As mentioned in last week’s post, Google Places is a great way to promote your local business. About 20% of searches online are locally based, so it is important for local businesses to have an optimized Google Listing. Here are some ways to optimize your listing on Google Places.
Add Photos
Photos are great way improve the look of your listing. You can upload photos from your Google Places account. Your photos will appear above any photos from third party sources. You can submit up to ten photos that are smaller than 1 MB.
Add Videos
Videos are a way to provide a unique and compelling look at your business. First, upload a video to YouTube. Then paste the URL of the video into your places page from your account. You can submit up to five videos.
Place Page Posts
This is a new feature of Google Places. It allows business owners to submit short messages about their business. It is a similar format to Twitter, and is a way to stay current and keep in touch with customers viewing your business profile. You can post links to your website or blog, or just mention a special that you are having in your store.
Coupons
You can create coupons from your account dashboard to entice customers and promote your business. Once you are logged in, click the “add new coupon” button, and enter the relevant details of the offer. Hit the “submit” button and publish the coupon.
Try Google Tags for Free
If you have wanted to dabble in advertising on Google, here’s your chance to do it for free. “Tags” are a new feature on Google maps that allow a business owner to provide more information about their business directly on the map. A yellow marker will highlight your business on the map, and when the user scrolls over it, more details will pop up. It is normally twenty five dollars per month, but since it is a new feature Google is enticing users to try it for free for thirty days. Visit this Google Places page to find out the details.
