Advertising has always cost money to spread the word about your local listings, but now it can now be found in Google+ which makes it easy for people to review and share your business with friends and around the web. Google Places was launched in September 2009, and replaced the Google Local Business Center.
What is the best part about it?
You will be able to be found on Google free of charge. Here is a fun fact to know: 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. Now without any trouble at all you can be there when they look for you with Google’s new feature, Google Places. It is best described as a free local platform from Google to help your business stand out. You can add photos, update your address and hours, or promote your business with ads to generate phone calls, foot traffic, and overall customer attention. While most businesses spend time and marketing dollars for commercials and website and SEO services, most overlook one of the resources that Google has to offer known as Google Places and the best part to mention once again is that it is free.
What other features are available?
Places for Business allows you to gather the most out of your listings without having to spend a dime and show customers why they should choose to do business with you. To create your business’s Places page, Google will find information about your business from third-party sources, such as Facebook, Twitter, websites, and even the Yellow Pages. It also allows business owners to connect with their customers on a more social networking base instead of just relying on Facebook. When you are on Google Places it helps people find, share, rate, and recommend your business to their friends and people across the web, increasing traffic and attention that your business will get. Google Places also allows the business owners to see what people are saying about them, and respond to customer reviews in a timely manner.
What is the catch?
No catch, just remember even if you do not have a business store, every business listing must have a mailing address. Even if, you work from home or your mobile, you can specify an area that you choose to service. In the sign up process you can choose to hide your physical address as well. The only thing to remember is that Google Places follows the information that is provided, so make sure that when you inform your client base about the information on your business, use a viable phone number, and keywords that are highly recommended for your business only. Google Places is a great option to expand your local business, no matter the size Now is the time to get serious about optimizing your website for local!
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