Google Places free business listing is an ideal way to reach prospective
customers online. If you haven't checked your business listing page
recently, we recommend you verify your business details and at the same
time take advantage of their free premium options - coupon offers, photos, videos and short promotional messages.
It's free, takes a couple of minutes to check and is a cost effective digital marketing tool. Below is a quick overview of the features you should try, some helpful tips and the Google Places video introduction.
Basic Information:
- Check your details are accurate and that your business description is up to date.
- Make sure your business website address is correct.
- Choose the 5 categories that best describe your business. Note: you have to choose at least one of Google Places suggested categories. If you cannot find other suitable categories, you can customise the rest to suit your business and industry.
Service Areas and Location Settings:
- Select how your service area will be specified, either through a distance from a location point, or through a list of locations (suburbs, postcodes, etc.)
- Choose to show your business address on your Maps listing or turn it off.
Hours of Operation & Payment Options:
- Choose to specify operating hours or not.
- Option to specify how clients can pay at your business
Photos & Videos:
- Load images that are up to 500 pixels wide. Thumbnails are scaled back to 120 pixels wide on the intial page and users can click on each image to enlarge. You can load up to 10 images.
- Upload your videos to YouTube and then enter the URL. You can load up to 5 videos.
- Enter bullet form information that will be helpful to your customers. It will be displayed on your page as Main Heading and then description.
Your Stats Page
- Your stats page has your page activity, number of impressions and top search queries.
- In the right column you can share regular updates with visitors to your page. Short messages - 160 characters in length. Each message expires in 30 days.
Google Places should definitely be part of your digital marketing strategy in 2011. This is a great time of the year to update your page, change videos and photos and start using the short messages and business coupon features. So go claim your own business place listing and have some fun!
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