Google has touted the benefits of Google+ for small businesses through various promotional videos. One service that doesn’t get a lot of public love in regards to small businesses is Google Places. The Google Places team held a Hangout on Google+ recently to answer questions small businesses may have about the service.
The Hangout covered some core topics that small businesses are sure to find useful including how to get started, getting noticed and other details. There’s some good stuff here so if you’re hoping to get discovered on Google Places, take some of this advice to heart.
While you can watch the hour long video for yourself, we’ll include some of the more pertinent information. First and most important is reporting a relocated business. You will have to report the old location of your business as having closed so customers won’t go to that location by accident, then update your page with the current location.
Small businesses can put in descriptions on Google Places for potential customers to read. The Places team says to think of it as “your elevator pitch.” One important thing to remember is that your description has no bearing on search so keywords won’t get you anywhere.
As for those businesses that deliver services straight to the user, your business can be listed on Google Places as well. Google calls them “service area businesses” and they have created a guide for those who want to use Places for their needs.
Finally, Google is currently looking at how to connect Google+ and Places. They say that they’re “continuing to evaluate how these tools might work together in the future.”
If you own a small business, the entire Hangout is worth checking out. You can watch it below: