If you own a
local business and people can actually visit your
establishment, you simply must create a business listing on Google+
Local Pages. If you don’t currently have any kind of Google Local listing for
your business, you are missing out on a MASSIVE (and simple) opportunity to
increase awareness for your business.
The new Google+ Local
Pages have officially replaced Google Places - and you really need to get on
board. Google Places has been simply a directory type, location based listing; which
has now been replaced with Google+ Local Pages. This gives you much more
functionality and can greatly enhance your web presence.
Let’s start off
by defining what are Google+ Local Pages?
Simply put they
are location based search results in Google that contain directory style information
about your business. Name, address, phone number, hours, details, AND some
other great features that we’ll get into below.
Here’s five
reasons why you should be paying attention to this:
Google+ Local
Pages Create a separate listing in search results
Hang on, just as an aside: Did you know that 43% of
Google searches are location based? Or that 1 in 3 searches on mobile devices
have local intent?
What does that
really mean? Essentially, your potential customers are typing general
(“sandwiches in Fulham”) or specific (“Pret a Manger in Bath”) search queries
into Google in hopes of finding what they are looking for, close to their
current location, more often than not on a mobile device or tablet. If you have a local shop front, clearly you want to show up
here.
As you've probably noticed from personal searches, Google loves to put location-based
results at the top, because they deem them to be the most relevant to the
person. Remember, Google rules the world internet. When Google tells you
something is important to increase the chances of your success in organic
search just do it - and they are really keen that you embrace the new Google+
Local Pages
Don’t forget
this: Google+ Local Pages also integrate with Google Maps and show up as
listings on the maps tab.
Google+ Local Pages Support the SoLoMoCo
Revolution
The what revolution? I hear you ask. Social, Local,
Mobile, Commerce. Put another way – it should form the backbone of your SEO –
remember 43% of all Google searches are location based.
Understanding this SoLoMoCo revolution is going
to become a must for online marketers of both B2B and B2C brands. Google+ Local
Pages will be essential in your mastery of the “local” inside of “SoLoMoCo”. It
will be the most important platform you can use to market your local business.
Google Plus Local Pages Integrate Social Recommendations
Google Places, as mentioned above, was a
directory style informational listing of your local business. Google+ Local Pages
take the listing a step further to integrate features that will increase
awareness for your brand, on a personal level.
Let’s think this through a bit – if someone
recommends your business, using the +1 feature, your business will then become
a ‘relevant’ search result for anyone connected to them through Google+, i.e. their
friends. The functionality works automatically in the background once the page
is setup.
Why wouldn’t you want to let your customers
rave about you, recommend you, and help their friends find you? Your current customers become your brand advocates.
Google+ Local Pages are Easy to Create and Manage
Google+
Local Pages will take you a maximum of 15 minutes to create.
Visit:
https://plus.google.com/pages/create -> click on “Local”
Google Plus Local Pages are FREE
- How about the fact that Google+ Local Pages can do the following without investing any money
- market your business
- increase your rankings in organic search results (without paying an SEO expert)
- be an acceptable replacement for a website if you can’t afford one
Convinced?
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