If anyone is familiar with Google Places and the mess that it really is, you will be delighted that I have found the solution to fix the entire mess with one simple app. This article states a little bit about some questions regarding other tries and thoughts about the Google Places Verification process. At the end is where you’ll find the amazingly simple and worthwhile solution that was created by 827 Online Marketing’s Owner, Daryl Osswald.
Currently the verification process for Google Places can be tricked very easily. Phone call verification is the easiest. Post card verification is as easy as forwarding mail. Then the re-verification when Google calls the company is EXTREMELY easy to fake since the Google employees that call are usually not even from the US. Most of the time the Google employees that call just ask questions like, “Are you located at…..” or “Is this your phone number?” the answer is yes and they say thank you and hang up. There have been some calls like, “are you located at such and such address, and, how does someone get to your store, who’s next door to you?” But all these questions are easily thwarted by the unethical business owners with ambitious Google Places motives. Then again, why wouldn’t they be, since the maps are before the organic listings and most people choose to call the businesses in the 7 box. They use that like a list and call A-G.
re: use business licenses and the addresses registered with it; this would work for state licensed business, but there are some businesses that are exempt from having to register with the state and one of those types of businesses is a Bail Bonds company. A bail bond agent does not have to register with the state for a business license.
re: Photo’s of storefronts: Google should integrate the Business Photos pilot program for storefront verification for Google Places. The idea is to have trusted Google Photographers (level 3 or higher) get paid to take pictures of storefronts for google places. There could be an incentive program such as $.50 per storefront or something like that. This provides a 3rd party verification system.
Now that the percentage of searches from phones is rising rapidly, the verifiable quality of Google Places is needed even more so for both Google’s sake and the business owner’s sake.
There are 2 choices that Google can take to fix the entire Google Places mess.
- Take away google places entirely from all search results. (like that’ll happen)
- Provide a better verification process including geotagged photo’s that are verifiably authenticated or done by trusted sources
How to submit verified and authentic geotagged photos of storefronts.
- All photos of store fronts need to be taken and sent from that very location from the actual phone that took the picture. Google could actually make an easy app for this verification and integrate it with latitude. Or just have a GPS photo verifying app for location based pictures.
WAIT, I FIGURED IT OUT!
That’s actually the answer! here’s the steps
- Google makes Photo Location Verifying App (name it whatever).
- The app will have security in it, blah blah and the user of the phone and app must be logged in to their google account that’s tied to their phone for authenticity and for payment
- Google Photo App users will get credits or actual $$ for each and every storefront they photo and the monies will be loaded in to their accounts (this is easy, just like having an adsense account, you just register your bank account with Google to get paid).
- What about doubles? what if someone takes a pic of the Whitehouse to register it via the Photo Location Verifying app and that listing is already verified? Well, all photo’s will also be time stamped and Google’s algorithm can just sort all this out!
THAT’S IT!!!
That way EVERYONE can participate. For example: As you are walking around say, 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica, you can make a couple bucks verifying store fronts by submitting them to Google. Wait, why am I writing all this info, I could be making that very app write now and sell it to Google for a gazillion dollars!!!!
Big Picture:
What if millions of users do this? At $.10 per storefront verification, for say, 1 million submissions, that would only be $100K, that’s like $10 to Google. There could also be prizes for most verified storefronts, like you get a job at Google or get to eat at their cafeteria in Mtn View, ooh, how about a Google sticker! sweet!
If you think the idea is awesome and want to help me make the app for it, email me at darylosswald827@gmail.com. We’re gonna be rich….!