Google places is a free tool for promoting your business visibility, and improve your Google ranking and search engine optimisation.

Bobs Snowzell of e-bob internet marketing, provides this video as part 3 of their series, ‘how to improve your google ranking’. Setting up your Google Places page is one very important action.

What is a Google places page?

Google places allow business owners to update and manage their business information.

Essentially it is a page on which you can provide a range of information about your business including location, images, videos and opening times. Google integrate into Google Maps & associated networks.

Why has a Google Places Page?

When a local search is made, ie, adding a geographical location, Google often shows businesses that are registered in Google places. Recently Google have decided to give more prominence to local searches, ( Google places) sometimes using up to half of the page showing results, generally Google will show up to 7 results, sometimes called the ‘golden seven’.

If you market your business in a local area, ie, Yorkshire, Leeds etc, it is vital that you have a Google Places page, and it is completed correctly. This helps improve Google ranking.

Google also has the ability to merge the organic search result with the ‘google places’ page, giving a much higher profile of the business.

So if you want to have any chance of appearing on page 1 Google, for local searches, secure your places page now.

How to Claim your Google Places Page.

a) You need an account with Google. if you have one go to 'my account’ and select the product ‘Google Places’, otherwise create an account. Its free

b)Once in Google Places you will be asked to ‘add another business’. Click on this.

c) you will then be asked for some basic info about the business for Google Places to see if they already have the details on file.

If so, you have an option to ‘claim your listing’, or alternatively class it as a new listing.

Complete the information and submit to Google who will ask for verification of ownership WITH SOMETIME THREE OPTIONS.

Assuming that Google approves your listing, you’re listing in your account will say ‘ACTIVE’. & should appear in Google maps very shortly. However, it may take longer to appear on page 1 Google for your keywords. Check regularly for its appearance, and also check the statistics that Google provide alongside the listing in your account. It will tell you the number of impressions, and actions taken, which helps.

It is however very important that if your competitors are appearing on page 1 for your geographical search term, then you should be there also.

If you feel that you have done everything and still not achieving this, you may need to talk to a specialist company like e-bob who have experience in optimising the listing page.