Panoramio is Image Sharing Integrated into Google Maps and Google Earth

Enough said. It is a free photo sharing site. Ok, maybe not enough. As of July, 2009 Panoramio photos are being included in certain Google searches.

A Different kind of Link

Panoramio is a different kind of link-building process. It consists of links that are essentially geographical and visual as the link is between an image (and more importantly, it's metadata) and the image (and more importantly, it's metadata) in the map interface.

It's All About the Metadata

Consider maps as merely an interface. In some cultures they are much less prevalent, such as Thailand where maps are not taught and rarely used, even by those with university degrees. Regardless, it is the metadata, starting with the geographic coordinates, which is valuable. Just with any link from a conceptual perspective it is the thing linked from (generally text but also in the case of images, binary data) and its connection to the to, namely the presentation of those coordinates and the interface in another context.

One aspect of Metadata is language. The suggested use of two languages in the metadata cannot be emphasized enough.

Objects on a Map are the Reverse of Links

In this sense, what is of interest and value is the objects doing the linking, and not the object linked-to. After all, the value of a map is not the two-dimensional surface, but the features displayed on it, the roads, buildings, etc.

In this sense we need to be very clear on the value we are providing (namely the incentive to click on the link which is an image, as well as the accompanying metadata (title, description, keywords and most importantly the links to our sites).

Early Days and First Mover

When it becomes easier for the thousands of images at a given map location to be made available, the some of the same metrics Google uses for PageRank and SERP ranking will likely apply to which images will be displayed in the Google Maps, Google Earth and other Google and non-Google mapping interfaces:

• Age of image (older is better)
• Metadata (title, description, keywords)
• Links to the image
• Social behavior (favoriting, ratings, etc.)

It is incumbent in this environment to begin deploying the most important images to sites such as Panoramio.

Panoramio Profile and Link

A nice follow link is available on Panoramio Profiles, for exampel this one for SEO Indochina.

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Today we turn to a new topic which is an aspect of local search, namely geographic or map search. There are several map tools out there (besides Google Maps and Google Earth). Some are overlays or information provided within a mapping interface (think of an object on a map as a result entry on a SERP), and some are the mapping framework itself where objects can be created.

Tomorrow we will discuss Panoramio which shows up on Google Earth and Google Maps and is the former. Today we discuss Wikimapia, which is the latter.

Wikimapia and Geographic Search

Wikimapia is only one of a few specialized local search tools which are sprouting up and are wonderful community resources including the Open Cycling Map which is itself a part of the Open Street Map project. Open Street Map is another opportunity for link-building.

Wikimapia, Maps, Wikis, Community and Value Creation

We believe that contributing to these wiki projects not only provides a useful function for our clients, but also develops the map resource itself, which is in our estimation a value-creating activity. Certainly there are network effects at work in any directory or social network (any linking activity, actually). With wikis the value of editing is not to be underestimated. It is the foundational activity, after all.

The work of adding roads, road names, and locations such as this Open Street Map Thai Language School in Chiang Mai is both engaging and value-creating for future users.

Thailand and other Southeast Asia Maps and Wikis

For places like Thailand, mapping support is less well-developed than in other parts of the world. Nonetheless, Wikimapia does a good job of supporting this geographical location. For example, My Thai language teacher's school can be handily located as follows:

• How to Learn Thai - Thai Language Teaching and Tutoring in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Excellent Language support in Wikimapia

In addition there is multiple language support (entries can be edited in Title 101 languages as of 2009-11-08. For Indochina there is support for the five major languages of Thai, Lao, Khmer, Burmese and Vietnamese, as well as many interesting languages with smaller user-bases such as Nepali.

Map Metadata

A Title and a Description can be entered (Title required) as well as a Street and Building Number, and category tags, as well as a checkbox to indicate if the item is a building.

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Geolocation Optimization AKA Brands on Maps

There are powerful visual brand indicators that take place when a brand can be found on a map. It makes the brand appear more concrete as well as up-to-date. Few brands have effectively leveraged this outside of relying on already present business listings. However Google has begun providing mechanisms for people and brands to interact with search results, fine-tuning them and providing additional content.

Google Local / Google Maps Listing and Images

Google Local listings can be added and edited easily at the Google Local business center. Additional options include geolocation, address and hours of operation, and up to 10 image uploads. The system uses a voice call or text message confirmation code and seems to require a phone number for the listing.

Google Local Coupons

Another great option Google currently provides for free is the ability to freely create and list coupons. Think of it as a Google adwords campaign (instead of pay-per-click it is pay-per-conversion).

Panoramio image display on Google Earth

While there are several things that can be done to interact with users of Google Earth, the easiest is to upload images to Panoramio and provide geolocation information. This layer is turned on by default in all versions of Google Earth. Of course the image should be edited to provide valuable information such as the organization name and a URL. In addition, the search within Google Earth will return Google Local results, making them even more important.

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