Vanessa Capozzi, Owner, ieInteractive
It’s been over one year since the introduction of Google Places (as a replacement for the Google Local Business Center), the name and look has changed but Google Places results continue to dominate search queries and with a heavy local slant.
Google Places, in my opinion, is probably the single most important tool available for online marketing because it is directly related to searches people are making on a local level. Further, these are searches taking place by those who are most likely to buy from your business. If you are new to Google Places, watch this quick and informative video created by Google.
Few of the basic steps to get the most out of your Google Places Page:
1) CLAIM or CREATE a Google Places Page: Even if you haven’t actively created your business page, it’s pretty likely that your 
business already has one. As of this past March over 58% of business owners have not claimed their profile. Head over to Google and do a simple search for your business. If you see a listing click on the place page and look for the “business owner?” option. From there, Google makes it very simple for you to claim your page. If you don’t find a listing, you can easily create one via the Welcome to Google Places Page.
2) PROFILE: Google Places provides a wide variety of ways to build your profile. Few of the most important factors are:
a. Description: You have 200 words, use them. Don’t over-stuff for the sake of using all the words.
b. Keywords: Use terms that relate to what you do and what customers use to find you via searches.
c. Category Tags: You will have 5 options, use them.
d. Media and Imagery: Upload photos and videos. Geo-tagged photos and videos in general make your Google Places Page stand out in the crowd. Make your profile as complete as possible.
3) REVIEWS: Customer ratings and reviews of your business…. The single most powerful feature on Google Places Page as well as all of the review sites. Customers spend more time looking at review sites when doing an evaluation than on your website. A consumer expects that you will say great things about your business. They want to see what others think about you and your business. That said, encourage your customers to post positive reviews about you on as many of the review sites as possible. Space out your reviews and do not offer an incentive for positive reviews. Don’t panic when 
you get a negative comment (for more information on how to manage the review process, click here).
4) ANALYTICS: Use the dashboard! When Google created Google Places they tied everything into their very robust and detailed analytics system. You, very easily, see graphs, charts, and analytics which work together to give you a clear picture of who is finding you and what they are doing on your profile page. This dashboard offers great insight into where your customers are coming from and what they are most interested in within your business page.
These are only a few of the very basic steps to consider. If you’d like a detailed step by step overview of how to make the most of your page or how to create one, contact me, Vanessa Capozzi at vcapozzi@ieinteractiveservices.com or by calling 412.400.7205.
June 3, 2011
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