Are you looking for something new to do in town? Or perhaps you’re new to a city or on vacation. There are plenty of reasons to back why 73% of all online activity is related to local searches. If you are not listed on Google Places, you should be. It’s easy to use and best of all it’s free!
We all know the old saying…’choose your words wisely’.
When setting up an account take your time to make sure the right information is being presented. People want to know all the crucial facts about your business without having to dig around. This includes hours, address, phone numbers, and details about your business. Furthermore, it is important that your business receives a 100 percent ranking score and occurs on the first page of a search (ideally in the top seven). Be as specific as possible and make sure it is keyword heavy.
Link up.
Google Places will allow you to link any of your business listings (i.e. Yelp, Citysearch) to your Google Places. All you need to do is generate a QR code and attach the code onto the listing you want linked. This can be extremely helpful in utilizing all of those stellar reviews you have received. You even can go the extra mile and send an email to happy customers requesting them to review your business.
Become a photographer.
Potential customers want to know exactly why they are going to choose your business over the competition. Photos can create a major edge to/ have a major impact on making this decision by letting customer virtually see your business. Google Places does not set a limit on how many images you use, but be sure to tag each photo so they optimize your search results.
Tip: Make sure the photos are good quality and illustrate everything a potential customer may have questions about. Google places also permits 360-degree photos that allow you to showcase your storefront. The marketing possibilities are endless!
The added perk about Google Places is that it’s being used more than ever before due in part to smart phone technology so take advantage of trending technology and maximize your business’ visibility! There is no excuse not to take advantage of one of the most useful marketing tools on the web.
For nearly three decades, Chris Marentis, Founder and CEO of Surefire Social, has been responsible for driving innovation and sales growth for large media and e-commerce brands as well as start-ups. With a long-history of counseling local businesses about their marketing efforts, Marentis provides insight on what it takes for small businesses to succeed and thrive in today’s evolving digital environment. His notable career includes creating the foundational blueprints for online marketing, e-commerce and content branding for AOL’s Interactive Marketing group, where he served as Senior Vice President. While CEO of Clearspring Technologies, Marentis developed one of the most widely adopted venture-backed Web 2.0 technology platforms. Marentis is a frequent speaker at local digital marketing conferences and a contributor to SMB and technology-focused publications.
What was formerly called Google Places is now called Google Plus Local. I absolutely agree that linking your reviews is a powerful advantage and I did not know about linking QR codes… How does this work exactly? Thanks.