Is your Business located on Google Maps and Google Places for Business? GOOGLE MAPS Icon If not, it should be! Despite the simple fact that search engines such as Google and Yahoo have replaced the stone aged telephone books, both of these search engine titans also possess business listing services. Google has Google+ Places and Zagat, while Yahoo has Yelp. All which utilize map based business listings. These map based business listings assist consumers in finding business near their physical locations. This is even more relevant in today’s age of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. For instance, as a consumer is driving on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago. A person in this vehicle is seeking a coffee shop nearby. They grab their iphone, open their web search and enter coffee shops. Their mobile device will provide map results, prior to providing web page results because the search engine has detected that they are mobile. Will your business show up if a smart phone or tablet user searches for your business type? If your business is not listed on Google Places for Business or Google+ Local then the answer is no!

On July 11, 2013, Google announced a new Google Map Application for smart phones and tablets. This new mobile application provides a new mapping experience that makes exploring the world and getting to the places that matter to users faster and easier. The new mobile app is first being released globally in Google Play and will be available soon in the iTunes App Store in the very near future. This newest version of the Google Map Application for mobile devices builds on the design Google initially released for iPhone last December and offers improvements such as a modified search function and enhanced navigation features. Other new features included in the new Google Map App include Google reviews, Zagat and special offers provided by local businesses.

Why is it important that your business is found on Google Maps and Google Places for Business?

Aside from the fact that mobile user statistics are rising, Google has and 82.7% market share in the world of search engines. This means that there is a large amount of desktop users that utilize Google as their selection to search the web. Being the goliath that Google is, Google is sharing data across their many platforms and tools. This means that Google is also sending traffic to their own resources before sending them elsewhere for information. Just as we have seen with Google+, when searching Google, search engine results pages often provides users with results that exist on Google+, Google Maps and so on! This is more relevant today than ever before, as the ever expanding movement of web users to mobile devices has resulted in a push to localize advertisement revenue and resulting from mobile web traffic.

Back in 2011, Google’s VP, of Local, Maps and Location Services stated that “Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering and delighting people with their impressive array of reviews, ratings and insights.” Studying Google’s recent history of acquisitions such as Zagat, Waze (GPS Navigation Software) and more recently a plethora of companies that develop Mobile Applications including Sparrow and Clever Sense; all of which are likely strategic acquisitions to assist Google in maintaining their firm grasp on the search engine market while the world moves away from desktop computing and onto mobile devices. In doing so Google will be able to compliment their many established web services such as Google Search, Google Maps and Google Adwords to monopolize the world’s local markets! 

Another reason why is it important that your business is found on Google Maps and Google Places for Business is that, in addition to achieving greater visibility to both desk top users and mobile users, you will able to provide potential customers the right information about your business by updating your contact information, hours and more. You can post images, video and other information. Additionally, your business will be able to connect with your customers by reviewing feedback and being able to respond to reviews as the official business owner.

So now that you are aware of the importance of having your business and business website listed on Google Maps/Google Places for Business, how do you actually get your business listed? Go to https://www.google.com/business/placesforbusiness/ Signing up is quick, easy and free. Simply log-in with your Google Account and verify that you are the owner. If you are not sure how to do this, then contact AdverGroup Web Design, as we include set up and configuration of your “Google Places for Business Account” with all websites that are developed by AdverGroup Web Design!