Google Places

Take control of your online presence and get an immediate marketing edge over larger company advertisements. Stay ahead by using Google Places to appear more in front of your target audience and attract the thousands of users searching daily for your service! Google Places is currently one of the most invaluable Internet marketing tools and is designed to help local businesses benefit more from local searches. It is fast becoming the local Yellow pages as it continues to outperform a large percentage of established business directories.

Thanks to Google’s 2011 Algorithm | we are now able to outrank far larger companies with endless online resources which in turn provides a smoother and more personal user experience. Google Places eliminates the risk of getting bombarded with the same old corporations who have their names everywhere! It focuses on supporting the local businesses and beats any offline marketing method when it comes to Return on Investment (ROI).

Benefits of Google Places:

Cost-effective leading online marketing tool
Boost your SEO ranking
Raise brand awareness
Increase website traffic – if you do not have a website this is an easy way to maintain an online presence
Integrate superbly with other online marketing tools
Allow your business to show on Google Maps
Get mobile phone friendly
Get an immediate marketing edge to local customers searching for your service/product
Encourage user interaction – users can rate & view your business while you can join in on conversation
Speed – get your business seen faster amongst potential customers

Did you know?
That one out of every five searches is related to a location and Googles improved search facility focuses on this aspect. If you are a small business targeting local customers rather than a global audience, using Google Places is one of the best things you can do to encourage steady growth and development.

The Importance of Google Places for Small Businesses:

1. FREE Business Listing | you can now display detailed information on specific products or services
2. My Business Dashboard | this puts you in total control of the information displayed on your business
3. Google Maps | any business registered with Google Places will be easily located on Google Maps
4. Increase Web Presence | guaranteed to improve your SEO ranking and direct traffic to your site

How Do I Register?
Registering with Google Places is very straightforward. Just claim your FREE listing and then simply verify by phone or mail. You will then receive a PIN from Google and voila! You can start setting up.

What type of information does Google Places display?
The Google My Dashboard permits you to take full control of the information displayed. In order to maximise results it is advised to submit SEO-friendly content written in a persuasive and informative way. For example, your

What to Include?

Business Description: You have 200 characters to sell your product or service. Perfect it.
The basics: Brand, location address, phone number, opening hours
Coupons & special offers customer can print & use
Live updates on daily or weekly basis recommended to help the push
How to Find section e.g. How to Find SME Media
Add up to 10 images and 5 videos FREE of charge

Detailed Analytics
With Google Places you can collect accurate information on the performance of your online business presence and know exactly how many people are searching for you on Google, the terms they used to search for you, where they are coming from, how many viewed your Google Places page, where they have been online previously online and more! I could go on but I think you can picture the place I am coming from!

Google Places is a leading online marketing tool which prioritises locally based businesses in Google searches. It works in conjunction with Google Maps so whenever you register a business with Google Places you will see it on Google Maps! Millions of users refer to Google Maps every day to find a service locally! Make sure you are on there. Make certain to seek advice relating to writing the perfect content because it will affect the way Google scans the content for appearance in search results.

More and more businesses are claiming their pages and establishing their new online presence, now is the time to get your ducks in a line and organise your new digital shop front! Speak to a professional at SME Media to help you get started! We look forward to hearing from you.