Local business owners are nowadays faced with many problems when trying to establish themselves online and compete for page 1 rankings on Google, because the online search results are already filled with many of the big corporations and businesses. In fact, many business owners really don’t have the skills, knowledge or time to run an online marketing campaign and are losing out on allot of potential business. Over 86% of online users search locally when they need something, so it’s essential that your business is able to be seen online.
Local search marketing is the new advertising medium which gives ‘local businesses’ the ability to get found easily online by registering and being optimized for ‘Google Places’.
The Advantages Of Google Places Are:
- You don’t even need a website.
- It is the most effective way to make your business known to potential customers for very little cost.
- The local business search results show up first, above normal search engine results, giving you maximum exposure.
- The listing is automatically listed into Google’s Search Engine Results
- Google Places is optimized for ‘mobile phone internet browsing’ – a massively growing trend.
If you are a business owner, you maybe thinking “I’m not sure if I really need this”. The easiest way to think of this is, it is the modern day online and advanced equivalent of the traditional outdated Yellow Pages directory. The internet is now the first place people go to for information due to modern technology and the speed, so people rely much less on the traditional methods like the phone directories, newspapers, direct mail and leaflets.
Have a look at these shocking statistics which demonstrates why your business listing needs to be optimized for Google Places :-
- Nearly 50% of people used mobile phones for internet browsing in 2011 (compared to 31% in 2010)
- 71% of 16-24-year-olds use mobiles for the internet.
- 1 In 3 mobile phone searches are for local information.
- Over 86% of online users search for a local business when they need something.
- 82% of local searches result in an offline action.
- Over 50% of all purchases are preceded by an Internet search
- 80% of local business lies within a 5 mile radius
There is a major shift in the way we are communicating and 2012 will see a noticeable swing towards the mobile web. Google Places is also optimised for Mobile searching so if your business is not listed, you are leaving business on the table. Leveraging the technology of the internet is now essential for any business, no matter how small.
How Does Google Places Work?
With Google Places, your local business is able to get a page 1 ranking in the Google search results with a pin above your business location on the local street map for users to see. It provides links to your website, photo’s, video’s, information about your business and customer reviews allowing you to market in your local area, but only if your Google Places listing is optimized correctly.
When someone makes a search for something local, they will use a town, city, region or post code as part of that search. For example; if someone searches for an Italian restaurant in Manchester, they could type into the search box “Italian Restaurant Manchester” or “Manchester Italian Restaurant”. Google recognises that the search that is being made is looking for local information because a location has been included in the search, so it then populates the results from all the listings in ‘Google Places’ above and before the other results for the user to see with an image of a map and the precise location of each business listed.
There are 5400 individual searches for ‘Italian Restaurant Manchester“. These are ‘laser targeted prospects’ for any Italian restaurant in Manchester and if a business is not listed, they will loose custom to another business who is Optimised for Google Places.
Webolutions is able to provide other services which can be used in conjunction with Google Place Optimization, so you dominate your local area – a strategy for attracting new customers and retaining current customers. However, it is essential to mention that there is nothing more effective and cost-effective than Google Place Optimization. If you have a local business then you absolutely need to be optimized for Google Places.
Contact Webolutions now to claim your Google Places listing and dominate your local area!