Every business knows that advertising is one of the most important factors that gets the money flowing. This is how the common person finds out about the business, and how they can potentially be regular customers in the future. Business owners have always been looking for the best form of advertising that will reach the biggest number of people, some spending thousands, if not millions of dollars, just for exposure.
Google Places is one of the many ways for the business to develop a following from all over the world. Millions of people use Google every day, and the benefits of being seen in the front pages increase website traffic of the business in less than 24 hours. It also lets customers contact the shop and the business owners add coupons and gift vouchers even without a physical retail or warehouse location, all by having a competitive edge in the industry.
Google Places Revolutionized Local Businesses
Google aims to establish a working relationship with local businesses through the recently launched Google Places under the largest search engine company. Compared to Yahoo and Bing, Google has 65-70% of the market share. Previously called the Local Business Center, one of Google Places’ main goals includes giving local retail and service outlets the advantage of using Google to market the business.
1 out of 5 searches on Google is related to location. Google, the largest collector of data, recognized the upward trending of local searches online, and decided to focus on this very factor. Over time, it has been found that Google users search for a product or service online, and then searching again a second time, to find a local business with the product or service. This is why when a person does an online search today, Google shows local results first with a map at the top of the page. This means that in 2 billion searches on Google per day, more than 400 million are by people looking for goods and services nearby. This is why local business owners who need to gain internet visibility are the main targets of the service.
Most businesses can already see listings in the results page when searched for in Google, but claiming the listing is highly important. Verifying a Google Places complete business listing gives the company the control over the information shown and the success of the listing. Before a claim has been made, Google has the authority to show incorrect and outdated information. Verifying a listing proves that the business is legitimate and operational, and that the information are up-to-date, letting it have the best advantage to being found. Google also provides the company with a personalized dashboard indicating the number of hits, popular keywords, and which sites the visitors come from. This information can then be used to build a better search marketing strategy.
There are nothing but Advantages in Google Places
More traffic and new customers are two of the most important benefits of owning a Google Places account. The customers who seek the information are the target of the business. In online search marketing, getting traffic is not the main focus. It is, however, in getting targeted traffic, and converting that into sales. Google Places gives the business an opportunity to be the first few options of a consumer after searching for a specific product or service. With thousands of searches by the minute, the business will surely get the attention it so rightfully deserves.
Compared to the outdated phone directory listing that can cost thousands of dollars per year that only shows the company’s contact number, Google Places gives the business the option to add a website, a physical mailing address, real-time updates, phone numbers, even photos and videos of the products or the business place. Integrated with Google Maps, consumers can now locate the store if needed. Even mobile users can find the listing and the location immediately, giving a new mobile dimension to the technology.
One of the new features of Google Places includes allowing companies to list coupons and discount cards for a day, a week or a month, to keep customers coming back. Using Google Places Coupons will help promote the business to local consumers. The local listing coupons may be used through printing them out or presenting them on a mobile device. This attracts consumers who are geographically located near the business, and are the ones that are most likely to be regulars.
Finally, Google Places gives smaller business owners the opportunity to compete with larger corporations. Smaller business owners did not have that opportunity against huge advertising budgets. The playing field has now been leveled, and this is no longer the case today.
The future of local consumer marketing is based online, and setting a company up to be listed in Google Places gives it a competitive edge against those who don’t. Businesses that can get to the top spots can claim a jumpstart on the competition. Local search results will only continue to gain popularity. Capitalizing on internet traffic today will keep the company name in the marketplace. Google Places is now the “Yellow Pages of the Internet“. With more people moving towards local searches, a specific marketing strategy works the best. Otherwise, the business will be competing with other businesses in the entire country, a situation that is not exactly ideal. When it comes to online search marketing, the bottomline is this: if the business is not findable online, customers will never know it exists. Whether done personally or with the help of an Internet Marketing Expert who knows the industry, the business‘ optimization in Google Places should be done as soon as possible.
