The purpose of a Google Places page is to connect your business with local customers, much like the Yellow Pages used to do. With a Google Places page, you ‘re aligning yourself with the search engine king to be found easier on the web. And, as you probably already know, what Google wants you to do, you should do, as it only helps in your search rankings.
Okay, so now that you have your Places page, how can you make the most of it to allow your business to shine through and have a strong online presence? Consider these following points to grow your Places page to a bigger and better place:
Complete Your Page: This simple task is one that too many businesses skip over. Fortunately, it ‘s simple. Make sure your Places page is complete, with all the information about your company filled out and accurate..
Get Customer Reviews: You need an average customer review rating to show up on your Places page, so you better get a handful of reviews from the get-go. With a minimum of five reviews, your page will gain stars, which is what customers want to see when browsing for local companies.
Manage Customer Reviews: Okay, so you may not like everything that people say about you. Hopefully this doesn ‘t happen often, but you should get in the habit of responding to the majority of your reviews. Thank the people that leave a nice comment; address the comments where something went wrong. People read these responses, so it gives you an opportunity to show a personal side to your company.
Upload More than Ten Photos: With your Places page, Google allows you to upload ten photos. Get more. You can do this by uploading photos to third-party sites like CitySearch or InsiderPages. What Google does is track activity from these sites and put them on your Places page.
Add a Post to Your Page: This is another simple step that many business owners overlook; adding a post. It should be a short blurb with a link to your website, special offer or monthly newsletter. It could say something like, “Hey hungry folks! Sign up for our newsletter to get special offers at The Wing Place. And…SAVE $2.00 today off your next meal!”
Remember, your Google Places page is yet another tool you have to reach out to local customers, grow your online presence and rank better with Google – all from a platform that ‘s FREE.
