A Whole New World - The Google Places Revolution

By Author: Sean Stevens
Total Articles: 2
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The way that businesses and customers find each other has truly changed in the new internet age. It used to be that a shop would receive most of its business from word of mouth, people walking by, and perhaps print, radio or television advertising. This proved to be effective in the past, but now that the media, including television, radio and newspapers, have been completely saturated, these types of promotional strategies are less effective. Also, with the advent of the internet, the average consumer no longer looks at these mediums in order to find out what products are available in their area.

For example, if you wanted to buy a necklace as an anniversary present for your wife, you would probably skip the newspaper or other forms of advertising, and simply type in ‘Jewellery Stores' plus the name of your hometown into Google. You would be presented with a list of all local businesses of this type, and you could then click these links to do further research into what type of products they have, where they are located, what their hours are, and whether or not they have a current promotion on. A feature called ...
... Google Places will organize the search results by marking them on a map, so that you can easily see where they are located in relation to you, along with links to the individual company websites. In most cases, you could view images of the products online at this website, and you might even be able to make your final purchase via an online order without even leaving your chair!

Of course, if you own a business and you are looking for the best way to get your name out there, this means that you cannot afford not to show up on this all-important Google Places search. If you don't, the majority of searchers will not be aware your business exists, and they will choose your Google Places-listed competitors over you, even if your services are better! You can have fantastic service, the best prices, and huge sales, but if no one knows about them, what is the point?

These searchers are a very important and possibly lucrative group to target, because rather than a random selection of people; these are people who are already actively searching for your business or service in your area. In other words, they want what you have. It's your job to make sure they find you so that you can give it to them!

Today's consumer is so overloaded with information in the media that when they want something they tend to do a search for it so that they can sift through the huge mass of options for themselves. Do you ever wonder why certain website show up on the first page of a Google Places search, and some are down several pages? This is simply because the top websites know how to use the right keywords in their website text, which Google Places then picks up on. Knowing the right keywords to include at the right density is a difficult science to master. If you are looking for help in this area, it is worth it to consult the services of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Professional.

The internet has revolutionized the way that businesses promote themselves, and how consumers find out about the products that they need and want. Fortunately for you, if you are promoting a product, you can use this incredibly effective and widely accessible medium to your advantage!

How easily can your customers find you? Unlock the full potential of Google Places!