Google Places for your business
One profile that you most definitely need to set up for your business is Google Places. Once set up this will show up at the top of search results and it is totally free to set up. By spending time and effort on your business profile you can really optimise your Google Places listing. Before you do anything, you need to check to see if a listing does not already exist for your business.
If it does exist then you need to update it to ensure it is accurate. The beauty of Google Places is that as well as basic information, you can also add custom information including images and video. Using these features is a great addition to your listing as you will be grouped together with similar businesses and it is a great way of attracting attention and bringing people to your website.
Check for Accuracy
First, check to see if you are already listed, if so find out if it is up to date and accurate. Besides the basic information, Places gives you the option to add custom information. One great idea is to add images or even video to your listing. You will usually be listed amongst other similar businesses, so this is a great way to grab attention and bring people to your website. Ensure your business location is set up properly by selecting the region your business operates in. By doing this it means your business will show up in searches for that region – not just your home town. It is important you accurately choose your region as this will give you maximum exposure on Google search results.
Ready to be searched
Make sure your business is added to the correct category. If not in the right category your business will not show up in the correct search results. Google Places allows you to create a custom category but if possible try and fit your business into one of the standard categories – be specific as possible as categories are accurate and will describe your business well. The category is important as Google will use the category as part of the data to bring your listing up for search results. Another set of data that is important is what you include in the rest of your profile, so be sure to fill it out completely and focus on important keywords.
Google Places and the World Wide Web
Google is a search engine, and it pulls in information from all over. Having a strong Google Places profile will help your small business be found online. Making sure your information is up to date there is important, but it is also important to update your business information on other profiles and on any websites that talk about your business. Google will scour the web for accurate information about your business, so don’t let old information stay up on a website or business profile.
Check our blog next week for Lesson 4 – Google News.
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Our SEO blogger is an expert in Web Marketing, Usability and Interface Design. He has been a vital part of The Blue Cube Communications since 2003. As the West Midlands fastest growing web marketing agency, we always strive to maximise return on investment for our customers.
