A blog for escort business entrepreneurs

The Blueprint Blog is often updated with tips, ideas, and advice for entrepreneurs interested in opening and operating an escort service.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Escort Services on the Internet: The Future


 Very important update! 

EDIT - 9 July 2012 @5pm:

When that other thread was locked, Deb started a new thread requesting clarification from Google on the policy relatng to Places / Maps listings and escort services. An actual Google employee responded:

We treat escort services like any other service area business - if the address is faked or isn't marked as hidden, the listing will be removed.

Locking this thread to discourage further negativity about this topic.
The thread is here:

Hi Jade saw you locked the escort service thread can you please clarify the issue?

So obviously it was the renegade Map Makers with a mission. Make sure to check the box to "hide your address" in your Places dashboard as no customers come to your business location if you have an escort service.

End of edit.

Anyone that has an escort service today needs to pay attention to the outlook for adult businesses on the internet in the US. There is a disturbing element of censorship that becomes more pronounced every day and it's only going to get worse in the future. There are ways around it though.

EDIT on 7 July 2012 @1:45am EST:

I have completely updated two of the Blueprint Updates pages on my website with help around the Maps / Places issue and advertising and marketing ideas and thoughts:

Focus on Local

Advertising

For those of you that read this blog and the Accused Madam Blog regularly, this should not be news. I have often written about the censorship experienced in Orlando for many years and my belief that Orlando is a test city to see what works and what doesn't. They want to know what level of censorship the general public will tolerate and how to work around it. Well, now I see that they've found new ways to bypass the First Amendment using government contracts with big business.

I did edit my last post several times as I had new information to add and I won't be editing it again. The first link in that post is: Listing Removed from Maps Due toTechnical Issue. The link is to a Google help forum for those having various issues, including problems with Maps and Places listings. Read the entire thread. I guarantee it is enlightening.

After my last post on that help forum, I did conduct due diligence. My short time spent on research revealed the following and it is not good news if you own an escort service, a stripper service, or even a strip club. Make no mistake: The agenda is to censor anything and everything that is adult on the internet.

I actually had telephone conversations with close to 10 people in adult business early this morning. Most were positive about the situation and sort of shrugged their shoulders on it as they all recalled what we did before Google existed. Yes, these people were all long-term adult business owners and not people that purchased my books to open a service in the last few years. A few thought that it would be to their advantage when the industry is shoved back in time to print ads. Perhaps they are correct because knocking 100s of thousands of independent escorts out of the picture can't be bad for escort services.

You see, print ads – especially the yellow pages – eliminate much of the competition. No more free or cheap advertising would be available. As one man stated to me, he needed $10K to $15K to get into the yellow pages with decent sized ads and compete. If you've read my book, make sure you've followed all of the advice and not just Google Maps/Places advice. That advice included yellow pages ads, though I did advise you to go light and use services available free or cheap on the internet. Start saving everything you're making now, because you're going to need a yellow pages presence in the future and they usually want substantial down payments.

We already know how hard law enforcement is working to get rid of Backpage, so I won't get into that here. You should also know my thoughts on The Erotic Review (TER). Every federal case that I have researched and posted about in relation to escort services on the Accused Madam Blog has involved TER because their forums are entrenched with agents. Ignore what I'm saying and be a part of a future federal case.


What my research today revealed

If you have placed all of your eggs in the Google basket, you have seriously screwed-up. Fix it right now, before it is too late. I searched for the keyword phrases “escorts” and “escort service” preceded by the city. In other words, “orlando escorts” and “orlando escort service” or “boston escorts” and “boston escort service” etc... Map Makers with an Agenda have already been working hard to remove Maps and Places listings for escort services and entertainment businesses that are adult (i.e. stripper and bachelor party listings) in cities around the US.

Another part of this trend relates to Google updating web search results. About two months or so ago, my two websites that I used for research were completely removed from natural search results when both had been on the top of the first page of results for a long time – one for several years and the other for a year. At the time, I tried guessing why, but none of it really made sense. Anyway, no skin off my ass because I was not actually operating a service. I recently deleted both sites from my hosting account.

More recently I noticed that two services that had operated in Orlando for many years had also been removed from search results. One has been in business since 1992, and the other since 2000. Both are now the disappeared. Thank goodness for Yahoo and Bing, but then we all know that few searchers use either in comparison to the almighty Google.

On a positive note, Apple is working on a local listing service and we will have to watch and see what the future brings on that. Now for the bad news. My research revealed:

All Maps and Places removed in the following cities, but some have popped-up again and then disappeared again, but usually one or two reappeared where there were many before:

Orlando
New Orleans
Boston
Philadelphia
Cincinnati
Louisville
Omaha
San Antonio
Tulsa
Atlanta
Baltimore
Bangor, Maine
Indianapolis
Detroit
Albuquerque
St. Louis
Kansas City
Washington DC
Fort Myers, Florida
Milwaukee
Quebec
Paris, France (yes, you read that correctly)


The following list of cities has most Maps/Places listings removed and only 1 or 2 remain.

Seattle
San Francisco
Pensacola
Reno
Buffalo
Chicago
Fort Lauderdale

These city lists are by no means comprehensive. I didn't search for every city in the country or the world, obviously. If you do not see what I saw, be really happy because it may mean that someone took the censorship power away over at Google. It is hard to imagine that the order to remove all adult businesses came from the top or anywhere close to the top, but you never know.

The other disturbing trend involving escort service websites disappearing from natural search results benefited the following list of ad and listing websites:

EROS
TER
City of Love
City Search
Open Adult Directory
Yellow Pages
Dex Knows
Manta
Naughty Reviews
Map Quest
Backpage
Date Check
EZ Local
Local.com
City Vibe
Insider Pages

Many US cities have few or zero actual escort service websites in the natural search results now. I always thought that search results were supposed to index the most relevant websites first, but obviously something has seriously changed. Watch all of this closely in the future.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Vicky,
I've been dealing with the Map Maker
volunteers for awhile now and am one of the people that was insulted and libeled in the forums.My perspective is that the MM guys are all about winning the game and approach editing in Map Maker as a game with who wins by doing the most edits. Bliss was griping about having taken down most escort services by Feb and Google putting them back up which proves he was/is the driving force.Some Google employees also take down services most likely for guideline violations.As for the web site rankings the latest update put much more emphasis on fresh content which is why the directory sites are getting top ranking.Just my take.Thanks for your comments on the places help forum, it was refreshing to see.And hey if you really found a workaround I'd be ever so grateful to know. Warmest Regards, Debb Paru debbparu@gmail.com

Vicky Gallas said...

@Debb

I must disagree on the issue being a new emphasis on fresh content. This was at the time of the Penguin algorithm update; however, if it were all about fresh content, we would rarely (if ever) find any small business's website on the first page of search results with any keyword search phrase. Who updates their site every hour or even every day?

This is only the situation with escort services and it's not even in all areas. For example, the areas that have consistently kept Places listings visible do not seem to have this same problem. Really - search and see what I mean.

They've done something more, but I'm not sure what it is yet.

Unknown said...

HI Vicky
thanks for taking a stance against Google's vague policies. back in march my places listings were deleted by Google employe. I filled up support form, after 7 days Google employed replied "my business model is ineligible to be listed on Google places". then I claimed business listing again and Google sent me a pin by post. my business listing were ranking on the top, then end of june idiot Blissful took it down.

We tried to fight back against map maker gangs. we couldn't. finally you came and with your support we made our voice heard. thank you for supporting us.

I have contact details of Google public affairs contact details . which I will email to you soon. please get in touch with them. make them aware of anti adult business mapmakers .

By the way all of our websites were penalized after penguin algorithm came into affect and after month long of hard works, we recovered all of them. I will be more than happy to help you to recover you sites. please check your email .

Thank you

Unknown said...

@deb penguin ins't about fresh contents, its about links. you have to diversify your links buildings and anchor texts.

Unknown said...

Still they will go ahead and delete escort services listings . that andrew idiot posted reply here .

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/google-mapmaker/4ZW0jRfLGQY

Vicky Gallas said...

@George

I will indeed contact public affairs and alert the right party to what these awful MMs are doing. Apparently Andrew doesn't even care when an actual Google employee clarifies Google's position on escort services being listed in Maps / Places. I read that thread, but can't join the discussion because I'm not signed-up for MM. There's no point anyway - these people have some renegade Google person backing their edits. I really do believe they're implementing a plan and acting in concert.

They can keep on knocking them down and escort business owners can keep resubmitting them...

I didn't need the 2 websites anyway George and they are both parked now, but I truly appreciate your offer of assistance.

The thing about that penalization after the Penguin algorithm change is that it really only affects adult business phrases... like the sites have been considered spam or problematic even though they are not. I've never had a bunch of outside links on any website and neither would any other normal, regular small business. And of course Backpage and all of the ad / directory sites would always have higher ranking - hell some are creating a new page every minute of the day with each listings. Who in business could or would actually do that?

I can't design any site to fit what Google wants. A site is supposed to fit what a customer would want and I don't know any customers that want links and ads all over the place. ;)


Vicky

Anonymous said...

Hello Vickie,
Thanks do very much for your updates. I'm in Las Vegas and I'm had the same issues with my maps/places being removed. It has become an issue with Bliss as well. I think everyone should put a complaint into BBB against Google. Maybe they'll stop letting outside people like Bliss make choices for them. Also, they've killed all of our reviews. I hope they get a handle on this mess soon. I'm out of Vegas and we're having the same issue.

Vicky Gallas said...

Yes, but realize that Google has been under attack by these anti-adult business groups, and that includes law enforcement / attorney generals. Read the post, "The Truth About Censorship in America" on my Accused Madam Blog - it is just two posts back so it's visible when you go to the blog. I can't blame Google.

Anyway, I had sort of believed that this would work itself out, but now that they are screwing with Vegas listings too, I have my doubts. Please check this blog again tomorrow. I will be posting an update on what I know late tonight (probably around 2-4am EST as I have a lot to deal with at the moment.

Vicky Gallas said...

Sorry I didn't have a chance to post tonight, but I will in the next couple of days.

I looked at Vegas and there are still plenty of Places listings there. If yours is missing it may have to do with something specific to yours. Tell me what happened and what you see in your Places dashboard and I will try to help. DO NOT link it here - the anti-adult business Map Makers could see it if you do.

As for killing all the reviews: There never should have been reviews anyway. They (Google) should have been able to kill the ability to review on escort services. That is the issue in relation to law - reviews. They may have opted to kill listings for all services with reviews, but no matter what, the reviews must go.

Anonymous said...

I believe the question that should be asked is: When are we going to figure out that the prohibition of establishments such as escort services is as futile as it was with liquor all those many years ago?