Google Places Optimization: Get Your Business Noticed

Smart phones are becoming the way to go, or the way to get places, for most people. With over a half a million new activations a day, the numbers of people that are carrying smart phones is growing at an unbelievable rate. These people are getting very accustomed to using their phones to find what they need locally, within moments. What this means for local businesses is that local SEO is incredibly important. No longer is the focus on getting noticed on the Internet, but getting noticed on the Internet—in the local market. The shift for SEO is truly taking a strong turn toward local online marketing and local SEO.

What is Local Online Marketing?

Businesses are finding many ways to get noticed locally on the Internet, including using Google Places Optimization, as well as Bing Local and Yahoo Local. Although each are powerful ways to get noticed, many of the smart phones are leaning toward the Google results when giving suggestions to people using their phones to inquire about local businesses. When an inquiry is made using a smart phone, not only will a list of nearby options appear on the phone, but users can easily find maps and directions to exactly where they are headed. Over 80% of users will show up at a business once they search for it using their phone. This is a staggering amount of potential business that cannot be ignored.

Importance of Local SEO

Local SEO and local online marketing is more important than ever for small businesses. Positioning a business high on the online local results is critical, especially when people are less likely to scroll using their phones than they might be on a laptop or desktop PC. Boost visibility so that your business appears at the top of the list and gets noticed immediately. Thanks to recent enhancement with Google Places Optimization, getting noticed is getting easier than ever, if you are willing to do a little bit of “leg work” and research.

Tips for Google Places Optimization

Before listing your business with Google Places, take some time to check out the competition so that you know what you are up against. Search the listings using the keywords that you are aiming for. For instance, if you have a dry cleaning business in Detroit, Michigan, you may want to try searching using “dry cleaning Detroit,” “dry cleaners Detroit,” Detroit dry cleaners,” or “dry cleaning MI,” just as examples. When you notice what comes up on the results, check out each of the options. Be sure to check reviews as well as the sites themselves, as Google offers an option for users to get additional information.

Businesses that fail to fill out every single of the fields when applying to Google Places will have less information for Google to use. Obviously, the more information that you provide will help Google find your business more relevant. It is not only important to include a location, but a clear description of products and services using the keywords you are targeting. Be consistent with addresses, descriptions and keywords, as Google Places is becoming very competitive and details matter. With only seven results appearing on the first page, it is critical that you are attentive to each and every entry.

Benefits of Google Places Optimization

Since Google Places is a free way to advertise your local business, it makes excellent business sense to make every attempt to use this tool well. Very few people are still using the old fashioned Yellow Pages to find what they need, and they are looking for the quick results that can come from an online search. Concentrate on local online marketing to get your business noticed and you will find more people walking through your front door!