Google decided to change the name of the Local Business Center to Google Places. The idea behind this change was to better connect the people searching for places on the web to the actual businesses they are searching for. WIth the name change there was also an aesthetic change as well. As you search for businesses online you will notice a cleaner look on the local business listings. In addition, companies are given the option to add enhancements to their listings, including tags. This can be done for $25 per month. This feature, along with several others is only available in certain areas right now. Google is also allowing businesses to request a Google Photoshoot. The photoshoot would be of the interior of the business and the images would be attached to your Google Place Page. Click Here to learn more about scheduling a photo-shoot of your company.
In addition to the changes made to Google Places, Google released some very insightful numbers:
- More than 4 million business listings on Google claimed by business owners (using the Local Business Center, now Google Places)
- Nearly 2 million listings have been claimed in the United States
- 20% of searches on Google are related to location
- There are 50 million Place Pages
- Place Pages are viewed millions of times each day
- We have mailed out Favorite Places window decals to around 200,000 businesses around the United States
Search Engine Land mentions, “By contrast comScore has previously reported that 11% or 12% of searches are local. According to comScore, in March Google had 14.3 billion search queries. Twenty percent of that would represent roughly 2.8 billion local queries.”
Google continues to grow as the nation’s leading search engine and we are excited, as always to be helping our clients stay at the forefront of all of Google’s exciting changes.
