Google Plus Local for Business

Google Plus Local for Business

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“What Happened to Google Places?”
If you relied on Google Places as a source of publicity for your
business, you are probably still asking this question. Say hello
to Google+ Local, which replaced “Places” June 1, 2012.
Log into your Google account, and go to Google Plus Local. (If
your Google automatically diverts you to your home page,
change the URL in your browser bar to:
https://plus.google.com/local.)
You will immediately see a page displaying restaurants and
hotels for your area. Note that the Search bar, up top, has
“Restaurants, hotels and more” ghosted into the Textarea as a
default:

You can change this to any type of business, and your display
will change to reflect searches for those types of business only:
But before you do, you’ll notice, underneath the first
“restaurants, hotels” result, this insert:

It shows:
a) An invitation to learn more about the new Zagat scoring
system
b) Your profile photo


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c) Your Places, including:
o Your reviews
o Your check-ins

But spend a little more time familiarizing yourself with the main
page before checking out the scoring system. Here’s a sample
of what happens if we change “restaurants, hotels and more”
(“more” usually being local historical or notable commercial
sights) to “music store”…

Down the left-hand side of the results, you’ll see a vertical
menu that takes you your Google Plus:
•

Home

•

Profile

•

Explore

•

Hangouts

•

Photos

•

Circles

•

Local

•

Games


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“Local” will be highlighted, because that’s where you
are now. The other menu “tabs” will be greyed out.
The new system can be confusing, as links open up
onto pages that leave you unsure if you’re still within
the Google Plus section you want to be in. Checking
the left hand menu will instantly tell you what section you are
actually visiting.
Visitors can rate, review and upload photos through their local
searches.
And the places they can review include your business, if yours
has a physical location.

But What Did Happen to Google Places?
Ask Google this, and they won’t answer you. Instead, they’ll
enthusiastically extol the virtues of the new Google Plus Local.
The bad news is that Google Plus seems to constantly change.
The good news is that people did get used to using Google
Places for their local searches. It used to be, a couple of years
back at the dawn of local searching, that users would get
frustrated, howl, cry, swear and stomp about constant changes.
Now, most people seem to adapt to them without a blink.
That is, they are still annoyed, still frustrated; you’ll still hear
complaints along the lines of “but I just got used to the old way”;
but the fact is that today, people who use (a) mobile devices (b)
personal computers do recover and start using the new
features in record time.
Here’s how it works: If they want a result, they make it happen.
And if that means struggling through a new system, they do so.
And if they’re mobile users, they’ll simply just find the app…


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Using the Google+ Local app allows users to:
• Choose the type of business they want to find
• Read reviews and ratings for each search result
• Check-in to the local business they decide to visit
• See what friends and family in their circles have to say
about the business
• See photos of the storefront or street view, if any are
available
• Get directions
The other bite of good news: All of the reviews your customers
posted in the old “Google Places” are still available for the
public to find – the reviewer’s name has simply been changed
to “A Google User”. Reviewers can migrate their nowanonymous reviews and photos right into Google Plus Local.
These reviews can now be made either public or private.


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(To view private content, simply go to Google Maps, click on
the “My Places” button tab, and view or delete any items you
select.)

(If you want to learn how to migrate your own old Google
Places reviews – or tell your customers how to – Google
provides instructions here.)
So previous reviews may be in limbo for a while, but the switch
from Google Places to Google Plus Local will most likely end up
being barely a hiccup in location-based user searches.
And that’s good news for your local business.
To sum it all up:
• Google decided to integrate Google Places with their new
Google Plus and Google Plus Pages
• Google Plus Local pages replaces Google Places pages
• Google Plus added a “Local” tab in its vertical, left-hand
menu bar, so that people no longer have to leave Google
Plus to location-search businesses
• The Zagat review and rating system was introduced,
giving an overall rating/ranking to businesses based on a


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30-point score (user ratings end up combining these
points to give businesses a 0, 1, 2 or 3 rank rating:
3 = Excellent
2 = Very Good
1= Good
0= Poor to Fair
• Zagat’s entire review archive was integrated across
categories, making it freely available to all
• Google Plus Local Pages were integrated across all
Google properties (maps, mobile, search)
• A Google Plus Circles filter was created, so that all these
results are available to people in a reviewer or user’s
Google Plus Circles, greatly expanding both reach and
relevance
The fact that Google Plus Local Pages are now easily available
through all Google properties is great news for local business
owners!

Are Google Maps Still Around?
Yes. The Google Maps property is alive and kicking! It too has
been integrated with Google Plus, and you can find its tab at
the top of your Google Plus menu bar…


8


What Reviews and Check-ins Can Do For
Your Local Business
Reviews and Check-ins can be your best friend as a local
business owner, when:
• Local potential customers or clients are looking for a quick
“best choice”
• Out-of-town visitors are planning their trip to your town
One glowing review can tip the balance between you and your
competitor, if both of you are running neck-and-neck when it
comes to services and location… and one bad review can put
you out of the running.
If you ran a motel in your home town, for example, and potential
customers simply typed “Motels” into Google Plus Local’s
search bar, what they would actually pull up is a summary of
reviews.
They would be able to see at a glance which motels reap good
reviews… and which ones reap bad ones.
One bad review means your potential customer might not even
click on your link to investigate further…


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Note that Zagat ratings don’t appear in this overview: In spite
of Google Plus Local’s emphasis on them, what is currently
most important is first impressions, such as the ones above.
Customers with mobile phones can also use apps such as
FourSquare to “check in” – that is, let their friends,
acquaintances and family know they are at your motel.
They can also check in via Google Plus Local – but only
Google+ users within the Circles they choose to share with will
be able to see that check in.
What If There are No Reviews for your Business? – Face it,
the more reviews you have, the higher your Zagat ranking
(providing the reviews are all consistently good.)


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If there were no reviews for the three motels above, people will
see only:
• The business name (E.G. “Silver Pines Motel”)
• The category (E.G. “Tourist Accommodation”)
• The street address (E.G. “Hwy 69, Rock Candy, MN”)
• The telephone number, with area code
With no reviews to bias them, people would most likely check
out each Motel link (most likely one after the other – but
perhaps based on some personal emotional criteria such as
“the most friendly name”) to compare features only.
And if you haven’t “claimed” your business, this is what they’ll
see (and what you never want them to see):


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1. There will be no Zagat score, since there are no reviews
2. There will be no cover photo of your motel
3. There will be no map or directions
4. Everything will look “blank”, emotionally invalidating your
business and making it look as if you’re not very
professional
There’s one simple “fix” – it won’t provide you with reviews, but
claiming your business (i.e. clicking on “Manage this page” in
the right sidebar; highlighted in green, above) will allow you to:
• Upload a cover photo showing your Motel
• Upload inviting photos to the “Photos” tab
• Write a keyword-optimized, appealing “About”
description (focusing on your potential customers and
what they are looking for; not on your achievements) for
the “About” tab
• Result in your Motel appearing on the right-hand
sidebar map, with directions
Do this, and it won’t be long before you are reeling in good
reviews (particularly if you deliver what you promise, as well as
good service.
Oh. And do make sure your business has a simple but
appealing website people can explore further! (That builds
trust, allowing them to feel like they know what they’re getting
into; and that there are no unwelcome “surprises” to worry
about.)
Be sure to list the high points (features and benefits) on the
home page – and emphasize your contact information…


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Marketing Opportunities
There are many ways you can encourage customers to leave
reviews! Two of the most effective:
1. Create a blog sharing news, events sponsored by or
hosted at your business, seasonal or special promotions,
customer photos and anecdotes, and local events in your
area that might interest them
2. Offer coupons or discounts on your website or blog.
(Don’t forget mobile coupons too!)
If you are aiming for repeat, loyal customers (the ones who will
create buzz and spread the word about you, which is not only
free publicity but also the best sort) then focus on creating a


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community with your blog. People who have had a lovely time
at your Motel will read descriptions from others, or nostalgic
posts (with pictures of beach bonfires or northern canoeing) by
yourself – and they’ll find themselves wanting to add to the
conversation in the most natural and enthusiastic way.
You can also do this by creating contests…

But whatever methods you use to create a sense of community
on your local business blog, be sure to include calls-to-action!


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This includes:
• Prominently featuring a link to instructions on how to
leave a review on Google Plus Local (sidebar widgets are
handy for this purpose)
• Asking customers to “leave a review, if you’ve enjoyed
your stay” – complete with link to Google Plus Local
• Let them know: “Your best recommendation is leaving a
review for our business with your honest opinion!”
(Some business owners even bribe customers with discounts
for leaving a review!)
You can play around with making “leave a review” your link,
rather than “enjoyed your stay” – but be aware that a direct
command doesn’t always work with everyone: It feels like work
or an unsolicited favor. Telling people to “leave your review” but
using positive phrases such as “enjoyed your stay” or appealing
to their importance with phrases such as “your honest opinion”
usually gain more results.
But try linking “leave a review” instead for a while – it always
pays to test and track your results.

Your Google Plus Local Page versus your
Facebook Page
Of course, you should also have a Facebook page for your
business, in case people are using Facebook apps to review
and check-in. The difference between having a Facebook page
and claiming your Google Plus Local page for your business,
however, lies in reach and future projections:


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1. Experts are predicting that as Google’s integrated
properties blossom, It will become a Social Media
fixture as powerful as Facebook. Facebook is already
emulating Google with paid advertising and the recent
mass change of all Facebook email address to addresses
ending in “Facebook.com”

2. Google Plus Local Business Pages are beginning to
appear on the first page, top position, of local,
organic Google Searches. (Yes, paid ads still get
preference – but how many people do you know who
mentally don’t “see” paid ads, skipping right over them to
the first organic result?

3. Note the results in the screenshot, above, are ordered by
(a) Zagat score (when available and appropriate for your
niche or industry) and – more importantly – the number
of Google reviews


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4. Using Google +1 Button – If potential customers are
logged into Google, they will see if other customers have
“recommended” your business when they mouse over the
results – and see the Google Plus One button:

Likewise, if they already love your business, they can
press the +1 button for themselves to recommend your
business to others – so make sure you have a call to
action to “Recommend” your business and sharing
buttons (including those for Facebook and Twitter) on
your site or blog.
Don’t underestimate the power of the Google +1 button!
Your Google reach will expand dramatically.

Difference between Your Personal Profile and
Business Pages
Just as there differences between Facebook feeds and
Facebook Pages, so there are differences between your
Google Plus Profile and your Google Plus Local Business
Page:
• Profiles are for individuals (e.g. you)
• Business Pages are for businesses
• You’ll find the +1 button on your Business page – not on
your Profile
• You can recommend Business Pages with the +1 page
from your profile by clicking on their +1 buttons


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• Business Pages are always public
• You can choose and customize privacy levels with your
Profile
• You can only add or mention people who have already
mentioned or recommended you on your Business Page
(ditto adding someone to your circle)
There are a few other fairly major limitations: There are
currently no analytics for Business Pages – thought it’s a fair
bet Google will soon rectify this. Likewise, you can’t add your
Page to a Google Hangout (or start one from it) – something
you can do from your profile.
But your Business Page is invaluable when it comes to…

Branding Your Business with Google + Local
and Google Business Pages
You don’t need any sort of official approval to plant either the
Google Plus Logo or the Google +1 button on your website. Go
to Google Plus’ brand guidelines and select the link under the
Icon you want: It will automatically save to your Downloads
straight away (or you can right-click-Save).
You can use either graphic on both your online and offline
materials – However, you do have to make sure your use
conforms strictly to Google’s Terms and Conditions.
1. You cannot imply that Google is personally endorsing
your business in any way
2. Use the Google trademark as an adjective – never as a
noun or verb


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3. Always spell and capitalize the Google Trademark exactly
as it appears in the Google Trademarks and Accepted
Generic Terms in the branding guidelines
4. You must leave a 25-pixel margin on either side of official
Google graphics and other text or graphics on your page.

(For more precise information on what you can and cannot do,
click on the link to the branding guidelines, above.)
Whatever you do, if you have a local business, at the very least,
do claim your Google Plus Local Page – go to Google Plus
Local, search for your business (including your City and State in
the top search bars) – and once you find it, select “Manage this
Page” in the lower right-hand sidebar.

And motivate those customers of yours to start writing reviews!

But What if I Don’t Have Time to Move my Old
Google Places, Set up My Google Plus Local
Page and More?
Remember that you don’t have to struggle through becoming a
Google Plus Local Expert yourself.


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Do what you do best and focus on your business and
customers.
What we do best is helping you get more customers by making
your business findable online.
If you want to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities
and be at the forefront marketing with Google Local then you
can leave it to the pros.
We are happy to discuss your business listing and answer any
questions you have about making your local business findable
online.
Just give us a call or drop us an email. It’s that simple.

Go Mobile Media Marketing
www.GoMobileMediaMarketing.com
info@GoMobileMediaMarketing.com
1-888-544-4639


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