Not more than a couple of months ago, search engine marketers were advising their clients that they needed to give more consideration to Google Places as a local search strategy. Google Places was one of the pieces of the puzzle that businesses could use to optimize for search engines and be found by searchers looking for local businesses. Today, Google changed that focus, by eliminating Google Places and unveiling Google + Local.
Google + Local is another push by Google to integrate social signals into its search results by integrating its Zagat Review system with Google + (Google’s social environment) and Google Places. Here are some of the changes:
- Google Local will be a tab added to your Google + page (which is looking remarkably similar to a Facebook page!).
- Google Places is being eliminated. Google Places information is being automatically transferred to Google + Local.
- Google Places reviews are being replaced by Zagat’s 30-point rating system. Google owns Zagat, which has a user interface very similar to Yelp, an interface that users are much more used to than Google Places.
- It is a continuation of Google’s attempts to bring its services together. It integrates local search, reviews, and social media (Google Circles) together.
Overall, the experience for searchers will be much more information-rich. Depending on how you use Google, a wider range of information is presented. Search under Places, and you get listings with quick review scores and a small map on the right. If a searcher logs into their own Google+ account, the display has the ability to feature many more photos, comments from one’s Circle of friends, and more. See the following graphics as an example. The first shows an example listing as it appears in a Google search.
La Saj as it appears in basic Google search
And here is how the same restaurant appears when logging into a Google+ page:
How does this affect your business? For one, it is arguable that you absolutely must build more content into your Google+ profile and other spaces. Local advertising on Google will now be even more precise, as it is able to target advertisers based on demographics (Google +), interests & likes (Google Circle and Google +) and reputation (Zagat reviews).
We’ll keep you updated as this change unfolds, providing further insights and tips on how your business can and should take advantage of Google+Local.
Want to learn more?
Google Places is Over …
New Google Local Tab … Will Replace Google Places