Google: The Places For User Guide

Google: The Places to Be

A few months ago, Google's Local Business Center was rebadged as Google Places, showing a new commitment to local search and content. Now that they've added some new features, and have a few months under their belts, I thought it apt to discuss how best to embrace Google Places for your business.

Firstly, do you market locally at all? Depending on your services and products, local search may not be very relevant; however, for the vast majority of businesses, local area marketing would be an important part of your mix.

Even if you're yet to be acquainted with Google Places, I'd say it's likely you've seen some of the content in their search results previously; for example, the map and business names box that appear in many search results -- straight after the AdWords listings, but before the organic search results.

Google Places is ideal for local promotion. Places page owners gain great insights, with impressions and actions statistics via the dashboard.

So, how do you gain a listing? First off, head on over to Google Places and sign up. If your business is already listed (which they often do by aggregating data elsewhere on the Web), or you've just set up your business in Places, you'll need to verify that you're the business owner. Google will post a PIN number to you, which you'll need to enter in your dashboard.

Once you've started your verification process, or even if you're already verified, a good place to start is Google's own Place Page Tour, and the Google Places User Guide.

Here are eight tips to creating an effective Places Page, making your business stand out.

1. Add photos and video: Make sure you have great photo or video content to load on your Place. A photo of your office, products, or team are worthy examples. What would prospective customers want to see?
2. Embrace service areas: If you're willing to visit a client location, add the service area you cover. This could be by distance (kilometres/miles), or by town/suburb.
3. Write interesting copy: You want your listing to shine, so make your description upbeat, friendly, and detailed. Avoid keyword-stuffing, as it will fail to make sense for readers, but cover the facts.
4. Complete all contact information and hours of operation: As well as providing handy information to your Place Page visitors, you look more professional by presenting a complete page.
5. Utilize all five categories: Google offers five categories (such as "web design") to list your Place in. Make sure you use all five to improve your chances of people seeing your Places page.
6. Encourage customers to review you: Reviews in Google Places can be added easily once the reviewer has a Google Account. Encourage clients to review your business, to improve your business credibility.
7. Add coupons: Google Places allows you to create coupons for customers to print out and redeem. If you offer coupons or specials in the real world, ensure you add them to your Places page for greater exposure.
8. Keep your listing up to date: Ensure that your Places Page is always current, and set a reminder for yourself to keep an eye on it.