How to promote the Google Place page for your local business to ensure you get into the visible rankings.

1. Optimising Your
Google Place Page
Citations, Verification & Reviews
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

2. So You’ve Claimed your Page
 There is no point in ‘off-page’ optimisation if your ‘on-
page’ optimisation is incomplete
 Use every aspect of your Page
 Categories – with keywords
 Images
 Videos
 Offers/Coupons
 Free ebook available:
 http://onlinemarketingforbusiness.co.uk/places/
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

3. Not Ranking?
 Your Page is not showing up?
 Yes, Place pages are competitive – just like website SEO
 Different results according to search term, location,
competition e.g…
 Time delay..depends on Google’s testing, indexing
timetable etc…
 When it does show - nothing absolute – only relative
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

4. What’s inside Google’s
head.. ?
 Google’s objective – to deliver relevant
information
 Information must be correct
 How can Google verify?
 Applies same principle to Place pages as it does
to websites
 Uses peer review to establish that real human
beings recognise and rate the site.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

5. Citations
 Google relies on other people doing the work
 Q: What other people?
 A: Business Directories
 Original source of information for Place pages
 If a local business directory lists your business
then there’s a fair chance that:
 you’re real and:
 you’re in their area.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

6. Citations
First priority for optimising your site:
 Get yourself listed in local business directories
 Minimum 10 – preferably more
 Keep adding whenever possible
 Those allowing hyperlink to your site are best
 Use all facilities – images, videos, hyperlinks.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

7. So You’re Listed..
 A listing is just more data to Google
 Google has no way of knowing whether it
is real or not, machine generated or not
 How can Google check?
 Google uses some obsolescent
equipment
 Human beings! 
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

8. So You’re Listed..
 A listing is just more data to Google
 Google has no way of knowing whether it
is real or not, machine generated or not
 How can Google check?
 Google uses some obsolescent
equipment
 Human beings! 
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

9. Verification
 Google’s view – any machine can make a listing
but:
 Have real people taken any notice?
 Is the directory listing reviewed?
 A human review on a citation = verification
 A human review gives Google a 3rd party
verification of the listing.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

10. Place Page Reviews
 Place pages allow reviews directly on the Page
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

11. Reviewers can be verified
 Only Google account holders can review
 Google can check activity by the reviewer.
 Other visitors can check on the reviewer
 All their reviews show up together – so no duplicates,
spammy activity etc
 So a Review is even better to Google than a
Citation verification
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

12. Ask For Reviews
 Give your customers the link directly to your Place page –
make it easy for them to comply with your request
 Be persuasive – getting it right makes a
difference.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

13. Reviews – getting it right
Sequence
2. Write the review
3. Give it a Star rating – the rating is
not active until something is written
4. Publish – button not active until star
rated.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

14. Conclusion
 When your Page is complete
 Ask customers for a Review on your Page
 Get min 10 business directory listings
 Directories with hyperlinks are best
 Ask other customers to review your Directory listings =
gives verification to Google
 Make it easy - give a direct link to the directory listing
you want them to add to.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

15. The Battle Never Ends
 Remember:
 The battle for rank supremacy never ends
 Someone else wants your place!
 Your place = leads, sales & profit
 Keep adding Reviews, listings, ratings.
 Constantly Strengthen and Fortify your position.
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

16. Google Place Pages
If you found this useful then please
‘Like’ our Page
www.facebook.com/OnlineMarketingForBusiness
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk

17. Google Place Pages
Want someone to do it for you?
For help with your Place page
call Bruce on 01924 459244
© Bruce Bird
www.OnlineMarketingForBusiness.co.uk