Did you hear!? Google introduced their new ‘Place Search’ recently. With over 20% of searches on Google related to location, what does this mean for small businesses? Our take on it is that it is now more important than ever to not only have a Google Places page, but it is also extremely important to optimize it, and link to your website.
Google’s local ‘Places’ pages have been given more prominence in Google’s results, which in turn is drastically changing the way the organic search results are displayed. This is most likely a result of Google’s constant movement towards delivering the most relevant results to their users. Yay, Google we say!
The Google Places results will now be front-and-center when Google determines that a local search is being conducted. If not, the Google user can still use the ‘Places’ link that appears in the left-hand panel of the search results. The ‘Place’ search marks pins on a map for the given location by grouping together the search results. The map is now appearing on the right-hand side of the results page, where traditionally the 4th to 6th sponsored links appeared- now the right-column sponsored links are moving down.
Did you know!? Google Places allows you to upload your business logo, specify your hours, methods of payment and even add specials and promotions on a monthly basis. You can even embed videos, showcase photos and more. If you aren’t on Google Places, you may have an ‘unclaimed’ listing and you may even have reviews from your customers! Get on Google and check it out today- claim our listing and start using the restructured ‘Places’ pages to your small business’ advantage! The best part? It’s FREE– you just have to take the time to set it up. Or, if you are a Stand Out Online customer- we will set one up for you included with most packages.