Get on the First Page of Google Business Places

Google Business Places – Get On The First Page

Modern technology has gone a long way in changing the way that businesses get their message out, and
Google Business Places is just one more tool to help you fight the online marketing war. It wasn’t
so very long ago that getting your business listed in the Yellow Pages was usually enough to get the
telephones ringing and build customer interest. The internet had changed the way that everyone, from
small business to large corporation, reaches their intended demographic.
It’s now believed that upwards of 95% of all business searches are conducted online, and to take it a
step further, about 75% of those are searches for local services. That translates to your ad in the Yellow
Pages collecting dust, while your competitors bask in the glow of the computer monitor. There is no
denying that Google is the king of the search engines, and while many small businesses strive to craft
the perfect SEO strategies in order to get discovered, they often overlook Google Business Places, which
isn’t only a great service for businesses, but is also one which is free.
Google Business Places is a service that has been in place since 2009, yet many local businesses have
yet to tap into it, and even those who do, have failed to utilize all that it has to offer. That is not the
fault of the system, but rather it boils down to business owners not taking the time to fully understand
the intricacies of how it works, and realizing that a little bit of tweaking may be involved in order to get
those customers lining up at your door.

Getting Started With Google Business Places

Setting up you free account at Google Business Place is actually a pretty straightforward process. It’s as
simple as inputting all your business information, making sure to include every little detail that you think
a customer would want to know. That doesn’t just mean an address and phone number; you should
be as specific as possible, listing hours of operation, services that you offer, and even which payment
options are accepted at your establishment. You will be required to verify your business over the phone,
or by postcard, but in the meantime Google Business Places will start weaving its magic and will be
crawling the web to find out everything it can about your place of business. That will include reviews
that have been posted on sites like Yelp, and other third-party sites that may have mentioned you.
That’s simply the first hurdle, but it’s actually where many new users fall flat, as they simply don’t give
enough information in order for Google Business Places to be effective.

Much like search engines, Google Business Places will rank businesses based on the input that you
provide, as well as on reviews from customers. In order to rank near the top of those searches you will
have to employ the same sort of strategy that you would use to get listed on the search engines. That
means making your business description actually be about your business, and not some overblown,
cliché laden piece of work that may sound lovely, but doesn’t really give the customer any details about
what you provide. You must become competitive with keywords as well, and should be constantly
checking to see which are working, and which are just wasteful. Post pictures of your business, both
inside and out, as that has the dual benefit of moving you upwards in the rankings, as well as letting
potential customers see inside your business.

Perhaps the best way to get seen on Google Business Places is to encourage happy customers to write
about their experiences with you. Numerous 5-star reviews will have your business moving up quickly,
and may in fact be the most important factor of your Google Business Places strategy.

What Not To Do At Google Business Places

We have already discussed that not having enough relevant information on your Google Business Places
page can be an issue, but there is also a situation where you can put too much. That usually comes in
the form of keyword stuffing, or listing your business in a category where it simply isn’t relevant. Listing
your business in every category, regardless of whether it applies to you or not, isn’t going to get you
seen, and may in fact have the complete opposite effect.

There is such a rush to make sure that you get as specific as possible that it becomes easy to overlook
something basic. The most powerful tool you have in your business may still very well be the telephone,
as being able to contact you directly can help answer any questions that potential customers may have.
Don’t forget to list your phone number on Google Business Places, and be sure that it is a line that will
be answered when people call.

Perhaps the biggest mistake that most businesses make is in allowing anyone and everyone in the
organization to put their 2 cents worth into the Google Business Places page. That is a task that should
be reserved for a single person who has intimate knowledge about the operation of the business, but is
also savvy enough to understand the complexities of keywords and SEO strategies that will be effective
in getting the business seen.

We are still in the middle of some very trying economic times, and while all companies are feeling
the pinch, it’s small businesses that may in fact end up being subjected to the hammer if they don’t
effectively market themselves. Google Business Places is an invaluable free tool for small business
owners, and if they can take the time to set it up properly, it may very well be the lifeline that they need
to survive in a tough market.

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.