Is The Google OneBox A Problem?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis ShareThis

Blumenthals asks if Google has fixed its OneBox problem. I’ll try to restate what the problem is exactly.

There are certain keywords and geographic locations that, if used in conjunction in a search query, return a local listing for a single business and the map to that location. However, if you conduct the same exact search through Google Maps you’ll get multiple business listings for that search query. I’m talking about generic keyword searches like “jewelry sales” (buffalo NY) and “graphic design” (Denver).

Google will generally return a 3-pack or 7-pack for such searches if it finds enough local businesses that meet the search query parameters. In most of these cases it could clearly do that.

I tested some of the problem searches listed in Google’s support forums and I can see that there is still a problem with the OneBox for many of these search queries. If you’re that one business, you should get good traffic. Of course, if you’re one of 3 or 7 businesses that also deserve to be there … well, that’s a different story.

If you run a local business then you might want to test some searches for your important keywords to see if you show up in a OneBox, a 3-pack, or a 7-pack, if at all.