I received the following email regarding my Google Local Business Center account preferences settings.
Recently Google Local Business Center changed its name to Google Places.
Google Places will soon be offering Google Tags its new local advertising product to all of its Local Business Center accounts.
Google Places Changes
I received the first cross promotion pitch I can recall getting from one Google product group for another.
In this this case, my Google Local Business Center account information was used to pitch Google Apps Premier Edition to my business.
Google Apps LBC
Google Local Business Center users can try Google Apps for a free 30-day trial period.
After 30 days, Google Apps Premiere Edition runs $50 per user per year.
Interested businesses can calculate the potential savings to switch from another messaging service provider to Google Apps with a Cost Savings Calculator.
Google Apps Messaging Cost Saving Calculator
In the above example, Google Apps provides a compelling cost benefit analysis for switching from Microsoft Exchange 2007 to Google’s Premier Edition.
Disincentives outweigh incentives for Google to improve their free business listing product – the Local Business Center (LBC).
Although Google may have a responsibility to publish correct, up to date business listing data, the publishing of comprehensive free business listing data is diametrically opposed to its business purpose – locating and then selling access to organized business information via sponsored links.
If Google took all of the work out of being locatable via search, why would businesses then pay Google to be found?
Once you submit a new business listing to the Google Local Business Center, you’ll have to verify it before it appears in Google Maps. This video tells you how to verify your listing.
Today I learned updating your Google Local Business Center account details and submitting them causes the account to lose access to Google’s Local Business Center listing performance data.
Before Google Local Business Center Changes
As you can see above, the initial account login provides Impressions and Actions data.
However, after I submitted a mobile telephone number change to include my Google Voice number, the top level data and the underlying Analytics all but disappeared.
After Local Business Center Changes
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