More threads by Linda Buquet

Linda Buquet

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Back in June 2011 I broke a story about <strong><a href="http://marketing-blog.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-local-business-directories-phone-numbers.html">Google's new "City Pages"</a></strong> which I discovered a couple days before Google officially announced them. It looked like they were going to be very cool city directories - and for awhile they were.

Now it looks like they are all gone and the ones I have checked go to 404 error pages. It looks like Google is now going for Official Google+ City Pages instead. (Which totally makes sense, but does not offer a big, rich city directory experience like it did before.)

I've been collecting Official Google+ City Pages as I find them and have listing the ones I've found so far.
<strong>If you live/work in a particular city you may want to circle the page, comment on posts and get to know the local Community Manager. Having friends in high Google Local places never hurts!</strong>

 
<a href="https://plus.google.com/101485436043392788426"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3O9Cq4xnKX4/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAA8/O2Q-iA37Y2A/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/101485436043392788426">Google Local Chicago</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/117919035512385730921"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5lGcErys6TY/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAANCw/zy-7Bo4pMO4/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> <strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/117919035512385730921">Google Local New York</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/103609387223372966927"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cXoLKrFvizM/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAABo/QlNEbXMo_7s/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <strong><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/103609387223372966927">Google Local Austin</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/116112661045066270410"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5kp0UaNeP6c/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAIk/GPC4_31lYEo/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/116112661045066270410">Google Local Boston</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/105606313177098826348"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-guUs16aMln4/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAADA/Afr-qrpN85g/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/105606313177098826348">Google Local DC</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/106073936454019133959"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eALrmrX2APs/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAD0/VlgTfaJqKPQ/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/106073936454019133959">Google Local Portland</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/103520231279666700811"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HPZ-JJ3SG9Y/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAADc/MvQegTFv0pM/s48-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/103520231279666700811">Google Local Salt Lake</a></strong></span>

 

<a href="https://plus.google.com/112468548169420687316"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EbcScT7lSGY/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAA4/5n6F5sa399w/s80-c-k/photo.jpg" alt="" width="48px" height="48px"align="left" hspace="10" /></a> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="https://plus.google.com/112468548169420687316">Google Local London</a></strong></span>

 </strong>

During the time that I've been gradually tracking down City pages to create this list, Matt McGee posted about the changes over at Search Engine Land <a href="http://searchengineland.com/google-starts-shutting-down-its-city-pages-shifts-to-google-local-138587">Google Starts Shutting Down Its City Pages, Shifts To Google+ Local</a> and noted 2 of the new pages. So head over and see what he had to say.

If you discover any other Google+ Local City Pages please share below and I'll add them to the list above.
 
Hey Linda, that kinda answers the question I've asked elsewhere about whether it is ok to have multiple G+ Local business pages (one for each location) for one company. That is what G has done here isn't it?

From an SEO techno nerd perspective I noticed some slightly odd variances between the link website each page displays:
Chicago, New York, Austin, and DC all link to plus.google.com/local - with a "Linked Website" checkmark on the end. (What's that all about?)
Portland and Salt Lake City link to Google+ i.e. without the checkmark
Boston and London link to Google+
 
Hey Linda, that kinda answers the question I've asked elsewhere about whether it is ok to have multiple G+ Local business pages (one for each location) for one company. That is what G has done here isn't it?

Hi Simon, think there may be some confusion on a couple different levels.

I don't remember the specific questions you refer to but it's always been OK AND advisable to ok to have multiple G+ Local business pages (one for each location) for one company. Never any question about that. Unless there were unique issues like one location was a virtual office, or both locations had same phone or something. But no in general the rule is one listing per business location.

"That is what G has done here isn't it?"
No not at all. The Google city pages are not Google Places/Google+ Local pages they are Local Google+ pages which is a different animal. They are Google+ Business pages set up in the Local category but they aren't Google Places/Google+ Local pages and don't have the same features or guidelines. They aren't each a business office location listing. No address, phone or reviews like Place pages have. They only have the social G+ Business page features.
 
Oops, I meant Local G+ pages.
So where you create a Local G+ business page, then create a (or claim an unclaimed) G+ Local page, and then get them merged... surely they cease to be a G+ Local page and exist only as a Local G+ business page - but can still appear in Places listings e.g. Chicago Music Exchange ?
 
Oops, I meant Local G+ pages.
So where you create a Local G+ business page, then create a (or claim an unclaimed) G+ Local page, and then get them merged... surely they cease to be a G+ Local page and exist only as a Local G+ business page - but can still appear in Places listings e.g. Chicago Music Exchange ?

Oh God that made my head hurt! (Google makes my head hurt!) :p

"surely they cease to be a G+ Local page and exist only as a Local G+ business page - but can still appear in Places listings e.g."

Well no, does not cease to be a G+ Local page. That's why it still shows up in the Places listings. The way I see it is after you merge, like the Chicago Music Exchange did, then it's BOTH. Not either/or but both merged together. Best of both worlds. All the business listing data and review features of Places + all the social features of Plus.
 
Oh God that made my head hurt! (Google makes my head hurt!)
Sorry about that, but the nomenclanture is ridiculous now!

So speaking purely from a database perspective, after the merger, what we are left with is a G+ business page record with a flag that identifies it as a "Local" page, and probably another flag that indicates it can be served up as a Places listing.

This is hinted at by the fact that the database currently seems unable to support a one-to-many relationship between a G+ business record and multiple Places records (i.e. because the table linking does not exist in the database schema).

Therefore, if I have a multi location business, I don't see why G would object to me creating a separate (Local) G+ business page for each Places page.

Therefore in a single personal G+ account it should be ok to create up to 50 Local G+ pages for the same company, and merge up to 50 Places pages into those G+ pages, on a one-to-one basis.

Does that make sense... or are you now lying down in a dark room hoping that the painkillers will kick in soon? :D
 
Yes painkillers pu-lease! :p Logging off now to eat dinner because I need food in my belly
before I take all the drugs. :eek:
 

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