Google Places has matured from being Google Maps and then Google Local and is now at the forefront of Google's big push to bury the opposition in the battle for local search supremacy. It's no wonder then that Google Places page search engine optimisation is just as big a deal for small local business owners, as they attempt to make the most of what many are referring to as the future of online search.
The game is changing for small businesses the world over. Search results have become more relevant to the searcher with all the major search engines now return local results, as they seem to have finally grasped that yes search engine users do search worldwide when purchasing on the internet but they still have to shop locally. This is more so for "emergency" purchases, but is not only confined to searching for a plumber when the tap leaks or a mobile mechanic when the car plays up, it goes further than that.
How about if someone fancies a change from their usual take away or restaurant, and searches for Chinese restaurant or Indian take away in their local town, or they are looking for a late birthday present, wedding outfit or many other products or services, what's the point of Google giving them a result that is outside of what people would consider to be local?
In America, where incidentally they are a bit further down the Google Place, FourSquare, Facebook Places road than here in the UK, small businesses have gradually started to understand the massive potential that local search offers them. They are tumbling over each other in an attempt to be included in the 7 pack shown on the first page of results, for their chosen keywords or key phrases, and are using Google Places and Facebook Places page search engine optimisation to achieve this goal.
I have to say, I am a little surprised at just how slow local small business owners in the United Kingdom are at realizing the implications, to their business, these changes will inevitably have. All the evidence is there to be seen, first in Japan and now in the United States, local search is dominating the thoughts of all search engines and social media sites, mobile search continues to be the biggest area of growth on the internet. Couple these two areas together and businesses of whatever size stand a great chance of dominating the local search results in their area when using Google Places page search engine optimisation techniques.
The opportunity is there for you to claim your Google Places page and start the process of getting seen by more potential customers. but only those business owners who firstly set up their listing correctly and then, and this is the important part, continue with their Google Places page search engine optimisation so they take full advantage of this great new opportunity.
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