Now that the Internet has replaced the Yellow pages for finding your business, local search has become an important part of your marketing plan.   Right??

When talking about local search, we need to talk about Google Places. Google Places is how to get your business found on local search results on both Google Search and Google Maps. Two of the biggest sources of traffic for Internet search.

You can claim your spot for free.  But like your website, Google Places needs to be optimized to work best for you.  I know what you are thinking, “not another profile.”  But I promise you that this one is one of the most important business profiles you can fill out.  This is the one that will bring you new business.

So here are a few tips on optimizing your Google Places…

Don’t Keyword Stuff
Places is like Search.  There are things Google likes and some they don’t.  Stuffing the description with keywords is one of the things that will get you slapped.  Watch how many times you use the same word in your profile.  Since there isn’t much room for customizing or a lot of keywords anyway, this is important.

Categories is….
They already include some basic category terms, but you can add your own.  Just remember that category is what your business is, not what you do or sell.  And no Geo-tagging.  In the example above, its “Tour Guide”, not “Vegas Tour Guide”.  This may sound like Google is splitting  hairs, they are…  Google recently changed their algorithms, so nobody is really sure where Google will draw the line on this yet.  Just be careful.

Add Photos
Add photos.  Just add photos that speak for you.  Include contact information on the image(s).

It’s Not Complete
Very few people will ever see “100% complete”  This is a minor irritation for some people, for others it’s no big deal because it has no impact on your ranking.  A full profile just looks better to the viewer, the one searching for what you are offering.

Hope This Helps,
Mark Anthony

If You Need Help With Your Local Search, Give Me a Call (702) 443-7015