Over the past day, people in different parts of the US and the world have reported seeing phone numbers return to Google’s 3-pack of results. Here in Red Sox land, I didn’t see any phone numbers until now, but now I’m seeing phone numbers and full addresses once more.
I wasn’t the first to notice this:
Looks like phone #'s and addresses are back in the #snackpack @phixed @golander59 pic.twitter.com/Q6wEhybc74
— M.Fritzsche (@Mike_Fritzsche) September 24, 2015
Dave Oremland also noticed the addresses earlier today, as did Linda at the Local Search Forum.
Also, Darren tells me that he’s seeing the same thing up in Canada:
And in Australia, according to Andrew Webber in his comment, below.
So far, it seems like a full rollout, rather than one that people only see in certain regions or industries.
This, plus the blended paid/free 6-pack of local results that Mike Blumenthal reported on yesterday, suggests that Google probably isn’t taking the local results in 100% pay-to-play direction.
Or maybe it’s simply another test, meant to amuse the engineers at Google.
Are you seeing full addresses and phone numbers, too?
Have you noticed any other changes?
Leave a comment!
Thanks for the heads up Phil! Looks like they’ve returned in Australia as well from what I’m seeing across the board. This is good news!
Thanks, Andrew. Updated!
This is the first good news weve seen in Local for some time. A great change from the crap they were serving up before. At least the results will be packed full of information customers can use to make a purchasing decision.
Thanks for the write up Phil.
Seeing them in Asheville, NC this morning.
Two caveats, Phil. Not seeing phone #’s or addresses in mobile. For our smb’s that is half our traffic.
2nd. The restaurants, hotels, b&b’s and other similar business types that were relegated to the crap pack one year ago or so, don’t have phone numbers. They do have addresses on desktops.
I wonder why google won’t give hotels phone numbers??? Heaven forbid someone should call a hotel and book a room direct. 😉
Interesting. Nice catch, Dave.
Looks like Google hasn’t rolled this out to Texas yet. We are still have zero phone numbers on desktop local stack search results.
For a while now though, we have been getting a call button on android mobile search and a very clever Ad Words display with up to 3 listings before the map with buttons for directions and click to call in bold blue. (Ads – nearby Businesses) and then map with local stack results below that with just click to call button in a lighter blue.
If the AdWords campaigns are done right on mobile, you can barely tell that the first 3 listing on mobile are paid. Here is a short link screen shot example so you can see it for yourself! https://j.mp/1LFJle3
Yeah, Google has done this rollout in fits and starts. Everyone got the phone numbers and addresses last week, then Google rolled them back, and then re-introduced them. The only explanation I’ve got is that Google really wanted to test how searchers behave when the basic info is in the 3-pack vs. when it’s not.
I am seeing something different here in Chicago, IL now. Google is displaying the phone numbers for businesses, but they are also going back to their old ways of listing businesses that are closer to the center of the city. It’s an amazing change.