Over the past year, Google Local Business (now Google Places or Google Maps as you may know it) has undergone many changes to enhance user experience. If you haven’t already got your business listed on Google Places, then it is highly likely you are missing out on a lot of traffic for those searching for your services in your local area.

With so much weight placed on the Google Maps listings now, it is extremely vital for any business to include this in your online marketing activity. Furthermore, listing your business is one thing, optimising it to out-rank your competition is another. Few businesses actually realise that optimising your business listing on Google Maps is even possible, let alone all the factors that are taken into account by Google Places’ ranking algorithm.

Clubnet Search Marketing is renown for ranking success on Google Places, strategically optimising business listings to maximise visibility in the SERPs , even if the rest of your SEO on your website sucks, Google Maps listings give you that additional opportunity of ranking at the top of the first page for your target keywords.

Features

Are you aware of all the features available to you in Google Places? If not, you are not the only one, millions of businesses listed on Google Maps have failed to capitalise on the opportunities available and lack the knowledge and understanding of ranking success on the system.

Some of the features include:-

• Photos & Videos – There are now many geo-tagging opportunities available allowing photos to be displayed from non-Google websites.
• Reviews – Many reviews are extracted from non-Google websites, it is important to get listed on those places to influence more reviews.
• Custom Categories – Are you making use of custom categories and optimising for your local terms?
• Additional Details – Are you making use of additional information fields? Another opportunity to capture your target audience.
• Mini-blog – Recently introduced is ‘Post to your page’ allowing you to post current and important information about your business.
• Service Areas – Recently introduced, are you offering your services outside your local town? Are you making use of the areas served to capture a broader audience.
• Coming soon to the UK: Featured listings, business photo shoots, customised QR codes for business cards, favourite places

Read our guide to optimising for Google Places, a highly popular article given the feedback we have received from it. Many businesses that have followed the optimisation techniques listed in this article have seen them leap frog competitors and seen their traffic via this system increase significantly.

Starting from just £149, Clubnet Search Marketing can set up your business listing on Google Places and optimise it for your target keywords, you will also receive advice and suggestions on how to increase your ranking further using sources outside of Google Places.

Read what others have said about our success with Google Places optimisation:-

Just an update on this, I have had 2 enquiries so far today because of my improved LBC rankings… I cannot thank Ziggo enough… He definitely knows his stuff

LBR, local search map thingy Ziggo gave me the changes, and I made a couple and now ranking in all but one of my local searches

Gareth Gillman Web Design | Sources: 1, 2, Full Thread

I noticed that my website was being out ranked by google local business (map listings). My local listing was no where to be seen, and after several atempts at it. I decided to get some help. Geoff was recommend to me on the uk business forums.

He was quick to reply and had the new listing up and running, within a day. His pricing is very clear and in my case paid for it self the same day. I am now ranked 1st for some key words.

I would highly recommend geoff to any one.

Tony Franklin, Clearview Aerials