2. Local business owners know how vital it is to
have an online business listing. When was
the last time you pulled out an archaic yellow
pages phone book to look up an address or
phone number? More often than not, you’re
“Googling” that information on the computer
or a smart phone.
3. In an effort to streamline their products,
Google has made Google Places a part of its
Google Plus social media platform. Instead
of logging in at two separate sites, you can
manage your local business page in one
place.
4. All the business pages created at Google
Places were seamlessly integrated into
Google Plus Local. Of course, owners
always have the option of editing the
information found on their local pages but
you don’t have to recreate the page from
scratch.
5. While Google of course wants more people
to use their Google Plus platform, people
can still access your Google Plus Local
business listing from any of its other
products, such as search, maps and mobile.
They can also use their Google Plus circles
as a source of reviews for local businesses.
6. One big change that experts believe will help with
company branding is the new layout and additional
photo areas on the new Google Plus Local pages.
Businesses can upload one large photo to show on
the right side of the page but also have the option of
uploading 5 other photos which appear along the top
of the page. If you have a hotel property or other
merchandise you want to highlight, having those
photos front and center is a useful feature.
7. Another key feature of Google Places was the Zagat
reviews. Zagat is a world-renowned company
known for their customer-generated restaurant
reviews and happily this feature is now a part of
Google Plus Local. To read Zagat and Google user
reviews of any restaurants in your area, simply login
to Google Plus Local, search by restaurant name or
location and click the link that says “Reviews”
under the name (you’ll also see how many reviews
were submitted for that restaurant).
8. Google users can also review other local
businesses, such as florists, dentists, jewelry
stores and hardware stores. In the right corner
of each business’ listing you’ll see a small
pencil icon. Click here to leave a review
which is viewable to all of your circles.
9. With the integration of Google Places and
Google Plus, it’s now easier to manage your
business listing and online reputation. Simply
login to one place, easily edit your business
profile if you move or make any changes to your
hours, and, most importantly, read the customer
reviews.
10. Hopefully you’ll see mostly good reviews but
occasionally there will be some poor reviews. If you
see multiple bad reviews, it’s time to address the
problem and make some changes. Don’t always
assume the customer is out to get you by posting a
bad review. The only way to improve your business
is to recognize a problem, make changes to fix the
problem and to treat your customers well.