 09, 2012, 10:48:12 am
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Hi Guys,
It appears our one of our Google places sites has been suspended, it has the "Pending" and symbol on the listing. Having searched through help files it says they are reviewing the listing and this may take up to four weeks. All our places for our three sites have been running for years, updated regularly and have never had this problem. I found on one 'forum' someone said it may be that someone has reported the listing. It seems a bit harsh to suspend a listing immediately based on one report, if that's what's happened. We had a problem last year when Yell claimed an address "by mistake" but that was resolved very quickly. We also had a problem where Google kept changing the address to an old address automatically, but again that was resolved quickly. I can't see anything on there that may have caused this. Has anyone else ever experienced this? It appears I just have to sit and wait for Google to do their thing and reverify it, or does anyone know different and can recommend something please?
Thanks in advance,
Al.
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Yes I've got this problem and it's not been resolved yet after emails apparently google want us to have just one address only they are trying to get rid of as much free stuff as possible I think.
Shaun
Ps I love my iPhone but it isn't half hard to type without my gigs on!
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Thanks Shaun, it's no real comfort it's not just me though. I'll try to contact Google again, but they make it so hard to get in touch to report anything unusual. We also have an old address that just keeps reappearing even though we've told them it's closed. Automation aint perfect I suppose.
Al.
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your only allowed one listing, i ditched my other before this happened, google likes fairplay and also wants to give its searchers variety, surely you can see that, last thing i want to do is search for something only to find the same company just in different guises.
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mine was suspended 4 months ago. i was emailed last week.....
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Google. Your listing was experiencing issues due to quality violations. Specifically, businesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to a single location, should not create a listing for every city they service. Businesses that operate in a service area should create one listing for the central office or location and designate service areas.
You can do this by logging into your account, clicking 'Edit' underneath your listing, scrolling down to 'Service Areas', and checking the 'List of areas served' button. Then, you will be able to add each individual area code or city that you service. This is less limiting, as it will allow one listing to cover a broad area. There are further instructions in this help center article:
basically I have 2 business each with its own entry so they deleted one, but they deleted the one with 35 reviews and was totally completed with videos & photos and left the one that had no details and was just basically just a name at the top for my powerwashing.
I tried to explain this to them and this was there response....
Hello,
Unfortunately, once a listing is removed from an account, it can not be reinstated. You will have to update the information for your remaining listing using the method I previously described.
Thank you for your understanding.
Dane
The Google Team
do you know how hard it was to get 35 reviews??? all totally lost.... 4 years work, luckily my website shows abow google places anyhow so I don't lose out
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If someone reported you you would lose them all, you are only allowed one listing on Google Places.
Are you saying you have the backing of a national franchise, Joe Polish marketing, mulitiple
Google Places listings and Get Booked Up behind you and you are worried about losing one
listing on Google?
That is a worry!
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AND text marketing :-\
Jeez, do you do Adwords as well?
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Sorry Gary I didn't make it clear. We have three physical registered addresses for the three different named businesses we operate, one Doncaster, One Rotherham, one Sheffield. So they are three entities with three real offices/workshops. It's not a friends address in the area to make us look local, they are all legit local BUSINESS addresses we operate from, collect mail and drink tea at.
Our master franchise has NO more clout with Google than we do, so i might as well sort this myself to be honest.
We don't have multiple Google place listings in the same town, we only have one per area. We don;t even have multiple domain names in the same area so we can try to have two Google places at two different addresses, so we're as 'legit' as can be I believe.
Anyone should be 'worried' (if that's the right word) about losing one Google place listing when it removes you completely from the organic places listing. If you look at your stats for the clicks though and conversions from Google places you'd see that it's cheap as chips, effectively free jobs, so yes I am 'worried'. Obviously it won't bankrupt us but I'd rather have that additional 'free' work, wouldn't you? We believe in having many streams of income into the business, that way you're not reliant on any one of them, but when one which was working so well as Google places changes you have to look at fixing or replacing it dont you, not just think ah well?
And yes we do do Adwords, just another one of the drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip feeding of jobs into the business so we're not reliant on any one or few sources. I thought that's what businesses that move from good to great do, build multiple streams of income to reduce their exposure to any one?
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Did you use the same phone number for each? That is a big no no in Google Places.
Somehow Google has rumbled you or (more than likely) a competitor has reported you, but saying that, if it was
a competitor you would have lost all of them.
There must be something that connects all these businesses together for them to delete one.
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Gary they all have different phone numbers for each address, the only link is the owners, but that would almost be like saying Next can't have a listing in each town they have a shop. They all clearly state we cover just that town too. We're not trying to have multiple listings in one town, we just have (had :))one in each.
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I've had an account suspended and one pending review.
The suspended one was a while back... you wont get around it. I suggest starting a new account with another admin email.
The pending one is current. A few months back a Google rep contacted me to say that if I am not a location where customers visit then the location icon must not be the little circle/arrow. It needs to be a circle. You can change that in the settings where you specify your business is going out to clients, and you set the radius.
She then deleted the listing.
I signed up for a new one with the correct settings and its been pending review for around 3 months now
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Sounds like you've been bubbled and may well lose some more yet!
Google Places has been a pain since it started, it has been doing a dance with listings coming
and going and when people do as Google ask and put up videos, get reviews and fill in their profile
they still get taken down or bumped down the listings. Also sometimes there are 3 listings, sometimes
4 sometimes 7, depends how Google feels.
The bottom line is we have all been sucked in to Google Places as it is better than Yellow pages and has been free.
They are now rolling out the paid blue listings so sooner or later anyone that is 'free' would lose it anyway. The second
anyone in your area starts paying then the battle of who is prepared to spend most wins. Then you have to weigh up
if you do Google Places or Adwords or both.
Am afraid google is very much of the attitude 'you don't have the right to complain' because it is/was free.
It is only free while they wait for enough people to be relying on it, then they will charge whatever they can.
Personally if it came down to it I would pay as it is a service that is going to be used more and more and has
the most prominent position on the page.
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I'm not sure there is anything to bubble Gary, they are three separate affairs, three separate Chem-Dry licence areas, thre blah blah blah.
Yeah, they'll start charging for Google places too, you can't fault them really. I'd agree, I'd pay the same as PPC rate to be listed on there. Then if you got the same level of service and contact as you have with PPC it would be far better anyway.
Thanks Warren, I'll check those setting now and have a fiddle around.
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The problem is your websites are identical apart from the name of the town and the phone number.
With the latest Google Panda and Penguin updates those sites are also going to start slipping
down the rankings very quickly, again you are very lucky they are still there. The new updates
as I am sure you have read on here are all about quality of content and to be seen as compliant
you really need to be looking at over 50% unique content.
When those sites do slip they will most likely never resurface and spend there days in the
depths of page 400 and beyond. It's just the way things are with Google now.
I think on the whole you have been lucky.
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I agree with Gary it's a complete mess. Probably the best attitude is to be grateful for what you did get out of it and accept that it's gone and you are going to have to pay in the long run.
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It's been lonely here on the naughty step ;D
Alan, Does each "branch" have it's own set of citations or are they all listing the main address? I mean does each separate one appear in local directories under it's own address?
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I feel like I'm sat on the naughty step Garry ;D Yes each branch appears in local directories on their own, only exception is the printed YP for Doncaster and Rotherham where they share one ad but have the separate names, numbers and addresses listed. They have to to meet the franchise advertising guidelines too.
Wynne is right, it was good while it lasted, move on to look at what's next.
Garyj, you are right, the sites were identical and slowly we are changing content as approved on each one to make the content different. I did speak with someone who said they can 'look' the same, as that is the branding, but the content must be 60% different. We're a long way from that yet I know, but again I was 'advised' that as they are not mirror sites or trying to be copy cat sites, or all the same addresses and telephone numbers etc etc etc that Google are a little more forgiving, they can 'see' its a different branch of the same, offering the same. The analogy was Nike trainer sales, every website stocking Nike XYZ trainer will be using the same Nike approved marketing speak to describe them, so although it is duplicate content it's not really duplicate content as it's describing the same item. Who knows, do what we can and see what happens.
Warren, I've gone through each Place and entered the towns we serve, rather than using the radius around setting, ensured the pin is in the right place again and
as it's saved this time the pending has gone and it's gone back as active with a note may take a few days to go back live. So here's fingers crossed, thanks for the tip.
Al.
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You can have the same pictures, just call them something different, the banner you will get away
with as its only an image probably called 'header' from then on in its a case of rewriting 2 of the sites.
The Yellow pages listing was probably enough to kill your page because I understand that Google used Yellow Pages
to get the listings in the first place for the UK and Google still checks against it for any irregularities and
it is very much seen as the main citation you can have.
Google will also have checked your Facebook, Twitter and any other social media pages you might have and I am guessing
you don't have one of those for each site.
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Garry, do you think I have given away enough information this afternoon and anymore
should be invoiced? :P
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We have separate facebooks too, we really have to keep them separate for the master franchise too, It would be so much easier if we didn't but that is the cross I chose to carry.
Thanks for the advice, it is appeciated :)
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Garry, do you think I have given away enough information this afternoon and anymore
should be invoiced? Tongue
Why not? ;D Actually, this is a really good discussion. Places is something I have neglected as I'm in a rural area and most work is in Brum (15-20 miles away!). Pre Penquin I ranked above all of the Brum local results so it did not matter then.
The problem is expecting logic from Google employees (I'm sure they think everyone is in their teens). If they had their way we would all scrap our PCs and just use mobile. I have to say though, their voice activated search stuff looks interesting. Maybe the death of traditional keywords?
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A few months ago my phone went and displayed Mountain View California, I thought that's Google. A woman said she was verifying a few detail for Google Places, an hour later all the listings had completely changed. The three sites that held top position for years have all been kicked off. :-\
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Ohh don't tell me that, only just getting used to this new fangled typing business.
I did a little campaign for me yesterday using a search term for Hampshire and it ranked
in 2 hours position 3 first page Google. I added some good extra content to it and this
afternoon it is on page 2. Tried again today on a different site with a very easy keyword
and got nothing!
Google Places has out foxed everybody even the 'gurus'. I did a course on it which was very
thorough but the bottom line was no one had a bloody clue what was going on as the
goalposts changed at least every month. I have a few sites ranking at number one in Google
at the moment and a few that are number one in Places but each day I expect to see them
disappear and as Craig said just count your blessings while they are there!
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i had this too, I had about 15 running at one point for each keyword and got suspended lol
Alex (tacca website guy) sorted mine straight away Alan
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Yeah, google is bit of a joke really.
i'm also not appearing in the places anymore.
In my local search, which is a seven box at the moment there are 2 chemdrys, the first one is a bloody johnston hire shop (for god sake!!!), another is an ugly looking one page website that looks like it has been created using someones feet, and another is a simple little site created using the drag and drop MrSite software << how this is in the local search is beyond me!!
And half those sites dont even have fully completed listings!
So I applauded you google! A job weldone mate :) i'm sure your giving Joe the surfer what he wants :)
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i had this too, I had about 15 running at one point for each keyword and got suspended lol
Alex (tacca website guy) sorted mine straight away Alan
Any tips Andy?
Just checked my account with google places and I also have the pending review thingy. Says it can take several weeks, not sure how long the review has been in place. My google account isn't my main account so i never check it.
I only have one carpet cleaning website and my address and tel number is exactly the same one as whats on the site and all my citations including yell. Its my real address, not a postbox or anything.
Going to email the buggers.
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When it first kicked in years ago i had 9 outof the 10 positions on google place map, i shared the tip with a few and it worked great for 18months but then some one bubbled me and they suspended them. These days you can only have one.
Dont be fooled they may say they are looking into it but in reality its suspended and it wont get back online >:(
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And half those sites dont even have fully completed listings!
So I applauded you google! A job weldone mate :) i'm sure your giving Joe the surfer what he wants :)
This is my beef. They say they want to give people a good search experience, but that blatantly ain't their primary goal.
The old adage, take notice of what they do not what they say is especially the case with GOOGLE.
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I don't mate, I didn't even know till Alex was redoing my site he noticed it and sorted it, Give him a bell and see what he says, really sound bloke 07771531685
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Do we REALLY need to depend on Google to be found by prospects
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Do we REALLY need to depend on Google to be found by prospects
No, I think it's best to have multiple sources for business, but if you hit a rich vein you should milk it for all it's worth till it dries up.
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my websites are all over with google, one minute top then gone, I gave up relying on google a long time ago, spoke to a local window cleaner who had thrown about 900 at a web designer to get top of google, he was there for about 6 weeks then some kind of change took place now he's about 10th if he's lucky
Mailshots to previous customers are working best for me the last few months, cleanersmate has been a godsend
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They are discussing this on the American forums, people are losing reviews or thier listings disapearing. looks like google are playing around with google places.
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The problem is Mike (and I say this without any sarcasm) that Google is not sure what it is doing yet.
They are still trying to match Facebook for the social stuff, hence the change from Places to +1. They just can't seem to find a formula that works.
Until they get this settled, results like this are going to be the norm rather than the exception.
Andy H,
Do you mean that you had multiple listings, lost them and then got them back again?
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Hi Guys
Google has been good for me but I must say I find it all very frustrating these days, there really does not seem to be any pattern, it's all very secretive and difficult to plan.
Best not to rely on it.
I'm searching more on Bing these days, it seems better in a lot of ways.
Cheers
Doug
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Just the 1 now Gary ;D
I had a google map account for various keywords, used to be great when only my business details and map came up all the time.
Personally I think google mess about with it so that nobody can rely on that top spot without paying them for it!!
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They are very rich but when you ask them or email them about issues you get nothing back or have to wait long time...sometime was very disappointed...
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I don't know if this will help anyone else but it may be worth a try for you too.
I spoke to Google this morning about something in a PPC Ad campaign and mentioned that the Location extension on the Doncaster Campaign was no longer working as my Google places for Doncaster had been suspended. They asked me loads of questions about the websites and our addresses for the google places and also looked at the settings in the Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield campaigns for for where I wanted them to be displayed. Cutting a long story short(ish) they put me on hold for almost 10 minutes and when they came back to me said that's all sorted it should all go live again shortly. The approved status has returned to the Google place location extension in Google Ad's and also in the Google places account the Doncaster place has also now changed to Active. We'll wait and see.
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I don't know if this will help anyone else but it may be worth a try for you too.
I spoke to Google this morning about something in a PPC Ad campaign and mentioned that the Location extension on the Doncaster Campaign was no longer working as my Google places for Doncaster had been suspended. They asked me loads of questions about the websites and our addresses for the google places and also looked at the settings in the Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield campaigns for for where I wanted them to be displayed. Cutting a long story short(ish) they put me on hold for almost 10 minutes and when they came back to me said that's all sorted it should all go live again shortly. The approved status has returned to the Google place location extension in Google Ad's and also in the Google places account the Doncaster place has also now changed to Active. We'll wait and see.
Money talks. ;D
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Money talks. ;D
[/quote]
Exactly! Funny how they 'reactivated' when they realised it was connected to a PPC campaign.
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Here's a link to a blog which details the possible problem and has the solution part way down...
http://blumenthals.com/blog/2012/10/09/we-do-not-support-this-location-update/
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Alan
You have a phone number for google??? OMG! Thats like Willy Wonkas golden ticket! I have not ran a adwords campign in a long time, dont remember been given a number!
Do you mind posting the number on here?
Speaking to google is usually next to impossible. They usually expect you to go through thier useless webmaster tools forum thingy.
Thanks
Tony
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just googled it and found the golden ticket
http://www.google.co.uk/landing/phone-signup/index.html
how lucky am i????????????
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thats the adwords sales team :( called that one before and was automated, could only speak to sales peeps.
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just googled places and got this
http://www.google.co.uk/adwords/express/
another chocky ticket. ;D
which number you after dawg? could of swarn your post wanted google adwords number.
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This is what I was saying in the beginning of the thread about the marker being the round one. This is just put across better
If you don't conduct face-to-face business at your location, you must select "Yes, this business serves customers at their locations" under the "Service Areas and Location Settings" section of your dashboard, and then select the "Do not show my business address on my Maps listing" option.
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NAH! Not Willy Wonker at all Derek, In the Adwords Help drop down, it's
0800 169 0409
Monday - Thursday: 9 am- 6 pm GMT
Friday: 9 am - 5 pm GMT
Worldwide Phone Support
Give em your Customer ID and away you go ;D
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Hi Warren
Yeah, but apparently GOOGLE also removed some by mistake and couldn't automatically reinstate them so are 'waiting' for those people to come back to them :o
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I went and edited that and I'm now waiting for a new pin postcard :P
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;D Excellent
Sorry, Just realised it was Tony who said it was Willy Wonker! More like I'm a PLONKER!
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Cool, i'll make a note of those numbers for future moans to them :)
Looking for more of a customer service/help line type number Derek.
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Cool, i'll make a note of those numbers for future moans to them :)
Looking for more of a customer service/help line type number Derek.
well google it ya lazy sod, what did your last slave die of? ;D
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Cool, i'll make a note of those numbers for future moans to them :)
Looking for more of a customer service/help line type number Derek.
well google it ya lazy sod, what did your last slave die of? ;D
was going to come back with a cheeky comment but cant be arsed ;D
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well if you can't be bothered to find your own number, then i half expected you to be lazy with the come backs too ;D
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lads i know your frustration,mine went 2 months ago,today its back,lost ranking and reviews,but its back.Still says its pending in the backend of my google places. after weeks in forums,Google said it my a technical hitch.Google called me two months ago,asked me to customers come to my premises i said no,never.Because of this i should have had my address hidden,google violation.BAM places gone.There cracking down on this and could be the problem most of you are haven.
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What's the morals of the story
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Relying on Google for your income is like dancing with the devil.
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I've ticked the "yes this business serves customers at their location"
But left "do not show business address" button unticked.
I have a nice place marker on the map and still pop up number 1
or thereabouts for all areas I want.
John
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You will get stung. Maybe not now but later.
Its against their guidelines and they will just stiff you without warning
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This is what I was saying in the beginning of the thread about the marker being the round one. This is just put across better
If you don't conduct face-to-face business at your location, you must select "Yes, this business serves customers at their locations" under the "Service Areas and Location Settings" section of your dashboard, and then select the "Do not show my business address on my Maps listing" option.
Why?
I'm familular with google guidlines I've never read this. If you check "yes biz serves at their location" underneath you have a choice,
"dont show your address and list towns/areas covered" or
"show address and distantance covered" ie. 20 mile raduis from Cambridge
That latter is also legit.
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Hold on correction, after the first question there is a "show my loctation on map" check box
My point is, it would not give you this option if they never wanted you showing it, as this question is after "do you serve at customers address"
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What difference does showing or not showing your
location make.
Surely showing your location shows your not a fly
by night and you don't mind people knowing where
you live.
John
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From google help -
Don’t receive customers at your location? Serve customers at their location? Select the “Do not show my business address on my Maps listing” option within your dashboard — if you don’t hide your address, your listing may be removed from Google Maps.
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Thanks Dave, never seen that before, just done it.
Wonder if its to stop people who added lots of locations to look local? Cant look local if no address is showing.
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Why give you the option then ???
They know what your address is so they know whether
you are actually local or not.
If it's an option then it is just that..an option so your choice
so why remove your listing if you don't check it.
Why not make it default to it depending on what you choose
above it.
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I agree John,
Don't think I have seen a listing without the address, so not many towing the line.
Also its not really a "places" listing without a 'place' ???
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If google calls you,tell them that people collect and drop off rugs at your address and your fine then.
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Just went to check my Google Places listing and my it appears my account has been deleted, my business in no longer showing, not sure why has been ranking well and now no trace, no warning emails or phone calls, any idea's anyone?
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O.K quick update, my account has not been deleted I used the wrong email to log in but when I click on show me my listing it comes up with the message "we do not support this location" which is why i assume my listing is not showing, any idea's anyone?
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Hi Richard, if you read the whole thread it's explained / revealed throughout. Al. It still takes weeks to get back on though.
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Yes been a bit lazy Alan, so little time when i get home just finished 6 days working flat out and if its not one thing its another, tonight got home to find that waste pipe under kitchen sink was leaking water everywhere and spent a couple of hours striping cleaning and what have you, then kids to bed etc... Did skim read and from what i gather it is to do with showing my address, i've emailed google and also now changed my listing to hide my address so hopefully it will reappear sometime, hopefully soon.
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Richard, you also need to change Uposltery to Upholstery in the menu bar on your web site.
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Richard, you also need to change Uposltery to Upholstery in the menu bar on your web site.
No, it's a cunning plan. ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iItRaFo18Co
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Richard, you also need to change Uposltery to Upholstery in the menu bar on your web site.
No, it's a cunning plan. ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iItRaFo18Co
Ha Ha! Yeah! That was filmed about a mile from our Doncaster workshop :-)
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was filmed in Balby.... just up the road from where I lived... it was in fact a hairdressers :o
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What do ya do in your workshop then.....make fork handles? ;D
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Good job I don't have a moustache and a ssssstutter or could get stereo typed.
Shaun
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What do ya do in your workshop then.....make fork handles? ;D
Take in rugs and we have a till like Arkwrights!
Hector, do you remember the one where they went to the Balmoral Hotel opposite the hospital on Thorne Road?
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Most certainly do Allan..... My dad had just left the army and was Doncaster Area health authority's chief auditor, so know the hospital very well, and of course the hotel..... that episode was where he was taking Gladys-Emanuelle for a night out.... ;D
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There's a corner shop just round the corner from the actual set, opposite Peglars entrance, they now call themselves Arkwrights.
I remember going down to the set as a kid and seeing them filming, a mate of mine was in one episode but his bit was cut in the final show.
He took her there because he could see the shop from the bedroom window ;D