Nowadays, finding the nearest restaurant, movie theaters, stores and other places of business is as easy as logging on to the Internet and typing in whatever one is searching for. However, the Internet has a habit for being random, so sometimes, people looking for an ice cream shop in Oregon are directed to an ice cream shop in Washington.

To make location searches more refined and localized, Google introduced Google Local in 2004, now called Google Places, which allows users to find places within their neighborhoods, as well as maps and other relevant directions. In 2008, businesses were permitted to list themselves with Google Places, which would give them search engine presence and help them gain more customers and sales. The names and company information of these listed businesses are then called upon by the search engine whenever there is a relevant inquiry. A listing on Places is very significant especially for small businesses, since their advertising opportunities are less than that of their bigger competitors.

Aside from business listings, sponsored online advertisements created through Google AdWords also show up on Google Places searches. This is also an option for businesses that already have a website. However, a website is not mandatory when opting for a space in Google Places.

These business listings and business ads are collectively known as Google Places Listings. In order to make the most of listing with Google Places, businesses are advised to employ both listing platforms so that they would be more visible online.

Why Opt for Google Places?

It is a well-known fact that people who search for information on the Internet rarely go past the first page of results. To be more specific, 47 percent of searchers click on the #1 result most of the time, while the remaining 43 percent choose links between the #2 and #10 results. From this, it's apparent that the goal for any business listed on

Google Places: Put Your Business on the Map

position on the first results page whenever a searcher types in words relevant to the specific listing. The higher the ranking a business gets, the more traffic its listing receives. More traffic online increases the chances of people actually choosing the service or product the business is offering.

In addition to that, businesses listed on Google Places are able to position their services or products right in front of consumers whenever these people want or need them. It's a way of advertising that has a higher potential to convert to actual sales, because the searchers already know what they want or need. The matter becomes knowing from whom and from where to acquire this product or service. A properly optimized listing on Google Places can convince a searcher to purchase from the business that posted that listing.