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demospectator · 3 years

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Detail from stereoview no. 539 “Chinese at Laying Last Rail UPRR” May 10, 1869. Photograph by A.J. Rusell (from the collection of the CPRR Museum).

Day of Days: Chinese Drove the Last Spike

“At 7 o’clock the boarding train returned to Victory station, and, except a few business cars, two telegraph offices and some restaurant tents, the summit was deserted. As soon as the ceremony was over and the locomotives of the respective companies had met at the junction, the California tie was taken up again, and pine wood, with common spikes, substituted. That was immediately attacked by hundreds of jack-knives, and soon reduced to a mere stick. The ever-watchful Chinamen then took up the remains, sawed into small pieces and distributed it among them. The Chinese really laid the last tie and drove the last spike. When we last saw the spot, soldiers were hammering away at the flanges of the rails, and had carried off all the pieces they could break, so that a new rail will soon be necessary. One of the presentation spikes was afterwards, cut, and half of it given to Dillon for a memento.”

"HONORS TO JOHN CHINAMAN.

“Mr. Strowbridge, when work as all over, invited the Chinamen who had been brought over from Victory for the purpose, to dine in his boarding car. When they entered all the guests and officers present cheered them as the chosen representatives of the race which have greatly helped to build the road – a tribute they well deserved, and which evidently gave them much pleasure.”

-- Transcontinental Railroad Postscript to the San Francisco News Letter – California Advertiser, May 15, 1869.

#539. "Chinese at Laying Last Rail UPRR," May 10, 1869. (Stereoview and Caption Courtesy of the Phil Anderson Collection)

The stereograph on O.C. Smith's yellow mount may be the only photographic record of the Chinese role in the Last Rail ceremony; The view clearly shows at least one Chinese worker and a partner with rail-laying tools appearing to adjust the last rail laid (from the Central Pacific RR side), with a wooden track gauge stick still in place while two others look on -- showing the moment the last rails were actually laid. The image confirms eyewitness accounts. A crowd stands behind and fans away on both sides. Union Pacific RR Locomotive "119" is prominent in the background. A couple of ladies are on shoulders to get a better look at the scene. Notice the textures in the clothing, a gentleman in the crowd wearing quite stylish sunglasses (the only one), and some tools, shovels and fishplates laying on the ground.

Ging Cui, Wong Fook, and Lee Shao, three of the eight Chinese CPRR workers who brought up the last rail at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869 also participated in the Ogden 1919 50th Anniversary Celebration.

CPRR foreman, Amos L. Bowsher, who wired the telegraphic connection at Promontory which sent the word out over the wires that the last spike had been driven later recalled: "It was certainly a cosmopolitan gathering. Irish and Chinese laborers who had set records in track laying that have never since been equalled joined with the cowboys, Mormons, miners and Indians in celebrating completion of the railroad."

A reporter for the San Francisco Newsletter, May 15, 1869, described the final moments of the celebration at Promontory:

“J.H. Strobridge, when the work was all over, invited the Chinese who had been brought over from Victory for that purpose, to dine at his boarding car. When they entered, all the guests and officers present cheered them as the chosen representatives of the race which have greatly helped to build the road ... a tribute they well deserved and which evidently gave them much pleasure.”

“While in Sacramento,” the CPRR history website writes, “CPRR Director, Judge Edwin Bryant Crocker in his speech also paid tribute to the Chinese:

“I wish to call to your minds that the early completion of this railroad we have built has been in large measure due to that poor, despised class of laborers called the Chinese, to the fidelity and industry they have shown.”

Filling In Secret Town Trestle” c. 1869. Photograph by Carleton Watkins (from the Northeastern California Historical Photograph Collection. Meriam Library. California State University, Chico). After miners discovered gold in this area, miners wanted to keep the location a secret, and hence Secret Town was established. The transcontinental railroad ran near Secret Town as an impressive wooden trestle that stretched 1110 feet across and 95 feet above Secret Town ravine. But during those times, wooden trestles often caught fire from smokestack sparks as trains crossed. To solve this dilemma, Central Pacific Railroad hired Chinese laborers to fill-in Secret Town trestle with earth and rock after the railroad opened to traffic and could afford to send Chinese laborers back to improve the right-of-way.The filling-in of Secret Town ravine to accommodate I-80 and other features makes the Chinese laborers accomplishments less dramatic. Today, the trestle remains buried under the fill.

Each May, we pause to honor the Originals.

#Transcontinental Railroad #Chinese railroad workers #Central Pacific Railroad #Secret Town trestle

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the-truest-sentence-i-know · 3 years

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Rogue Demigod - Chapter One

Fandom: Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Pairing: Annabeth Chase x Percy Jackson

Summary: Two years after Luke Castellan's demigod rebellion was ruthlessly crushed by the Olympians, Annabeth realizes that a string of attacks against minor gods across the country might be the actions of another half-blood. Determined to not let history repeat itself, she leaves camp to meet them. Au where Percy never went to Camp Halfblood.

Word Count: 3.5k | 1/?

ao3 ||| ff.net ||| wattpad ||| quotev

As Annabeth walked into Chiron’s office in the Big House, she noticed the shimmering remnant of an Iris message. Behind the glimpses of rainbow that hung in the air, Chiron’s face was grim.

“Another attack?” she asked.

Chiron nodded wearily. “A minor god in Texas, not far from Houston. Tyche, goddess of luck, destiny, and fortune.”

“Did she see what attacked her?” Annabeth sat down on the edge of Chiron’s desk.

He shook his head. “Same as the others. A sudden deluge of water, which got her off-guard as well as temporarily blinding her. But she swears whatever it was had a celestial bronze weapon.”

“Maybe it’s not a monster,” Annabeth suggested, putting a pin in Houston on a map already covered in pins.

“What else would it be?” Chiron asked. “All the Titans were accounted for, as well as the other minor gods and goddesses. Besides, they would have been able to do a lot more damage. Tyche was shaken and a bit injured, but not severely. It is entirely possible that a monster happened to have a celestial bronze weapon that it got from a previous fight.”

Annabeth stared at the map, unconvinced. There was something weird about this.

“With camp starting up again this week, we’ll be able to send out a quest,” Chiron said. “Then we will know more about this, and hopefully be done with it. The gods are growing impatient with our inaction.”

Annabeth frowned. “And of course they can’t do anything about it,” she muttered.

Chiron looked at her reproachingly.

“I didn’t mean that,” she said quickly, then sighed. “So, who are you going to send?”

“Not you, Annabeth,” Chiron said, kindly but firmly. “You know the gods wouldn’t approve of you going, and besides, I need you here.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean me,” Annabeth said. “I was just curious. If this thing can take on minor gods, we need to send someone who can handle it.”

Chiron nodded. “I’ll ask for volunteers and choose from them.” He watched as Annabeth continued to look at the map. “Can I have your word that you’ll focus on getting the camp up and running and not on this?”

Pulled out of her thoughts, Annabeth quickly turned away from the map. “Of course,” and she quickly left the room.

Something about this was nagging at her though. There was something odd about this case.

Back in the Athena cabin, she pulled up the local news for Houston on her laptop. The main story was of a freak wave on the coast – the attack on Tyche. But further down, there was a story about a large, burly man rampaging in a bar before being pulled out into an alley by someone no one saw and disappearing leaving signs of a struggle. The description was how Annabeth imagined mortals would see a minotaur through the Mist.

These two events happened not an hour apart, and Annabeth could not help but wonder if it was the same thing that was involved in both. But she had never heard of monsters attacking each other.

There was only one logical conclusion here, and as Annabeth investigated previous attacks, it became clearer and clearer, but she did not want to think about it.

The attacks on both minor deities and monsters, seemingly indiscriminately. The fact that it never pursued or even attacked demigods. The celestial bronze weapon.

Annabeth closed her laptop and leaned back in her chair and wondered if maybe she was reading too much into it.

The first week of camp was a flurry of activity. Campers arrived, old and new. Annabeth helped to show them around and did not have a lot of time for her own research.

Thalia arrived at the end of the first week. While Annabeth had decided to hold off on college for a year, Thalia had gone last year.

She hugged Annabeth tightly. When she pulled back, she smiled. “How have you been?”

Annabeth’s relationship with Thalia was a bit odd. Although they were now kind of the same age, they had not always been. When they met, Thalia was five years older than Annabeth, but now, due to some magical shenanigans involving a pine tree and the Golden Fleece, they were basically the same age. Nonetheless, Thalia still felt the need to protect her.

“I’m alright,” Annabeth said. “Keeping busy.”

Thalia nodded. “Me too.”

“I actually need your perspective on something. A… research project I’ve been working on.”

Thalia rolled her eyes, smiling, “Of course you would do a research project for fun. I’m forced to do that shit for classes.”

“Don’t swear around the younger campers,” Annabeth said absentmindedly as they headed to the Athena cabin.

In the cabin, campers were unpacking. They all nodded hello as she and Thalia entered. A few stole glances at Thalia in particular. In addition to having once been a tree, she was one of the only two children of the Big Three gods – Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

She and Annabeth had also been close to Luke Castellan. Before.

As they approached Annabeth’s bunk, Thalia spotted her bulletin board with a map of the US with the pins of the attacks. Thread connected them in chronological order and cut-out headlines pinned alongside them.

“Wow,” Thalia said. “and I thought you didn’t like conspiracy theories.”

Annabeth frowned. “It’s the attacks,” she lowered her voice so that the other campers could not hear. “They’ve been happening all year, more frequently lately.”

“I’m sure Chiron’s got a handle on it,” Thalia said. “Why do you need me?”

“Chiron thinks it’s a monster and is going to send out a quest to kill it.”

“But you’re not so sure.”

“Exactly.” Annabeth pointed to one of the pins and the headlines pinned near it “April fourth, attack on a group of satyrs in Sacramento. Two days later, an empousa was killed in Concord, which is on the way to San Francisco, where to next attack happened.”

“And monsters don’t generally kill each other. They’re attracted to demigods.” Thalia sighed. “Annabeth, if Chiron thought it was a demigod, don’t you think he’d be handling the situation differently?”

“I didn’t tell him what I thought, because he wouldn’t believe me.”

Thalia studied to board again. “If it was a demigod – and I’m not saying I think it is – why would they be attacking minor gods and satyrs?”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows meaningfully and Thalia sighed again.

“Annabeth, this is why I thought you should go to college too, and not stay cooped up at camp. You need to move on, not try to find a second chance at saving Luke.”

They had not said the name in months, but Annabeth never went a day without thinking about him. “It’s not that –”

“Yes, it is,” Thalia said. “We couldn’t save him and now you think you see someone like him, someone you can try to save.” She put her hands on Annabeth’s shoulders. “We need to let him go.” Annabeth could see the pain in Thalia’s eyes. Luke had meant as much to Thalia as he had to her.

“Chiron’s right,” Thalia said. “It’s just a monster.” She smiled again. “I’ll see you at the campfire.”

When Thalia left the cabin, Annabeth noticed that a lot of her siblings were glancing at her cautiously. She quickly straightened her shoulders and took a breath. She was the head counsellor of the Athena cabin and basically Chiron’s assistant, she had to at least look like she was keeping it together.

She looked back at the board. One thing she hated was feelings clouding judgement. It made plans and conclusions unsound and unreliable. She always tried to approach problems with an unbiased eye. Hadn’t she done that here?

She had not suspected the attack was a demigod until she had looked into it. After that, every new piece of information seemed to fit into place. Nothing else made sense.

Because she had tried other explanations. Whatever Thalia thought, the last thing Annabeth wanted was a demigod attacking gods. She did not want to have t deal with that, much less try to save whoever it was.

If there was one thing Annabeth was confident in, it was her ability to research and come to logical conclusions. She knew she was right.

She just had to convince someone of it.

As the sun started to set, Annabeth made her way across the strawberry fields. At the far end, nestled between some trees, was a small cottage.

She knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” a voice called from inside.

“Grover, it’s me, Annabeth!”

Annabeth heard the various locks click open before the door opened. Grover looked tired, as he always did these days. “Hey, Annabeth.”

She smiled as she stepped inside. “How’ve you been, Grover?”

“I’ve been alright,” he said. “It’s nice to hear all the campers around again. It gets so quiet during the school year.”

The cabin was small, just one room, with a bed in one corner and a couple of lazy chairs in the other. A cabinet of cans stood at the far wall.

Annabeth sank into a chair. “I saw Thalia earlier. Has she been by yet?”

Grover nodded. “Briefly.”

“I’m sure we can all catch up at the campfire tonight,” Annabeth said hopefully.

“Oh, I don’t – I wasn’t planning on going,” Grover said.

Even though she wanted to, Annabeth knew better than to pressure him. “Grover, I need your expertise on something.”

“My expertise?” Grover asked incredulously.

“Yes, as a Searcher.”

“And a great Searcher I was,” Grover muttered.

“Come on, what do we keep saying about the negative self-talk.” Annabeth sighed. “I think I may have found a demigod, but I’m not sure. You have the instincts for this.”

Grover sighed. “Okay, how can I help?”

Annabeth pulled out her laptop and showed him the digitalized version of the bulletin board. It would be more efficient to have it digitalized and not physically, but Annabeth liked to think with her hands.

“These are the monster attacks,” Grover said cautiously.

“Yeah, but not just on gods and nature spirits. I found attacks on monsters that fit into the timeline.”

As Grover surveyed the connecting headlines, Annabeth saw the realization cross his face. He immediately stepped back. “No.”

“What?”

“I am not getting involved in this.”

“Come on, Grover, I just need your help to convince Chiron, so he doesn’t send a quest to kill the person doing this.”

“Annabeth,” Grover said. “This is a demigod attacking minor gods. If the gods got wind of this…? It’s the last thing we need; repairing our reputation is hard enough as it is without there being a demigod fighting gods.” His voice rose to a bleat at the end.

Annabeth put a hand on Grover’s arm. “I know this brings up a lot for you, it does for me too, but maybe we can help this person – it’s just one person.”

“Luke was just one person too, and he led hundreds of demigods against Olympus.”

They were both quiet for a good moment. Annabeth closed her laptop and stood up slowly. “I’ll see you later, then,” she said, smiling softly.

“Yeah,” Grover said, grabbing a can and nibbling it nervously. “Later.”

As Annabeth closed the door behind her, she sighed. She had known that Grover would not be happy to hear it, but at least he did believe her. Maybe with more time, he would back her up to Chiron.

But she didn´t have time. She suspected that Chiron would call for volunteers at the campfire tonight.

Annabeth made her way down to the campfire early that evening, hoping to talk to Chiron before too many campers got there.

Chiron stood talking to a few satyrs who had recently brought in new campers / probably asking if their changes seemed particularly promising. He saw her coming down the earthen steps that doubled as seats around the fire pit and quickly finished his conversation.

“Annabeth,” he said. “I actually wanted to talk to you about the attacks.”

“Don’t worry, I ‘m sending out a quest, they’ll be on their way by morning.”

“But that’s exactly what I’m worried about.” Annabeth took a breath. “I don’t think it’s a monster. I think it’s a demigod.”

“What?”

“I did research – in my free time – that I can show you.” She could see that Chiron was wholly unconvinced. “Grover thinks so too.”

“Grover is hardly a reliable source.” There was an exasperated edge to his voice.

Annabeth huffed. “Grover was one of our best Searchers.”

“Exactly: was. He has not left the camp in over a year and a half! I care about Grover, but I couldn’t be surprised if his instincts have dulled a bit.”

“Come on, Chiron. Surely you see there’s something weird going on.” Annabeth looked at him imploringly, but he did not budge.

“I’m sending out a quest. That’s final.” Chiron turned and made his way to his regular spot on the far end of the fire pit.

Annabeth sighed. This was really not going how she had planned. She had hoped that this summer would be the one everything would go back to normal. The camp had been her home since she was seven and she hated how it had changed.

There were still traces of the battle that had taken place two years ago. Burn marks on buildings that Annabeth had been working to slowly get fixed. New scars on basically every camper. And so many empty bunks. The missing kids were not all reflected on the Wall either.

The Wall of Valor was in the Big House and was engraved with all the names of the demigods who died in battle. But only those fighting for the gods – rebels did not count, so they were left off and did not receive pyre burnings.

Annabeth had tried to argue for their names being included, of course, but had not been successful. She had argued unsuccessfully for a lot of things in the aftermath.

She remembered standing in the throne room of Olympus, the gods and goddesses towering above her. Trying to stand tall, she spoke as loudly and confidently as she could muster. “We request that the gods and goddesses claim their children within a reasonable time – at thirteen or fourteen, for example. Many of the rebels –”

“Traitors,” Hera spat.

“Traitors,” Annabeth amended quickly. “Many of the traitors were unclaimed and felt forgotten and neglected. Claiming them could prevent this from happening again.”

“So, you’re blaming us for this?” Zeus asked.

“No, of course not, Lord Zeus,” Annabeth said. “I’m just saying, there were contributing factors that could be eliminated to lessen the chance of this happening again.”

“This is absurd,” Hera said. “Your camp rises up against us and now you are making demands?”

“Not our whole camp,” Annabeth said, trying to keep her voice calm. “We fought against them – for you.”

“You were a close friend of this Luke fellow, weren’t you?” Demeter asked.

Annabeth turned to her. “Yes, we were close.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

She blinked. “I – I didn’t know until it was too late.”

Annabeth pulled herself out of the memory and sat down shakily. It had been a lie. She had known – at least that something was going on.

Other campers had started to filter in, and Annabeth quickly turned Thalia and they sat together. She did not pay much attention as the Hephaestus kids started the fire and the Apollo kids started up the sing-along.

Food was served and Annabeth ate silently, staring into the fire. She could see no way to convince Chiron or anyone of authority. And she could not go to any god with her theory, they would strike the rogue half-blood dead first and ask questions later. Annabeth wanted to help them.

Maybe Thalia was right. Maybe this was just a second chance for her. But that did not mean that it was not true. Whatever her motivations were, she wanted to help.

An old plan from years ago began to reform in her mind. Back before she went on her quest two years ago, she had been very impatient to leave camp. At one point, she had gotten the idea in her head that Chiron would never let her go and that she would have to do it herself. The main tenets of that plan could still work.

Annabeth looked around. If she left tonight, she would have a head start. And besides, she knew about this person’s movements and habits. For one thing, they tended to travel up to New York every couple of months and were due for another visit soon.

Across the fire pit, Chiron rose. “Good evening everyone. I trust you have all had a good week back. A special welcome to all the newcomers. We hope you come to see this place as a home away from home, as many here do.” He smiled warmly. “Now, as I am sure many of you have heard, there have been a large number of monster attacks all over the country over the past year. We believe they are all the work of one creature. These attacks have escalated in recent months and therefore, I am sending out a quest.”

Whispers erupted among the campers and the enchanted flames jumped green and yellow, reflecting their excitement. There had not been any quests last year.

“We do not know what kind of creature this is, so this quest is not for the faint of heart. However, I believe there is a candidate for the job.” Chiron turned to a group of Aphrodite kids. “Olivia Marcelin, daughter of Aphrodite.” He inclined his head slightly to her. “Will you undertake this labour?”

Olivia, petite but muscular, had arrived at camp just before the rebellion. She was thrust into battle situations at fifteen and handled herself well. She was a good fighter, skilled in multiple weapons, and benefitted from being underestimated. Annabeth would have to be smart if she was going to beat her.

Olivia, although first taken off her guard, quickly straightened and smiled. “I would be honoured.”

“And who will you choose as your companions?” Chiron asked.

She looked around. “Adam Flavius.” Her brother, another son of Aphrodite. Unassuming, but had wickedly good aim with throwing knives. “and Sabine Stentz.” No surprise there. Sabine, daughter of Demeter, was Olivia’s girlfriend. Like all children of Demeter, she had power over plants, but she specialized in the art of offensive plants. Annabeth had seen her in action and would hate to have to tangle with her.

“Very well,” Chiron said. “Tonight you will go to the Oracle and prepare, for you leave at first light tomorrow morning.”

“But first,” said Michal – a child of Apollo. “More sing-along.”

As they strummed the opening chords of ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain,’ Annabeth turned to Thalia. “I think I’m gonna turn in for the night,” she said quietly.

Thalia looked at her with a little suspicion but nodded. “Sleep well.”

Annabeth slipped away quietly. In her cabin, she quickly packed the essentials in her backpack: ambrosia, nectar, change of clothes, a few drachmae, and everything else needed for a last-minute quest. Before she hurried out, she stuffed a pillow and extra blanket under her sheets, so it looked like she was asleep. The longer head start she could get before people noticed she was missing, the better.

Even though it had been a solo plan, Annabeth found herself knocking on Grover’s door.

“What is it?” he asked when he opened the door, looking like he had been sleeping. Then he saw her backpack and the sword that joined her dagger that was normally on her hip. “Whatever you’re doing, I do not want to be involved.”

“Grover, I need your help.”

“I am not going on your redemption quest, especially not if it’s a non-sanctioned one.”

“I have a better chance if you come along, you know that. You can track demigods.”

“I also know that I haven’t left camp since… you know, and I’m out of practice.”

“If we don’t do this, there’s a pretty good chance the demigod will be killed.”

“So what? Maybe it’s better that way.”

“Better that way? Are you hearing yourself?” Annabeth tried not to lose her cool. “This is a demigod who needs our help. Finding and protecting demigods is supposed to be your job, as a Searcher.”

Grover just shook his head.

“Look, I know that you feel like you failed Luke, like what happened was your fault, but that was on all of us, okay? But maybe we can make it right, by helping this person.” She squared her shoulders. “But whether you decide to come or not, I’m going.”

Grover sighed and closed his eyes. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

Annabeth sighed a breath of relief. While she had been ready to go along, she hadn’t like the idea. She hadn’t had to survive along since before she met Luke and Thalia after running away from home.

“I thought you said this wasn’t to make up for what happened to Luke,” said a voice behind her.

Annabeth jumped and spun around to see Thalia standing behind her.

“Thalia, I – we –”

“I can’t let you two dumbasses go along, and you seem pretty hell-bent.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fuck it – we’re all going on this unsanctioned quest – which I still don’t entirely approve of.”

#percabeth #pjo #pjo fanfic #fanfic #annabeth chase #percy jackson #【ｒｏｇｕｅ　ｄｅｍｉｇｏｄ】#ao3 #ff.net #wattpad #wattpadlife #quotev #amwriting #writing #my writing

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ademocrat · 5 years

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He’s Saving California’s Oldest Weekly (Mark Twain Wrote for It)

DOWNIEVILLE, Calif. — The night before his first deadline, Carl Butz, California’s newest newspaper owner, was digging into a bowl of beef stew at the Two Rivers Café, the only restaurant open in town.

“Tomorrow I have to fill the paper,” he said with only mild anxiety. “The question is, will it be a four-page paper or a six-page paper?”

At 71, Mr. Butz is trim, with wire-rimmed glasses and a close-cropped silver beard, and he dresses in flannel shirts and cargo pants. Since his retirement and his wife’s death in 2017, he considered traveling — to England or Latvia, or riding the Trans-Siberian Railway. But here he was, a freshly minted newspaper proprietor, having stepped in at the beginning of the year to save The Mountain Messenger, California’s oldest weekly newspaper, from extinction.

The Messenger was founded in 1853. Its most famous scribe was Mark Twain, who once wrote a few stories — with a hangover, the legend goes — while hiding out here from the law.

Newspapers across America, especially in rural areas like here in Sierra County, have been dying at an alarming rate, and Downieville was about to become the latest “news desert.” The obituaries for the paper had already been written. Don Russell, the hard-drinking, chain-smoking editor with a blunt writing style who had owned and run the paper for nearly three decades, was retiring, and he seemed happy enough for the paper to die with his retirement.

And then one night Mr. Butz was watching “Citizen Kane” on cable and thought, I can do that. He made the deal quickly, paying a price in the “four figures,” he said, plus the assumption of some debts, without even looking at the books.

Still, Mr. Russell, an old friend of Mr. Butz’s, was a reluctant seller. “His position was, it’s a losing proposition and someone who’d want it would be crazy,” Mr. Butz said. “He called me a romantic idealist and a nut case. And that’s not a paraphrase, but a direct quote.”

For the residents of Downieville — and there are not many; the population is about 300 — who for generations counted on The Messenger to arrive every Thursday, through wildfires and power outages and economic booms and busts, Mr. Butz has become an unlikely local hero, a savior of a cherished institution.

“Thank God for Carl, he stepped in,” said Liz Fisher, a former editor of the paper who lives across the street from its office and runs The Sierra County Prospect, an online news site. “It was devastating for everybody that we were going to lose The Mountain Messenger.”

A cluttered, smoke-filled newsroom

On a recent Wednesday morning, facing his first deadline, Mr. Butz was staring down a blank computer screen in the newspaper’s cramped two-room office above a beauty salon on Main Street. Mr. Butz, a fourth-generation Californian and a former computer programmer and labor economist for the state, readily admitted that he had no idea what he had gotten himself into, and it did not help to learn that the paper’s publishing software was from the mid-1990s.

One of the first things he said he would do after buying the paper was ban smoking in the office, but next to his keyboard was a package of unfiltered cigarettes and an ashtray.

“What is the lead story?” Mr. Butz asked.

“The front page is blank,” replied Jill Tahija, the paper’s only other employee, sitting at an adjacent computer.

Ms. Tahija, who has worked at The Messenger for 11 years, might properly be called the managing editor, but on her business cards it says, “she who does the work.”

Her small black-and-white dog, Ladybug, a Boston terrier-Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix, bounded around the cluttered newsroom. On every surface were books and trinkets and junk — Civil War histories, annals of the county, dictionaries, empty beer bottles, packages of ramen noodles.

In the archives section are old papers dating to the 1850s, and on the walls are pictures of Mark Twain and some slogans — old saws of newspapering, like “If it bleeds, it leads.”

Mr. Russell, who was on vacation, driving his R.V. up the coast with his wife, when Mr. Butz took over the paper, once told The Los Angeles Times that Twain had written a few unremarkable stories for The Messenger. Mr. Russell had read them on microfilm at a library. “They were awful,” he said. “They were just local stories, as I recall, written by a guy with a hangover.”

At his computer, Mr. Butz was putting together one of his first new features for the paper, a “poetry corner.” (He selected “Thoughts,” by Myra Viola Wilds, an African-American poet from Kentucky who wrote in the early 20th century.) As Ms. Tahija worked on the front page — the next day it would be filled with stories about a local poetry competition, the upcoming census, wildfire prevention and a local supervisors meeting — Mr. Butz shifted his focus to finishing his letter to readers.

In it, he explained why he bought the paper. “Simply put,” he wrote, “the horrible thought of this venerable institution folding up and vanishing after 166 years of continuous operation was simply more than I could bear.”

The newspaper, he wrote, was “something we need in order to know ourselves.”

‘Like losing a friend’

Making a newspaper in Downieville is strictly an analog, ink-on-paper affair; there is no website, no social media accounts. It loses a few thousand dollars a year, and relies mostly on publishing legal notices from the county and other government offices, which brings in about $50,000 a year, for the bulk of its revenue. It has about 700 subscribers and a print run of 2,400 copies, just below the county’s population.

“I’m not going to lose a million dollars but I know I’m going to have to subsidize some of it,” Mr. Butz said. “My daughter is already aware that her inheritance is shrinking.”

Downieville is a remarkably well-preserved old Gold Rush town, perched at a fork in the Yuba River in remote western Sierra County. History is its pitch to tourists, and it has the feel of a backlot for an Old West movie — in its corner saloon, in the one-lane bridges over the Yuba, and in the second-story offices of The Messenger, next to the Fire Department. (A painted message on the door says it is the “oldest volunteer fire department west of the Mississippi.”)

With the demise of gold mining and the shuttering of the sawmills that were once an economic engine for the region, Downieville reinvented itself as a destination for mountain biking and fly fishing, with an abundance of Old West charm.

Residents reacted to Mr. Butz’s last-minute purchase of the paper with a mixture of relief and gratitude.

“A real sense of relief,” said Lee Adams, a former Sierra County sheriff and a current member of the county’s Board of Supervisors.

The paper was always an important institution, but it had become more so in recent years as Northern California dailies like The Sacramento Bee and The San Francisco Chronicle stopped distributing in the region, and rarely sent reporters to cover Sierra County.

“We would have to fall off the face of the earth to make one of those papers on a normal news day,” Mr. Adams said.

The Messenger is more than just a chronicle of weekly happenings — government meetings, births and deaths, the police blotter, the weather — but also a repository of the county’s history. The paper is just a year younger than Sierra County, which was founded in 1852, the year Wells Fargo was established to serve the Gold Rush and the riches being dredged from the river.

When Bill Copren, 76, a local historian and a former county assessor, wrote his master’s thesis on the political history of Sierra County in the mid-19th century, he relied on The Messenger’s archives.

More recently, when officials secured a spot on the National Register of Historic Places for a local school built in the Art Deco style in 1931, they used the paper’s archives to confirm the details of how it was built and who paid for it.

The paper’s closure, Mr. Copren said, would have been “like losing a friend.”

Under Mr. Russell, The Messenger had a distinctive attitude and a brusque, straightforward style. He was averse to political correctness and not immune from using curse words in print.

Mr. Butz said he did not plan to own the paper for long, and wanted to find a younger person who could take over. He said he was thinking about bringing the paper into the digital age, with a website, and was thinking about turning it into a nonprofit publication, accepting donations and grants to keep it running.

But on a recent Thursday morning, the day after deadline, he was just happy to have his first issue under his belt.

His Thursday routine is now established: He gets up early and drives about an hour and a half to a printing plant in Quincy, Calif., to pick up the bundles of freshly printed newspapers. On the way, he and Scott McDermid, the paper’s longtime distribution manager, stop at the Express Coffee Shop for waffles and eggs.

And then, with a truck full of papers, they crisscross the county, past the tall cedars and Douglas firs of the mountains, and across the Sierra Valley, dotted with junipers and cottonwoods, stopping at every shop and gas station, emptying newspaper machines of last week’s edition, collecting money and dropping off fresh bundles of The Messenger.The story around town is how Mr. Butz saved the local newspaper.But Mr. Butz, a still-grieving widower — his wife, Cecilia Kuhn, the drummer in an all-female punk band, Frightwig, died in 2017 — sees it another way.“It’s saving me,” he said.

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poesieinterrotte-blog · 6 years

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Moving To Fresno California

“ Fresno, whose name is the Spanish word for "ash tree,"

The original inhabitants of the San Joaquin Valley region were the Yokuts people and Miwok people , who engaged in trading with other Californian tribes of Native Americans including coastal peoples such as the Chumash of the Central California coast, with whom they are thought to have traded plant and animal products.

Fresno County was first settled by Yokut tribes long before Europeans came to the U.S. – at one point, 60 tribes inhabited Fresno County. The area encompassing the county was claimed by Spain and then Mexico once the latter won independence. The first known Mexican expedition into Fresno County was completed in 1806 by Gabriel Moraga, who also named the Kings and San Joaquin rivers. Moraga was looking for new sites for missions, but Mexican development in the county was slow. What is now Fresno County joined the U.S. following the Mexican War in 1846. Fresno County was officially founded in 1856 from sections of neighboring Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties.

It lies approximately 220 miles (350 km) north of Los Angeles , 170 miles (270 km) south of the state capital, Sacramento , and 185 miles (300 km) southeast of San Francisco Yosemite National Park is about 60 miles (100 km) to the north, Kings Canyon National Park is 60 miles (100 km) to the east, and Sequoia National Park is 75 miles (120 km) to the southeast.

In the 1970s, the city was the subject of a song, "Walking Into Fresno", written by Hall Of Fame guitarist Bill Aken and recorded by Bob Gallion of the world-famous "WWVA Jamboree" radio and television show in Wheeling, West Virginia Aken, adopted by Mexican movie actress Lupe Mayorga, grew up in the neighboring town of Madera and his song chronicled the hardships faced by the migrant farm workers he saw as a child.

Although the neighborhood was known as a residential area prior, the early commercial establishments of the Tower District began with small shops and services that flocked to the area shortly after World War II. The character of small local businesses largely remains today.

The Tower District is a hub for community events such as Jamaica My Weekend, Mardi Gras in February, Gay Pride Parade , car shows, A Taste of The Tower, Halloween in the Tower, and the Farmer's Market opened on the North-West Corner of Olive and Van Ness.

The neighborhood includes Kearney Boulevard, named after early 20th century entrepreneur and millionaire M. Theo Kearney, which extends from Fresno Street in Southwest Fresno about 20 mi (32 km) west to Kerman, California A small, two-lane rural road for most of its length, Kearney Boulevard is lined with tall palm trees.

Fresno tends to remain socially conservative while being more moderate on economic issues, which can be seen in Fresno's support for socially conservative proposition amendments but occasionally voting for a Democratic Presidential Candidate if economic times are poor such as former President Bill Clinton's victory over incumbent former President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and President Barack Obama over Senator John McCain in 2008.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis ‘s Regional Price Parity survey, which takes into account cost of living metrics including the price of goods and services and housing, Fresno has a regional price parity of 106.0, -3.2% below the average for US metro areas.

In return you get great schools, lots of activities for your children to choose from, plenty of chain restaurants and a few really good independent restaurants, and a fairly safe area to raise your kids up. Clovis PD is much better than Fresno PD on answering calls and keeping the streets safe.

The parks have a multi-use amphitheater that seats up to 2,500 people, authentic Japanese Garden, fenced dog park, two-mile (3 km) equestrian trail, exercise par course, three children's playgrounds, a lake, 3 small ponds, 7 picnic areas and five miles (8 km) of multipurpose trails that are part of the San Joaquin River Parkway's Lewis S. Eaton Trail.

Major watercourses are the San Joaquin River , Kings River , Delta-Mendota Canal , Big Creek , Friant Kern Canal , Helm Canal and Madera Canal It is bordered on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Sierra Nevada It is the center of a large agricultural area, known as the most agriculturally rich county in the United States The county withdrew 3.7 billion US gallons (14,000,000 m3) of fresh water per day in 2000, more than any other county in the United States.

Passenger rail service is offered by Amtrak so residents can enjoy a ride along the tracks when getting about town or long-distance bus service is offered by Greyhound The Fresno Yosemite International Airport brings new and long-time residents in and out of the region from all over the world.

An agreeable climate, and proximity to both ocean and mountains combine to make Fresno a haven for lovers of the outdoors. For athletic Fresnans, surfing Pacific coast beaches such as Santa Cruz in the summer, then skiing the Sierras in the winter is commonplace. Sailing at Huntington Lake and canoeing the San Joaquin River are popular activities. And Fresno is the only city in the country surrounded by three national parks: Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite. Pebble Beach, the most storied golf course in the country, is just a 2-hour drive away (Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay are two other top-rated courses in Pebble Beach).

Fresno's nightlife offers a myriad of music, dining and entertainment options reflecting the city's youth and diversity. The Tower District has many great places to see live music. Several wineries inhabit the area. Combining the best of both worlds, Fresno has big-city amenities while retaining a friendly, small-town atmosphere.

Fresno California has always been a popular draw for those seeking that perfect combination of big city culture and small town hospitality. Many folks are flocking there each year as many Long Distance Moving Companies are seeing a increase in those relocating to the area.

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stender04connolly-blog · 6 years

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Riverside Moving Company Movers

Out Of State Movers Riverside, CA

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Give us a name right now to talk with certainly one of our skilled movers in Riverside County, or submit our online type now to request your free, piano movers riverside no-obligation estimate! Affordable Costs - We give you an honest estimate of how a lot it would value to maneuver your piano. Our caring workers will work with you to create a custom moving plan that will work to your individual wants, and our professionally trained transferring groups will work with you to ensure your satisfaction all through your move expertise. This may allow our professionally skilled employees of Riverside interstate transferring experts to accommodate buyer wants as they carry out the perfect transferring experience. Having a reputable California moving company dealing with your belongings domestically or interstate is something everyone is on the lookout for earlier than the moving day. Anaheim Fullerton Towing is a member of the California Tow Truck Association (CTTA) and the Towing & Recovery Affiliation of America. Altogether, log rafting and different towing work for his tugs employed the providers of 5 hundred individuals. Dumpster Rental Firms do not permit people to use their trash bins for hazardous and toxic waste comparable to tires, some liquids, paint, flammable gadgets, chemicals, spray cans, pesticides and fertilizer.

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Piano boards are loaded on to dollies which enable the movers to transport the piano to the closest exit. We at Piano Movers Chicago, know how essential your piano, organ and any musical instrument is as a result of we’re musicians ourselves. I don't know in the event that they have been lost or what but they must be accountable for his or her time. Know any nice Piano Movers within the Riverside space? As it is near Los Angeles you might find the entire Riverside space too much populous for your taste and even too small. You don’t have to go looking far and vast to find a crew of Riverside County native movers—just flip to Coleman Allied. Discover a company that can cater to your specific wants. You may also want to make use of a moving company to ship your car if you're shifting overseas or every other long distance. In addition to skilled moving providers, Schick Moving & Storage operates a 150,000 sq. foot warehouse facility in Orange County that you would be able to utilize for secure storage of your family or commercial items for so long as you want.

We had a two bedroom, plenty of heavy odd gadgets and cargo of fragile taxidermy. Regardless of their settled appearance, he guessed the 2 had reached house shortly before him and had hurriedly organized themselves to deceive him into believing that they had been there the daylong. The house costs in LA or double these in Riverside-Corona, and triple these in a number of the neighboring cities. Lowest Prices & Highest Quality Relocation Providers! Our workforce of Riverside County movers is offered seven days per week to design a personalized relocation plan for you, and we do it all at great prices. Our Allied Van Lines agents in Riverside can offer you several moving providers, together with supplying all the packing supplies you will want for the transfer. Our moving corporations have years of experience serving Riverside and all different areas of California including San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. When contacting local California transferring firms, make certain to examine thier cal-T nuimber issued byh the California Public Utilities Commission. For greater than 60 years, Trackmobile has been offering high quality railcar movers to corporations similar to yours, and its dedication to chopping-edge expertise has allowed it to type partnerships with noted corporations, similar to Lockheed Martin.

In contrast to self-proclaimed low-cost moving companies, Starving College students Riverside movers are proud to offer wonderful moving services at inexpensive charges with one-cease looking for transferring and storage. 4 within the Riverside space. Fill out the kind under and receive free moving quotes from moving companies that service Riverside, CA and the surroundings Space. Delivery your car to or from Riverside, CA may be needed for many causes. There are many transferring corporations in Riverside, however Home Movers Riverside is exclusive in that we manage to keep up competitive and affordable pricing while offering five-star customer service. I will definitely use Low-cost Movers Riverside for my subsequent transfer! Our international moving company directory will help you progress to the USA or move anywhere at anytime. Our company offer a complete movers service for residential and business clients. Our companies are additionally obtainable to customers who're transferring lengthy-distance, whether their vacation spot is in Washington State, New York, or Florida.

Over 3000 residential and commercial moves provides us the experience you deserve.We are a registered moving company with over 3000 happy clients. Each experience and a focus to element are essential relating to business moving. CA7690S Nice, established pool service route with 13 residential accounts and 0 commercial accounts. An infectious grin and a honest curiosity loosened tongues of sailors who loved Ben's enthusiasm; they gladly shared accounts of their adventures and information of all things nautical. When Ben Boutell, William Mitchell, and future accomplice, Peter Smith linked themselves to the lumber industry that they had tied themselves to a star that will rise however a little bit distance before flaming out. Amelia's non-stop references to Ben began to sound like wedding bells to Cornelia. We ship by truck, and handle every side of your long distance moving service transfer from origin to closing destination. Does your small business transfer require the usage of a brief storage unit? 2. We use customized made scorching tub moving tools.Because we're a specialized service, our gear is custom-made and designed to transport your spa with out harm to it or your property. Water transport offered the least costly solution. They have been in a position to quote us a fair price to maneuver our upright 80 miles away, simply from the image we supplied of the piano, and we scheduled the pickup and supply via Yelp.

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sellfurnitureonline · 3 years

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Free Local Classified Ads - Cost Efficient Tool For Advertising

Free local classified ads can be used as a time and cost efficient tool for advertising all types of products and services. Classified ads are generally used by individuals or small business organisations with the aim of popularising their products to enhance their profits. Unlike biggies of the business world who spend a large amount on advertising on television, radio and billboards, classifieds are of a great value for others, like individuals who want to buy or sell their stuff.

All of us encounter numerous classified ads in the newspapers, magazines and websites each day. Thus these ads have a large target audience, which accounts of their effectiveness. Often people are troubled because of being low on business profits. Small business organisations are in need of a local market and are unable to reach out to the people. Local classified ads can be a solution to their problem. These ads can aid in advertising their commodity/service without being heavy on the pocket.

When one wishes to post a classified ad, the primary aim is to reach the maximum number of people, and also in the shortest time. Depending on the type and text of the ad, one has to decide the target audience. The ad may need to target only the local people of the area. For example, if you wish to sell a large item such as a piano, searching for a customer locally will save your shipping expenses.

For placing local classified ads, research on the local publications as well as the websites that have the facility of posting free local ads. After short listing the location, create an ad that attracts the attention of the people. For this, the ad needs to be truthful, brief and appealing. The heading of the ad must be such that it prompts the reader to read further. Highlight the benefits. Another tip is to provide the audience with more than one means to communicate with you, say telephone and e-mail. Internet sites provide you with a lot of categories like food, health, beauty services, jobs, education, pets, property and so on. After selecting the category, all you need to do is to fill out the description and the necessary details. Your ad will be posted in a jiffy.

In a country like India, classified advertisement sites are more popular than social networking sites. These sites are increasingly being used to post free online classified ads, so as to buy or sell anything. One website that allows people to post free ads is Decitysearch.

This website can serve as one's local search engine. Decitysearch is a popular platform used by many to post free local classified ads. It is user-friendly and convenient. It filters out spam ads so that only the right ones reach the right audience. Thus it can be used as a fitting option to post free ads for almost everything. The site has thousands of visitors each day which ensures that the ad will bring excellent results.

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sugarmancompany-blog · 1 month

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Trust Sugarman Company LLP, your go-to small business accountant in Sacramento and San Francisco, CA. Our expert team also excels as forensic CPAs, providing detailed financial analysis and peace of mind. Let us handle your accounting needs with precision and care.

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ronnysingh · 3 years

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Kwok design offer services like San Jose Web Design, Sacramento Web Development, SEO in San Francisco & San Jose. Specialize in responsive web design, Web Design Bay Area, Bay Area Website Design, San Jose SEO, WordPress development, and social media.

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isharkseo · 3 years

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Web Design Platform - Which One to Choose for Building a Perfect Website?

A website is the core of all the online activities of a business. Hence, a professionally built and strategically designed website is a must in the current digital landscape. And when it comes to web design and development, it indeed needs precision in every aspect. Hence, for that, it is important to choose the right content management system that can help you create a feature-rich, effective website considering the requirements of your business. But because there are numerous CMS platforms available in the market, it becomes difficult to find the right one. However, there are some of the top CMS platforms that are known for their specific features and functionalities. WordPress, Drupal, and Magento are some of the most popular ones that you can find in the market. All of these CMS platforms are open source and are built on PHP+ MySQL platform having varied features, customization capabilities, and functionalities. Although, it requires a strong and balanced comparison of all of these platforms so that you can choose the best for building your website. So, let us discuss each of these platforms separately to have a better understanding.

List Of Web Design Platforms to for Building a Perfect Website?

WordPress

WordPress is notably the most preferred content management system platform as it powers 37% of all the websites that are available on the internet as of 2020. It was originally designed for online blogging which it still supports but because of its flexibility and customizable features, it has now become a full-fledged highly versatile, and free open-source platform. Though WordPress is a free platform, you still have to spend to have a domain name, hosting, and some specific features including plugins and pre-made themes. However, these specific plugins and additional features are worth the cost as it hosts numerous authors and has a wide-ranged plugin library that makes the management of the content easy and provides brilliant UI. Another important reason why you can go with WordPress for building your website is that it is highly flexible and user-friendly. However, WordPress doesn't stand out when it comes to security as it doesn't follow the best practices which make it a target of hackers. It also doesn't support plugins of older versions and has a limited variety of design options.

Drupal

Talking about Drupal, you are more likely to know that it is counted as one of the top three safest CMS platforms. Hence, it is considered an ideal choice for building complex and advanced level websites that requires the technical precision of developers. However, if you are willing to invest in quality Drupal development services , it can turn out to be the best option. Because of its top-notch stability and security benefits, it allows you to handle considerably heavy traffic and higher quality of data more efficiently. Additionally, it can be the apt choice for building a custom website as it has more than 2800 free community-contributed themes and a wholly wide variety of modules. This wide range includes features that support to create a multilingual and highly customized website. Because it is an open-source platform, it is constantly updated with the latest versions having fresh and technically relevant features. On a whole, Drupal can be the best choice for building big and powerful corporate websites as well as small sites with the help of professional developers.

Magento

Magento is also an open-source platform that mainly specializes in building e-commerce websites. This is the reason it is widely powering different sizes of websites around the world including large, small, and online stores. It also provides easy third-party integration and has several built-in SEO features. Along with that, it is an open-source and free to use platform that is popular for building cutting-edge eCommerce websites. These websites are highly customized as it allows to handle multiple stores and also improves the user experience for better conversions. However, if you want to build a website other than an eCommerce website, you must go with options like WordPress and Drupal. Because Magento is considered to be best for mainly building online stores and e-commerce websites.

Taking everything into account, we believe that you have well-versed with all the options that you can consider for building a perfect website for your business. But you can make the most of the development and designing process by simply hiring expert professionals. Well, Auxesis Infotech is all set to help you as it is known as one of the leading web design and development companies that specializes in all types of CMS web development including Drupal, WordPress, and Magento web development services. It has a team of professionally-trained developers and designers and years-long experience in providing exceptional results in all sorts of web projects of different industries.

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michaelandy101-blog · 4 years

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The Native Finder vs. Google Maps: How Completely different Are They?

New Post has been published on https://tiptopreview.com/the-local-finder-vs-google-maps-how-different-are-they/

The Native Finder vs. Google Maps: How Completely different Are They?

Google should be one of the vital experimental enterprises the world has ever recognized. On the subject of the corporate’s native search interfaces, slightly than rolling all of them out as a single, cohesive entire, they’ve emerged in piecemeal style over 20 years with completely different however associated function units, distinctive URLs, and separate branding. Small surprise that confusion arises in dialog about elements of native search. You, your company coworkers, and your purchasers could discover yourselves speaking at cross-purposes about native rankings merely since you’re all taking a look at them on completely different interfaces!

Such is definitely the case with Google Maps vs. the item we name the Google Native Finder. Even extremely expert natural SEOs at your company could not perceive that these are two completely different entities which may function considerably completely different native enterprise rankings.

Right this moment we’re going to clear this up, with a side-by-side comparability of the 2 person experiences, professional quotes, and a small, authentic case examine that demonstrates and quantifies simply how completely different rankings are between these necessary interfaces.

Methodology

I manually gathered each Google Maps and Native Finder rankings throughout ten various kinds of geo-modified, native intent search phrases and ten completely different cities and cities throughout the state of California. I checked out variations each throughout search phrase and throughout locale, observing these manufacturers which ranked within the high 10 positions for every question. My queries have been distant (not carried out throughout the metropolis nearest me) to take away the affect of proximity and set up a distant baseline of rating order for every entry. I tabulated all information in a spreadsheet to find the share of distinction within the ranked outcomes.

Outcomes of my examine of Google Maps vs. the Native Finder

Earlier than I roll out the outcomes, I wish to make sure I’ve supplied a superb definition of those two related however distinctive Google platforms. Any person performing a neighborhood search (like “best tacos san jose”) can take two paths for deep native outcomes:

Path one begins with a neighborhood pack, usually made up of three outcomes close to the highest of the natural search outcomes. If clicked on, the native pack takes the person to the Native Finder, which expands on the native pack to function a number of listings, accompanied by a map. A majority of these outcomes exist on google.com/search.

Path two could begin on any Android system that options Google Maps by default, or it may possibly start on a desktop system by clicking the “Maps” tab above the natural SERPs. A majority of these outcomes look fairly just like the Native Finder, with their checklist of ranked companies and related map, however they exist on google.com/maps.

Right here’s a side-by-side comparability:

At first look, these two person experiences look pretty related with some minor formatting and content material variations, however the URLs are distinct, and what you may additionally discover on this screenshot is that the rankings, themselves, are completely different. On this instance, the outcomes are, in reality, startlingly completely different.

I’d lengthy wished to quantify for myself simply how completely different Maps and Native Finder outcomes are, and so I created a spreadsheet to trace the next:

Ten search phrases of various varieties together with some head phrases and a few longer-tail phrases with extra refined intent.

Ten cities and cities from all elements of the large state of California overlaying a large inhabitants ratio. Angels Camp, for instance, has a inhabitants of simply three,875 residents, whereas LA is dwelling to almost four million individuals.

I discovered that, taken altogether, the typical distinction in Native Finder vs. Maps outcomes was 18.2% throughout all cities. The common distinction was 18.5% throughout all search phrases. In different phrases, almost one-fifth of the outcomes on the 2 platforms didn’t match.

Right here’s an additional breakdown of the info:

Common proportion of distinction by search phrase

burgers (11%)

grocery retailer (19%)

Pediatrician (12%)

private damage legal professional (18%)

home cleansing service (10%)

electrical automobile seller (16%)

finest tacos (11%)

most cost-effective tax accountant (41%)

close by sights (eight%)

ladies’s clothes (39%)

Common proportion of distinction by metropolis

Angels Camp (28%)

San Jose (15%)

San Rafael (24%)

San Francisco (four%)

Sacramento (16%)

Los Angeles (25%)

Monterey (14%)

San Diego (16%)

Eureka (25%)

Grass Valley (15%)

Whereas many key phrase/location combos confirmed zero% distinction between the 2 platforms, others featured levels of distinction of 20%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and even 100%.

It will have been pretty if this small examine surfaced any dependable patterns for us. For instance, taking a look at the truth that the small, rural city of Angels Camp was the locale with essentially the most various SERPs (28%), one may assume that the smaller the neighborhood, the better the variance in rankings. However such an concept founders when observing that the town with the second-most variability in LA (25%).

Equally, taking a look at the truth that a longer-tail search like “cheapest tax accountant” featured essentially the most variations (41%), it could possibly be tempting to theorize that better refinement in search intent yields extra various outcomes. However then we see that “best tacos” outcomes have been solely 11% completely different throughout Google Maps and the Native Finder. So, to my eyes, there isn’t any discernible sample from this restricted information set. Maybe narratives may emerge if we pulled hundreds of SERPs.

For now, all we will say with confidence is that we’ve confirmed that there’s a superb probability that the rankings a enterprise enjoys in Google’s Native Finder steadily won’t match their rankings in Google Maps. Particular person outcomes units for key phrase/locale combos could differ in no way, considerably, considerably, or completely.

Maps vs. Finders: What’s the diff, and why?

The above findings from our examine naturally result in the query: why are the outcomes for a similar question completely different on the 2 Google platforms? For commentary on this, I requested three of my favourite native SEOs for theories on the supply of the variance, and every other notable variables they’ve noticed.

GatherUp Co-Founder Mike Blumenthal says:

“I think that the differences are driven by the subtle differences of the ‘view port’ aspect ratio and size differences in the two environments. The viewport effectively defines the cohort of listings that are relevant enough to show. If it is larger, then there are likely more listings eligible, and if one of those happens to be strong, then the results will vary.”

Right here’s an illustration of what Mike is describing. Once we take a look at the outcomes for a similar search within the Native Finder and Google Maps, aspect by aspect, we frequently see that the world proven on the map is completely different on the automated zoom degree:

Uberall Options Engineer Krystal Taing confirms this understanding, with further particulars:

“Typically when I begin searches in Maps, I am seeing a broader area of results being served as well as categories of businesses. The results in the Local Finder are usually more specific and display more detail about the businesses. The Maps-based results are delivered in a manner that show users desire discovery and browsing. This is different from the Local Finder in that these results tend to be more absolute and about Google pushing pre-determined businesses and information to be evaluated by the user.”

Krystal is a GMB Gold Product Professional, and her remark was the primary time I’d ever heard an professional of her caliber outline how Google may view the intent of Maps vs. Finder searchers in another way. Fascinating perception!

Sterling Sky Founder Joy Hawkins highlights additional variations in UX and reporting between the 2 platforms:

“What varies is principally the options that Google exhibits. For instance, merchandise will present up on the itemizing within the Native Finder however not on Google Maps and attribute icons (women-led, Black-owned, and many others.) present up on Google Maps however not within the Native Finder. Moreover, searches achieved within the Native Finder get lumped in with search in Google My Enterprise (GMB) Insights whereas searches on Maps are reported on individually. Google is now segmenting it by platform and device as effectively.”

In sum, Google Maps vs. Native Finder searchers can have a novel UX, not less than partly, as a result of Google could floor a differently-mapped space of search and might spotlight completely different itemizing components. In the meantime, native enterprise homeowners and their entrepreneurs will uncover variance in how Google experiences exercise surrounding these platforms.

What do you have to do in regards to the Google Maps vs. Native Finder variables?

As at all times, there may be nothing a person can do to trigger Google to alter the way it shows native search outcomes. Native search engine optimisation finest practices might help you progress up in no matter Google shows, however you’ll be able to’t trigger Google to alter the radius of search it’s displaying on a given platform.

That being mentioned, there are three issues I like to recommend to your consideration, primarily based on what we’ve realized from this examine.

1. See if Google Maps is casting a wider internet than the Native Finder for any of your required search phrases.

I wish to present you essentially the most excessive instance of the distinction between Maps and the Native Finder that I found throughout my analysis. First, the marker right here locates the city of Angels Camp within the Sierra foothills in east California:

For the search “personal injury attorney angels camp”, notice the world coated by map on the automated zoom degree accompanying the Native Finder outcomes:

The best distance between any two factors on this radius of outcomes is about 100 miles.

Now, distinction this with the identical search because it seems on the automated zoom degree on Google Maps:

Astonishingly, Google is returning a tri-state end result for this search in Maps. The best distance between two pins on this map is almost 1,000 miles!

As I discussed, this was essentially the most excessive case I noticed. Like most native SEOs, I’ve spent appreciable time explaining to clients who want to rank beyond their location that the additional a person will get from the model’s administrative center, the much less possible they’re to see it come up of their native outcomes. Sometimes, your finest probability of native pack rankings begins with your individual neighborhood, with a good probability for some rankings inside your metropolis, after which a lesser probability past your metropolis’s borders.

However the completely different conduct of Maps might yield distinctive alternatives. Even when what’s occurring in your market is extra average, by way of the radius of outcomes, my recommendation is to check the web Google is casting to your search phrases in Maps. Whether it is even considerably wider than what the Native Finder yields, and there may be a facet of the enterprise that may make it invaluable to usher in clients from additional afield, this may point out that some strategic marketing actions might doubtlessly strengthen your place in these uncommon outcomes.

For instance, one of many extra distantly-located attorneys in our instance may work tougher to get purchasers from Angels Camp to say this city title of their Google-based opinions, or may publish some Google posts about Angels Camp purchasers in search of the absolute best lawyer no matter distance, or publish some web site content material on the identical matter, or look to construct some new relationships and hyperlinks inside this extra distant neighborhood. All of that is very experimental, however fairly intriguing to my thoughts. We’re in considerably unfamiliar territory right here, so don’t be afraid to try to take a look at issues!

As at all times, keep in mind that each one native search rankings are fluid. For verticals which primarily depend on the narrowest user-to-business proximity ratios for the majority of transactions, extra distant visibility could don’t have any worth. A comfort retailer, for instance, is unlikely to garner a lot curiosity from faraway searchers. However for a lot of industries, any one in all these three standards might make a bigger native rating radius extraordinarily welcome:

The enterprise mannequin is historically related to touring a long way to get to it, like lodges or sights (pondering post-pandemic right here).

Rarity of the products or companies being supplied makes the enterprise value driving to from an extended distance. That is extraordinarily frequent in rural areas with few close by choices.

The enterprise has carried out digital procuring on its web site as a result of pandemic and would now wish to promote to as many shoppers as attainable in a wider area with both driver supply or conventional transport as the tactic of achievement.

If any of these eventualities matches a neighborhood model you’re marketing, undoubtedly take a look at Google Maps conduct for focus search phrases.

2. Flood Google with each attainable element in regards to the native companies you’re marketing

As Pleasure Hawkins talked about, above, there could be many refined variations between the weather Google shows inside listings on their two platforms. Have a look at how hours are included within the Maps itemizing for this taco store, however that they’re absent from the Finder. The reality is, Google modifications the contents of the varied native interfaces so usually that even the consultants are always asking themselves and each other if some ingredient is new.

The excellent news is, you don’t must spend a minute worrying about trivialities right here in case you make simply 5 commitments:

Fill out each subject you probably can within the Google My Business dashboard

Add to this a modest funding in non-dashboard components like Google Questions and Solutions which exist on the Google Enterprise Profile

Be certain your web site is optimized for the phrases you wish to rank for

Earn publicity on the third-party web sites Google makes use of because the “web results” references in your listings.

I notice it is a tall order, nevertheless it’s additionally primary, good native search marketing and in case you put within the work, Google can have loads to floor about your areas, no matter platform variables.

three. Research Google Maps with an eye fixed to the long run

Google Maps, as an entity, launched in 2005, with cellular app growth spanning the subsequent few years. The Native Finder, against this, has solely been with us since 2015. As a result of native packs default to the Native Finder, it’s my impression that native search engine optimisation business examine has given the lion’s share of analysis to those interfaces, slightly than to Google Maps.

But, Maps is the golden oldie in Google’s timeline (albeit one Google has dealt with irreverently with the rise and fall of the Map Maker community), and Maps has been proven to have three times more impressions than search, in a single current examine. Maps is the default app on Android units, and different cellular model customers usually choose it, too. Most intriguingly, Google is appearing to toy with the idea of replacing the Local Finder with Maps, although nothing has come of this but.

I’d recommend that 2021 is an effective 12 months to spend extra time taking a look at Google Maps, interacting with it, and taking place its rabbit holes into the bizarre walled backyard Google continues to construct into this large interface. I like to recommend this, as a result of I really feel it’s solely a matter of time earlier than Google tidies up its piecemeal, multi-decade rollout of disconnected native interfaces through consolidation, and Maps has the historical past at Google to turn into the dominant model.

Summing up

Picture credit score: Ruparch

We’ve realized at this time that Google Maps rankings are, on common, almost 20% completely different than Native Finder rankings, that this may occasionally stem, partly, from distinctive view port ratios, that it’s attainable Google could view the intent of customers on the 2 platforms in another way, and that there are demonstrable variables within the itemizing content material Google shows once we take a look at two listings side-by-side. We’ve additionally checked out some eventualities wherein verticals that might profit from a wider client radius could be good to check Google Maps within the 12 months forward.

I wish to shut with some encouragement for everybody collaborating within the grand experiment of Google’s mapping challenge. The above photograph is of the Bedolina Map, which was engraved on a rock within the Italian alps someday round 500 BC. It is without doubt one of the oldest-known topographic maps, plotting out pathways, agricultural fields, villages, and the individuals who lived there. Take into account it the Avenue View of the Iron Age.

I’m sharing this picture as a result of it’s such a superb reminder that your work as a neighborhood search engine optimisation linked to digital cartography is only one leg of a really lengthy journey which, by nature, requires a willingness to operate in an experimental surroundings. If you happen to can talk this state of everlasting change to purchasers, it may possibly lower stress on each side of your subsequent Zoom assembly. Rankings rise and fall, and as we’ve seen, they even differ throughout closely-related platforms, making endurance important and a big-picture view of total development very grounding. Preserve learning, and assist us all out on the mapped path forward by sharing what you be taught with our neighborhood.

Trying to improve your basic information of native search marketing? Learn The Important Native search engine optimisation Technique Information

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noithatotoaz · 4 years

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The Local Finder vs. Google Maps: How Different Are They?

Posted by MiriamEllis

Google must be one of the most experimental enterprises the world has ever known. When it comes to the company’s local search interfaces, rather than rolling them all out as a single, cohesive whole, they have emerged in piecemeal fashion over two decades with different but related feature sets, unique URLs, and separate branding. Small wonder that confusion arises in dialog about aspects of local search. You, your agency coworkers, and your clients may find yourselves talking at cross-purposes about local rankings simply because you’re all looking at them on different interfaces!

Such is certainly the case with Google Maps vs. the object we call the Google Local Finder. Even highly skilled organic SEOs at your agency may not understand that these are two different entities which can feature substantially different local business rankings.

Today we’re going to clear this up, with a side-by-side comparison of the two user experiences, expert quotes, and a small, original case study that demonstrates and quantifies just how different rankings are between these important interfaces.

Methodology

I manually gathered both Google Maps and Local Finder rankings across ten different types of geo-modified, local intent search phrases and ten different towns and cities across the state of California. I looked at differences both across search phrase and across locale, observing those brands which ranked in the top 10 positions for each query. My queries were remote (not performed within the city nearest me) to remove the influence of proximity and establish a remote baseline of ranking order for each entry. I tabulated all data in a spreadsheet to discover the percentage of difference in the ranked results.

Results of my study of Google Maps vs. the Local Finder

Before I roll out the results, I want to be sure I’ve offered a good definition of these two similar but unique Google platforms. Any user performing a local search (like “best tacos san jose”) can take two paths for deep local results:

Path one starts with a local pack, typically made up of three results near the top of the organic search results. If clicked on, the local pack takes the user to the Local Finder, which expands on the local pack to feature multiple listings, accompanied by a map. These types of results exist on google.com/search.

Path two may start on any Android device that features Google Maps by default, or it can begin on a desktop device by clicking the “Maps” tab above the organic SERPs. These types of results look quite similar to the Local Finder, with their list of ranked businesses and associated map, but they exist on google.com/maps.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

At first glance, these two user experiences look fairly similar with some minor formatting and content differences, but the URLs are distinct, and what you might also notice in this screenshot is that the rankings, themselves, are different. In this example, the results are, in fact, startlingly different. I’d long wanted to quantify for myself just how different Maps and Local Finder results are, and so I created a spreadsheet to track the following:

Ten search phrases of different types including some head terms and some longer-tail terms with more refined intent.

Ten towns and cities from all parts of the big state of California covering a wide population ration. Angels Camp, for example, has a population of just 3,875 residents, while LA is home to nearly 4 million people.

I found that, taken altogether, the average difference in Local Finder vs. Maps results was 18.2% across all cities. The average difference was 18.5% across all search phrases. In other words, nearly one-fifth of the results on the two platforms didn’t match.

Here’s a further breakdown of the data:

Average percentage of difference by search phrase

burgers (11%)

grocery store (19%)

Pediatrician (12%)

personal injury attorney (18%)

house cleaning service (10%)

electric vehicle dealer (16%)

best tacos (11%)

cheapest tax accountant (41%)

nearby attractions (8%)

women’s clothing (39%)

Average percentage of difference by city

Angels Camp (28%)

San Jose (15%)

San Rafael (24%)

San Francisco (4%)

Sacramento (16%)

Los Angeles (25%)

Monterey (14%)

San Diego (16%)

Eureka (25%)

Grass Valley (15%)

While many keyword/location combos showed 0% difference between the two platforms, others featured degrees of difference of 20%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and even 100%.

It would have been lovely if this small study surfaced any reliable patterns for us. For example, looking at the fact that the small, rural town of Angels Camp was the locale with the most diverse SERPs (28%), one might think that the smaller the community, the greater the variance in rankings. But such an idea founders when observing that the city with the second-most variability in LA (25%).

Similarly, looking at the fact that a longer-tail search like “cheapest tax accountant” featured the most differences (41%), it could be tempting to theorize that greater refinement in search intent yields more varied results. But then we see that “best tacos” results were only 11% different across Google Maps and the Local Finder. So, to my eyes, there is no discernible pattern from this limited data set. Perhaps narratives might emerge if we pulled thousands of SERPs.

For now, all we can say with confidence is that we’ve proven that there’s a good chance that the rankings a business enjoys in Google’s Local Finder frequently will not match their rankings in Google Maps. Individual results sets for keyword/locale combos may vary not at all, somewhat, substantially, or totally.

Maps vs. Finders: What’s the diff, and why?

The above findings from our study naturally lead to the question: why are the results for the same query different on the two Google platforms? For commentary on this, I asked three of my favorite local SEOs for theories on the source of the variance, and any other notable variables they’ve observed.

GatherUp Co-Founder Mike Blumenthal says:

“I think that the differences are driven by the subtle differences of the 'view port' aspect ratio and size differences in the two environments. The viewport effectively defines the cohort of listings that are relevant enough to show. If it is larger, then there are likely more listings eligible, and if one of those happens to be strong, then the results will vary.”

Here’s an illustration of what Mike is describing. When we look at the results for the same search in the Local Finder and Google Maps, side by side, we often see that the area shown on the map is different at the automatic zoom level:

Uberall Solutions Engineer Krystal Taing confirms this understanding, with additional details:

Krystal is a GMB Gold Product Expert, and her comment was the first time I’d ever heard an expert of her caliber define how Google might view the intent of Maps vs. Finder searchers differently. Fascinating insight!

Sterling Sky Founder Joy Hawkins highlights further differences in UX and reporting between the two platforms:

“What varies is mainly the features that Google shows. For example, products will show up on the listing in the Local Finder but not on Google Maps and attribute icons (women-led, Black-owned, etc.) show up on Google Maps but not in the Local Finder. Additionally, searches done in the Local Finder get lumped in with search in Google My Business (GMB) Insights whereas searches on Maps are reported on separately. Google is now segmenting it by platform and device as well.”

In sum, Google Maps vs. Local Finder searchers can have a unique UX, at least in part, because Google may surface a differently-mapped area of search and can highlight different listing elements. Meanwhile, local business owners and their marketers will discover variance in how Google reports activity surrounding these platforms.

What should you do about the Google Maps vs. Local Finder variables?

As always, there is nothing an individual can do to cause Google to change how it displays local search results. Local SEO best practices can help you move up in whatever Google displays, but you can’t cause Google to change the radius of search it is showing on a given platform.

That being said, there are three things I recommend for your consideration, based on what we’ve learned from this study.

1. See if Google Maps is casting a wider net than the Local Finder for any of your desired search phrases.

I want to show you the most extreme example of the difference between Maps and the Local Finder that I discovered during my research. First, the marker here locates the town of Angels Camp in the Sierra foothills in east California:

For the search “personal injury attorney angels camp”, note the area covered by map at the automatic zoom level accompanying the Local Finder results:

The greatest distance between any two points in this radius of results is about 100 miles.

Now, contrast this with the same search as it appears at the automatic zoom level on Google Maps:

Astonishingly, Google is returning a tri-state result for this search in Maps. The greatest distance between two pins on this map is nearly 1,000 miles!

As I mentioned, this was the most extreme case I saw. Like most local SEOs, I’ve spent considerable time explaining to clients who want to rank beyond their location that the further a user gets from the brand’s place of business, the less likely they are to see it come up in their local results. Typically, your best chance of local pack rankings begins with your own neighborhood, with a decent chance for some rankings within your city, and then a lesser chance beyond your city’s borders.

But the different behavior of Maps could yield unique opportunities. Even if what’s happening in your market is more moderate, in terms of the radius of results, my advice is to study the net Google is casting for your search terms in Maps. If it is even somewhat wider than what the Local Finder yields, and there is an aspect of the business that would make it valuable to bring in customers from further afield, this might indicate that some strategic marketing activities could potentially strengthen your position in these unusual results.

For example, one of the more distantly-located attorneys in our example might work harder to get clients from Angels Camp to mention this town name in their Google-based reviews, or might publish some Google posts about Angels Camp clients looking for the best possible lawyer regardless of distance, or publish some website content on the same topic, or look to build some new relationships and links within this more distant community. All of this is very experimental, but quite intriguing to my mind. We’re in somewhat unfamiliar territory here, so don’t be afraid to try and test things!

As always, bear in mind that all local search rankings are fluid. For verticals which primarily rely on the narrowest user-to-business proximity ratios for the bulk of transactions, more remote visibility may have no value. A convenience store, for example, is unlikely to garner much interest from faraway searchers. But for many industries, any one of these three criteria could make a larger local ranking radius extremely welcome:

The business model is traditionally associated with traveling some distance to get to it, like hotels or attractions (thinking post-pandemic here).

Rarity of the goods or services being offered makes the business worth driving to from a longer distance. This is extremely common in rural areas with few nearby options.

The business has implemented digital shopping on its website due to the pandemic and would now like to sell to as many customers as possible in a wider region with either driver delivery or traditional shipping as the method of fulfillment.

If any of those scenarios fits a local brand you’re marketing, definitely look at Google Maps behavior for focus search phrases.

2. Flood Google with every possible detail about the local businesses you’re marketing

As Joy Hawkins mentioned, above, there can be many subtle differences between the elements Google displays within listings on their two platforms. Look at how hours are included in the Maps listing for this taco shop, but that they’re absent from the Finder. The truth is, Google changes the contents of the various local interfaces so often that even the experts are constantly asking themselves and one another if some element is new.

The good news is, you don’t need to spend a minute worrying about minutiae here if you make just 5 commitments:

Fill out every field you possibly can in the Google My Business dashboard

Add to this a modest investment in non-dashboard elements like Google Questions and Answers which exist on the Google Business Profile

Be sure your website is optimized for the terms you want to rank for

Earn publicity on the third-party websites Google uses as the “web results” references on your listings. I

I realize this is a tall order, but it’s also basic, good local search marketing and if you put in the work, Google will have plenty to surface about your locations, regardless of platform variables.

3. Study Google Maps with an eye to the future

Google Maps, as an entity, launched in 2005, with mobile app development spanning the next few years. The Local Finder, by contrast, has only been with us since 2015. Because local packs default to the Local Finder, it’s my impression that local SEO industry study has given the lion’s share of research to these interfaces, rather than to Google Maps.

Yet, Maps is the golden oldie in Google’s timeline (albeit one Google has handled irreverently with the rise and fall of the Map Maker community), and Maps has been shown to have three times more impressions than search, in one recent study. Maps is the default app on Android devices, and other mobile brand users often prefer it, too. Most intriguingly, Google is appearing to toy with the idea of replacing the Local Finder with Maps, though nothing has come of this yet.

I would suggest that 2021 is a good year to spend more time looking at Google Maps, interacting with it, and going down its rabbit holes into the weird walled garden Google continues to build into this massive interface. I recommend this, because I feel it’s only a matter of time before Google tidies up its piecemeal, multi-decade rollout of disconnected local interfaces via consolidation, and Maps has the history at Google to become the dominant version.

Summing up

Image credit: Ruparch

We’ve learned today that Google Maps rankings are, on average, nearly 20% different than Local Finder rankings, that this may stem, in part, from unique view port ratios, that it’s possible Google may view the intent of users on the two platforms differently, and that there are demonstrable variables in the listing content Google displays when we look at two listings side-by-side. We’ve also looked at some scenarios in which verticals that could benefit from a wider consumer radius would be smart to study Google Maps in the year ahead.

I want to close with some encouragement for everyone participating in the grand experiment of Google’s mapping project. The above photo is of the Bedolina Map, which was engraved on a rock in the Italian alps sometime around 500 BC. It is one of the oldest-known topographic maps, plotting out pathways, agricultural fields, villages, and the people who lived there. Consider it the Street View of the Iron Age.

I’m sharing this image because it’s such a good reminder that your work as a local SEO linked to digital cartography is just one leg of a very long journey which, by nature, requires a willingness to function in an experimental environment. If you can communicate this state of permanent change to clients, it can decrease stress on both sides of your next Zoom meeting. Rankings rise and fall, and as we’ve seen, they even differ across closely-related platforms, making patience essential and a big-picture view of overall growth very grounding. Keep studying, and help us all out on the mapped path ahead by sharing what you learn with our community.

Looking to increase your general knowledge of local search marketing? Read The Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide

Read the Guide!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

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thanhtuandoan89 · 4 years