Google Places and Yellow Pages

Many of professional who are working in IT are using opens source: Operating System and applications. Google is one of the biggest company which are relaying and which is creating open source applications.

At the same time Google has many alley for example: Adobe in his fight with “Apple”. It is about Google phone based on Android, which use Adobe Flash, see WordPro News. Another example is that Google make a venture with Sony and a few more big companies. Google will launch his own TV on the Net. I am curious to see what will be next in this area. The source is the same WordPro News agency.

For more than one year Google did a strange venture with Yellow Pages. One day about 5 or 6 months ago, when I checked where is my company listed in Google Places, I saw a note at the end of the listing. It was telling me that the results are provided by Yellow Pages. I was surprised because I input data into the Google Places and, at that time I had nothing listed in Yellow Pages. However that was ok.

A few months later, someone from Yellow Pages contacted me by phone. They offered me a free listing in Yellow Pages book and on their website on the Net. Because the paid subscription was really over the moon for me at that time I was happy with the free listing: only company name and phone number. I accepted, why not.

That was a wrong move.
Soon I found that my listing in Google places was changed: the position was down and the worst of all, my company website just disappear from listing.

Initially I did not know what is going on because the system (Google Places) was, and it is still in beta version.

All was very clear when one of my customers did exactly the same as I did. We input his company in Google Places and his company was listed on the first page. After submitting his company to Yellow Pages his listing just disappeared from Google Places. I advised him to contact Yellow Pages. He was really upset, he talked with Yellow Pages IT person and the very next day his company was listed again on the first page but NO LINK TO HIS WEBSITE.

That is not all. A few days ago Google or Yellow pages changed something and I fond my company listing with the “REJECT” status. I was told that the details are not correct, they are not identical with the reality. Yes, it was right, I edited my listing and I submitted the changes. The response time is 72 hours. After one week I checked the listing. It was the same. I launched a “feedback”. There is not any other way to contact Google. This is another story.

I waited three more days. Nothing happened. There was no email and my company had the same status: “REJECT – action must be taken”

At this point I made connection between Yellow Pages and what is happening so I just deleted my listing and I insert it again. My company has two offices so I use the second address. From all above it is clear that the problem is Yellow Pages and not Google.

Now all is fine except the fact that, being a new listing, I have to fight again to get on top. It means time and it means potential clients lost. I am not happy but it is a fact.

What appears to me very clear is that that this is the beginning of the end about what can someone get for free when it is about advertising his website / company. I am convinced that very soon when the Google system will be 100% working there will be not anymore free listing. Even anyone will be able to submit his website it will not mean that his website will be listed on top of the listing. Those positions will be for those who will pay to Google or to his partners.