Your Business MUST use Google Places

Dec 15 in Mobile eCommerce Written by: Harris

Make sure you have a google places account if you have a bricks & mortar business.

I was recently looking for a local car wash and naturally used Google to find one (who uses the yellow pages any more!)
One of the ads caught my attention.

In addition to the address, phone number, and a link to their website, A1 Car Wash also had a few photos of the business (the outdoor seating, comfortable lounge inside the shop, their beverages fridge, and a photo of their pricelist – very nice).

A1 had added all this information to their “Google Places” account.

I could see all of this information without going to their website. But how?

Google takes this information and stitches it into the Search Results Page. No need to click a link to open a website. It’s more accessible and more convenient. No need to open a dozen pages looking for prices and opening hours. The answer is right there.

Unlike the contents of their website, A1′s Google Places account asked specific questions about the business that Google cannot easily parse from their website. Information such as opening hours, payment methods accepted, photos of the shop, a short bio, etc.

Google places also supports reviews, and you can be sure that Google will use these reviews when ranking their results.

Google places is critical for mobile services. Google knows the approximate location of your website (from the IP information), but has no way of knowing the exact address. So if someone is looking for a local business from their mobile phone, Google has no way of knowing if your business is near the customer without Google places. No Google Places account, means your business will not show in the mobile search results. So chances are your competitor will get the business.

The best part of Google Places is that it’s a free service.

If you have a Google Adwords Ad campaign, make sure you ad a Goggle Paces 

Extension to the Ads. This will add an extra line ad the bottom of your ad showing the business address.

Tags:

ad campaign, competitor, google, google adwords, Mobile eCommerce, mobile phone, mobile search, mobile services, yellow pages

About the author

Harris
I have been in the Internet industry since 1994, when I was one of the directors and owners of Cyberloom Pty Ltd - an early ISP based in Sydney, NSW. Cyberloom was sold in 2001. That's when I started X Pty Ltd as a website development company. xEcommerce.com.au is now my primary focus. xEcommerce.com.au builds small business sites on two platforms - Magento & Wordpress. One day I would like to operate the business from the Greek Island of Meganisi - and why not? The Internet is everywhere! ;)